Luxury holidays: Licensed to chill

Since hitting the big screen 40 years ago James Bond has
travelled to a whole host of luxurious destinations around the
globe.

Some of the world’s best-known islands, ski resorts and
hotels were first introduced to us by Bond. In tribute to
everyone’s favourite secret agent, Travel Weekly reveals the
greatest 007 locations of all time and finds out where he would be
checking in today.

Jamaica is the spiritual home of Bond. Not only is this where
Ian Fleming dreamt up the concept of 007, it’s also where one
of the most memorable scenes of all time was shot. Who can forget
the white bikini-clad Ursula Andress in Dr No? It was filmed on
Laughing Waters Beach and is a must-visit for any Bond fan.

Wow factor: scuba diving in crystal clear waters,
horse riding on the sands of Runaway Bay, or enjoying a massage for
two at the Aveda Spa at Strawberry Hill – where Lauren Hill
and Kate Moss have stayed. Aspiring secret agents can turn their
hand to river-rafting down the Rio Grande or climbing the cascading
Dunn’s River Falls.

Home James: there’s only one place for Bond
fans to head in Montego Bay – the legendary Goldeneye, a
luxurious cliff-top retreat built by Ian Fleming in the 1950s. He
penned 14 Bond novels there and now it’s been transformed
into a magical hideaway. Guests will follow in the footsteps of
Noel Coward, Elizabeth Taylor and Evelyn Waugh. ITC Classics offers
seven nights’ all-inclusive in a three-bed villa from
£16,076, based on six sharing.

The Jôkulsárlón glacial lagoon in southeast
Iceland was the stunning backdrop for the latest Bond film Die
Another Day. The jaw-dropping scene where 007 endures a five-minute
car chase while dodging bullets and massive icebergs on the frozen
lagoon looks set to go down in cinematic history.

Wow factor: exploring the wondrous lagoons and
glaciers of Jôkulsárlón and visiting the hot
springs, glaciers and volcanoes. Indulge in a massage at Mecca Spa
in Reykjavik using hot lava stone and lava powder – Bond
would approve as it’s great for the mind and body.

Home James: Bales Worldwide offers 14-day trip to
Iceland from £3,285 per person. For those who want to stay in
an ice hotel like that featured in the film, try the Ice Hotel in
Sweden. Scantours has a three-night package, combining one night in
Stockholm, one night in the Ice Hotel and one night in a local
hotel, from £995 per person including most meals, flights and
snowmobiling and reindeer excursions.

From Russia With Love was filmed throughout Eastern Europe, with
many scenes shot in photogenic Istanbul. The film’s most
awe-inspiring scene was Bond’s epic train ride on the Orient
Express.

Wow factor: a journey on the Orient Express with a
cabin for two and martinis on tap – what more could you wish
for? Explore the 500 palaces and mosques of Istanbul, barter for
souvenirs in the Grand Bazaar and climb Galata Tower for
breathtaking views of the city.

Home James: a trip east on the Orient Express is
one of the great train journeys of the world, and is just as
spectacular today as it was in 1963 when the film was shot. Venice
Simplon-Orient-Express offers a nine-night Journey To The Ottoman
Empire from Paris to Istanbul departing on September 1, with
overnights in Budapest and Bucharest, and three nights in Istanbul,
from £4,935 per person.

Roger Moore teams up with another British Secret Service agent
in India in the 1983 hit Octopussy. Most of the action takes place
around the stunning palaces of Rajasthan, allowing audiences
glimpses of the spectacular scenery of northern India.

Wow factor: the legendary floating palace in Lake
Pichola, Udaipur, not to mention elephant rides, ancient temples
and palaces and exploring the desert by camel. Take a jeep safari
in Ranthambore or Sawai Madhopur to spot wild tigers – the
former hunting ground for the maharajahs of Rajasthan.

Home James: if Bond was revisiting his old haunts
today he’d no doubt take advantage of Cox and Kings’
Royal Rajasthan tour, a 16-night trip encompassing a host of the
film’s locations, with stops at the finest hotels along the
way. The 16th century Khimsar Fort is one of India’s top
heritage hotels, while the Deogarh Mahal in Deogarh overlooks the
Aravalli Mountains. The tour starts at £1,825 per person.

The famous scene in The Spy Who Loved Me, when Jaws crosses
swords with 007, was shot at the temple of Karnak in Luxor. Cairo
and Abu Simbel were also used as locations.

Wow factor: a Nile cruise is a must for seeing the
wonders of Egypt in a manner fit for a British spy. Sipping a
cocktail as the tomb of Tutankhamun appears on the horizon is pure
Bond. Take a dawn hot air balloon flight over Luxor for an
unforgettable view of the city, visit the painted tombs of Valley
of the Kings or go on a camel ride to the villages surrounding
Aswan.

Home James: one of the most luxurious hotels in
Luxor is the Old Winter Palace on the bank of the Nile, with its
giant swimming pool and swim-up bar for that all-important
sun-downer martini. Cox and Kings offers a 10-night Cairo/Nile
cruise on Oberoi Philae, with a three-night extension at the Old
Winter Palace, from £1,690 per person.

The real star of Bond classic Man With The Golden Gun is
Thailand. Golden beaches, mystical temples and bustling Bangkok
were the backdrop for much of the film, and Bond disciples have
been making pilgrimages east ever since.

Wow factor: Scaramanga’s Island in Phang-Nga
Bay near Phuket – home to one of Bond’s most notorious
baddies – is top of the agenda, followed by Chiang
Mai’s golden temples. Beaches, spectacular spas and great
hotels and resorts are guaranteed to set hearts on fire and lovers
swooning.

Home James: the Four Seasons Chiang Mai is the
sort of five-star establishment anyone with Bond-esque tendencies
would feel at home in, with meals and drinks served on private
terraces, king-sized beds, teak flooring and a magnificent pool to
relax around. At The Banyan Tree in Phuket, lotharios can check in
to a villa with outdoor spa bath and private garden patio. Kuoni
offers five nights at the Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai from
£1,067 per person room-only, including flights and transfers,
and five nights at the Banyan Tree Phuket from £1,157 per
person room-only, also with flights and transfers.

Bond likes nothing better than a quick gamble, as seen in
Diamonds Are Forever when he encounters Plenty O’Toole in a
Las Vegas casino.

Wow factor: among the extra-curricular activities
Bond could now enjoy in the city of sin are helicopter tours of the
Nevada valley, hiring a limo and cruising down the strip or taking
to a hot air balloon at sunrise. Try a night-time helicopter ride,
a round of golf on one of Vegas’ 50 courses and dining and
gambling in the revolving Stratosphere Tower.

Home James: these days 007 would head straight for
a penthouse suite at the $1.6 billion Bellagio, one of the most
expensive hotels ever built. The glitz and glamour of this hotel is
intoxicating, from its musical fountains to its opulent casino
– one of the few places in Vegas where guests wouldn’t
look out of place in a tux. Tradewinds offers three nights at the
Bellagio from £153 per person, room-only.