5 Hotels Where You Feel Like 007

As any Bond aficionado knows, hotels and spies naturally go together. In particular, Bond and his lovely ladies hang out at only the most luxurious hotels. From Ian Fleming’s own former island retreat to a shadowy MI6 lair, these five international hotels are famous for intrigue, espionage and dire doings – and just might transport you right into your favorite Bond film. If you’re looking for more of a relaxing accommodation, you might want to check out this hotel instead-no MI6 in sight!

GoldenEye Hotel and Resort, Jamaica

Ian Fleming wrote all of his Bond novels in his gorgeous Jamaican retreat. Now you can relax there with a private beach, secluded pool and tropical garden, with your own butler, housekeeper and cook to provide the comforts. The villa consists of three original bedrooms and two guest cottages, and sleeps up to 10 people. If you’re inspired to write your own thriller, you can do it at Fleming’s desk.

Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Mysterious Singapore attracted international intrigue, as well as kings, politicians and writers like Rudyard Kipling. The magnificent Marina Bay Sands is famous for its ultra sleek architecture, legendary service and cuisine—celebrity chef Mario Batali feeds the masses at Pizzeria Mozzo and Chef Justin Quek dazzles patrons at Sky of 57, an exquisite Franco-Asian restaurant with panoramic views of the city. Marina Bay, filled top to bottom with luxury, offers crackling nightclubs and multi-leveled casinos for entertainment along with world-class symphonies and artists. You don’t even have to leave your hotel to feel as svelte and glamorous as Mr. Bond.

St. Ermin’s Hotel Autograph Collection, London

This hotel can keep a secret. During WWII, Winston Churchill established a covert ops unit on an entire floor, while MI6 operated two floors up, using the hotel as a safe house. Infamous 1950s spy Guy Burgess passed secrets to the KGB in the hotel’s bar. Even now, there are whispers of a tunnel that runs from St. Ermin’s to nearby Westminster. Today, the buzz at St. Ermin’s is provided by the hotel’s hives of bees, which produce a distinctive honey.

Millennium Hotel, London Mayfair

The Duchess of Kendal, a special friend of King George I, lived a luxurious life in her Mayfair townhouse. The house is now the Millennium Hotel, one of the jewels of London. But in 2006, ex-FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko met here with a pair of shady characters and was poisoned with Polonium-210. That unpleasantness aside, the hotel is a popular gathering place, close to Bond and Regent Streets, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.

Dukes Hotel, London

If you want to feel like an old-school English aristocrat, this is the place. Dukes, a quiet, exclusive oasis on St. James Place, houses one of the best bars in London. Be sure to order the martini, just like Ian Fleming did when he hung out here: shaken, not stirred. Then relax in the Cigar Garden. Recommended attire: beautiful. Bond would approve.

This post was posted by TheHipmunk on Hipmunk’s Tailwind blog on 14/01/2016.