Few movie characters loves to travel and jetset around the globe more than James Bond. So our team decided to rank the top 10 best hotels featured in the various James Bond movies. And we added five more as it felt not quite right to leave them out. From tropical islands to grand hotels in some of the world’s most popular cities; James Bond has an excellent track record of luxury hotel visits across the globe. Here are our top picks to feel like a true 007 and sip a Vodka Martini at.
15. Shiv Niwas Palace Udaipur
Octopussy
In 1983 Bond movie Octopussy Bond is onto a plot of Soviet General Orlov attempting to start World War 3 by swapping Fabergé eggs for a nuclear weapon. Following the buyer of a Fabergé egg, Kamal Khan, takes him to beautiful Udaipur in India. Udaipur is located in the western state of Rajasthan and built around a series of artificial lakes and known for its lavish royal residences. In one of these palaces James Bond stays during his chase of Kamal; the Hotel Shiv Niwas Palace. The hotel is part of City Palace, monumental complex of 11 palaces, courtyards and gardens, on the northeastern shore of Lake Pichola.
14. Couples Sans Souci Jamaica
Dr. No & Live and Let Die
The first James Bond movie Dr. No from 1962 sees Bond take on Dr. No. As villain this scientist wants to destroy the US space program. James Bond travels to the tropical Caribbean Island of Jamaica. No surprise as Ian Fleming wrote his famous James Bond novels on the island. On Jamaica Bond runs into Miss Taro, a double agent who works for Dr. No. Her house is filmed at the Couples Sans Souci in Ocho Rios in the foothills of the Blue Mountains. The hotel also served as the crew hotel during the on-location shooting of the movie.
In 1973 James Bond movie Live and Let Die, Bond played by Roger Moore returns to the Sans Souci. In Live and Let Die James Bond is sent to New York to investigate the mysterious deaths of three British agents. On his journey he ends up chasing a drug lord which uses the fictitious Caribbean island of San Monique as his base. At San Monique (Jamaica) the crew used the Sans Souci a few times for various scenes. It is also here where Baron Samedi performs his tourist-voodoo act.
13. Fontainebleau Miami
Goldfinger
In 1964 James Bond movie Goldfinger, Bond played by Sean Connery investigates gold smuggling by gold magnate Auric Goldfinger. At the beginning of the film Bond meets Goldfinger at the iconic Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach where Bond discovers Goldfinger cheating at a high-stakes gin rummy game. Goldfinger is aided remotely by his employee, Jill Masterson, who reads the cards of his opponents using binoculars and a one-way radio. Bond interrupts Jill and then blackmails Goldfinger into losing. After a night with Jill, Bond is knocked out by Goldfinger’s Korean manservant Oddjob. Bond comes round to find Jill dead, covered in gold paint.
12. Kempinski Atlantic Hamburg
Tomorrow Never Dies
In 1997 James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies, Bond played by Pierce Brosnan takes on media mogul Elliot Carver. Carver tries to provoke a war between Britain and China to create headlines for his global media empire. Bond travels to Hamburg to seduce Carver’s wife, Paris, to get information that would help him enter Carver’s newspaper headquarters. Bond checks into the famous Atlantic hotel in the center of Hamburg. Only the exterior is featured in the film, other scenes are filmed near Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom. The scene at the ‘Atlantic’ hotel room shown in Tomorrow Never Dies was in fact filmed at the next location on our list.
11. Stoke Park
Goldfinger
After meeting Goldfinger in Miami, Bond returns to the United Kingdom where he picks up a fabulous Aston Martin DB5. He then meets Goldfinger and his Korean manservant Oddjob at Stoke Park. Technically Bond did not stay at Stoke Park Hotel but instead played a round of golf with Goldfinger on the 18 holes of Stoke Poges Golf Club. The wager was a bar of recovered Nazi gold provided by MI6 against £5,000 of Goldfinger’s money. Goldfinger attempts to cheat, but Bond tricks him into losing the last hole and the match. Goldfinger warns Bond against interfering in his affairs, and Oddjob demonstrates his own formidable strength and the lethality of the steel-rimmed hat he wears.
10. Half Moon Resort Jamaica
Live and Let Die
In Live and Let Die the production team not only used the Sans Souci Hotel on Jamaica. But another famous hotel featured in this James Bond film: The Half Moon resort in Montego Bay. It is here where multiple attempts are taken at his life. But luckily for 007 and fans of the series the hero stays alive. Today Half Moon resort offers guest the opportunity to stay at the James Bond bungalow.
9. Grandhotel Pupp
Casino Royale
Daniel Craig’s first bond movie: 2006 Casino Royale sees James Bond at the beginning of his career gaining 00 status. Bond chases a bomb maker in Madagascar that puts him on the trail of Le Chiffre, an Albanian private banker to terrorists. After 007 prevents a terrorist attack on a new airplane in Miami, Le Chiffre is short of money and organizes a poker tournament in Montenegro that gives Bond an opportunity to put Le Chiffre out of business for once and for all. Together with Vesper Lynd from treasury Bond travels to Montenegro and checks intro the ‘Hotel Splendide’. In reality the hotel is called Grandhotel Pupp and not in Montenegro but in Karlovy Vary, 80 miles Northwest of Prague in the Czech Republic. The casino pictured is the old Kaiserbad Spa next to the hotel. The Grandhotel Pupp is a typical classic luxury hotel with a spa, cafe and several restaurants and bars.
8. Hotel Palácio Estoril
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
In 1969 James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Bond played by George Lazenby, takes on villain Blofeld. Blofeld is planning to hold the world to ransom by a threat to render all food plants and livestock infertile through the actions of a group of brainwashed angels of death. The first part of the movie is shot in Portugal. Bond stays at the 1930 Palácio Estoril Hotel, about 15 miles west of Lisbon on the Portuguese Riviera. Portugal remained neutral during World War II, and several royal families went into exile in Estoril, which became known as the Coast of Kings. Later Bond continued to Switzerland where he visited the mountaintop allergy clinic of Blofeld which in fact is Piz Gloria. This mountain restaurant at the Schilthorn in the Jungfrau area gives glorious views of the Eiger, Monch, Jungfrau and many other dramatic Alpine peaks. In winter the cable car also provides access to a black ski run.
7. Hotel Danieli Venice
Moonraker
In 1979 James Bond movie Moonraker, Bond played by Roger Moore investigates the theft of a Space Shuttle. This leads him to Hugo Drax, the owner of the Shuttle’s manufacturing firm in California. Thanks to help from space scientist Dr. Holly Goodhead Bond uncovers a plot to wipe out the world population and to recreate humanity with a master race. From California his journey takes him to a glass factory in Venice. Here he bumps into Holly Goodhead again who stays at the beautiful Hotel Danieli at Canale Grande. Just the roof terrace restaurant with stunning views over the canal is absolutely Bond-worthy.
6. Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico
License to Kill & Spectre
In 1989 James Bond movie ‘License to Kill’, 007 and his CIA buddy Felix Leiter are out to hunt drug lord Sanchez. The story starts in the Keys in Florida but soon moves to Mexico. Here James Bond stays at ‘Hotel El Presidente’ together with his female partner Pam Bouvier. In reality ‘El Presidente’ is the beautiful art nouveau Gran Hotel Ciudad De Mexico, near the Zocale, Mexico City’s huge central square. It was built in 1899 as the Centro Mercantil, Mexico City’s first shopping centre but converted into a luxury five star hotel in the 20th century and still welcomes guests today.
In Spectre James Bond returns to the Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico in the opening scene. Skull-masked 007 walks through the streets of Mexico City at El Día de Muertos (Day Of The Dead) celebrations when he suddenly turns into the flamboyant lobby of the Gran Hotel Ciudad De Mexico, making his way to the roof where he’s on a mission to take out the assassin Sciarra in a neighbouring building.
5. The Peninsula Hong Kong
The Man with the Golden Gun
In 1974 James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun, Bond played by Roger Moore travels around Asia following a death threat sent to MI6 in the form of a golden bullet. M relieves Bond of his current assignment to find missing energy scientist Gibson. But during his quest to find the assassin Francisco Scaramanga, he comes across signs of Gibson and Solex Agitator, a breakthrough technological solution to contemporary energy shortages. Tracing the golden bullet via Beirut Bond finds the bullet maker in Macau. From here he follows Andrea Anders, Scaramanga’s mistress, back to her hotel in Hong Kong; thanks to the hotel’s signature: a fleet of green Rolls-Royce courtesy cars. The Peninsula is a true Hong Kong hospitality institution and fitting of a Bond-like stay in Hong Kong.
4. The Ocean Club Bahamas
Casino Royale
Before Bond arrives at the high stakes poker game at Grandhotel Pupp in Casino Royale, 007 stops at the Bahamas to gather information on Le Chiffre. Bond checks into ocean-view villa 1085 at The Ocean Club at Paradise Island. The hotel which opened in 1962 is located on the eastern end of the island, across from Nassau Harbour, and certainly one of the best spots to stay in the Bahamas. It was not the first time Bond visited the Bahamas, with Sean Connery visiting Nassau and paradise island in the 1965 007 movie Thunderball. But most of those film locations no longer exist.
3. Taj Lake Palace
Octopussy
Just a short boat ride from the Hotel Shiv Niwas Palace where James Bond stays in Octopussy is the Taj Lake Palace. In Octopussy this unique and amazing luxury hotel is the floating palace home of smuggler Octopussy played by Maud Adams. Just arriving at the exclusive hotel by boat should give enough of a Bond feeling, but if that is not enough the impeccable staff is there to make your stay as Bond worthy as possible.
2. Cala di Volpe
The Spy Who Loved Me
In 1977 James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me, Bond played by Roger Moore investigates a missing nuclear submarines. His investigation brings him to Cairo and ultimately leads to shipping tycoon and megalomaniac named Karl Stromberg, who plans to destroy the world and create a new civilisation under the sea. Bond teams up with a Russian agent, Anya Amasova, to stop the plans, all while being hunted by Stromberg’s powerful henchman, Jaws. The British-Soviet couple travels to Stromberg’s base in Sardinia where they check into the chic Cala di Volpe Hotel. On the way back to the hotel from Stromberg’s base Bond is being chased by Stromberg’s henchmen but luckily escapes by converting the Q brach Lotus Esprit into a submarine. Cala di Volpe offers all the necessary glitz and glamour to have a true Bond-worthy stay.
1. Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
The Man with the Golden Gun
The hunt for The Man with the Golden Gun takes Bond from Hong Kong to Thailand. Here Bond arranged to meet Hai Fat, a wealthy Thai entrepreneur suspected of arranging Gibson’s murder. He is captured and taken to a martial arts academy. Bond manages to get away on a motorised sampan along the river. In the evening 007 is reunited with Mary Goodnight at the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok. This luxury hotel on the banks of the Chao Phraya is the original Oriental Hotel and housed not only James Bond but also many kings, queens, writers and celebrities. The Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok is often considered as one of the best hotels in the world and the exquisite staff to room ratio of 3 to 1 can be felt throughout. There is no better place to feel like a globetrotting jetsetting secret agent than at the riverside terrace of the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok.
Here is what our expert had to say about the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok: “The history, rooms, restaurants and facilities alone are worth a stay at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok but there is one thing that sets the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok apart from other luxury hotels in Bangkok and around the globe and that is the exceptional service.”
