James Bond is a well-traveled man. Britain’s favorite secret agent has been everywhere, chasing villains and slaying women (literally… R.I.P., Bond girls!) from Monte Carlo to Macau. This Friday’s upcoming Spectre will see him visiting London, Mexico City, Rome, Austria, and Morocco. The man has even been in space.
Being confronted with Bond’s vagabonding has potential to create intense travel envy — which just might motivate you to take a trip of your own. If so, look no further: We have everything you need to jet your way out of the humdrum of modern living and into 007’s shoes. (You’ll have to seduce your own ladies, though.) (And come up with the money.)
STAY
Stretch out in this five-bedroom Jamaican villa that overlooks James Bond Beach, where Dr. No was filmed. It’ll only cost you $4,060/night (with a $5k security deposit), but… EXTRA GUESTS ARE FREE! If you share Bond’s suave charm, you should be able to get plenty of friends to chip in.
If Swiss chalets are more your thing, check out this gorgeous little luxury cabin. Nestled in the heart of one of Switzerland’s most extensive ski resorts, it’s a great place to get away after chasing your enemy on skis. The best part: The price of the booking includes “breakfast; tea; canapes & cocktails; and three course supper, with complimentary house wine.”
We’ll be the jackasses ordering our house wine “shaken, not stirred.”
Italy is another great option for 007-ing your way through your vacation. This idyllic villa is located on the water, where Casino Royale was filmed, and surrounded by tropical flowers and plants. It’s also great for Budget Bonds: At $182/night for up to three people, it doesn’t break the bank as badly as some of the other options out there.
[Standing rule of travel: If you can get a “villa” for under $200/pp, you get that villa. It’s worth it just as a conversation point.]
EAT
James Bond doesn’t take much time for eating in the movies, but in the book, his dining habits are often described in hunger-inducing detail. For starters, make sure to stop by Manhattan’s famous 21 Club for a bit of caviar, followed by cutlets with asparagus and mousseline sauce (as Bond ordered in Diamonds Are Forever).
We hope your palate, like Bond’s, is broad, because this next recommendation will have you eating at one of Turkey’s best döner kebab restaurants, the Karadeniz Pide Salonu. As described in From Russia, With Love, you’ll find the dish made with “very young lamb broiled over charcoal with savoury rice. Lots of onions in it.”
Related: Is This The Coolest Sushi Roll Ever?
Back in England, you definitely won’t want to miss out on Scott’s of London, one of Bond’s favorite restaurants to frequent. Enjoy the dressed crab along with a pint of Black Velvet (Guinness mixed with sparkling wine), once again from Diamonds Are Forever.
DRINK
If you’re going to order a drink a la James Bond, you’re going to order a vodka martini, shaken, not stirred. That is a fact. So, why not visit the bar that author Ian Fleming is known to have haunted? In addition to laying claim to being the inspiration for Bond’s signature drink, the DUKES Hotel Bar has also teamed up with Bond’s favorite London-based perfumery, Floris, to create the Fleming 89. As the bar’s website describes, “the flavour and smoothness of this martini is a sophisticated complement to the aroma of this quintessentially English gentleman’s fragrance.”
Surely that connection will be on full display when you and your friends order them by the pitcher.
Australia’s Black Pearl Bar is another martini bar option, perfect for when you’re investigating illegal uranium mining Down Under (Zero Minus Ten, anyone?), and need to take a second and a half to relax.
Le Mary Celeste, located in Paris, is so exclusive, the website is entirely in French (classic French move). Which will be no problem for you, because you speak French like Bond, right? Even if you don’t, it shouldn’t be too difficult to communicate to the bartender that you’re looking for a martini. Just practice pantomiming the shaking of a drink.
BONUS! Partied a little too hard, or just need a good morning pick-me-up before going out for another day of solving the world’s problems? Don’t forget to pour yourself two large cups of very strong coffee brewed in a Chemex. Bond actually requests this in From Russia, With Love.
SEE & DO
James Bond, it seems, has been to every major world landmark. And because he’s been everywhere, he’s also chased villains through some lesser-known landmarks, like Rio de Janeiro’s Sugarloaf Mountain. The peak is 396 meters high and can only be reached via cable car, after a 220-meter hike. You’ll get to see a panoramic view of one of Brazil’s greatest cities… but only if you survive battling your enemy the whole way to the top.
If you’re more of the Puerto Rican jungle type, why not check out the very space age-looking Arecibo Observatory while you’re at it? Just try not to fall down the side of its shiny metal crater. Unless you’re with a pretty girl and being shot at.
If you don’t mind the cold, Iceland’s Jökulsárlón is a great place to be. A large glacial lake situated at the head of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier (you might want to brush up on your Icelandic pronunciation for that one), it’s considered to be one of the country’s natural wonders. Take a tour of the lake in an amphibian boat, being sure to keep your eyes open for any ice palaces inhabited super villains.
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