Famous films made in Jamaica: a guide for movie lovers visiting the island
Jamaica has been one of Hollywood’s most enduring filming destinations since the early 1950s. The island’s combination of dramatic coastline, lush interior, and unmistakably Caribbean atmosphere has drawn filmmakers from around the world — from the first James Bond film to blockbusters released in the last five years.
For guests at Couples Resorts, several of these locations are either on the doorstep or accessible as day trips. One of them is the resort itself.
Live and Let Die (1973) — filmed at Couples Sans Souci
Filming location: Couples Sans Souci, Ocho Rios
Guests staying at Couples Sans Souci are literally on the set of a James Bond film.
The most direct connection between Couples Resorts and cinema history is one that many guests don’t know until they arrive: Couples Sans Souci was a filming location for Live and Let Die, the eighth James Bond film and Roger Moore’s debut as 007.
The film used several Jamaican locations including the Green Grotto Caves near Ocho Rios and Jamaica Swamp Safari Village — but Sans Souci itself appears on screen. Ian Fleming, who created James Bond, lived in Jamaica at his estate GoldenEye near Oracabessa on the north coast — the same coastline as Couples Tower Isle and Couples Sans Souci. Jamaica wasn’t just a backdrop for the Bond series. It was where Bond was invented.
Dr. No (1962) — the film that started it all, shot in Ocho Rios
Filming Location: Laughing Waters Beach and Dunn’s River Falls — within 30 minutes of Tower Isle and Sans Souci
The very first James Bond film was shot extensively in Jamaica, and many of the most iconic scenes were filmed on the north coast close to the Couples Resorts Ocho Rios properties.
The scene that launched a thousand imitations — Ursula Andress walking out of the Caribbean Sea in a white bikini — was filmed at Laughing Waters Beach near Ocho Rios. Dunn’s River Falls also features in the film, which makes it one of the few Jamaican landmarks that appears in cinema history.
Dr. No established Jamaica as the home of the Bond franchise in a way that seven decades of subsequent films have only reinforced.
No Time to Die (2021) — Bond returns to Jamaica
Filming Location: Port Antonio — approximately 90 minutes from the Ocho Rios properties
The twenty-fifth Bond film, released in 2021, opened with Bond living in retirement in Port Antonio on Jamaica’s north-east coast. The production used Market Square, West Street, William Street, and Harbour Street in Port Antonio, as well as a dramatic waterside cottage setting that reestablished Jamaica’s place in the modern Bond era.
Port Antonio is around 90 minutes from the Ocho Rios properties — further than a casual half-day but worth noting for guests who want to see where Daniel Craig’s final Bond chapter began.
Cool Runnings (1993) — Jamaica’s most beloved film
Filming Location: Mystic Mountain bobsled experience — 20 minutes from Tower Isle and Sans Souci
Cool Runnings is the film that introduced Jamaica to a generation and remains one of the most warmly regarded sports comedies ever made. The loosely true story of the Jamaican bobsleigh team’s debut at the 1988 Winter Olympics was filmed partly in Discovery Bay and Kingston before heading to Canada for the competition sequences.
The most relevant location for Couples Resorts guests is Mystic Mountain in Ocho Rios — approximately 20 minutes from Tower Isle and Sans Souci — which houses the Rainforest Bobsled Jamaica ride, a direct homage to the film and one of the most popular excursions available from the Ocho Rios properties.
Cocktail (1988) — filmed on Jamaica’s north coast and Portland
Filming Location: Frenchman’s Cove, Portland — approximately 1 hour from the Ocho Rios properties
The Tom Cruise and Bryan Brown bartender drama used Jamaica extensively, with scenes filmed at Frenchman’s Cove and the Blue Lagoon in Portland. The film’s Jamaican sequences gave international audiences their clearest glimpse of the island’s extraordinary natural beauty in the late 1980s — the vivid blue of Frenchman’s Cove in particular was unlike anything most viewers had seen before.
Knight and Day (2010) — Tom Cruise returns to Jamaica
Filming Location: Frenchman’s Cove, Portland — approximately 1 hour from the Ocho Rios properties
Tom Cruise’s second Jamaican film brought him back to Frenchman’s Cove in Portland, this time alongside Cameron Diaz in an action comedy that used the beach’s distinctive blue water as a backdrop for several key sequences. The film gave the location a second generation of screen exposure and helped cement Portland’s reputation as one of the island’s most cinematically beautiful parishes.
How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) — romance in Jamaica
Filming Location: Resorts on Jamaica’s west coast, near the Negril properties
The Angela Bassett and Taye Diggs romantic comedy was filmed partly at resorts on Jamaica’s western end, using the island’s beach and mountain scenery to tell a story about love, spontaneity, and the transformative power of a Caribbean escape. For guests at the Negril properties, the film’s warmth and its portrayal of Jamaica as a place where people rediscover themselves is a natural companion piece to what Couples Resorts itself offers.
Ian Fleming’s Jamaica — the island that created Bond
No guide to films made in Jamaica is complete without acknowledging the man who made it the spiritual home of the world’s most famous spy. Ian Fleming bought his GoldenEye estate near Oracabessa on the north coast in 1946 — three years before Abe Issa opened Tower Isle just along the same coastline. Fleming wrote all fourteen of the original Bond novels at GoldenEye, and it was Jamaica’s combination of beauty, danger, and exotic atmosphere that he drew on to create the world Bond inhabits.
GoldenEye is now a boutique hotel. Couples Tower Isle and Couples Sans Souci occupy the same stretch of Jamaica’s north coast where Bond was conceived — a connection that gives the destination a cultural depth that no other Caribbean island can match.
Frequently asked questions
Which James Bond films were made in Jamaica?
Three Bond films used Jamaica as a primary filming location: Dr. No (1962), Live and Let Die (1973), and No Time to Die (2021). Several others reference the island. Ian Fleming wrote all the original Bond novels at his GoldenEye estate on Jamaica’s north coast.
Was Couples Sans Souci really used in a Bond film?
Yes. Couples Sans Souci was one of the filming locations for Live and Let Die (1973), Roger Moore’s debut as James Bond. Guests staying at the resort are literally on the set of a Bond film.
Which film locations are closest to the Couples Resorts properties?
From the Ocho Rios properties: Laughing Waters Beach (Dr. No), Dunn’s River Falls (Dr. No — also a complimentary excursion), and Mystic Mountain with its Cool Runnings bobsled experience are all within 30 minutes. From the Negril properties: the Portland locations used in Cocktail and Knight and Day are accessible as day trips of around an hour.
Can I visit Laughing Waters Beach where Dr. No was filmed?
Yes. Laughing Waters Beach near Ocho Rios is accessible to visitors and is one of the most recognisable filming locations in cinema history. It’s a practical half-day trip from Couples Tower Isle and Couples Sans Souci.
Explore Jamaica from one of its most storied coastlines. Find out more about the four Couples Resorts properties at couplesresorts.co.uk/resorts — or call the UK team on 0207 749 9285 to start planning your stay.