THE BAHAMAS – New Providence, Villa Palmyra at Rock Point // Thunderball (1965)
A villains den in the Bond movies is usually quite futuristic – not so “Palmyra”. The estate on the north shore of New Providence is all bricks and palms. After 50 years it might not be in it’s best shape – but it still can be thrilling.
Why Bond was here
The grass is always greener on the bad side – so for sure, the villains villa “Palmyra” has its looks. It is the Bahamas mansion of eye-patched Spectre agent Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), suited with both a swimming pool for humans and one for sharks.
Largo plans a coup for Spectre, as he has hijacked a Vulcan bomber equipped with two atomic bombs. The plane is hidden in the Bahamian waters, Bond (Sean Connery) is up to find it and get back the bombs. On his mission, he comes to the estate twice. Once, he comes as a still-friend for a chat with Largo. The second time, he infiltrates “Palmyra” from the sea side – and has to learn, that you don’t need to be thrown into the shark pool to get in serious trouble.
Palmyra from above – with the shark pool to the right
How you gonna get there
“Palymra” is actually named “Rock Point”. The villa is situated on the northern shore of Bahamian main island New Providence along the famous Bay Street. From the airport, the best idea is to catch a cab. Every driver will know the place.
When you are based in either Nassau or the western part of New Providence, you should climb one of the public jitneys. The number 10 is connecting downtown Nassau with the Western tip of the island. Board it in front of British Colonial Hilton or just raise an arm, when you see one rushing along Bay Street. You can jump off anywhere you like – the fare will be between one and two US dollars.
A third option is to rent a scooter. Vendors are based at the cruise ship terminal Prince George Wharf in downtown Nassau. An hour should be below 20 US dollars. The Bahamas have a British based driving system, so you have to drive on the left – just imagine, you’re pushing an Aston Martin all the way to Scotland.
Good to know
“Rock Point” is a privately owned estate, so you are not allowed to just walk in. Try to ring the bell and see, if you’re lucky. Otherwise, just take a glimpse through the fence. The best view on the whole area will be from the beach on the left side of the main gate. Also, from their you can climb the reef to take a sneak-a-peak at the shark pool. It now has a maiden statue right in it’s middle – and sorry: no more sharks inside.
When on New Providence we stayed in cozy A Stone Throw Away hotel at Bay Street – so we frequently passed Rock Point when driving to Nassau via jitney. Once, the gate was wide open, but we missed our opportunity. When we came back on scooters, all we could manage, was to climb on the stone fence next to the shark pool. It was empty … but be felt the thrill.
© 2015 Huntingbond (1,3), © 1965 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. and Danjaq, LLC. (2)
As a boy my mother was friends with the people who where caretakers of Rock Point (the owners spent summer in the Northern US) I spent many happy hours swimming in the pool and
Fishing from the private beach the so called shark pool never contained any sharks during the times I visited! Neither did it connect to the main pool, that was a film prop. ! Happy memories!