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Boscobel St Mary Montego Bay Negril Ocho Rios Runaway Bay Saint Ann's Bay

Noel Coward's Jamaica

From the Mail on Sunday
So, this is Firefly, Sir Noel Coward's glorious retreat from the world. Looking at the pictures on the walls, everyone from Marlene to Vivien Leigh, to a very young Sean Connery . . . suddenly, I felt a little sad.
As a very young woman I'd been invited by Noel Coward to visit at least twice. At the time, it seemed so far away, so distant. I was then working at the Royal Court Theatre in London being directed by Lindsay Anderson.
Noel Coward, to my very young mind, appeared frivolous. Indeed, he may well have been, but his talent certainly wasn't. Oh well, it's not the first time I've said no, wrongly in this case, and I dare say it won't be the last!
Not that I would have said a word to the other tourists when I finally did get there. It just would have been a sweet feeling to have been included in the Master's wall of snapshots.
Gazing around, the view was indeed wonderful. His main house was smallish, comfortable and stylish. How on Earth did he accommodate all his guests?
Standing in his garden, high on a hill, it all became clear. A young woman of about 20, our tour guide, pointed out another house far below, at the bottom of the hill where Sir Noel Coward's guests stayed.
In fact, from what I understood, they were not invited to the main house before one o'clock. Clever Noel! That way he could work every morning from eight until 12. Wonderful discipline. How often have I noticed that with great talent goes hard work?
We left Firefly, leaving the tiny dining room exactly as it was when the Queen Mother had come to lunch all those years ago. Very fine, fancy china on a rather informal, not grand, table.
What fun they must have had in this exquisite, open-air dining room, now all maintained by Chris Blackwell of Island Records as a living museum dedicated to Noel Coward's lasting memory.

Read more in our destination guide to Jamaica.