Jamaica: more than just beautiful beaches

White sand beaches and inky blue water; rum punches in beach bars; reggae at sunset. Your pre-conceptions of Jamaica are accurate and as idyllic as you would hope. Yet venture beyond your resort and Jamaica reveals itself in another, equally magical light, a world of Colonial splendour, literary associations and romantic waterways. It's a world easily accessible from the port town of Ocho Rios on the island's north coast.

Noel Coward’s former home, Firefly, is on a beautiful bay called Blue Harbour. Here he entertained the glitterati of the 50s and 60s, from Marlene Dietrich to David Niven, Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh to Sir Alec Guinness – not forgetting Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Such a haven of partying was Coward’s home that he ended up building a bungalow up in the hills, where he would go to write. Framed photos recall the house’s heyday when Coward would gather showbiz’s biggest names around the piano in the centre of the living room.

Ian Fleming was another adopted local – he spent every winter in Jamaica and wrote all the James Bond novels at Oracabesa, a few miles east of Ocho Rios. His estate – Goldeneye – is now an upmarket hotel.

Errol Flynn would introduce the women in his life to his retreat at Port Antonio by taking them on a river rafting trip along the Rio Grande – you can follow in his wake, taking a raft from the village of Berridale for a beautifully relaxing two-and-a-half hour float down to the sea.

Back in Ocho Rios itself, why not take afternoon tea at Jamaica Inn, an iconic colonial-style hotel, complete with croquet lawn and ocean view. You would be in good company: previous guests include Sir Winston Churchill and Marilyn Monroe.

Immerse yourself in the ghosts of an even earlier era with a trip to Falmouth, a seaside town that retains much of the character of its 18th Century Georgian roots. A walking tour is the best way to enjoy the narrow streets – and you can end your day at Falmouth’s Luminous Lagoon, experiencing a rare natural phenomenon. Fishing boats take you out into the lagoon where you can see what appears to be an underwater firework display – in fact, a magical display from phosphorescent micro-organisms that soak up the sunlight by day and emit a luminous blue-green hue by night.

[Photography: Corbis]