Things to do in Nassau when you're Bond!

How do I explain the past 3 days in the Bahamas? It’s quite hard but I’ll try to do the best I can.

I was on a James Bond discovery tour set up by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. Essentially taking me to all the filming locations of the upcoming “Casino Royale” movie and several locations that were involved in some of the previous Bond films.

I visited Café Martinique, the famed restaurant featured in Thunderball which offers a special Casino Royale Martini. Outside is Paradise Island, inside is the French Riviera. I felt as though I was whisked back to 1965 when Thunderball was filmed there. The waiters were in their white suits and black ties, there was a lounge singer and piano man, even a lounge with a terrace. It all felt surreal. A meal here is an experience never to be forgotten.

Afterwards there was some gambling at the Atlantis Casino (yes that’s me in the big chair). A little bit of Black Jack, and some Let it Ride ended out the night. I taught my “Bond Girl” Olga Petrycki a little thing about gambling, she ended up learning a bit too well. I lost, she won. Typical!

The next day was spent on a speed boat, blasting through the Caribbean waters trying to outrun a huge thunderstorm in order to photograph a former Miss Bahamas for the RICH GUY GAL segment. We made it, but on the way back it caught up with us and we felt the raindrops pelting us like hail. It was a real adventure! In between wardrobe changes I fed some sharks from shore. It’s amazing to see such a large creature in such shallow water.

That evening we went to Graycliff manor for dinner. Again I felt as though I was thrown back into the old ages, and rightly so. This manor was built many centuries ago by a pirate. The wine cellar, which hosts the oldest bottle of wine on the planet was at one time a cell for those captured by the pirates. Graycliff also manufactures their own brand of cigar, I was lucky enough to roll a cigar and smoke it on the spot. I equate that to having your cake and eating it too.

I could go on for pages here, but I’ll let you wait till the story is published!

Overall, it was a crazy and wonderful trip, which felt like more of a vacation than a press tour.