I’ve long been a fan of the English playwright and celebrated man of letters, Sir Noel Coward. He lived for years, died and is buried atop a hillside near Ocho Rios, Jamaica, at a house he named Firefly. He wrote several plays here and, in the 1960s, hosted his friends, the biggest names from Hollywood, Broadway and London, for holidays in the Jamaican sun.
The author of Private Lives, Blithe Spirit, Sail Away and countless more Broadway and West End hits, Coward thought of Firefly as his sanctuary from the hurly-burly world of the theater. It’s named for the myriad of fireflies that gathered on his hilltop each evening at dusk.
When our Coral Princess cruise in April 2007 listed Ocho Rios as a port-of-call, we knew that Firefly, long on our bucket list, was a must. Much has been written about its setting and atmosphere. The overlook across the ocean from the terrace has been called the most beautiful view in the Caribbean.
Investigating the options, we learned that no organized excursions included the house in their itineraries. So we arranged a private taxi.
Firefly is located high above the village of Port Maria, around 20 miles (32km) from the port where Coral Princess was docked. It’s a rugged 20 miles on unimproved roads, winding through villages and dense forest. At last, at the very top of the hill, there’s Firefly!
A small, simple white stucco house, it’s not what you might picture as the home of a world famous playwright. After Sir Noel’s death in 1973, the house fell into disrepair. Rescued by Chris Blackwell of Island Records, it is now operated by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust.
We were greeted by a charming young Jamaican lady tour guide who leisurely escorted us through the house and grounds. Photos are everywhere – and maybe even the ghosts — of Sir Noel’s friends who visited: Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, the Queen Mother, Maria Callas, Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne, Beatrice Lillie and Ian Fleming among them. His books are on the shelves; his paintings are on the walls.
A few steps up is the small, simple bedroom where Coward died.
An expansive green lawn sweeps down from the house to the edge of the mountain and the blue Caribbean beyond. Here Sir Noel is buried on the exact spot where he enjoyed his nightly cocktails.
We brought from Coral Princess a small flask of ice cold martinis. At his grave site, we joyfully toasted this celebrated Renaissance man of the 20th Century. And, because it seemed right, we splashed a bit of the martini right on his marble gravestone.
In one of Sir Noel’s great lyrics, “If Love Were All,” he wrote: “But I believe that since my life began, the most I’ve had is just a talent to amuse.”
We think – and hope — he would have been amused.
Although modest in architecture and proportions, Firefly was Sir Noel's favorite place in the world.
His friends called him "The Master." Today, Coward's life-size sculpture overlooks his beloved Jamaican sanctuary.
Ken Young and Jack Ryan toast Sir Noel with his favorite cocktail, a martini. What some call the most beautiful vista in the Caribbean stretches out behind them.
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if i could dream it it would be so, what a great tale………i’m sure mr Coward is amused, even if he did not recognize how so may loved his work ………..i live on the west coast and a carribean cruise is mearly a dream for me , but when i have the chance this will be a # 1 spot i shoot for. thank you
It is interesting ! Thx for your help .
Good subject, interesting articles, easy to understand language – that’s what I’ve been looking for and I’m glad I get it on your blog! Definitely a pleasure to add your site to my favorites and be going to read that frequently!
Enjoyed meter reading this as it was very important for me and my animals, bookmarked : D.
Jolene, both Graham Payne and Cole Leslie have passed away.
Will return to ocho rios as we too didn’t know about the firefly.other than that dont think we’d go back but hey ho who knows.
I am 68 years old,so I really did not fall love with Mr.Cowards work until he was quite elderly,and fall inlove I did. I just adore his poems and plays, and since we share the same birthdate, December 16th., I haveI read everything that I could about Mr. Coward and his elegant and glamorous life. Since I also admired Viviane Leigh and Lord Olivier, I enjoy reading about all three of them, about their life long friendships. Would love to visit Firefly one day. Are the two men who share Mr. Cowards life still living? Most Sincerely, Jolene Beth Morgan
Sure did enjoy reading about your trip to Firefly. Would like to have seen the place while in Jamaica but alas had no idea about it. Thanks for sharing with everyone.
We knew about Firefly from a friend but there was no publicity on or off the Sea Princess
Beware of taxi prices,we negotiated down from $200 to $60 and was well worth the trip
Dunn’s river falls and Firefly are on the itinery on our next cruise we have done the falls before so decided against but now it looks like we might change our minds.
How lovely, Noel Coward – he too one of my favourite authors. Brought back some good theatre memories. Thank you.
What a fabulous spot to visit!
Thanks Jack and Ken for the recollection and wonderful pictures of Firefly.
I have a brief (and very amateur!) video which I took at Firefly a few years ago – it was for me the realisation of a dream I had had over so many years.
Having read your post, I feel that I have been able to share in some of your pleasure. Many thanks for brightening this cold and wintry day!
Thanks for sharing!! I have been to Ocho Rios and I would not ever go again, except to visit Firefly. What a wonderful idea!!
Jack & Ken thank you so much for sharing Sir Noel’s “Firefly” with us. The martini toast was a wonderful tribute to him. Yes, Jamaica is such a beautiful place and visitors do not get to see the true beauty of her unless you go into the interior of the island and see how her people live. The Jamaican Motto is: “Out Of Many One People”. Jamaicans are very proud and want you so see and enjoy Jamaica when you visit. Much Love To All.
i want to go to see firefly. Whenare the sailings?
Hey, I can’t view your site properly within Opera, I actually hope you look into fixing this.
We will surely be going to se the FIREFLY with our Martinis! See you there Kangaroosy
What they said! Why the heck did I not know this when we went through Ocho Rios last December on our Panama Canal Cruise. I would have been a candidate for a taxi trip there.
Thank you Jack Ryan for a lovely tale of your pilgrimage! Next time I visit Jamaica, I will certainly make every effort to visit Firefly, for Sir Noel is, and has always been, my favorite entertainer!
Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience. Have to add it to my list of places to see in Jamaica.
I visited this most interesting house a few years ago.
His shirts etc are still hanging in the wardrobes.
A table is laid as it was for a visit from the Queen Mother.
An out of tune piano is in the “room with a view” and I played it for the buzz of thinking who else might have played in that room?
Beautiful location and a must for a visit.
never had as nice a cruise as coral princess thru panama canal,princess is the best
Have been to Ohio Rios several times… never knew about this place. Thanks for sharing this with us.
What a great touching and fun tribute to a man who brought the world so much amusement!
…this is what I call..travel on a “mission”..fantastic!
Been to Ohio Rios 3 times and never knew about this place. Thank you for sharing this and the beautiful pictures. If we ever get there again we will surely visit.
Thanks, all, for your kind comments. You will truly do yourself a favor with a visit to Firefly.
Thank you for making us all aware of Firefly. On our upcoming cruise which stops at Ocho Rios,
we had anticipated another visit to Margaritavile…no longer!
Thanks Jack for sharing such a wonderful moment for you and Kenneth. I wish I was there having a martini with you!
So beautiful! This also will be added to our bucket list.
Very nice… so many people decry stopping in Jamaica. We’ll head to Firefly on our next cruise to Jamaica!
Wow! Amazing! And I’m headed for Ocho Rios on my next cruise. Now…I know where to go when I get there!
Well Done!! The story alone brought vivid pictures of a place I never knew about. The pictures were a nice addition. We too will add Firefly to our next Ocho Rios visit.
Wonderful story Sir Noel would have loved it. I shall add visiting Firefly to my Bucket List.
Loved this and the best part was to bring the iced martinis and toast him as he would have! How very fabulous of you both!!
My WOW is this great opportunity for Princess passengers and staff to share their memories and favorite places !! And I will keep these for my clients. Many thanks – the pictures say it all.
Wow! I didnt even know about Firefly until reading this post, and I can’t wait to visit the next time I’m in Jamaica.