A Very Famous Estate Called . . .

. . . Well, we’ll get to that answer on Friday.  As for now, let us see how good a guesser you are.

As you may have deduced by now, Ursula and I have left Casa Wicker and our two kitties Max and Pooh in the ever-capable hands of our extra special neighbor Randi Brewer.  On Saturday we flew off to our embarkation port and on Sunday afternoon we boarded this little dingy:

Aboard this ship we set sail to an undisclosed (for right now) island, whereupon we hired the services of this very capable driver (Desmond Callum — more on him Friday) for a guided tour to a very special destination.  And what would this very special destination be?

Here are some hints:  After World War II a former Royal Naval intelligence officer and rather obscure reporter for the Times of London used to winter here three months out of the year.  Starting in the early 1950s until his untimely death in 1964 this reporter would write a novel, novella collection, series of short stories, or even the occasional nonfiction piece before returning to his home in London.

His first novel was published in 1953 and garnered some very unfavorable reviews, but he soldiered on and refused to give up.  Over his short novelist career he produced an extraordinary body of works that would revolutionize a very specific genre and become perennial bestsellers.  His protagonist would become a household name, and films based upon this character appear more or less about every two years, with a few notable and very public exceptions.  Over the decades this protagonist has “officially” been portrayed by no less than six actors, and unofficially by a few more.  The latest film in this long-running series became one of a very few select movies to gross over a billion dollars worldwide.

This novelist’s works greatly influenced me in my formative years, and his tales in turn made me want to write something equally entertaining and extraordinary.  Today, his estate still stands, but as part of a much larger enterprise — a massive 52-acre resort featuring 21 units of high-end bungalows, cottages, and a villa.  That five-bedroom villa is, of course, the home of the aforementioned author and, depending on the season, commands prices of anywhere from $5,500 to $8,500 per night.

The actual villa (along with answers to the above questions) will be presented on Friday.  For now, enjoy pictures of some of the other amenities available at this very exclusive resort: