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DEWEY WALDORF
NORMAN POGSON/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
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AN AFFAIR OF THE HEART
DEWEY WALDORF
Like an eagle’s nest overlooking the Caribbean Sea, Noël Coward’s beloved home, Firefly, is perched on a 1,000-foot hill some 20 miles east of Ocho Rios. From this vantage point, visitors can see the Blue Mountains to the south and the north-coast headlands surrounding Port Maria — an absolutely awe-inspiring vista. It was here that the famous British man-about-town, author, playwright, actor and composer found peace, happiness and “the time to write.” At this charming Jamaican dwelling, Coward wrote his only novel, Pomp and Circumstance. Firefly Hill also served as the site of countless parties and social gatherings, with Coward entertaining the likes of Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth II and a slew of celebrities, including John Gielgud, Katharine Hepburn, Claudette Colbert, David Niven, Joan Sutherland and Errol Flynn. Coward even personally cooked for the Queen Mother DEWEY WALDORF
at his Caribbean home. The house, which is open to the public, is much as Coward left it. Tour guides take visitors through the interior while painting such a vivid picture of his life that it is easy to imagine the owner will appear at any moment. Coward died suddenly in his big mahogany four-poster on March 26, 1973, at the age of 74. His grave, marked by an engraved marble headstone, is on the property. Coward’s friends thought it only fitting that he should be buried here. —D. W.
JAMAICA TOURIST BOARD
FROM TOP: The Blue Mountains seen from Firefly; interiors of the refuge where Coward found ‘‘the time to write’’; one of many breathtaking views.
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CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES FUN ASHORE
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