JAMES BOND ISLAND, THAILAND - The middle-aged couple hurried past the hawker selling island excursion tours in the lobby of Phuket’s Sheraton Laguna hotel, hoping the chap wouldn’t bother them with his sales pitch.

But he stopped them in their tracks with the words: “James Bond Island.”

“Did he say Bond … James Bond Island?” the man asked his female companion.

“Yes sir. The very island where they made the movie The Man With The Golden Gun. The movie in which …” The man cut the tour guide short.

“I know all about the movie. How much for the tour?”

“Eighty U.S. dollars – but it’s an all day tour and includes snorkeling on a private island, a lunch at a stilted Muslim fishing village and then we’ll stop and explore Khao Tapu,” the tour guide told the couple.

“Okay, but when do we get to James Bond Island?” the suddenly anxious tourist asked.

“Khao Tapu is James Bond Island – that’s the name it’s known by in Thailand.”

The couple forked over their money and headed off with a group of other tourists to the middle of the Andaman Sea in a speed boat captained by an eager young Thai named Jay.

“Our first stop will be a private island where you can snorkel or swim,” announced Jay.

The island, which appeared not to have a name, featured sand as white as sugar and water so clear you could watch your feet sink into the bottom of the aqua sea. Tiny fish, representing every colour imaginable, seemed to sense the tourists’ presence and gathered by the shore, waiting for Jay to feed them with bread and fruit. The tourists dipped their masked faces into the warm water and one observed: “It’s like sticking your face into an aquarium.”

A few joyous hours passed quickly on the treasured island before Jay announced it was time to head for the stilted Muslim village, about an hour away.

The trip took the group past dozens of uniquely-shaped coral islands that stick out of the sea here like chimneys. The boat then entered the mouth of a river and drifted slowly past sleepy fishing villages that were hidden in a thick mangrove forest. The Muslim village, whose inhabitants rely mostly on fishing and tourism to make a modest living, sat at the base of two large mountains. A few other tour boats had beaten Jay’s group to the lunch table but the servers still had plenty of delicious fish, rice and meat dishes left. There was time afterwards to explore the village’s wooden streets where an army of vendors waited to sell an array of local crafts. The female members of the group returned to the boat clutching genuine pearl necklaces, earrings and bracelets – all acquired, they proudly announced, for just a few dollars.

Above: James Bond island is where the Man With The Golden Gun was filmed.

“Next stop – James Bond Island!” Jay announced to a chorus of cheers from the back of the boat.

A few minutes later, the famous island where 007 matched wits with the three-nippled villain Scaramanga (played by Christopher Lee) in The Man With The Golden Gun came into view. The island’s mushroom-shape rock that housed the solar panels which powered Scaramanga's menacing Solex Agitator, looked exactly as it had in the film.

“You only have a few minutes here – that is all the time we are allowed,” said Jay.

The male members of the tour rushed to the sandy shore and stood in the area where 007 and Scaramanga held their gun duel. Then they ran to the cave where the evil Scaramanga held the bikini-clad Miss Goodnight (Britt Ekland) hostage.

Most gave into the temptations of some local vendors selling James Bond souvenirs and bought as much as they could carry back to the boat.

On the return trip to Phuket, Jay told the couples where they could find the best nightlife in naughty Patong Beach, the backpacker haven that is known as the Sin City of Thailand.

“I hope you had a good day,” said the delightful Jay as the tourists departed his speed boat.

“It was a great day,” the once reluctant couple told the captain. “And, thanks to your Patong suggestions, we expect it will be a Goodnight as well.”