[4] Ambassador Owen purchased the property in 1911 from Chris Blackwell's grandfather, Percy Lindo, whose family owned the J. Wray and Nephew Ltd. distillery along with several thousand acres of real estate in the Oracabessa area.

The Keesons began renting the villa to the public, and over the years the clientele has included a number of celebrities such as musicians Willie Nelson and Jimmy Buffett,[8] and film stars Denzel Washington and Robert De Niro.

Colin Simpson is the great-great grandson[14] of renowned slavery abolitionist James Phillippo who built the first church in the area and helped establish Oracabessa as one of Jamaica's first Free Villages.

[15] The Simpsons were married at Golden Clouds in 2001, and in an interview with The Jamaican Observer, the new owners indicated their intention to carry on the century-old tradition of luxurious accommodations and casual elegance that has made the villa world-renowned.

[17] Golden Cloud's neoclassical architectural design was based on Casa Figueras, an 18th-century luxury villa that Owen stayed at during her first trip to Spain,[18] and reflects Oracabessa's heritage as a Spanish settlement.