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Exclusive "One Love" Vacation PackageIsland Outpost Celebrates Bob Marley's 60th BirthdayBob Marley preached peace and justice through his profound music. The gentle Rastafarian brought reggae to the world, before his untimely death in 1981. On the 60th anniversary of his birth, Island Outpost celebrates this legendary man with its One Love package, which offers reggae fans and music lovers the chance to experience Marley's life up close and personal, while experiencing the funk and sexy sophistication of the island's most hip retreats. Record mogul and Island Records founder Chris Blackwell is well known in music circles for launching the career of Bob Marley, U2, among others. Jetset A-listers and travel buffs also know him as founder of Island Outpost, a chain of boutique locales offering accommodations with an offbeat, tropical charm. "It's all about the spirit. Sensibility. And Heart. Like Island Records, Island Outpost is about a feeling. The rush of discovery. The bliss of authenticity," said Blackwell. "This is a chance to encapsulate the life of Bob Marley and share the vibe with travelers the world over." Guests that book five nights or more in any one or combination of the four Jamaican properties will receive one iPod Shuffle per booking and customized tours as follows: STRAWBERRY HILL The museum, once Bob's home, still shares its grounds with the Tuff Gong studio, where the reggae superstar recorded most of his masterpieces. Then trace his inspiration in Trench Town, a housing scheme that replaced the area's squatter camps and became ground zero of the Rastafarian movement. Bob Marley recuperated at Strawberry Hill after being shot. And U2 ducked out of the limelight at this retreat. The musicians chose wisely: this serene aerie is so stunning that Conde Nast Traveler declared that the "location 3,000 feet up the Blue Mountains beggars description." Twelve airy cottages, designed by Ann Hodges, cluster beside the Caribbean's only Aveda Concept Spa, located at the resort. Wood-shingled and gracious, the architecture reflects the original nineteenth-century buildings that once stood here with cooling louvers, ceiling fans, fretwork and gables. Hammocks and rockers stand on the verandahs. Hardwood floors and mahogany furniture handcrafted on the premises complete the genteel ambiance. Rates from $325 per room, per night for a one bedroom cottage to $775 for the ultimate Mountain View category. Rates are based on single or double occupancy. JAKE'S Make a pilgrimage to Nine Miles, Marley's birthplace and the site of his humble, but dignified, grave: a white mausoleum surrounded by a red, green and yellow fence. Next, drive down Jamaica's beautiful southwestern coast to the fishing village of Belmond, hometown of Wailer's founding member Peter Tosh. Guests and locals mingle cheerfully at Jake's, a 29-room bohemian resort, set on six acres of land. Dramatic cottages commune with the garden, sea and sky, near a secluded fishing village. The bohemian atmosphere comes as no surprise: Jake's is run by the Henzell family, also responsible for Jimmy Cliff's The Harder They Come, the hippest Caribbean film of all time. Sally, its set designer, unfurled her talents here: wild purples, pinks, yellows and terracottas brighten the landscape. Moroccan domes and arches bloom. Decks skim the waves. Shells, beads and colored glass glitter brightly from walls. As travel writing legend Tim Cahill pointed out in Islands magazine, "just about everything is funky." Rates from $115 per night for a one-bedroom garden view room to $395 for the sinful, 800 square foot Octopussy Suite, which puts you beachfront. Rates are based on double occupancy. GOLDENEYE The island's musical story unfolds in multimedia exhibits at this groundbreaking Jamaican museum at Island Village in Ocho Rios. Ska, mento, roots, rock, reggae, dubmasters, DJs, dancehall and key artists all merit attention. Special sections highlight Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. Be shaken not stirred by the splendor of James Bond's birthplace. Dashing 007 originated at this 15-acre seaside hideaway, which blossomed around the home of Ian Fleming, who wrote 13 spy novels here. The author delighted in the landscape's richness and praised "the blazing sunshine, natural beauty and the healthiest life I could live." Today, Fleming's retreat is a boutique resort laced with beaches, tropical forest, caves and secluded nooks. Intimate and informal, this idyll four villas on a sea bluff, one overlooking a cove attracts celebrities and other lovers of luxury. Rates from $895 per room, per night for a two-bedroom villa to $3,600 to live like James Bond in the Ian Fleming villa (sleeps six). Rates are based on double occupancy. THE CAVES Musicians groove everywhere in Negril: on the beaches and cliffs, not to mention the cafes and clubs. Experience the soulful Caribbean rhythms in the cradle of reggae. At the Caves, the volcanic cliff is honeycombed with grottoes: one strewn with flowers and candlelit for intimate dining, another harboring a bubbling hot tub, some are just portals into the crystal-clear sea below, populated by dolphins, parrot fish and sea turtles. Ten hand-crafted cottages nestle into this verdant landscape, crowned by a petite Aveda spa. Small wonder The Caves was named the best hotel in the Caribbean by Trip Advisor, a leading travel search site. The exclusive magazine Robb Report also celebrated this resort among the "World's 10 Great Escapes" in March 2004: "Outside, turquoise water laps languidly against rocky cliffs, recalling the Caribbean before high tech hotels vanquished the landscape and personal watercraft disturbed the calm." Rates from $575 per room, per night for a one bedroom suite to $925 for a deluxe two bedroom. Rates are based on single or double occupancy and include all meals and beverages. This offer will expire on December 31, 2005 and is subject to availability and availability of room categories. The tour package (not including the iPod Shuffle) is available for less than five night stays with an additional premium. Please contact Island Outpost for further details. About Island Outpost: Edited by Dave Shultz |
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Guided
Tour of the Bob Marley Museum at 56 Hope Road, Studio One, and Trench Town.
Guided
Tour to Nine Miles, including a visit to the Peter Tosh Monument.
Guided
Tour of ReggaeXplosion, an audio visual museum dedicated to the history of
Reggae Music or a trip to Nine Miles
Night
of Live Reggae in Negril.