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One life, one holiday, one click: Come to the Caribbean with U2 & Island Outpost Online

06/01/2005

JAMAICA (June 2005) - Follow in U2's footsteps to the Caribbean's most charismatic boutique properties at http://www.islandoutpost.com/.

" Island Outpost puts music under your feet," says U2 frontman, Bono. He is a long-time fan of the eclectic resort group and its owner Chris Blackwell: after all, the Island Records founder helped launch his mega-band (along with Bob Marley, Traffic, Cat Stevens, Robert Palmer, Roxy Music, Grace Jones, the Cranberries, Toots & the Maytals, Black Uhuru, Third World, Baaba Maal, and Melissa Etheridge, to name a few.)

One click. Just one click. That's all it takes to capture that beat. Booking a boutique hotel in Jamaica or the Bahamas just got easier, following the re-launch of Island Outpost's website at http://www.islandoutpost.com/.

Explore the group's evocative hotels online - from the funky beachcomber cottages of Jake's to the mountaintop serenity of Strawberry Hill. Small wonder these hotels top review-lists (Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure to name just two).

Receive a free signed copy of Anton Corbijn's U2 & i: The Photographs 1982 - 2004, when you book five nights or more at any combination of the five properties through December 31, 2005. Hot off the press, this volume exposes the band's full history for the first time, just as U2's 2005 world tour is in full swing. Bono contributed text, alongside Helena Christensen, BillClinton, William Gibson, Paul Morley, Salman Rushdie, Michael Stipe and Wim Wenders. Travelers to Jamaica will also receive the insider's tour of various reggae history spots throughout the country.

Island Outpost reservations are simpler now with online property maps and real-time availability checks. Peruse the spa treatment menus - and other amenities, including local tours. Investigate options for a honeymoon or destination wedding. Browse upcoming events at these dynamic properties.

Still haven't found what you're looking for? Download free tracks, selected by music mogul Blackwell. Or shop for sarongs and CDs in the cyber-boutique. Learn more about Island ACTS, the resorts' foundation, dedicated to community development at each of its locations. In short, get in sync with the unique, free spirit of Island Outpost before your holiday.

As Blackwell says: "It's all about spirit. Sensibility. And Heart. Like Island Records, which I started in 1959, Island Outpost is about a feeling. The rush of discovery. The joy of independence. The bliss of authenticity."

You have one life to live, as Bono sings: "You got to do what you should". So go. Online, that is. Click http://www.islandoutpost.com/. And retreat to Island Outpost, all that you can't leave behind.

A Secret, Serene Retreat at Strawberry Hill, Jamaica 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 start at $315 per person, per night with breakfast, taxes and gratuities; based on single or double occupancy.

Artist's Retreat at Jake's, Jamaica
Guests and locals mingle cheerfully at Jake1s, a 29-room bohemian resort, set on six acres. Dramatic cottages commune with the garden, sea and sky, near a secluded fishing village. The bohemian atmosphere comes as no surprise: Jake1s 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 range from $95-$325 per room each night, including taxes and gratuities.

A Cove and Cocktails at Goldeneye, Jamaica
Be shaken - not stirred - by the splendor of James Bond1s birthplace. Dashing 007 originated at this 15-acre seaside hideaway, which blossomed around the home of Ian Fleming, who wrote 13 spy novels here. Today, his retreat is a boutique resort laced with beaches, tropical forest, caves and secluded nooks. The author delighted in the landscape1s richness and praised the blazing sunshine, natural beauty and the most healthy life I could live. Intimate and informal, this idyll - four villas on a sea bluff, one overlooking a cove - attracts celebrities and other lovers of luxury. Rates start at $695 per room, per night and include all meals, beverages, taxes
and gratuities.

Seaside Inspiration at the Caves, Jamaica
At the Caves, the volcanic cliff is honeycombed with grottos: 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. 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 start at $535 per room each night, covering meals, drinks, taxes and gratuities.

The Finest Beach in the World at The Pink Sands, Bahamas
This beachfront estate of 25 cottages stands beside its namesake, the glamorous and legendary three-mile strip of pink sands. The 25 pastel cottages may have a hot designer - and even hotter celebrity guest list - but this resort is all about the privacy. Celebs are said to flock here, but the management is hush and this retreat maintains its relaxed air, far from the maddening crowds. Smaller rooms boast Art-Deco flourishes, while larger ones turn to Indonesia for inspiration. This beachfront estate stands beside its namesake, the glamorous and legendary three-mile strip of pink sands. Pink Sands isn't the place to stargaze. Rather it's a chance to enter the constellation and shine. Rates start at $525 per room, per night. Rates are based on single or double occupancy and include breakfast and dinner daily. 18% service and gratuity charge is additional. 

* This offer will expire on December 31, 2005 and is subject to availability and availability of room categories.

About Island Outpost
Island Outpost is a collection of five, distinct small properties, located in Jamaica and The Bahamas. Created by Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records and Palm Pictures, Island Outpost creates environments reminiscent of staying at a good friend's home. The company is home to the Second Annual Goldeneye Film Festival December 7-12, 2005 and the Flashpoint Music & Film Festival at The Caves in Negril, July 30-31, 2005.
 
For more information visit http://www.islandoutpost.com/ or call 1.800.OUTPOST (United States and Canada), 0800.68876781 (OUTPOST1) (in the UK) and 1.876.960.8134 for
all other countries.

Contacts

Public Relations US
Andria Mistakos PR
Andria@andriamitsakospr.com
+1 561.266.0568

Public Relations UK
Louise Swanne - Riva PR
louise.swanne@rivapr.co.uk
+44 (0) 20 8874 4750

Public Relations - Germany, Austria, Switzerland
EuroMarketingConnections
nicole.merse@euromarketingconnections.de
+ (49) 211-405 6 504