-)Not sure that I would recommend Jamaica. The beached was fenced with wire about 10ft high and security guards with guns patrolled the beach to keep the tourists safe.
I didn't feel comfortable at all
Weather was good though :-)
Good grief! Total misunderstading. The security is there to stop pilfering from hotel rooms and for those guests who can;t cope with a bit of hustle and vecause the biggest client vase is Americans used to living in gated communities 'cso the US is so mucking dangerous, And to keep the guests in to sell hotel extras and avid the hassle of the idiot who goes out dripping jewelry and cameras and wonders why he gets mugged. There are soem horrid all-inclusives.. like the one past Falmouth on the Pacific coast or the one past Lucea (pronounced Lucy) which they shipped in the sand to make the beachm the sea isn;t shltere and it's stuck in the middle of nowhere with hundreds of rooms and swarming in identical tourists.
I've been to jamaica more times than i recall.. well over a dozen, perhaps more than 20. My wife went with daughter and granddaughter last year and said how sadly they have sanitised the place compard to when we first went.. it's lost a lot of character and a lot of the beach sellers have been moved on and all the beacj animals slaightered (dogs, cats, goats etc).
She said she still felt as safe as before.. and lots safer than walking around London.
Our first trip early 90's and Mo'bay airport was teeming with hustlers, independant taxism guys hawking everything from snacks to drugs. The roads were all pot-holes and slow driving. We were ona cheap last minute deal and staying at a small hotel. When we got there the kitcen was closed so with some trepidation (having heard all the stories of crime) we went out to find food. The only place open and walkable was a really rough looking locals dive. I sat ina corner so I wouldn't have to watch my back. A coupe fo guys came up and sat down. They were lovely. They were so pleased to see tourists come out of the hotel and kept telling us how mucg they appreciated it. that their live;ohood depended ona bit of hustle, that it woudn't be good business to hurt a tourist and offered to do driving, gophering or show us around - and would we please tell the other guests they had nothign to worry about.
Yes, there is crime.. mostly corrupt politics and police (I got stopped for speeding once and they were more interested in a bribe than a ticket and ended up with neither when I insisted on seeing a magistrate to discuss that - but that is a dodgy thing to risk). The other crime is when one gang treads on anothers territory. But tourists are a darn sight safer than say Mexico and most other exotic locations. Again it;s not good for business.
Since then I've been back loads.. often hiring a car and just driving around the island and finding somewhere to stay at night. Hygeine is excellent - you can eat in any shack. You see how geuinely folk live in poverty and why they hustle. I used to carry a few one-USdollar notes about and gave away 5-10 a day to such folk.. they need it. But if you said no they left you alone.
It's a beautiful island. It's less fun now the pot-holes are fixed and it's being sanistised for the tourists. Negril beach isn't fenced. Better still the local rules forbid hotels higher than the palm trees. Which means the new 'Negril' big complexes are at the end of true Negril and fenced and large and not my sort of place at all. Take a trip to a genuine beachside hotel. If you like it 'average' then Travellers Hotel is fine. If you want it fancy then, say, Negril Gardens. If you are like me then Rainbow Arch - it has 6 rooms, basic, clean when you get it but you might need to borrow the broom if staying more than a few days to give it a mid-time clean out. The owner does brekkie on the beach and it's 10 paces to the water. But the a/c works, the water's hot and no-one bothers you and there certainly isn't a disco and rowdy youngsters getting pissed on inclusive booze. Go to the supermarket and buy some red stripe and rum and stick it in your room or strll down the beach to a smarter place and eat/drink there.
One trip when we hired a car I managed to be stupid enough to lose the kesy from my trucks ito the ocean. We were ona bit of public beach in remote cove and it was a good walk to a place with a phone (days before everyone had a mobile). The hire place aplogised that it was going to take a couple of hours to get to us. It was sunset and we went back to wait by the car. Shortly folk started appearing out of the bush as word spread. They were friendlyn chattym we got a bonfire going wife had a few dry dollars so someone went off to find fruit and veg and by the time the car folk came by we had a party going.
I've literally driven all the way around the island as well as across it. There's stuff too far from the main tourist spots for the average tourist to see. I honestly say I never felt unsafe.
I'll try to load some pics later but upload speeds here are pants
Topic: Holiday recommendations please (Read 3340 times)
