Ever Been to Jamaica?

I was on a cruise and that was one of the ports. Exiting the ship there was a 20' high chain link fence and guards with guns posted on the inside to keep the locals out. First impression was I wasn't impressed but then we took a taxi to local sites and we met nice people. It was absolutely beautiful. Personally, I like cruises but if I was going to vacation on an island I would go to the Cayman Islands.

It's a quirky place.

Resorts are worlds unto themselves. I call these kinds of resorts "Mars" (because they could be anywhere, including in a bubble on Mars). I LOVE resorts, because I'm a culture-nut. Meaning I'm constantly busy in different cultures doing a million things, meeting people, experiencing things, etc., and when I get back home I need a 'vacation'. 95% of my travel is 'in-culture'... but man oh man oh man... do I LOVE Mars Resorts to just turn my brain off.

Anyhow... Jamaica the island itself... out of Resort-Land is the kind of place people move to the worst slums of NewYork, or East LA and feel totally safe (To my misfortune I have some Jamacian Transplant to NYC friends I made on the island, which is how I found this out. Oy.). Out of Resort-Land you'll find 7yo kids carrying AK47s in the street. You'll ALSO find amazing, kind, generous people and amazing experiences/places.

Resorts, however, are VERY safe (they have private security, it's harder to get into a resort than to rob most museums... which is one reason why I like them. I used to spend a lot of time in war zones, so it's nice knowing that there's bank level security that could take on a small army out of sight). And generally almost sterile clean. Major Resorts are very carefully designed, built, and maintained. No matter where the big ones are on the globe (or a planet to the left) they're selling an artistic experience. The view is engineered, the water and food sterilized or flown in, etc. Kind of like a Las Vegas Casino, but using the natural weather as it's draw instead of gambling.

If you are not set on that destination, you might consider U.S. Virgin Islands. I have been there on a cruise and to visit a friend there. The beaches are gorgeous! We drove all over the island, not just the tourist spots. Never felt unsafe at all.

We've been to Jamaica almost 10 times over the past 20 years. I love the "mars" resort description! So funny! We always stay at a Sandals resort. We've been to Montego Bay and Negril. Once you land at the airport and get through customs, you are quickly driven to your resort and we never leave the security of our little "mars". Going to Negril, you drive through many small towns and you get to see a lot of landscape. It is lovely and the 7 mile beach is a sight to behold. Do beware of local hustlers, it is a shame, but they will rob you blind if you aren't careful.

We went to the resort, Swept Away, in Negril for our honeymoon. Loved every minute of it, and would go back in a heartbeat. :)

If you do tour the other cities, make sure it's through your resort or a reputable touring company. If they take you to the open air markets, watch your purse - they can steal faster than you can blink. They also yell out at you to buy from them, and have other people working for them trying to corral you into their stands. It made me so nervous, my husband paid one guy just to get us out of there without anyone else harassing us to buy from them.

Other than that, all of the time on the resort was wonderful and as I said, I would go back tomorrow if I could!

Have fun and drink lots of Red Stripe and fruity island drinks! IRIE!

Love Jamaica! We have stayed at Sandals in Negril and at the Jamaica Inn in Ochos Rios! We only left the resort on resort sponsored excursions. We did stop at a local jerk chicken shack on the way to Jamaica Inn from the airport. It made me a little nervous but it was soooo good! Jamaica Inn was the best vacation. I hope to make it back someday!
Have fun and have a Red Stripe for me!

Nope! Can you take me? :)

I was there in 2000 and stayed at Holiday Inn Sunspree in Montego Bay. It was very nice when I was there and the people are very friendly. There are areas in the town that are ghetto so don't walk around without a guide. We had a shopping center right across the street and a bus took us to town for a few hours, the driver told us what streets to stay away from.

http://caribbeanhi.com/jamaica/

we stayed at point villages all inclusive about 10 years ago. it was a lot of fun had the kids all with us. would love to go again. it is a poor country and while out and out begging was not a problem expectation of tips for everything from giving directions to picking up something you drop is exptected. my husband hated it there.

Read this thread, K1. Hopefully it will give you some helpful hints...

http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/17167196921295667201

Dawn

The moment we got off the ship the dock was lined with military men with automatic weapons....then we were barraged by taxi drivers in our face claiming they would be "the best" guides". (they were fighting each other).., then by people who wanted to braid our hair for money, the gift shops and street vendors all have the same stuff....The only thing I liked was the hike up the falls, after that I couldn't wait to get back on the ship.

I hear the expensive resorts are better, but sometimes the poor get onto the grounds to rob and/or do harm to the guests. (There is so much poverty, I can understand how they must feel, but still scary....I don't mind admitting, I could not afford to stay at the fancy resorts....we saved a year for our crusie).

There was a Jamaician band on the ship and the music was WONDERFUL, but as for visiting Jamaica again, I wouldn't....The guards with the automatic weapons sort of set the tone...very uncomfortable.

I've been there back in the early days of Bob Marley and the Wailers in Kingston and didn't realize I was partying with them until a year later.

The island has changed much since those days. My friends and I toured the island staying at three different spots -- Montego Bay (Half Moon) beautiful spot for honeymooners, Ocho Rios (Jamaca Hilton) Dunes River Falls, and Kingston (don't recall hotel name). In Kingston my girlfriend met family of her fiance and they were really nice people.

Yes, the open markets are still the same maybe a bit worse. The people wanted to hustle you back then in the late 60s. At this time Jamacahad just separated from England and was its own entity so it was really rural and poor. The scenery from afar was beautiful but upclose it was crude.

I would probably go back one day and see it again. Ocho Rios was a nice spot and a bit breezy in the afternoons as I recall.

The other S.

I have been through Jamaica twice, both times on cruises although this last time I hung with the locals for the entire time, and yeah, Riley pretty much sums it up. It's extremely dirty and poor. If you're looking for a resort, they I'm sure they are fabulous! It's hard not to find great resorts when there is such beautiful scenery all around! We did see a number of them, and although my memory isn't exact I believe our local friends said that the Hilton was the best?? Can't remember, but it will be fun!

I've stayed at Sandal's Resorts Ocho Rios but it was a couple only facility. It was in our BC (Before Children) days. There were chain link fences surrounding the perimeter with locals on the other sides wanting to braid my hair or sell us pot.

We went into town a few times. The locals were friendly but slightly pushy, just what you would expect. We did climb the waterfalls which was fun.