How safe is Negril to stay in a NON AI??

Hi Joe, (and all the other poster so far!!)
I was ashamed to ask the question, but when we went to trinidad and tobago 3 years ago (for carnival, then 5 days at Pidgeon point) we were told so many horror stories....alas, non of them were true and we had a great time!!
We just started researching NON AI in Jamaica this past weekend. Having never been there, we started to look at offers in negril. The cliffs area does sound intriguing as we are not beach bums per se, but would still like to swim once each day!!
As for pricing, including flights, the Oasis seems rather cheap and has some good reviews?
The tree house also looks very nice but is around $300 each more!! So, we have no idea right now but recommendations would be appreciated!! probably around the middle of April ( due to work etc).
Thanks again, look forward to hearing from you!!
Simon and Cindy.

Hi canuck, we are in London, Ontario!! Thanks for the advice!! I'm sure we will have booked something in the next week or so, I am a planner, i can't leave it to the last minute!!
Cheers, Simon and Cindy.

SimonB, have a look at Citronella. That's all.

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Originally Posted by SimonB1964

Hi Joe, (and all the other poster so far!!)
So, we have no idea right now but recommendations would be appreciated!! probably around the middle of April ( due to work etc).
Thanks again, look forward to hearing from you!!
Simon and Cindy.

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Lots of receomended places here and on other sites. My research took me to White Sands on the beach which is a family run small Non AI resort. The other is Blue Cave Castle on the cliffs.

Banana Shout or Catcha Falling Star are bothh on the cliffs and are highly recommended by others, each for unique reasons. Banana Shout is A "Jamaican" experience and the one I would personally choose but to each their own. Catcha gets rave reviews also but for other reasons. I settled on the quite highly receomended Blue Cave Castle when Banana Shout was not available.

ROOMS ON THE BEACH, 3rd year in a row , feb 3rd to 19th, soon come

I tried my hardest not to respond I really did!!! But for the newcomer on the board who had a very simple question,you will be fine. If you have travelled anywhere other than where you are from you have enough experience to travel safely in Jamaica. Respect, courtesey and appreciation for the natural beauty of island and the people on it will get you a loooooong way. It's really not that hard, but based on some of the responses I guess it depends where you are coming from. Being from San Francisco we getted hasseled damn near everyday from bums and whinos downtown , you just have to know how to deal with it. The good outweighs the bad on the Island 1000:1 if you ask me. Just go, be cautious, travel light and with an open heart. I am sure you will come back with a great trip report for us all to read!!! Enjoy your 1st trip to Jamaica. Like the saying goes "once you go ....you know" and thats a good thing.

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Originally Posted by Craig123

Lots of receomended places here and on other sites. My research took me to White Sands on the beach which is a family run small Non AI resort. The other is Blue Cave Castle on the cliffs.

Banana Shout or Catcha Falling Star are bothh on the cliffs and are highly recommended by others, each for unique reasons. Banana Shout is A "Jamaican" experience and the one I would personally choose but to each their own. Catcha gets rave reviews also but for other reasons. I settled on the quite highly receomended Blue Cave Castle when Banana Shout was not available.

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thanks Craig!!
So, we have kinda narrowed it down to :
White sands.
Rooms on the Beach.
Oasis.
Rondell.
Seastar.

So my question now would be.......would it be better to stay on/near the beach, or somewhere up in the cliff area?
After all the responses ( some sidetracked but thats OK), We truly believe we would have a great time in Negril.
Travel dates wise we have narrowed it down to April 6th-13th, or 13th -20th.
The first week is Easter, would that be a good or bad thing?? IE, would places be closed for celebrating Easter?
Sorry for the silly questions but we are ready to book ASAP!!
Cheers,
Simon and Cindy.

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Originally Posted by irie luv

I tried my hardest not to respond I really did!!! But for the newcomer on the board who had a very simple question,you will be fine. If you have travelled anywhere other than where you are from you have enough experience to travel safely in Jamaica. Respect, courtesey and appreciation for the natural beauty of island and the people on it will get you a loooooong way. It's really not that hard, but based on some of the responses I guess it depends where you are coming from. Being from San Francisco we getted hasseled damn near everyday from bums and whinos downtown , you just have to know how to deal with it. The good outweighs the bad on the Island 1000:1 if you ask me. Just go, be cautious, travel light and with an open heart. I am sure you will come back with a great trip report for us all to read!!! Enjoy your 1st trip to Jamaica. Like the saying goes "once you go ....you know" and thats a good thing.

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Thank you, that was a heartwarming reply, we are going for sure!!

hey Simon-- as far as beach or cliffs, it really comes down to personal preference-- I have stayed a few times on the cliffs (west end) and many times on the beach. I am a beach bum at heart and love walking for miles in the sand. That said, I also love swimming and snorkeling and the cliffs are great for that--the water along the beach is pretty shallow until you get way out there. But that said, one does not exclude the other--some cliff places have a shuttle to the beach and taxis are easy to get and plentiful.

Out of your list I have stayed at White Sands and Seastar. White Sands was very basic--smallish room--no tv--small fridge. The location is great, rooms are clean and the place is safe. There are good happy hour specials at the bar but the food is only so-so. But food is never a problem in Negril, so many great places to go both beach and cliff side.

Seastar is an exceptionally well run hotel--great restaurant, great staff, great swim up bar. And Saturday night entertainment and buffet is not to be missed, whether you are staying or not. They have live reggae, a drumming and dance act, and sometimes big name artists play. The only drawback for me is that it is not right on the water.

I have walked through Rondel, nice property. I don't know much about rooms but from the beach it looks sort of generic.

Other great beach properties are Bar B Barn and Coco La Palm. I am not sure what your budget is but there are so many other great places as well. Planning a trip to Negril is great fun!

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Originally Posted by SimonB1964

As for pricing, including flights, the Oasis seems rather cheap and has some good reviews?
The tree house also looks very nice but is around $300 each more!! Simon and Cindy.

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both excellent choices.........
but book your flights and resort separately......
you'll get to stay at places for about the same dollars and not have to be locked into a Travel site only listing

you really aren't comparing oranges against oranges with these two places though........
Treehouse is direct beach waterfront........
and Oasis is on the other side of the road of the Cliffs......

Oasis is the newly remodeled Thrills with a great pool and even has tennis courts!
Treehouse is on a great section of the beach and has a superb breakfast buffet every morning.......

if you need to be da wata on da Cliffs cause you guys like to swim and snorkel......
nuthin wrong with Blue Cave Castle, Xtabi, Moonlight Villas and Home Sweet Home
check out NegrilOneStop.com for deals and steals in Negril.......
Bob and Susan will take care of you......

Cool Runnings, Marko