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Should I even bother? I' m staying at white sands...it sounds great, but no safe in the rooms...2nd trip to Negril...I love to read on the ipad...but I'm weary of bringing it...I know, people say, I can do with out it on vaca...thoughts on this? There is a safe at the front desk.
There's a couple things you can do to ease your worry, however nothing is totall fool proof.
One: set up "find my iPhone/iPad" so that you could trace it if stolen. This will also allow you to "wipe it clean" remotely.
Two: screen lock so that someone can't get into it.
Three: set up a "burgler alarm" app to go off if it is moved. There are some free apps in the store. There's a code to disarm it, believe me you want to remember what it is!
With all that said, someone could still make off with it.
The iPad is nice for skype or face time if you have an internet connection.
First off the safes in the office will not hold an Ipad, they are long and skinny. I have brought my netbook down for the last 3 trips and left it in the open on the dresser with my usb speakers attached to it. I use it for music when in the room and everyday when I return to the room the netbook was always there. Will you have as much luck with your ipad, there is no way of knowing but I am sure that the housekeepers will not touch it. They are all long time employees of Whitesands and value their jobs. It is probably everyone else that you need to worry about, fellow tourist and anyone that see you on the beach or at the bar with the ipad.
That being said do not bring anything to Negril that you are not willing to part with, that way you will not be disappointed.
We are in Negril now, the iPad has been great for email and contact with our kids back home. We are lucky though it fits in the safe we have in the room.
You can pick up a Kobo for under a !00$ for reading. I bought the KoboGlo specifically for reading on the beach. Its a bit more expensive but good for inside and outside reading. I leave my ipad2 at home. PS. Get a ereader that has WiFi
We took our IPad with us a few weeks ago and had NO problem. We had a safe but my Ipad would not fit in it. We never had a problem.
If not using it I would put it up but otherwise it was great for contacting home.
maybe i am tempting fate, but i dont even use the room safes anymore.. always take my notebook, and ipad, and $$$ camera, i dont even lock up passports.. no problems..
We stayed at White Sands a few weeks ago and I felt very safe there. I also brought my kindle along for reading and never worried about not having a safe. When we first started going to Jamaica we always wanted a safe but they are hard to find now. Enjoy your trip. White Sands is a wonderful place to stay.
Since there are so many places without safes we have been looking at a Pacsafe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=9-wBf-Up1lI
A co-worker had their laptop stolen at White Sands, around 3am they heard a noise at their window... Husband went to go check and a man there said he was maintenance and cleaning the windows. He went back to bed, his wife says that doesn't sound right. When he went again to check the man was in their room with their camcorder and laptop. As the idiot rushed back out the window he dropped the camcorder but took off with the laptop. The husband started to chase him down but realized there was a second person running away and didn't want to get hurt. Security guard didn't engage the thief and she thinks was most likely in on it because the guard was closer to the thieves than the husband and did nothing when screamed at to intervene.
That being said I would still bring it just don't leave it out in the open for preying eyes to see when you are out of the room or at night.
Hubby and I were really thankful we had a safe several years ago. Hubby woke up at 3am and discovered we had a "guest"walking around with a little flash light. He had been using our back pack to load up camera etc. Luckily when my husband called out the guy dropped our belongings and lept off the second floor balcony! We were relieved to realize our money,passports and phones were locked up! Cameras,laptops etc. are now put away at night. I will also say I thought windows and doors were locked and the balcony door wasn't! So my bad there. That said the hotel bent over backward to make us feel safe and secure after that! We still return every year,same hotel.
we took ours to the beach at night and did the astronomy thing with an app, soon we were surrounded by rasta's and soon giving a course in astronomy they loved it and were amazed at technology mon, "money does not belong to me, it just flows though me" Bob Marley
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Jim and I have the pacsafe. It is a good product. That way even if the room does not have a safe, you do !
That PAC safe sounds like a good idea..this me sound dumb...But I can't quite figure what to attach it toQuote:
Originally Posted by Jim-Donna
Hard to know if there are exposed water pipes in the hotel one is going to....that would be a potential "anchor" for the pacsafe.Quote:
Originally Posted by irieidette
I've been going back and forth on the pac-safe. A lot of the water pipes are plastic now, so one good jerk and it would be gone and then a flooded room besides. :(
That's almost funny. On an island that barely has a good Internet connection I want to see you track your iPad. Then of course if you have 3/4G and you can afford international roaming fees that's an option. You'll come home to data bill that will cost more than your trip. LEAVE IT HOME! Without mentioning the beach resort where I stayed in just one week time back in January there were numerous laptops and iPads stolen. In fact one morning a guest after returning from an early stroll on the beach literally caught a drunk hooker trying to break into his room by turning the door knob of several rooms to find an open one. He chased her down and reported it to security and they told him she got away next time slap her around. Remember Negril is a poormans paradise (or else we'd all be Tahiti) but to the locals you're a rich tourist ripe for the plucking. I'm not saying everyone you meet is a thief but just think of it as visit to the pirates of the Caribbean. Be street smart don't flash anything valuable. Think of it as if you're feeding the birds bread. If you throw out a little piece before you know it you have hundreds of birds flocking around for food.Quote:
Originally Posted by Thatswhatshesaid
ya, that did dawn on me as soon as I posted it. Personally I don't like to be "connected", my phone stays off and no laptop or other devices make the trip. I bring one credit card that has about 4 or 5 hundred bucks open on it for unanticipated expenses, thats all. I had a credit card skimmed a few visits ago, the thiefs are getting pretty sophisticated even in "poormans paradise".
I would like to know what room they stayed at White Sands that had windows?? Sorry but we have stayed there 4 trips and have never had any rooms with windows and have always felt safe. Not questioning if the story is true but can tell you that we have always felt safe and security has always been there and would really question that they were "in on it". Why would one not wake up at3 am if there was someone at their door claiming to wash windows?? Any way in my opinion Whit Sands is a great hotel and I feel safe with my valuables, just don't leave them in the open.
My iPad fits in the room safe at the hotel I stay in!:cool:
You need to change where your staying at if that is the way they take care of security. I can see something happening at any hotel on the beach at any given time but to have multiple things happening in one week. There is something going wrong at your hotel.Quote:
Originally Posted by oceanbeachsky
Did you guys sing Kum Ba Ya too?... I'm just kidding. I hope you weren't too far from you're hotel security. Mon, you're really tempting fate. I must be on a different 7 mile beach. The night dwellers are a different breed than you're daytime show. A little more aggressive, sometime arrogant using their "you remember me " routine and not exactly the people I want to be giving an astronomy lesson too with my bright and shinny expensive ipad. Of course they were amazed at technology and the money you have to afford it."money does not belong to me, it just flows though me" that's right out of your pocket and into theirs at least that seems to be the mission of most of the higglers and night dwellers. And by the way we did end up leaving the hotel that had the security issues with the break ins and thefts. Times are tough for some these days and its a little more obvious this past visit to Negril so I would leave the bling and the ipad home.Quote:
Originally Posted by Negril1990
yes their was singing, talking and a general respect for everyone, my bob quote was to say if someone wanted it and was going to take it they can have it, possessions are not worth fighting for. fear makes people worry for no reason,
Well said.....Quote:
Originally Posted by Negril1990
Its hard to believe that there are still resorts without a safe in the rooms. Even the little rustic cottage I just stayed in at Kuyaba had a very nice safe.