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Thread: Lesson learned, make sure to lock those doors...

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  1. #1
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    Lesson learned, make sure to lock those doors...

    Well I just got back from Negril over the weekend from my week long trip. The weather was great although seriously windy making huge waves and the visibility poor enough to ruin the diving beyond mid week. I did manage to get wet a few times and the sand, music and Red Stripes were as good as ever.

    I stayed at the Beach Club Resort and figured I would pass on what surprisingly and disturbingly happened.

    I met my cousin Jason at Montego Bay as he flew in from California for his first trip to Jamaica for some diving. We shared a room on the second floor of the Beach Club and had a great time until mid week. After the two of us were out most of Wednesday night partying we headed back to the room and pretty much passed out. In the middle of the night my cousin wakes up and yells "There is someone in the room!" This of course wakes me up. A guy in the shadows takes off full tilt slamming out the door with my cousin chasing behind him. I jump up and follow but the guy loses us as he runs down to the beach and the darkness. I am screaming at the guy pretty loud as we chase him so many other guests woke up startled wanting to know what happened. Of course security and the front desk respond at this point but seem none to worried or particularly interested. Things eventually calm down and we were off to the room again to sleep it off until morning

    The guy apparently climbed up on our balcony and forced the glass slider open, the lock being nothing more than a crappy cheap type that appeared to work off and on. If we had something like a stick in the track he would have had a tougher time getting in for sure but this room didn't have one. When Jason spotted him, he was slinking around in the room looking through our stuff. Luckily Jason was so tanked up he fell asleep in his clothes and had the keys in his pocket including the safe key that held our phones, credit cards, a good amount of money and passports. We determined later the guy only got my RayBan sunglasses and few bucks off the counter. We also suspect a couple of beers may have gone missing but we can't prove that...When we were on the beach in the morning we find out through gossip another room with two women staying in it was also broken into during the same night. They lost a bunch of stuff and were very shaken up by the situation. I was told they made a report with the police, checked out and had no plans of ever visiting Jamaica again. What a shame.

    On Thursday night we were having dinner at a beach restaurant eating at the bar with several other tourists and a guy runs up off the beach, grabs a woman's purse and takes off. The people and the friends with them were so shaken by this they left immediately claiming they were going to leave Jamaica the next morning and it was only their first night. This is what will hurt everyone in Negril by keeping tourists away so I hope the police can quickly catch the few bad people ruining things for the many good people.

    Honestly, the same great Negril feel that was there on my many previous trips seemed sadly missing this time. Maybe the poor economy around the world and the obvious lack of tourists this year in November with the money they bring has made some locals desperate these days. The beach was almost empty by other same time of year comparisons and the guys trying to sell anything and everything were really, really aggressive. I actually had to step in and stop a Jamaican guy from bothering a lone woman to the point that she was scared and crying. The guy started really arguing with me and only stopped and walked on down the beach when it was very apparent I was not backing down and it was going to get violent.

    I believe I am going to skip a few years in Jamaica or at a minimum some of my favorite Seven Mile Beach resorts until I hear things have improved. This decision bothers me as I have been traveling to the same spot for almost 2 decades and have many friends I look forward to seeing every year.


    Take it easy all.

    -Scott

  2. #2
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    Sorry

    My daughter likes to stay at Roots (Bamboo) and I know this has happened at least once in the last few years (there), even though the economy was better at the time of her burglary.

    I think you're right to say remember where you are, because some folks are up against it hard.
    On the other hand crack-heads only have one mode of operation, generally it's the crack-heads who are the snatch-out artists.

    Jerks are every where, don't let them ruin Jamaica for you.

    Peace



    One month 5 days

  3. #3
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    Were you on the beach club hotel side or the condos where Jean Gaynair is manager? Just wondering.

  4. #4
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    i for one like to hear the truth about the goings on in negril. am against pretending that "all is irie" over there and these things get covered up.

    don't businesses in negril want to hear travellers' bad experiences? don't business owners want us to return to a more safer place?

    a lot of other travel destinations with warm weather and beautiful surroundingss out there . . .

  5. #5
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    Thanks for sharing your experience Scott, sorry this happened to you guys and sorry to hear this has tainted future travel plans.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by JitterBug View Post
    i for one like to hear the truth about the goings on in negril. am against pretending that "all is irie" over there and these things get covered up.

    don't businesses in negril want to hear travellers' bad experiences? don't business owners want us to return to a more safer place?

    a lot of other travel destinations with warm weather and beautiful surroundingss out there . . .
    I'm with you, unfortunately it will only be a matter of time for someone to jump in and state that things like this just don't happen. When I returned in early Oct I posted my distaste for some of the crap I observed/encountered and was put on blast. Thanks Scott for sharing.


  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by JitterBug View Post
    i for one like to hear the truth about the goings on in negril. am against pretending that "all is irie" over there and these things get covered up.

    don't businesses in negril want to hear travellers' bad experiences? don't business owners want us to return to a more safer place?

    a lot of other travel destinations with warm weather and beautiful surroundingss out there . . .
    What are you talking about....Scuba Scott's experience isn't being covered up? By the mere fact you're reading it here...means it's not being covered up!!!!

  8. #8
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    Smile

    Quote Originally Posted by JitterBug View Post
    i for one like to hear the truth about the goings on in negril. am against pretending that "all is irie" over there and these things get covered up.

    don't businesses in negril want to hear travelers' bad experiences? don't business owners want us to return to a more safer place?

    a lot of other travel destinations with warm weather and beautiful surroundings out there . . .
    Jitters you hit the nail on the head....Businesses should know that travelers are aware of this as well as travelers themselves..
    I realize this is a "Tourist Board" and after working many years in the industry-the last thing you want is to put a place in a "bad light"..
    But also think ignorance is not bliss...People are grown adults and can make their own decisions and yes ,of course common sense traveling wherever is necessary....I know that some people will make false accusation s for their own benefit-but I feel thats the minority..I think its insulting and disgusting to downplay, marginalize, or blame the victim for any wrong-doings that have happen to them..
    There is certainly more positive reports posted on here then negative- that's a good thing and would show that that's "the norm"..But also so important to know and report an=on anything negative that's happen (and yes, it happens allover the world).I appreciate a tourist website that
    tells the "good, the bad and the ugly" as opposed to one that only sugar-coats everything..and please people-be a little considerate to the victims and stop stating how one needs to behave like their at home,etc, etc(therefore-almost asking for it-no one asks to be a victim-or they lack any common sense)..I'm sure they're aware of it- crime can happen to anybody,anyplace -and very,very few "ask for it"...ie total bad judgement...Bottom line certain places under certain circumstances have a trend of crime (that will hopefully go away) and the more knowledge people have the more vigilant people will be and hopefully it will defuse some of this crime (ie the locals, businesses, police etc step it up a bit -bottom line-it hurts business/reputations)

    For those ready to throw in the towel to Jam...I feel for you ..I dont blame you..But remember, Jam is a large island with other locales that this board promotes-I rec. checking out Port Antonio, Treasure Beach for a start...Same cool Jam vibes/culture and hopefully will restore your faith in Jam. as a place to visit..and yes, you could be a victim of crime too in those places-but IMHO-less likely than Negril at this current time..
    And NO, am not a Negril "hater" First visited in 1983 and just recently spent a few nites in Nov of this year-Always will have a soft-spot in my heart for the place and will most likely continue to visit...
    " Ones destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things." (Henry Miller)

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by suzengrace View Post
    ...But also think ignorance is not bliss...People are grown adults and can make their own decisions and yes ,of course common sense traveling wherever is necessary....I know that some people will make false accusation s for their own benefit-but I feel thats the minority..I think its insulting and disgusting to downplay, marginalize, or blame the victim for any wrong-doings that have happen to them..
    There is certainly more positive reports posted on here then negative- that's a good thing and would show that that's "the norm"..But also so important to know and report an=on anything negative that's happen (and yes, it happens allover the world).I appreciate a tourist website that
    tells the "good, the bad and the ugly" as opposed to one that only sugar-coats everything..and please people-be a little considerate to the victims and stop stating how one needs to behave like their at home,etc, etc(therefore-almost asking for it-no one asks to be a victim-or they lack any common sense)...
    Suzen,

    Ignorance is not bliss. And to that end, since the first Negril.com webpages became active in 1995 and especially since I came back to redirect the site in late 2009, Negril.com has provided people with the best information to make their vacation time in Jamaica as great as possible. This includes the good, the bad and the ugly as long as it is the truth. Rumor and speculation does not provide useful information to anyone, but the truth does. And that may include truth that the poster may not always find agreeable.

    In the last month or so, there have been two threads regarding thefts. This one seems to be genuine, honest and without speculation about who is conspiring regarding the theft. The first one was less than honest, made with a blackmail agenda and pointed fingers at other innocent people. Maybe the frequency of these less than genuine stories is higher than you think, making it less of a minority situation. Visitors to Jamaica do have the right to know that not all the stories that they hear should be taken as gospel. They are adults and deserve to know the truth, the whole truth. Which can include the fact that some people do set themselves up to become a target.

    While no one stands on their veranda and shouts "please steal my stuff", visitors to Jamaica do have the right to know that some behavior does make you more of a target to crime. Essentially the behavior does send the message to those who want to do you wrong that you are the optimum target. And that behavior often does come from the fact that some behave different here than they do at home. It is very good advice that if you dont invite strangers back to your home, then dont invite them into your room. If you dont normally hire a prostitute, then dont do it in Negril - whether the prostitute is called "your friend" or not. This is common sense advice, but not everyone uses common sense. This is one of those truths that not everyone finds pleasant to find out, but all visitors to the island deserve to be informed about this situation.

    I am glad that you appreciate Negril.com since it provides the truth - good, bad and ugly, but it is also an unfortunate truth that some people do behave in ways that makes them a target for those wanting to do wrong. And our readers deserve to know the truth.
    Negril.com - For the vacation that never ends!

  10. #10
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    You could have not said it better. Totally agree.

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