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

[SimonB1964]

Sorry, new to the forum and did a search on this subject.
Wife and I (mid 40's) are looking at staying in Negril (first time in jamaica) in mid April.
We have found some beautiful looking places to stay in the area and prices with flights from Toronto, seem reasonable.
We have travelled fair bit, especially around the Caribbean.
Just wandering how safe we would be walking around at night, looking for restaurants, places to have a drink etc.
Sorry it's a dumb question, but we hate AI and this si the way we like to travel.
Any input please??
many thanks, Simon and Cindy.

[booger]

As long as you use common sense and do not walk around with a bunch of bling you should be just fine. They're are opportunist just like anywhere else, but generally the place is relaxed. Where you looking to stay?

[gerryg123]

It's very safe. Crimes against tourists are very rare, though parts of Negril have gotten a bit more grimy over the past few years .... still, a very peaceful place.

[rastadeb]

Welcome Simon & Cindy! My husband & I have been to Negril 4 years in a row now. I have always felt safe anywhere we go day or night. You need to use common sense like any place you would travel. If travelling in the west end at night, I would use a taxi to get around, but that's more because of the narrow road & blind corners. Wouldn't walk down the beach at 3am with tons of cash on us. Westjet has great prices for Jan. & Feb. 2012. Think they are around 130.00 plus taxes each way. Maybe they will keep those prices into Apr. Also find the cheapest prices for flights about 4-6 weeks out. We book our flights & room separate. If you contact the resort of your choice yourself by phone or e-mail, you'll generally get a better price. Tons of great places to eat on both cliffs or beach. This board & it's members are a wealth of knowledge so keep your questions coming. There is a couple of great maps if someone could put the link up for you. There are no dumb questions here, we love helping newbies. Hope this helps a bit. Cheers Deb& Greg

[SLP]

Welcome to the board and I know you will enjoy your time in Negril.

I'm here right now and have never stayed at an AI. I have not felt unsafe walking around but as other have said, simply use your common sense when here. Oh, and make sure you remember the words, "No thanks", since you will be asked to buy all sorts of things - LOL

[sandman66]

I know someone will pipe up and say - crime happens everywhere, but that fact is you need to be viligant. My wife will forever bear a scar on her arm courtesy of a knife wielding purse snatcher. This happened right along the main road running parallel to the beach, around 10 at night, only steps away from the entrance to our hotel. Do not carry large amounts of cash or passports with you. Our biggest material loss was our camera loaded with 2 weeks worth of photos, but the worst thing is our loss of trust among the locals. It never completely turned us off of Jamaica as we are planning our 6th trip there for next winter, but our guard will be set a couple notches higher. Needless to say my wife won't be carrying a purse there anymore.

[Marko]

Just wandering how safe we would be walking around at night, looking for restaurants, places to have a drink etc.

you'll have nuthin but smiles if you decide to stay on the Cliffs(West End).........
mi have never felt threatened there......even at 3AM in the morning.......it's safe mon
stay at a place like Catcha, Blue Cave Castle, SeaStar Inn or Tensing Pen and you are in the time of your life.....
plenty of places to eat and drink and party for sure on the Cliffs..........
plenty of places have free shuttles and a route taxi to the beach is elcheapo($2US each).........
and you don't have to put up with the sometimes pushy sales people that we have on the beach.........
which still drives this guy nuts on occasion........how many bracelets can a guy buy after-all.......lol
West End is the Best End!

Cool Runnings, Marko

[Craig123]

Oh, and make sure you remember the words, "No thanks", since you will be asked to buy all sorts of things - LOL

Welcome to the board. Apparently in the Jamican culture "No" means "No" while "Thanks" is a term associated with "Yes". Saying "No Thanks" is like saying "No Yes" and may make you a percieved soft target for hagglers. Their thoughts are "what is he thanking me for"?

Do yourself a favour and simply say "NO" accompanied with a hand gesture amd/or head shake. It's not considered rude in Jamaica.

[northcoast]

Very good advice Craig & so true....when you ask a Jamaican if he wants something & he says "thanks". it means yes....if he doesn't want it, he will just say "no", point blank. We have been programmed to say "no, thanks" out of politeness in our culture, but that is often misunderstood & confusing to Jamaicans (especially those wanting to make a sale)

[Bnewb]

No offence, Craig & NorthCoast...but where is this information coming from about the difference between "No" and "No, thanks"?
Someone made these same comments on Trip Advisor and I was stunned and embarrassed by them along with my Jamaican friends that read the same comment.

Here's a bit of what I posted in TA...
"I would stick to being polite by saying "No, thank you".
There's no reason not to be polite....Jamaica in under the British Commonwealth & the Queen's English is taught in schools...Jamaican's know manners.
Just for interest sake...you'll often hear the phrase.... "where's my manners" and correct themselves. A "no, thank you" is completely understood by Jamaicans."

And to add...the Jamaicans wanting to make a sale deal with tourists every day of every year they've been a higgler...to suggest that they don't know what "no, thanks" means after literally hearing it hundreds of thousands of times is completely absurd. Jamaicans may not always respond with "no, thanks" when declining an offer, but to insinuate they don't understand is insulting and this how my Jamaican friends felt.