allinclusives

[Mike_D]

In my experience, if you go to the tour rep "meeting" it's the tour reps that try to discourage you from leaving the property on your own. They only do that because they want to sell you their overpriced tours. That's pretty much the case in any country (Mex, DR, Cuba, Jamaica) that we've been to an AI. It's not the hotel itself or the hotel staff in my experience but the travel company reps...

This has been my experience, as well. On my first trip to Jamaica, I stayed at the Sunset Jamaica in Ochi. This was about 10 years ago. I remember the meeting with the Apple Vacations reps, where they tried to warn us about the dangers that lurk outside the resort walls. We did do a few tours with Apple, but after a couple days we decided to just walk off the resort, as there was a craft market and restaurants right across the street. I remember passing the funky roadside craft stalls while on the tour bus thinking, "This looks cool. why can't I just walk over and here and check it out?"

[mommacat]

We've stayed at CSA twice, and were never discouraged to leave the resort. When we were leaving by taxi, they did ask if we had a trustworthy ride. The one all inclusive we did experience that with was Beaches. The tour rep actually told me it was unsafe to leave the resort on our own. I laughed and asked him how did he manage to get to work. I told him that we had a driver we used for a few years, it was all good. I did get a bit of the cold shoulder after that. At Beaches, many of the people believed that staying on the property was the way to go. At CSA it was a mix. We usually stay at the non allinclusives, but thats just our choice.

[Muck]

I think AIs are an excellent way for the cautious traveler to slowly ease their way into the Negril experience. The first stay, they might "dip their toe into Negril" by taking a walk down the beach or having dinner at a cliffside restaurant. If they enjoy those experiences, they may leave the resort more and more in the future and some may decide to go Non-AI for their next trip.

We've stayed at CSA twice, and were never discouraged to leave the resort. .

Same here...

[TandJ]

This will be my second "full" AI (others were the old brekkie / dinner no booze thing) - always encouraged to go "out and explore".

[Fred Stripe]

I was never discouraged from leaving the compound of the AI's by the employees,,,they just said to make sure you have a spear to fight off the fire breathing dragons who lurk in the caves on the West End.

[gerryg123]

I love the AIs in Negril, too. That's how I started, and I've never had a bad trip at the RIUs, Sandals Negril, Couples ..... I kind of bring the gerryg123 lifestyle to the AIs, so I still have my scooter and appetite for all things good .... The AIs are EXCELLENT if you have kids, especially when they used to be free with a paying adult at the RIU Club.

[captaind]

Seems like every time in Negril I wear a tux.

Dress as well as you want.

In reality Jamaica is a very formal society.

[Van]

I was the visiting tennis pro at 3 different AI's in early 2000's after my 2 hours of work was up my long time friend would come in his truck to pick us and tell the guards "jail break" as we would leave with him.

[LoriB]

We've never been scared off by CSA to venture out and about-actually peeps at home in New York are more paranoid when I tell them we go off resort - they think Jamaica is scary-maybe Jamaica, Queens in New York where JFK airport is!

[kim in socal]

Last year we did trading places from CN to CSA...After about an hour we were ready to go back to CN so we went out front to grab a route cab.
The guard asked if we needed him to call us a cab and we said we would just flag down a route cab.
He asked us to come over to him to discuss this and he told my husband to put on his shirt and then with one whistle, a packed route cab was there for us.
Double decked for my husband and I but not a problem for us.
The guard just smiled and waved us on...