I was in Negril the same time as you, VVHT, and for the first time I tried the NCB ATM next to the Hi-Lo. As a former Scotia Bank user, I found this ATM to be the most convenient and affordable way to go. The only additional charge I incurred was a 1% foreign transaction fee from my bank, which amounted to ~$2.75 per transaction. The only negative was that the machine has a $30,000J withdrawal limit. I believe Scotia has higher limit, based on USD.

Also, I never ran into any beggars at the Hi-Lo plaza.