Anyone been to Jamaica?

kkdavie15 · August 2011

We booked our "babymoon" to Sandals in Ochos Rios in September and while I'm excited to go and relax I'm nervous about the drugs and the locals. I have heard mixed reviews about Jamaica and I want to know if you went what you thought! Did you love it or hate it? Would you go back? Did the locals harrass you??

We went to Sandals St Lucia for our honeymoon and had a great experience! I just want this one to be similar and not be afraid the whole time. For what it's worth we are not planning on leaving the resort and Sandals provides a shuttle from the airport to the resort. TIA!

punkymama · August 2011

I think you will be ok since you are staying on the resort! I've been to Jamaica and didn't have a bad experience with the locals. Jamaica has been steadily trying to improve their reputation in this area as well.

A friend just came back from her honeymoons at one of the Sandals locations, her biggest complaint was the ride to the resort was long.

ashleyann82 · August 2011

We went to Sandals Ocho Rios, Jamaica for our Honeymoon in Nov of 2009. We had an ok experience. I wouldn't have paid for excursions if I had known that leaving the resort would be fairly dangerous. AND when we got home DH and I were covered in bed bugs bites and were absolutely miserable for 2 weeks after our trip. And they did nothing about this, they wanted to offer us 3 nights free to come back and stay and hello after getting bed bug bit to death, we didn't want to take them up on their offer.

Proceed with extreme caution. I would check the room over and over before I settled in and I might even bring my own mattress cover and sheets. I am paranoid about this though and wouldn't want to have to deal with that rash of bites while pregnant, it was awful.

lckcdc3 · August 2011

DH and I went to sandals in Jamaica in 2007. We split our time between Negril and Ochos Rios. Both resorts were really nice. We booked a couple of tours all through sandals and we didn't have any issues. We did go to a local market for shopping and they were all super pushy there. Everywhere else was great. The botanical gardens in ochos rios was very cool. Have a great time!

kkdavie15 · August 2011

Punky - Thanks! That makes me feel a little better. I really don't want to be bombarded by the locals to buy drugs, etc.

Ash - Yikes! Did you stay at the Grande Riveria? That completely freaks me out. Did you actually see bed bugs or are you assuming... could it have been sand fleas which are on all carribean beaches? I spent a month in the Bahamas and they were a problem at certain times. You can't seem them though so you would never know you were getting bit until you see the itchy bite. Just curious to know if you are 100% positive about the bed bugs. Thanks!

firewife9278 · August 2011

As long as you aren't leaving the resort, you'll be fine!

I went several years ago with one of my girlfriends on a post-break-up trip. The resort we stayed at was a lot of fun, but the excursions were a little scary. There are definitely locals who try to get you to buy drugs (by grabbing your wrist, tying on a bracelet and then shoving drugs right into your hand). Maybe we got harrassed more because we were a pair of blonde american girls, but who knows.

kkdavie15 · August 2011

ICKCDC- Glad you had a good time! I just hate that I get so many mixed reviews. I know that's pretty common in travel but Jamaica always seems to be so far on either side that I'm a little worried about our experience.

Firewife- Yea I really don't think we plan on leaving the resort for that reason exactly. We just want to relax and enjoy each other's company before baby gets here. I can't really do any the the excursions anyway being pg so hopefully that will help.

cbubbles2 · August 2011

We went to Ochos Rios, Grand Cayman, & Cozumel on a cruise. Jamaica was by far my least favorite. I didn't like the locals harrassing us and I thought the beach was very unimpressive.

Take my opinion with a grain of salt though because we didn't tour the island much, we weren't staying at a resort, and we were only there for a day. I don't think we had much time to give it a chance. It was more a first impression type of thing.

I have always wanted to stay at a Sandals. I think you'll have a great time!

ashleyann82 · August 2011

kkdavie15:

Ash - Yikes! Did you stay at the Grande Riveria? That completely freaks me out. Did you actually see bed bugs or are you assuming... could it have been sand fleas which are on all carribean beaches? I spent a month in the Bahamas and they were a problem at certain times. You can't seem them though so you would never know you were getting bit until you see the itchy bite. Just curious to know if you are 100% positive about the bed bugs. Thanks!

100% positive. we were at the Grande Riviera and we remembered seeing a couple bugs on the bed at one point but brushed it off because we had a room with shuttered doors that didn't close so we had assumed at the time that they were just random bugs that came in the room. But seriously I consulted 2 doctors because we were in such extreme discomfort and they both said that the bites looked like bed bug bites and everything I read online described what we were going through. I really truly hope it never happens to anyone else again but Sandals wasn't really interested in correcting the problem or even recognizing they might have had one.

99luftballoons · August 2011

I wouldn't worry too much about getting offered drugs. It will probably happen at the airport or if you went to the market, but I didn't find it too bad/aggressive.

As for excursions, I know you said you didn't want to leave the resort, but I would give Dunns River Falls a try. I really really enjoyed it- it was actually my favorite part of Jamaica.

And the bedbugs- you can't worry about that. My company owns a few hotels and I can tell you that EVERY hotel in this country has had bed bugs at one time or another. Even the top 5 star hotels. Ritz Carltons, Waldorf Astoria, the Four Seasons, every single one. They keep it hush hush, throw away linens, treat the room, etc, but it's unavoidable. Sometimes people just get unlucky.

kkdavie15 · August 2011

99luftballoons:

I wouldn't worry too much about getting offered drugs. It will probably happen at the airport or if you went to the market, but I didn't find it too bad/aggressive.

As for excursions, I know you said you didn't want to leave the resort, but I would give Dunns River Falls a try. I really really enjoyed it- it was actually my favorite part of Jamaica.

And the bedbugs- you can't worry about that. My company owns a few hotels and I can tell you that EVERY hotel in this country has had bed bugs at one time or another. Even the top 5 star hotels. Ritz Carltons, Waldorf Astoria, the Four Seasons, every single one. They keep it hush hush, throw away linens, treat the room, etc, but it's unavoidable. Sometimes people just get unlucky.

Thanks for that I needed the extra reassurance. And you have no idea how excited and happy I am to see you over here!! I seriously got this huge smile on my face when I saw you had posted in here Big Smile

esperanza123 · August 2011

We went to Negril, Jamaica for our honeymoon and stayed at Couples Swept Away. We loved the resort. We didn't venture far from the resort on our own and didn't encounter any problems. We took an excursion that we booked through the resort and visited some falls, a rum factory, and took a boat ride on the river to see wildlife.

matt'sbride · August 2011

If you're worried about locals, just stay at sandals the whole time. They have everything you'll need there anyways. We stopped there on a cruise and it was great. The locals didn't bother us at all. Have fun!

khanley1980 · August 2011

My husband and I went to Sandals Dunn's River (closed now) which is right down the road from Ochos Rios. We loved our resort! We were allowed to use Ochios Rios for free since it was just 3 miles away. I have to say that Ochos Rios was kind of crappy. It looked run down and didn't feel as luxurious as ours. There is also a street that divides the resort into 2 sides. Apparently one side is much nicer than the other. I think we ate dinner on the wrong side.

Patti Labelle is a Sandal's travel agent who knows ALL the resorts and will give you a great deal and lots of advice on which resort to go to, etc. She even got us a room upgrade for free and I could hear the ocean from my bed! It was AWESOME! She will book your trip by phone if you are interested.

Don't worry about the locals. We just said "no thank you" firmly to whatever was offered and it wasn't a problem at all!

Sarahp63 · August 2011

Awww, some of these responses make me sad. My husband is from Jamaica and I lived there for 3 months. I believe Sandals was totally re-rennovated at the end of 2008. We stayed at Couples Resort (which is right next door) and had a fabulous time. I think I would stick to the "touristy" sites like Dunns River Falls, Botanical Gardens, etc and not go off the beaten path unless your dh feels comfortable with it. Do not carry cash. I never had any problems there, but I was also with my Jamaican husband. LOL. Kingston and Montego Bay have a lot more violence so stay away from there. It is a beautiful country, but it is a third world country. I hope you have a fabulous time!

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