Negril Travel Forum

I am planning on going to the Club Hotel Riu Negril next spring with my family and my sister's family. My sister's travel agent friend is discouraging us-- saying that locals came into the resort she stayed at trying to sell marijuana to her teenagers, and propositioning her daughter. My sister is becoming very concerned about the safety of her 10 and 13 year old daughters. We wouldn't let them walk alone off of the resort (or in many cities in the US either), but do we have to worry about harassment on this resort? Any words of encouragement for my sister who is threatening to back out of our trip?

I don't think you'll have that problem at the Riu. It's at the north end of Negril away from the main part of the beach. We've been to the Riu Bambu in the Dominican Republic there weren't any locals there. It was a great place for kids too. You might want to check that one out too.

I believe that is the Riu property in the Bloody Bay section of Negril and if it is, I agree with the previous poster. There are only a handful of resorts in Bloody Bay so you don't have locals mingling in with the tourists, there were security guards posted at either end of each property monitoring the flow of people. You could still walk from resort to resort but we were never approached for any reason by anyone who wasn't staff or a guest.

The 7 mile beach stretch where many of the other resorts are is a different story, access is a little more free there. However, it was never agressive and a firm "no, not interested" and they stopped.

We stayed at this Resort Jan 2004 and it was Fantastic. The only complaint we had was there was nothing to complain about. Honestly, everyone is safe at this
resort. The staff were so nice, service was great,food(there was always lots to eat at the Buffet. Jerk Chicken at 12-3pm daily and it was the best chicken in the world. We missed it one day and were so disappointed. We took a walk over to Tropical Bay and we were glad that we picked Riu Negril. Tropical Bay had a nice Beach front but Riu Negril was nice too.
The Resort is Huge and very clean.....spotless. When booking try to get the second block of the Hotel. They have the Main level,second and third floor. We
were on the third floor and it was a hike each time to get to but after all the good food we didn't mind the climbing of stairs,(no elevators).Next time we
go there we will invest in a walkie talkie to stay in touch with each other.
Entertainment was good but alot of people commented that it was not too good.
After you see all the employees working 10 hours shifts in the heat and waiting
on you hand and foot they all STILL had smiles on their faces.
It was 5 dollars by cab to Negril and 7 mile Beach.
I would go back in a second! Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

We just returned from Beaches Negril with our family and we were never bothered by anyone trying to sell us pot. Even when we walked off the resort, people were selling cigaretts, but were just repeating cigarettes, cigarettes, as they were quickly walking down the beach. The security guards are at both sides of the beach and they keep a close eye on everyone.I imagine the Riu does the same. I hope you get to go, it was the best vacation we ever took. We were hasseled more in New York, Boston, and Montreal. We hade our grandaughter who turned 10 while we were there, and our grandson is 13. They loved it and would rather go back there than to Disney World next year. (Smart kids) Me too!
Pophamgirl

I'm sure you have already gone to JA by now since this post is relatively old...but I just had to comment. God for bid that there would be actual Jamaicans in JA. If you don't want to be BOTHERED with Jamaicans, then why don't you stay home? South Beach and CA are beautiful and there are numerous other tropical areas in the US for you to vacation at. The best thing about JA is her people and their culture, you should seek them out and not try to avoid them. Their purpose is not to SERVE you. JA is "their" home, and you are the "guest". I would be very mindful of any 13 year old and especially the 10 year old no matter where I chose to take them on vacation such that they are both children and should be supervised especially in unfamiliar territory. If your sister wants to back out then so be it, she will have missed a wonderful experience, and that is her loss. JA is great, beautiful, and tons of fun. You can get beach and palm trees any where. JA is so much more than that...I dare you to find out what that is. One Love