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[jfaisten]

Greetings. My wife and daughter are planning a trip in February and have narrowed their choices to all inclusive properties in Jamaica or the Dominican Republic. We get conflicting information from travel agents -- Jamaica is nice but you are continually harassed by locals to buy stuff. The Dominican Republic has better beaches but it's a third world county -- can be dangerous. We would really appreciate the perspective of individuals who have traveled to either location recently.
Thank you.
Jeff Faistenhammer

[starlagurl]

I think you're going to get harassed to buy stuff wherever you go. Also, I don't think the Dominican is dangerous, lots of people go every year and come back safe and sound.

Just be nice, don't be arrogant or get involved in criminal activities and you should be fine.

If you are staying mostly at an all inclusive resort, you shouldn't run into any trouble at all.

[kilgiraffe]

Actually in my experiences Jamaica is more dangerous than the DR! Kidnapping of foreigners isn't unheard of and is much less reported, in the VERY short time I was there [in Montego Bay] I always felt just a little on the paranoid side. Conversely, everyone in DR is just very laidback, its got a lot of Spanish culture so they like to embrace the whole siesta thing - this is coming from my mum though, I unfortunately have not been to Hispaniola yet We do have a DR local expert on here somewhere, wherever she may be lurking.. But just because it's labelled as "third-world" does not mean it's unsafe, my island of Barbados is "third-world" too and it is VERY safe.

The Dominican Republic and Jamaica both have quite a few all-inclusive resorts, which are very safe but also very restricted, then of course you could go independent but there's always a slight risk which that. Whatever suits your travel style really! My personal opinion would be the DR, but that may be because I'm slightly biased..

[mmbcross]

I worked for Sandals Resorts for many years. To be honest, I'm not a lover of all-inclusives. When I travel I like to get out and see the country, not just loll on a beach and eat and drink. If that's what you are after it doesn't really matter where you go. Look more to the quality of the beach, food, drink and ease of travel. Once you are inside the all-inclusive, you could be anywhere.

While at Sandals I travelled all over Jamaica to just about every nook and cranny. The only places I felt nervous were in the downtown areas of Kingston and Montego Bay. Throughout the rest of the country the people were wonderful. Having said that, I also feel nervous in downtown Miami!

In spite of working at Sandals, the people of DR are probably more welcoming, though if you are going to Punta Cana, flight options are quite limited. My wife works for Palace Resorts. They have a property at Punta Cana and we will be spending our family reunion there next year in May.

Last, but not least, if you are worried about travelling to a "third world country", you might want to just stay at home. Virtually every country outside of North America and Europe is considered "third world", so you don't really have that many options.

[corinneconley]

This may be a late reply, but I've traveled to both and I would say I felt more comfortable in the Dominican Republic. I was in the middle of nowhere in the DR and only doing resort excursions in Jamaica! But since I was in touristy areas in Jamaica, that is probably why they were more aggressive!

[semi-backpacker]

Jeff,
All-Inclusive resorts in DR are VERY safe. They are well-guarded/protected and worth every penny! Beautiful beaches and very relaxing. I've never been to Jamaica, so I can't compare, but my guess is that any all-inclusive resort is going to be pretty safe.

Judy

[jafflen]

I've only been to Negril. I stayed at the Island Sands in the Garden rooms. It's cheaper than staying on the beach, but is right acrossed the road from the beach. It is not all-inclusive, and if you decide to stay in an all-inclusive, don't buy into it when they try to tell you how 'dangerous' Jamaica is. If you use the same street smarts you would in an American city, you will be just fine.