We have made at least 20 trips to Jamaica beginning in the middle 90’s and these are just my observations. All of our trips except the first were to Hedo II, the outlier was a trip to a villa that we rented in the hills above Montego Bay. We have flown in both through Kingston and Montego Bay.
Kingston has some areas that were downright frightening to us. If you decide to fly to Manley International I would suggest catching an air taxi directly from there to Montego Bay. It is very affordable if you connect with another couple and split the cost. We made the mistake of overnighting in Kingston one time and then catching a shuttle, NEVER AGAIN! Kingston is a long way from Negril and you waste most of a day on bad roads getting there. Do the math, Hedo is pricy and you don’t want to waste time in Jamaica on a shuttle bus.
Montego Bay was better but … It is a Port of Call for some big cruise lines that drop off some 2,000 to 3,000 people for a few hours. This fills the downtown area with crowds of tourists and invites crime that often accompanies that kind of activity. When we stayed at the villa my wife and I took a trip to the city once and they provided a driver and a body guard. It seemed like the driver was known by everyone and we got to see some interesting places but I also felt way more secure because we had the body guard with us. It was during this trip that we first heard of Hedo II and went there on a day trip. We loved it and were hooked!
The next time we went we took shuttle bus from Montego Bay and it wasn’t too bad, I seem to remember it taking a couple of hours (counting the stops for Red Stripes). On that trip we learned about the air taxis so we take it every time now. I am sure you will want to get to Hedo as quickly as possible and this is the fastest way to go (if you aren't afraid of small aircraft).
Negril is a decent tourist town with some fun destinations but we only went out during the day and in a group. The local news reported about aggravated assaults on tourists so I don’t know if I can agree there is a vast cover-up. Maybe they covered some and not others, I don’t know how to disprove a negative like that anyway. Antidotally, it seemed like ******* were involved one way or another in most of the reports. As a side comment, Alaska has three times the sexual assault rate as the rest of the country but I have never heard of anyone avoiding vacations there for that cause.
Hedo II is surrounded by very tall walls, I would guess 15-20 feet. They do allow some locals in on day passes and there are some vendors on the beach but the resort is mostly guests and it is patrolled by security. We “felt” safe but we weren’t fools about it. We stayed in the resort at night and stayed on the well-lit paths and inside the clubs. I stayed reasonably clear headed (no ******* and limited drinking) and stayed close to my wife, especially when she played. If things even started to feel out of control then I would get her out of there (read in here - the nude side hot tub late at night). I don’t think it ever got dangerous and we have had similar experiences at sex parties in the good old US of A.
All I am saying is that it doesn't matter if it is Compton or Kingston, Detroit or Negril, Anchorage or Ocho Rios; you have to keep yourself safe but there are no guarantees in life anywhere. My wife has told me many times that she feels like she can let go and enjoy herself because she knows I am there; sober and watchful (OK, I admit that I am mostly watching her).
I think the fact that we have gone back to Hedo over and over is the best indication of how safe we feel and how it earned the nickname “the best place on earth”. For us, there is no other experience that quite matches it and the number of repeat guests validate that we are not the only ones.
Finally, it’s true you could get sexually assaulted at Hedo, but there have also been claims of ******* at the Chicago and the Kuala Lampur Ritz-Carlton's. I have stayed both places and Hedo is more fun.
My suggestion is GO if you are thinking about it! Enjoy it and keep her safe.
Thank you for your insight !! Your perspective is certainly appreciated !!
