We did leave the resort a few times. What you see on the sides of roads from your air conditioned bus can be disturbing. Children are half naked in the streets and families are living in straw huts on the side of the road. These sights are not pleasant. It is not recommended that you venture off the resort on your own. Breezes took us to a shopping district about 20 minutes away. The roads are horrible, by the way. They are hardly paved at all so as you can imagine, they are bumpy! Crafts made by the locals are beautiful. So many Jamaicans are very talented at carving anything you can imagine out of wood. There were amazing carvings of whales, dolphins, people, etc. Jewelry is also a popular purchase item. We bought a tanzanite bracelet and ring for a pretty good price.