Benni,
My daughter and son in law have also been down, I’m thinking twice since Irma, and the second time they brought their entire family. They had a good time and no issues with safety at all. They went and did pretty much whatever they wanted wherever they wanted and expressed no issues at all beyond the sadness of seeing a place they’ve loved for thirty-five years in less than the normal condition of the Island.
I think the OP’s friends of friends have grossly over-reacted and yours is a far more accurate description of things the way they really are. Thank you for sharing a realistic and firsthand viewpoint of the way things are.