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All-Inclusive Hotels.
All-inclusive hotels provide an atmosphere such that visitors never need to
leave the resort. Generally, their price includes the room, meals, drinks,
and non-motorized water sports. Boca Chica has 3 all-inclusive hotels,
located at each end of the beach and one in the middle. The 3 big hotels
in Boca Chica are the Hamaca, the Don Juan, and Dominican Bay (formerly Boca
Chica Resort). A fourth hotel, Playa Esmeralda is just down the road in an
area known as Guayacanes.
Most of the larger properties across the Dominican Republic display their
"star rating". Note that star ratings in the Dominican Republic
are best used for comparisons between properties across the Dominican Republic
rather than for comparing to similarly star rated properties in the USA, Canada, or
Europe, but don't be completely fooled by bargain prices, as
many of these properties offer an astounding value.
All-inclusive hotels offer unlimited food and drink, thus they are restricted
to registered guests only.
Playa Esmeralda.
Click the photo below for more information.
Guests may
select the all-inclusive plan, the bed-and-breakfast plan, or a simple day
pass.
RATES tax and service included (depending on the season).
US$ 45 \ 55 \ 65 per person (all inclusive formula)
US$ 35 \ 45 \ 55 per person (bed and breakfast formula)
Contact: Playa.Esmeralda@BocaChicaBeach.net
Hamaca (Coral Hamaca).
Or try here for other discounts on the Hamaca
Or try below.
The Hamaca is generally regarded as the best and most expensive property in Boca
Chica.
This is a large high-rise hotel, with multiple restaurants, a
disco, casino, multiple shops, two pools, and a private beach that is off-limits
to anybody not staying at the hotel. It is a full-service all-inclusive fortress
and I usually recommend this hotel to first-time visitors to Boca Chica.
Contact them directly (pay full price, US$100-150 per person per night per person.).
809-523-4611
800-945-0792
888-942-6725
809-523-6767/fax
coral.h@BocaChicaBeach.net
The Hamaca hotel is split into two areas. The older high-rise section
is located on the beach and the newer section is set up like a condominium complex across the
road. The best pool is located at the new section.
The "new" side of the Hamaca is even more fabulous than than the original and
"beach" side of the hotel. Dining at the Hamaca has vastly improved over the years and the food is
very good to
excellent. The pool on the "new" side of the hotel is massive
with a swim-up bar and warm jacuzzi. There is a new workout room with lots of
equipment, a children's playground with supervision, putt-putt holes spread
around the walk-ways, and a new modern auditorium where shows are performed.
The Hamaca is the largest of the 3 hotels and can be the
most expensive, sometimes by more than double, depending on how the hotel is
booked. Note that their prices fluctuate
a lot depending on whether you are a walk-in, call direct, use a travel agent,
or book a package through a tour operator. Prices of course vary by season and room type. High season in Boca Chica
is generally December - April.
Don Juan Beach Resort.
Or try here for other discounts on the Don Juan
The Don Juan is the oldest and smallest of the 3 large all-inclusive hotels in
Boca Chica, but it has the best location,
layout, and gardens. It is located right on the beach in the center. There are
no buildings over 4 stories tall, but there are no elevators either. Request a
room on one of the lower floors if stairs are a problem.
Contact them directly (pay full price, US$100-130 per person per night per person.).
809-687-9157
809-686-6835
809-688-5271/fax
809-523-6422/fax
h.donjuan@BocaChicaBeach.net
The Don Juan has only two restaurants (Italian a-la-carte and a buffet), although
they often are listed as having more, if you consider the poolside grill, snacks
at the beach bar, the grill at the end of the pier, etc. There is a single
medium-sized pool, but it is a nice
beach-side pool with plenty of deck space.
The disco is small and for hotel guests only. It usually opens at
about 11:30p, just after the nightly "show", which is the hotel entertainment
such as a skit, musical, comedy, or other variety show typical of any
all-inclusive resort anywhere in the Caribbean. The disco closes after about 1 ½
hours, or when the last guest leaves. In my opinion, it is worth entering to escape the hot humid air (it is air conditioned) and to get a
couple free drinks (this is an all-inclusive resort, drinks too). If you are
up for a bit of fun after the nightly show but aren't up for a stroll into town,
this is your best option.
This hotel,
being smaller, will offer you more personalized service just about all the way around
when compared to a larger hotel, but it is a smaller property and lacks much
of the luxuries of a giant property. The Don Juan has a beachfront that is arguably
the best stretch of sand on the beach, and the beachfront is public. The layout
and landscaping is a little more tropical than the Hamaca, with lush tropical plants along the
sides of the walkways and a lobby area that is open on two sides. For a long
time, this was my favorite hotel in Boca Chica. My favorite room is 7236,
which overlooks the center courtyard. It is located in the Club de
Capitanes section, although there is also a new building along the beach that
also carries that name. The rooms in the new building are much like
standard hotel rooms. The older Club de Capitanes building, which only has 6
rooms, lacks a beach view but it makes up for it in
layout, as the rooms in this section are literally 1-bedroom apartments and very
private.
Dominican Bay (formerly Boca Chica
Resort).
Hoteur Dominican Bay Resort is the only one of the 3 big ones not located directly on the
beach, however they do have their own private section on the beach that is
connected to the main property via a private walkway and bridge. It is the
most affordable of the 3 big all-inclusive hotels.
The Hoteur Dominican Bay Resort complex is an all-inclusive fortress, located a couple blocks
from the
beach and surrounded on two sides by some of the poorer neighborhoods of Boca
Chica, separated using very tall brick walls. The resort has at least one super-giant
pool and their dining varies from fair (buffet) to excellent (French gourmet
restaurant). This property offers an outstanding value for those that
prefer an all-inclusive resort at an affordable price.
Calle Juan B. Vicini, Esq. 20 de Diciembre
809-412-2001
809-523-6310/fax
b.resort@BocaChicaBeach.net
40-60 per person per night.
Hoteur Dominican Bay Resort has a private area on the beach a couple doors down from the Don Juan that
is accessible via a short courtyard trail walk followed by a skywalk.
Their beach area consists of a disco, bar, restaurant, and sun area. There is no
pool on the beach.
The hotel buildings of Hoteur Dominican Bay Resort are set up like multiple small
motel buildings placed across a vast courtyard. Their property is larger than
that of the Don Juan or than that of either of the Hamaca’s two property areas
taken individually. The
place gets good remarks from guests staying at the hotel, which seem to be
mostly German. Prices are typically under US$50 per person, but prices vary by
room type, season, and booking method (tour operator, travel agent, package
deal, direct with the hotel, etc.)
I don’t think you can go wrong selecting any of these. They are
the best in Boca Chica and all offer an excellent value.
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