Background:
Full disclosure, we traveled to the Oasis Hamaca in late February, early March 2008 for a 6-night stay booked through Expedia. We are an American late twenties, early thirties couple. Our only expectations for the resort were a beach and good weather. What we experienced far exceeded those expectations. I hope to give the reader some tips on how to make their stay go well, and to shed some light on some of the resort?s weaknesses.
Airport arrival:
We arrived around 2:00 in the afternoon, quickly got our luggage and headed for immigration and customs. As a visitor you are required to purchase a Tourist card for $10 USD per person. (they only accept American currency). After filling out the forms, you must then hand in your card at immigration. Contrary to what we had read, you do not need this for your flight out of the country, and will not be charged a departure tax either.
Once out of the airport, we were looking for a travel company (Hotel Beds) that we booked through Expedia for shuttle service from the airport to the hotel and back. We had our vouchers, but couldn?t find our representative. Be aware, the local Taxi drivers will be happy to take you, but you will pay about $25 for this. In the confusion, we were being aggressively courted to go in the taxi (to the point that they had our luggage almost in the car). At that point, I said, ?WAIT!? and we took our luggage back and asked for assistance from another vendor. This was the only confusion due to the language barrier for the whole trip. The trip to the hotel is a quick 15 minutes at most.
Check-in:
We were a little nervous about check-in and of course, had no idea what to expect. When we arrived, the guests need to leave their baggage out by the front entrance where it is watched by the Bellhops. We knew we were early, so we did not expect to get our room right away. They told us to return at 3:00 and our room would be ready. Tip: Call your travel representative ahead of time to have them confirm your room. We requested a non-smoking, king-sized bed in our room. We then walked around the resort to get the lay of the land. When we went back, our room was ready, but they did not have a lock-box key available. I tipped the check-in person $20 and asked if her could reserve one for us as people checked-out. He did and the next day at noon, we had our lock-box key. I tipped another $10 and he did not charge us for the key (normally $3 a day).
Our Room:
Our room was in the main building room 114. It was an ocean view room, although we did not pay the price for one, nor request one. It overlooked the new pool, the beach and the ocean beyond that. From the beach side, it was one story up from ground level, but one story down from the main reception area. The room was very clean, large and everything worked. The pillows were a little lumpy, but otherwise fine. Overall, the room was a little worn, but nothing to worry about, or to detract from the fact that you overlook the ocean from your balcony. Tip, each day, you get two large bottles of water that are placed outside your mini-fridge. Those are complimentary. You also get two beers and two sodas a day from your mini-fridge. Those are also complimentary. Everything else you will be charged for. We didn?t need anything from the mini-fridge, as it was all so easy to get elsewhere. We also tipped the maid $3 USD a day, as a result, she gave us three large bottle of water a day and added nice little touches to make the room even nicer. Our room was usually cleaned by 8:30 a.m. each day. Noise: The only real complaint was the first two nights we were interrupted by a lot of noise from the 24-hour bar near the beach and the upstairs neighbors. The air conditioner worked so well and was so quiet, that it did not produce any ?white? noise to block out these sounds. The final four nights were so quiet, we did not know what was going on. We slept well. Construction of the new pool is over and everything looks wonderful.
Layout/Facilities:
The resort has two sections. The first is the main building, which is the hub of activity. The reception, guest services, casino, 5 bars, two pools (the new pool is beautiful), the Italian restaurant, Dominican restaurant, spa, Sports bar, pizzeria, retail shops and lounge. Of course the main building is also on the beach and was our main reason for booking this hotel.
The other part of the resort if the garden section. Beautiful landscaping and also near the buffet, Mexican restaurant, most nightly entertainment, and street vendors that are brought in for a market. This side also includes the largest and most beautiful pool and swim-up bar. This side also hosts the mini-golf and tennis courts. It also seems quieter than the beach side.
Beach:
The beach is a happening place. If you are looking for solitary relaxation with just the sounds of the waves crashing on shore, then you should either hang out at the beach before 9:30 a.m. or go to another resort. Tip: If you want to get a covered beach spot, go down early 6:00 a.m. and lay out your blue beach towels (provided from the dive shop, complimentary, don?t lose them or you?ll pay $20 each) on your chairs. They are safe. I would go down about 7:30 and grab a couple of chairs and pull them next to the waters edge. This was a very peaceful time of day. Then back up to the room to get ready for breakfast. Around 11:00 or so, the beach activities would begin with aerobics, bocce ball, contests etc? The music is played loud and constantly, however, we were at the end of the beach, so it did not bother us. Also, be warned, it is a topless beach, usually there was a half to a dozen topless women. If this bothers you, then be warned, however, it was not ?rampant?.
Waterfront Recreation:
The waterfront recreation is run by Dive Pro and a bunch a really laid back guys. You can SCUBA or take lessons in the pool, kayak, snorkel, windsurf, sail (sunfish), paddleboat, power dinghy?s, banana boat, water-ski and tube. All non-powered stuff is included. I sailed for four days up and down Boca Chica Beach. TIP, due to crowds, there is no sailing after 12:00 on Saturdays and at all on Sundays. We also snorkeled, which was fun. I brought my own gear, but they have plenty as well. If you go out past the swimming area, there is some real neat shallow water snorkeling. I also kayaked and paddle boated. A very cool way to see the rest of the public beach.
Restaurants/food:
We ate twice at the Italian restaurant, three times at the Mexican restaurant (the only open air restaurant besides the buffet and sports bar) and once at the Dominican restaurant. All were excellent and you never left hungry. At each one you would get a complimentary welcome drink, appetizer, entr?e and dessert. Additionally, there was always some sort of salad bar. We tipped each waiter $10 USD each night and our service was excellent. The Italian bar had a pianist playing during dinner as well. This also seemed to be the most popular of the three, but we liked the Mexican one best. We usually at around 7-7:30 and there was never a wait, but there did seem to be a rush at 6:30. We ate all breakfasts at the buffet, which was great. Wonderful selection, fresh food, cooked to order and the coffee is amazing. We also tipped here as well, including the guy that made my omelets each day. For lunch, we could not tear ourselves away from the beach, so we had pizza most days. TIP: The pizza is popular and sometimes there is a long line. Just wait for it to go away and know that most pizza comes out every few minutes.
Casino:
We played $10 in the slots, one $50, cashed in and walked out. It was clean and no one tried to push us to play anything. TIP: The casino has the only pay phone that you can use a CommuniCard at to make calls back home without being charged a connection fee.
Entertainment:
Each night, there was entertainment planned. Most of it was great! Tropical show, beach party (on the beach with a full bar, fire breathing dancers and live meringue music, magic show, etc? The performers are good and it was nice to ?go out?.
Tipping:
We tipped $1 per round of drinks, $10 to the waiter each night, a total of $30 at check-in, $3 per day for the maid, $3 for the shuttle driver, and all kinds of misc. people that provided service for us. We spent somewhere around $125 on tips?well worth it.
Safety:
We felt safe the entire time we were there. There are tourist police at each end of the beach and while crossing from one end of the resort to the other. We were never approached or solicited by anyone.
What to Bring:
We brought sunscreen, books, snorkel gear and a few hundred in small bills. Otherwise, buy your calling card at the retail store. We brought bug spray, but did not use it once, nor did we need to. TIP: Most staff understands some English and speaks it; some are fluent in up to five different languages. However, it helps to know some Spanish like: hello, goodbye, thank you, no thank you, how are you today and have a nice day.
Coming back to the United States:
At the airport there are a few nice duty free shops. Each person is allowed up to three bottles of alcohol and up to $800 worth of merchandise before having to pay a duty on it. However, once you arrive in the states, if you are then going on a connecting flight (I.E. JFK initial arrival, then connect to go to Maine) you must pack your goods in the checked luggage because you will be required to go back though security. We bought two pounds of coffee, some rum and vanilla.
Our Thoughts Overall:
We had a wonderful time and would not change a thing. With that in mind, since this was our first experience with an all-inclusive and the Caribbean, we would probably go someplace else, but we are not typically people to repeat visits. There were several people that we witnessed that were unhappy with there room. On one morning, the beach level rooms below us were flooded because the septic overflowed. Some people were unhappy because they wanted to be on the beach, not in the garden section, others wanted the opposite. The computer system for reservations seems to be woefully outdated and unable to handle the number of people and requests. I even heard that the hotel was overbooked and some people were being put up in other hotels. You can guard against this by confirming ahead of time.
TIP: If you want a decent room with a decent view, I suggest any room from 100-115, 200-215 and 300-315. This will put you in a room that overlooks the beach, new pool and ocean. The 200 and 300 level rooms will put you mostly above the palm trees. Although, from our room, we still had an incredible view. Any room above 115,215 or 315 on those floors will put you closer to the 24-hour bar and possibly give you an obstructed view. If you want quiet all day and plan on spending time in your room during the day, I recommend elsewhere, but be advised, the pools shut down by 6:00 or so, and are strictly off limits, so don?t worry about that kind of noise.
The strongest asset to this resort is there staff, food and wonderful weather and beach. Enjoy!
Full disclosure, we traveled to the Oasis Hamaca in late February, early March 2008 for a 6-night stay booked through Expedia. We are an American late twenties, early thirties couple. Our only expectations for the resort were a beach and good weather. What we experienced far exceeded those expectations. I hope to give the reader some tips on how to make their stay go well, and to shed some light on some of the resort?s weaknesses.
Airport arrival:
We arrived around 2:00 in the afternoon, quickly got our luggage and headed for immigration and customs. As a visitor you are required to purchase a Tourist card for $10 USD per person. (they only accept American currency). After filling out the forms, you must then hand in your card at immigration. Contrary to what we had read, you do not need this for your flight out of the country, and will not be charged a departure tax either.
Once out of the airport, we were looking for a travel company (Hotel Beds) that we booked through Expedia for shuttle service from the airport to the hotel and back. We had our vouchers, but couldn?t find our representative. Be aware, the local Taxi drivers will be happy to take you, but you will pay about $25 for this. In the confusion, we were being aggressively courted to go in the taxi (to the point that they had our luggage almost in the car). At that point, I said, ?WAIT!? and we took our luggage back and asked for assistance from another vendor. This was the only confusion due to the language barrier for the whole trip. The trip to the hotel is a quick 15 minutes at most.
Check-in:
We were a little nervous about check-in and of course, had no idea what to expect. When we arrived, the guests need to leave their baggage out by the front entrance where it is watched by the Bellhops. We knew we were early, so we did not expect to get our room right away. They told us to return at 3:00 and our room would be ready. Tip: Call your travel representative ahead of time to have them confirm your room. We requested a non-smoking, king-sized bed in our room. We then walked around the resort to get the lay of the land. When we went back, our room was ready, but they did not have a lock-box key available. I tipped the check-in person $20 and asked if her could reserve one for us as people checked-out. He did and the next day at noon, we had our lock-box key. I tipped another $10 and he did not charge us for the key (normally $3 a day).
Our Room:
Our room was in the main building room 114. It was an ocean view room, although we did not pay the price for one, nor request one. It overlooked the new pool, the beach and the ocean beyond that. From the beach side, it was one story up from ground level, but one story down from the main reception area. The room was very clean, large and everything worked. The pillows were a little lumpy, but otherwise fine. Overall, the room was a little worn, but nothing to worry about, or to detract from the fact that you overlook the ocean from your balcony. Tip, each day, you get two large bottles of water that are placed outside your mini-fridge. Those are complimentary. You also get two beers and two sodas a day from your mini-fridge. Those are also complimentary. Everything else you will be charged for. We didn?t need anything from the mini-fridge, as it was all so easy to get elsewhere. We also tipped the maid $3 USD a day, as a result, she gave us three large bottle of water a day and added nice little touches to make the room even nicer. Our room was usually cleaned by 8:30 a.m. each day. Noise: The only real complaint was the first two nights we were interrupted by a lot of noise from the 24-hour bar near the beach and the upstairs neighbors. The air conditioner worked so well and was so quiet, that it did not produce any ?white? noise to block out these sounds. The final four nights were so quiet, we did not know what was going on. We slept well. Construction of the new pool is over and everything looks wonderful.
Layout/Facilities:
The resort has two sections. The first is the main building, which is the hub of activity. The reception, guest services, casino, 5 bars, two pools (the new pool is beautiful), the Italian restaurant, Dominican restaurant, spa, Sports bar, pizzeria, retail shops and lounge. Of course the main building is also on the beach and was our main reason for booking this hotel.
The other part of the resort if the garden section. Beautiful landscaping and also near the buffet, Mexican restaurant, most nightly entertainment, and street vendors that are brought in for a market. This side also includes the largest and most beautiful pool and swim-up bar. This side also hosts the mini-golf and tennis courts. It also seems quieter than the beach side.
Beach:
The beach is a happening place. If you are looking for solitary relaxation with just the sounds of the waves crashing on shore, then you should either hang out at the beach before 9:30 a.m. or go to another resort. Tip: If you want to get a covered beach spot, go down early 6:00 a.m. and lay out your blue beach towels (provided from the dive shop, complimentary, don?t lose them or you?ll pay $20 each) on your chairs. They are safe. I would go down about 7:30 and grab a couple of chairs and pull them next to the waters edge. This was a very peaceful time of day. Then back up to the room to get ready for breakfast. Around 11:00 or so, the beach activities would begin with aerobics, bocce ball, contests etc? The music is played loud and constantly, however, we were at the end of the beach, so it did not bother us. Also, be warned, it is a topless beach, usually there was a half to a dozen topless women. If this bothers you, then be warned, however, it was not ?rampant?.
Waterfront Recreation:
The waterfront recreation is run by Dive Pro and a bunch a really laid back guys. You can SCUBA or take lessons in the pool, kayak, snorkel, windsurf, sail (sunfish), paddleboat, power dinghy?s, banana boat, water-ski and tube. All non-powered stuff is included. I sailed for four days up and down Boca Chica Beach. TIP, due to crowds, there is no sailing after 12:00 on Saturdays and at all on Sundays. We also snorkeled, which was fun. I brought my own gear, but they have plenty as well. If you go out past the swimming area, there is some real neat shallow water snorkeling. I also kayaked and paddle boated. A very cool way to see the rest of the public beach.
Restaurants/food:
We ate twice at the Italian restaurant, three times at the Mexican restaurant (the only open air restaurant besides the buffet and sports bar) and once at the Dominican restaurant. All were excellent and you never left hungry. At each one you would get a complimentary welcome drink, appetizer, entr?e and dessert. Additionally, there was always some sort of salad bar. We tipped each waiter $10 USD each night and our service was excellent. The Italian bar had a pianist playing during dinner as well. This also seemed to be the most popular of the three, but we liked the Mexican one best. We usually at around 7-7:30 and there was never a wait, but there did seem to be a rush at 6:30. We ate all breakfasts at the buffet, which was great. Wonderful selection, fresh food, cooked to order and the coffee is amazing. We also tipped here as well, including the guy that made my omelets each day. For lunch, we could not tear ourselves away from the beach, so we had pizza most days. TIP: The pizza is popular and sometimes there is a long line. Just wait for it to go away and know that most pizza comes out every few minutes.
Casino:
We played $10 in the slots, one $50, cashed in and walked out. It was clean and no one tried to push us to play anything. TIP: The casino has the only pay phone that you can use a CommuniCard at to make calls back home without being charged a connection fee.
Entertainment:
Each night, there was entertainment planned. Most of it was great! Tropical show, beach party (on the beach with a full bar, fire breathing dancers and live meringue music, magic show, etc? The performers are good and it was nice to ?go out?.
Tipping:
We tipped $1 per round of drinks, $10 to the waiter each night, a total of $30 at check-in, $3 per day for the maid, $3 for the shuttle driver, and all kinds of misc. people that provided service for us. We spent somewhere around $125 on tips?well worth it.
Safety:
We felt safe the entire time we were there. There are tourist police at each end of the beach and while crossing from one end of the resort to the other. We were never approached or solicited by anyone.
What to Bring:
We brought sunscreen, books, snorkel gear and a few hundred in small bills. Otherwise, buy your calling card at the retail store. We brought bug spray, but did not use it once, nor did we need to. TIP: Most staff understands some English and speaks it; some are fluent in up to five different languages. However, it helps to know some Spanish like: hello, goodbye, thank you, no thank you, how are you today and have a nice day.
Coming back to the United States:
At the airport there are a few nice duty free shops. Each person is allowed up to three bottles of alcohol and up to $800 worth of merchandise before having to pay a duty on it. However, once you arrive in the states, if you are then going on a connecting flight (I.E. JFK initial arrival, then connect to go to Maine) you must pack your goods in the checked luggage because you will be required to go back though security. We bought two pounds of coffee, some rum and vanilla.
Our Thoughts Overall:
We had a wonderful time and would not change a thing. With that in mind, since this was our first experience with an all-inclusive and the Caribbean, we would probably go someplace else, but we are not typically people to repeat visits. There were several people that we witnessed that were unhappy with there room. On one morning, the beach level rooms below us were flooded because the septic overflowed. Some people were unhappy because they wanted to be on the beach, not in the garden section, others wanted the opposite. The computer system for reservations seems to be woefully outdated and unable to handle the number of people and requests. I even heard that the hotel was overbooked and some people were being put up in other hotels. You can guard against this by confirming ahead of time.
TIP: If you want a decent room with a decent view, I suggest any room from 100-115, 200-215 and 300-315. This will put you in a room that overlooks the beach, new pool and ocean. The 200 and 300 level rooms will put you mostly above the palm trees. Although, from our room, we still had an incredible view. Any room above 115,215 or 315 on those floors will put you closer to the 24-hour bar and possibly give you an obstructed view. If you want quiet all day and plan on spending time in your room during the day, I recommend elsewhere, but be advised, the pools shut down by 6:00 or so, and are strictly off limits, so don?t worry about that kind of noise.
The strongest asset to this resort is there staff, food and wonderful weather and beach. Enjoy!
