coral hamaca boca chica HELP

J

jonathan

Guest
will be at coral hamaca early feb. can anyone tell me about this all inclusive resort, its beach, atmosphere, is it nice and and good???? is it good for singles???? stuff like that.

please email me direct or list here otherwise.

thanks, jonathan filmchef@earthlink.net
 
D

DR One

Guest
This hotel is a good choice for singles as it has one of the best discos in Boca Chica.
 
J

Jim Hinsch

Guest
I have stayed at the Hamaca several times in the past few years and have a friend that stayed there as recently as a couple months ago.

I'm sure that if you search the message archives and resort database, you will find information about this hotel.

It is probably the nicest "building" in Boca Chica as well as the most expensive all-inclusive hotel. The atmosphere is like staying at any large and luxury hotel - impersonal, somewhat pretentious, modern, relatively expensive, very nice looking, with more amenities than any other property in town, including some limited shopping, multiple dining and drinking options, a private beach, two pools, a casino, and all the things a guest would expect from a full-service property.

The Hamaca Hotel (aka, Coral Beach Hamaca) is not a particularly good place for singles. In fact, there are no all-inclusive resorts in Boca Chica that are geared towards, or attract a significant number of singles and I have personal experience with all 3 of them. At the Hamaca, you will find it to be almost all couples and should you find a friend outside the hotel, your guest will not be able to visit you for meals or on the beach at the hotel unless your guest registers at the front desk, which is usually restricted to being possible only during the day without a reservation, and then the guest pays (day passes are available, else full price). You will find a similar policy at the other all-inclusives, Boca Chica Resort and Don Juan Resorts, however their beaches are situated along the public beach. This makes sense since the hotels would not want non-paying guests drinking and eating and using their facilities for free. This should not keep you from staying at an all-inclusive, so long as you keep in mind that "single" activities are more abundant outside of the all-inclusive properties. The all-inclusives are usually filled with tour-package guests that booked two-week stays on a double-occupancy basis.

The beach at the Hamaca is private because it is walled on both sides and guarded with private security to keep out those not staying at the hotel (identified by plastic bracelets that are put on at check-in time). I believe that technically, the beach is public, so if you were to swim up to it from the water, you would legally have access, but in practice this is not the case. It is a nice beach, but limited in size and can get crowded. They keep it clean and well stocked with beach chairs, however I think the middle part of the public beach (next door) is more appealing. Of course, nothing prevents you from walking off the grounds and experiencing the entire length of the public beach to the side.

The disco at the Hamaca on some nights is restricted to hotel guests only and some time ago converted to a "one price, includes drinks" place with at US$10 cover charge for non-hotel guests, so you will find very few people in the disco that are not staying at the hotel. Since they changed to this format, I always have found it real hard to get drinks as they usually don't have enough bar tenders for the number of guests. This has been the case each and every time I've visited this bar some 10 or so times in the past six months.

The disco at the Hamaca is what I would identify as a "couples" bar and mostly hotel guests. Not many locals are willing to drop US$10 (RD$150) on the cover charge, the most expensive in Boca Chica. Very few places in Boca Chica charge a cover (if any of the bars that are still in business). It is however the most upscale disco in town, from a decor viewpoint, has a dress code, and is popular for those that have a specific interest in dancing.

The Hamaca hotel is good for guests that have little intention of sampling life outside of the resort, or don't mind paying for a place that includes everything and then going outside the resort to pay again.

My general opinion of this hotel is that it is fairly good but expensive compared to some of the other properties. I would generally recommend that first time guests to Boca Chica who don't know exactly what to expect, stay at the Hamaca, as not everybody is prepared for or enjoys, the atmosphere of the public parts of Boca Chica and the Hamaca provides a quiet retreat and home base.

If your vacation ideas center more around experiencing the local culture, food, town, and night life than assuming a relaxing private beach vacation in a private tropical compound, the Hamaca might not be the best bet, unless the cost is not of major concern, in which case you can enjoy both.

JimHinsch@CSI.COM