Be Live Hamaca Rating: 3.5 Pearls

Boca Chica, Dominican Republic

Resort guests play organized games

A lovely, subdued resort in the D.R., the Be Live Hamaca is located in Boca Chica, a small town known more for prostitution than sunbathing. (Prostitution is legal in the Dominican Republic and drives a sizable component of its tourism industry.) Somehow, in spite of its tougher surroundings, this vacation spot manages to be clean, calm, and surprisingly classy. It’s pretty easy to ignore the outside world from inside the quiet resort.

The resort is divided by a road into two sections, the beachfront side (built in 1951) and the back side (added to the resort in the mid-'90s). Most guests choose to stay and play in the front section -- on the beach. The back portion of the resort may contain several pools, a fitness center, a miniature golf course, a kids' club, a handful of restaurants, a swim-up bar, and the majority of its 670 rooms, but it often looks eerily empty.

The beach, Boca Chica Bay, boasts plenty of cabanas and fancy places to sunbathe and take a nap or get a snack. The water, protected by a coral reef, creates a semicircle around the resort's entire beach area. Stand facing the calm turquoise water, but don't look to the right! There, you’ll find the nearby container port and a natural gas plant. Most guests, like Franko from Queens, N.Y., don’t seem to mind the eyesore. Franko has been vacationing at Be Live Hamaca for 11 years, mostly because of the good food and friendly staff. He actually likes the view at night, when the port twinkles in the horizon.

Bought in 2008 by Globalia, a Spanish company that also owns AirEuropa and Be Live, Hamaca is one of 18 Be Live resorts in the Caribbean and Spain and North Africa. The company began its overhaul of this property nearly right away -- starting with a fresh coat of white paint on the front buildings and a revamp of many of the rooms.

Some of the resort's staff can also juggle

Overall, I found the service prompt and adequate but nothing overly doting. Simple requests, like checking in an hour early, were as easily granted as my second glass of wine. But don’t expect five-star attention -- for that, go to the fabled Casa de Campo in La Romana. Mostly, the staff will get guests what they need when they ask for it.

View on a Larger Map

Loosely translated, Boca Chica means "small mouth" because of its bayside location. It’s a rough town filled with hustling locals and sex workers. The main strip along the beach makes for an interesting walk and is a good place to purchase souvenirs -- but I would only recommend doing so by daylight.

However, inside this resort, visitors would never know they are smack in the center of such a raunchy neighborhood. The only locals on the resort are either employees or folks speeding on mopeds through the main roadway that cuts through the center of the resort.

The beach

The swimming area is surrounded by a natural coral reef. It has the same deep turquoise hue as nearby Barcelo Capella, but the water is much calmer since it’s a bay. By noon, staff members in galoshes are netting the seaweed that washes to the shore fast and furiously. They stay around cleaning up for most of the afternoon.

With its view of the nearby cargo port and waist-level water, Oasis Hamaca is not quite the picture of Caribbean seaside serenity. Still, the ample canopy beds make the beach a great place to lounge.

There is a public beach directly next to the hotel's property, but a fence divides the two sections. The local action rarely disturbs the guests.

The Standard Room

Since Globalia bought the resort in 2008, rooms have been slowly getting an overhaul, starting with the beachfront rooms. Visitors should absolutely request one of the renovated rooms, which generally cost $30 extra a night for a Deluxe Room, $50 for a premium, and $70 for an Executive. These newly renovated rooms are clean, modern, and decorated in neutral brown and cream tones. Premium Rooms are available with a balcony or a Jacuzzi but not both.

Standard Rooms, like the one I stayed in, were more of a throwback to the '90s, with a synthetic floral pattern coverlet, old wicker furniture, and not a whole lot of charm. There were either two twin-size or one king-size bed. Most Standard rooms are slightly larger than others in the D.R. My bed felt like it had lost some spring, so it came as no surprise that the hotel is replacing the mattresses in the newly refurbished rooms.

The lighting was horrible in the yet-renovated rooms. Even during the day, reading in the room could have strained some guests' eyes. The bathrooms are subdivided with a toilet and bathtub in one tiny room and the sink in the large common area. The water pressure in the shower was impressively strong. Bathrooms are mostly clean, but the tiny shower/toilet room easily got stuffy and claustrophobic, especially after using the shower.

The standard-screen, 27-inch TV got a decent picture and about a dozen channels in English. There are no movies on demand, just cable, and the reception is decent. The air conditioner was an old clunker that pumped out bone-chilling air. I needed to get up again and again to turn the machine on and off.

All rooms come with an enormous walk-in closet, which included a safe that costs $4 a day. (The lock is available at the front desk).

The mini-bar was locked and required a staff member to open it. Unlike at most all-inclusvies, the mini-bar at Be Live Hamaca was really an actual mini-bar. Guests are entitled to two colas and two beers a day, and anything else -- the special spring water, the Ritz crackers -- must be paid for individually. There were two 1-liter bottles of water on the sink countertop -- and it took a little teeth-pulling at the front desk to obtain more. There was also a small coffeepot with all the appropriate accoutrements.

The spa

At the back section of the resort -- Hamaca Gardens -- there’s an impressive pool, a Jacuzzi, a swim-up bar, a miniature golf course, tennis courts, a fitness center, and a kids' club. All of these features were in fine shape, if only because they didn’t appear to be used all that often. During my stay, all sat nearly empty, but the staff insisted that many of these facilities are well used during high season.

Most guests hung out at the beach, at the front of the resort. There are two pools in the Hamaca Beach section of the resort. Unfortunately, one pool is directly next to a building under construction -- not exactly relaxing. Staff members were unable to tell me when the construction will be finished. The pool in the Hamaca Gardens section is larger free-form pool with a swim-up bar.

The new beachside Kin Ha Spa offers clean, sleek facilities and plenty of treatments at reasonable prices. There are Jacuzzis, a sauna, and a steam room available to guests who pay for any of the services.

The resort also recently added the Hamaca Lounge, a special VIP section of the resort. For $70 more each night, guests get access to a pleasant space that offers unlimited Internet use (both wireless connection and several new PCs), private breakfast and drink service, newspapers of choice, and general space to just lounge about or watch one of the plasma TVs. VIP guests are also entitled to one of the newly refurbished premium or executive rooms, and discounts at El Pelicano Restaurant and the spa. However, for just under $300 a night, it might be a little more worth it to head to Viva Wyndham La Romana.

The resort's playground

Cribs and rollaway beds are both available to guests, and the hotel does not charge extra for either.

There is a staircase that leads from the main lobby building to the building that houses several of the restaurants, plus an additional staircase that leads to the beach. Some families might find this a bit cumbersome with a stroller. Thankfully, there is also an elevator, but guests will still have a flight of stairs to head down.

Kids love the beachside food -- hot dogs, burgers, french fries, and lots and lots of pizza.

Evening entertainment

Like at most resorts in the D.R., the entertainment staff works hard to make sure guests are having fun. I watched an enthusiastic bocce game on the beach, and the daily schedule included everything from darts to Spanish lessons.

Every evening, the staff puts on a show in the theater. During our stay, I enjoyed the “Lipsing contest,” choreographed renditions of favorites like "New York, New York," "Mambo Number 5," and "YMCA." Twice a week, the entertainment staff takes the nightly entertainment to the beach, hosting a band, tropical dances, and conga lessons by the water. There is also a clean and moderately used casino on the premises as well as a disco.

My room had yet to be renovated, like most of the standard rooms. But the furnishings were basically just old and worn out, not actually dirty. Remodeled Deluxe Rooms are relatively clean.

The beach was well groomed, and I spotted staff members clearing seaweed out of the water several times a day. The gardens and grounds were incredibly well cared for and tidy.

A dish prepared by the Rigoletto Pasta Club

The buffet offers a solid breakfast selection, on par with some of the better all-inclusives like the Iberostar. It includes a hot bar, an omelet and egg station, fresh fruit and juices, waffles and pancakes, cereal, and an exhaustive array of breads. The buffet also has an equally comprehensive menu for lunchtime and dinner. Reservations are required for some of the more formal a la carte restaurants, but there’s no limit on the number of times a guest can eat at each specialty restaurant.

The Mediterranean restaurant serves a variety of pasta dishes, accompanied by well-prepared fish and meats. The Mexican restaurant offers festive food in a southwestern setting though reservations are required. The Dominican restaurant, also requires reservations and has a minimum age of 7-years-old for children who dine in the establishment. For a nicer setting, guests can literally dine on the water at either El Pelicano or Rodizio. Pelicano serves up fresh grilled fish and lobster. While Rodizio presents Brazilian fare. However, these restaurants are not included in the all-inclusive rate.

For late night munchers, the hotel has a snack bar that is open 24 hours.

A mojito

Some name-brand liquor like Malibu coconut rum and Smirnoff vodka are included in the all-inclusive package, but mostly you get the cheap stuff. At the beachside bar, I watched a cheerful bartender whip up several perfect mojitos -- made with lime, local rum, sugar, and fresh mint. The fresh mint is what marks the quality here -- this isn’t available at most Dominican all-inclusives. There are plenty of other spots to enjoy a tropical cocktail, and they sure don't scrimp on the booze. At dinnertime I was served some pretty decent house wine.