Hotel Garant

Hotel Garant sits on a quiet corner only a couple blocks from Boca Chica's bustling beachfront main street. It’s a sleepy, low-key place that mostly caters to older, single men who sometimes stay for weeks or longer. The gated entrance is constantly guarded, and guests receive their own personal keys for quick access in and out. The small hotel has a pool table and a seating area in the lobby, as well as a pool and outdoor patio, so mingling with other guests is simple enough. Expectations should be managed here, though, as it all feels pretty "budget" in every way -- there's lots of linoleum tile, wicker seating, and worn wooden furniture. Still, everything is relatively clean and well kept, and there's plenty of worse hotel options in this area.

It’s worth noting that prostitution is legal in the DR, and Boca Chica is a widely known hot spot for sex tourism. It’s visible at the hotel -- they even have a sign that requires escorts to have identification -- but it doesn't necessarily feel offensive. For this reason, families with small children generally prefer to spend their vacations elsewhere in the Santo Domingo area or in other beach towns on the island. 

Hotel Garant is in Boca Chica, a beachside neighborhood that's a 15-minute drive from Las Americas International Airport. It’s on a side street just two short blocks from the main avenue, where vendors sell trinkets and beachwear, and where innumerable restaurants, bars, and nightclubs line both sides of the road. Boca Chica Beach is a five-minute walk from the hotel. While it’s long and sandy, restaurants and hotels have crammed themselves into every last usable bit of sand, leaving only a few tiny sections for lounging. Yet the water is clear and shallow. That fact, and the beach's proximity to Santo Domingo, make it one of the most popular beaches in the Dominican Republic.

At night this same strip turns into a somewhat seedy bar and club scene -- this is one of the places where the country’s sex trade is hard to ignore. Aside from this main street, most of the avenues surrounding the hotel are dark and not safe for walking around without a local guide. Taxis are plentiful and a safer way to get around at night. The restaurants in the historic district of Santo Domingo are a 45-minute drive away. 

The large rooms at Hotel Garant are dark and bare. Decor is dated and rooms show a bit of wear -- there are scuff marks on the cream walls, wicker seating, and beds with thin yellow fleece blankets. Hardwood bed frames have a chunky, traditional look, and a few small, framed pieces of art add a decorative touch, though they aren't quite bright enough to cheer up the space. Rooms lack closets -- instead expect a rack against the far wall with a small safe, and a handsome dark wood armoire with plenty of space. Floors are done in cheap gray linoleum tiling.

Amenities are thin, but they cover the basics and are mostly modern. Functional air-conditioning, full-size refrigerators, free Wi-Fi, and flat-screen TVs are standard in all rooms. Most have reading lamps next to the beds, and all include a simple table-and-chairs set. Windows are fixed and face a semi-outdoor hallway and seating area, where guests can look out over the pool below. Bathrooms are relatively spacious, and while there are separate walk-in showers, they lack curtains or doors. There’s not much counter space, despite roomy layout. The water is hot, towels are plentiful and soft, and the hotel provides a bar of soap. While bathrooms are mostly clean, we did spot a bit of dirty grout in the showers.

Hotel Garant is a simple budget hotel, so additional amenities are understandably limited. The pool is the centerpiece, and while it’s quite small, it’s clean and the ambience is pleasant enough to relax there on a hot day. Shaded tables and chairs along one side offer an alternative to the lounge seats. While there’s no proper fitness center, a couple of exercise machines are placed in a corner of the pool area, which seem functional, if rarely used.  

There are some late-night perks at the hotel. You can buy beer directly from the hotel, and there’s a pool table for guest use. It’s directly in front of the reception desk in the brightly lit lobby, though, so the vibe is different than at a local bar, but still pleasant nonetheless. There's also a computer station in the lobby, as well as some playpens plus a laundry and seating area. To get to the shaded breakfast terrace in the morning, guests walk through the kitchen and encounter a smattering of tables facing the quiet street. The food is cheap, but extremely limited, both in quantity and variety -- don’t expect much more than toast, eggs, and coffee here. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, and while there is free parking, it is limited.