Whala!Boca Chica

“Lovely - don't be swayed by the bad reviews!”

Currently staying at Whala! Felt compelled to write a review... after reading reviews before coming i very nearly cancelled my trip. All I can say is im SO PLEASED I didn't. What an amazing place. The views from the full frontal ocean room are spectacular, staff are friendly, beach is beautiful.… more

Currently staying at Whala! Felt compelled to write a review... after reading reviews before coming i very nearly cancelled my trip. All I can say is im SO PLEASED I didn't. What an amazing place. The views from the full frontal ocean room are spectacular, staff are friendly, beach is beautiful. Food is good (yes its an all inclusive buffet and has no fanciness to it, but what do you actually expect...). Rooms are spacious, clean and housekeeping every day. Cocktails are very tasty. You can eat and drink from 7am until 1am. It's not a 5 star touristy resort, if that is what you are looking for, but if you are looking for an authentic getaway with a dominican vibe then this place is for you. Fly in to SDQ, transfer is 15 mins. Book an excursion to Saona island - absolute paradise. Lay back, chill, dance, eat, drink, enjoy. (the many other bad reviews are really not justified AT ALL).

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“Good but could be better. Great experience of Dominican culture, though.”

Great diversity of food with special menu days like Chinese day food, vegetarian focused, etc. Large diversity of meats: fish, pork, beef, chicken cooked diversely: fajitas, hamburgers, grilled, with vegetables, etc. Large diversity of vegetables from raw to cooked diversely: boiled, fried, with p… more

Great diversity of food with special menu days like Chinese day food, vegetarian focused, etc. Large diversity of meats: fish, pork, beef, chicken cooked diversely: fajitas, hamburgers, grilled, with vegetables, etc. Large diversity of vegetables from raw to cooked diversely: boiled, fried, with pasta, meats, cheese. Large diversity of sweets, desserts: chakes, ice creams, donuts, etc. Two small complains or suggestions: the "natural" labelled yogurt is sweet, that personally do not enjoy, then lack of brined fermented pickles that would be a perfect fit for those meat and cheese dishes. Ironically those fresh cut tomatoes risk to spoil ferment naturally due to outside heat of ussualy over 25 celsius in April. Suggestion for the cook: throw some garlic + brine and in few days those tomatoes are a pickle delicatessen... Nice rooms, but some have that initial smell of disinfectant against pests I guess. Check the balcony door that sometimes their lock doesn't work. No big worry though since there is resort security all around the premise but having a secured door key with a balcony door that doesn't lock is unnerving. Very responsive reaction in few minutes, though of the staff to any complaint. A bit of inconvenience with the only shower room where the drainage doesn't keep up with the incoming water. It will drain fully eventually. Also had issue with the malfunctioning of the TV remote. Be aware that the rooms near the main entry bar / pool need to deal with loud party voices / music that sometimes can go in considerably up to 3am. Unfortunately, the entertainment is only in Spanish since looks like there are many Dominican residents coming for long weekends stay of 3 nights. Noticed the resort gets really crowded on Saturday and Sunday and beach gets most crowded on Sunday, excellent for people enjoying crowded places with a favor of Dominican culture that can be experienced along the beach at the busy nearby restaurants both on left and right side of the resort, especially in the afternoons where the real competition of whose load speakers (hooked to car) is on, with Dominican music. True resort entertainment happens though only on Friday and Saturday nights with invited artistic groups in the style of Cuban tropical style dance but Dominican specific. My understanding is that these are regular performances with international flavour, the one on Saturday where Dominican dances are followed by Russian Kazachok, the Cancan, cowboy live dancing, Brazilian samba, etc. Entertainment in the rest of week nights is mostly social games, bingo, karaoke, etc., in Spanish only, unfortunately... The beach and water are perfect but could be busy during weekends as said, giving though a unique local flavour where you can admire local busy night life along the beach restaurants from the water. Looks like Dominicans fully enjoy their lives by partying in the afternoon, even those that cannot afford restaurant prices aligned with Western ones (they just have a family loud picnic on the beach with... their loud speakers, of course). Swimming area (up to neck line deep) is smooth being naturally protected by a coral reef at around 100m from the beach that tames the nasty waves. The resort beach is public being maintained by the hotel and is part of the large public beach stretching hundred of meters left and right of the resort. At a cost, there are water bikes ($15/h), riding tubes, Sea-doos plus organized excursions to Dominican tourist destinations sometimes requiring a trip of hours with the bus. There are stray dogs and cats on he beach and village but are friendly. As usual in Caribbean any storm or rain is short lived with the sun coming back very soon. The resort advantage I find is that it is embedded in the village. You can explore neighborhoods mostly friendly excepting some nasty hiped teenagers remarks to tourists. Nearby police station is reassuring+ continuous presence of police along the beach and in the resort. The merchants are friendly and helpful while some on the street are a bit pushy to have a sale but behaving at a fern denial. Can get best price if take the time to shop around and sometime save even 20%. Also, can enjoy a quiet or unique experience (depending on street traffic) at the local street restaurants, cafes, etc. Major credit cards with settlement in Dominican Pesos DOP (or RD as used locally) are accepted almost everywhere and there are few Currency Exchange offices nearby.

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“Charming hotel”

Long drive to the hotel from Punta Cana airport. Charming hotel with colourful painting, trees and tropical plants around. Spacious room minor issues with the drain in the shower but was ok after. Clean room bring own fitted sheet. Buffet plenty of seats and food. Grill and fresh. Theme night da… more

Long drive to the hotel from Punta Cana airport. Charming hotel with colourful painting, trees and tropical plants around. Spacious room minor issues with the drain in the shower but was ok after. Clean room bring own fitted sheet. Buffet plenty of seats and food. Grill and fresh. Theme night daily, Mexican, Dominican, Asian etc. Beach beautiful need more huts for guests and beach bar on the beach. Bring your own towel. Great vacation. Will be back. Check in and out fast. should offer free safe in room.

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