Whala Boca Chica

Hotel & grounds are small but adequate. A la carte restaurant only open 2 to 3 times per week and was definitely sub par. Buffet restaurant food was adequate but not great. We never went hungry. The wait staff did not seem to know what to do. Their service was poor & very inconsistent!! Most were not friendly and rarely smiled. A real lack of training and hospitality here! Pool & resort activities were posted but rarely happened. When they did happen they were good and attended but were very inconsistent. Evening entertainment was very poor & unprofessional. [Details]

We had a very bad experience at the hotel, for it was not in any way what we bought online. Photos do not represent the reality of the place. It is an urban hotel and not exactly a turistic and familiar place to visit. [Details]

Coming to the hotel first time the entrance was less than appealing. Once walking into grounds got a bit nicer then entering room back to the entrance, less appealing [Details]

I was pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of this resort - fantastic beach, amazing restaurants and meals, friendly staff, great extras (bike excursions, trip to Santo Domingo, zumba/yoga/stretch classes, scuba lesson), expansive property. Everyone was helpful and friendly. It is unique as it's situated right in the town that you can stroll and explore. Great time :) [Details]

A solid basic resort with lots to offer at an affordable price. For someone who makes the island trek a few times a year, this place is great. It's small, easy to navigate, simple, offers solid accommodation, a buffet with healthy food choices, a sandy white beach without big crashing waves, three a la cartes, the opportunity to walk the main street of Boca Chica. We learned that the tour of Santo Domingo (4 hours - $30) was worth every penny. If you are looking for night life, this resort is not the place - but the main street shuts down every night for partying (yes there are working women).
For great sunrise/sunset views, and an in-town feel, it's nice. Vendors on the beach a plenty - as well as many local folks. That's part of the charm! You can try Carlos' famous sun tan oil, or have a massage with Maria, or just sit and listen to the old guy walking by with the fruit wagon in his plaintive voice: "LA FRUTTA"!!! A simple 'no gracias' and they move on.
USD was 45 pesos (a little better on the street). Tipping is nice, but service was same with or without. You can book yoga and Spanish lessons with the concierge when you book a la cartes. Charming little place - good value for money - and with the new food and beverage man and some attention to the main pool for cleanliness... it's dandy! Many European visitors and older people who stay longer. [Details]

Nice place. and clean. [Details]

absolutely the worst place I have ever stayed in. It was to be a 60th Birthday and 25th Wedding anniversary celebration. I definatly would not recommend anyone going there for the prices we paid. Robbery. [Details]

We visited with apprehension about safety, but were delighted to discover the town and pleasant, respectful residents. The resort has a broad beach access and good swimming. Food was adequate and restaurant meals fresh and better than expected. Staff provided various activities. [Details]

I really enjoyed the hotel. It was clean and on a very nice beach.

Some of the male employees were very aggressive and inappropriate. They really need to teach their staff about boundaries. [Details]

I upgraded to captions club. The people that didnt had alot of complaints. [Details]

Not 3.5*, only 2.5* [Details]

We have been to 3 star before usually go 5 star but after this trip never 3 star again.
The 2nd night of our 14 day trip our room was broken into all electronics stolen and have a police report after going to the station.
The door to our room was accessed by a door card as we had the hotel read the door lock and it registered entrance around 11pm when we were at the show. When returning to our room in the evening after the show the door was open,the hotel would not give anything in writing basically accusing US of leaving the door open so hense the visit to the local police station.
Hotel is more like a prostitutes hang out, men from abroad pay for these local women to stay for weeks at a time believe me you will notice it immediately. [Details]

Went to this property with an opened mind,The staff were very freindly,The
food was good,Rooms are cleaned dailey
very little to complain about.
To those people who do complain,I was disappointed on how rude they were
to the staff,
Please & thank-you goes a long way anywhere you travel [Details]

The Don Juan is an older complex of buildings. It's right between the city streets and the beach. The airport transfer bus drops you off on the street. The first impression of the resort is scary. The entrance is very poor looking. There is no feeling that you are walking into a quality or luxury resort when you arrive....you feel more like you're about to get mugged. The place improves once you get off the street and out of the reception area to where the gust building are located. Most are four story buildings. There are no elevators in the resort so be warned about the amount of luggage you take and your physical abilities.

The buffet food is not good but it's about what you can expect from a resort of this quality. They have a small pizza oven snack bar by the pool that probably has the best food (pizza) in the place. Quite good actually.

The "captain's" rooms generally face the ocean/beach. My room was nice enough but keep in mind that the resort does NOT replenish any beverages in the room and they do NOT provide bottled water. You must get your own water from a dispenser located on each floor. Obviously do not drink the tap water.

The beach is not private. guests are constantly bothered by the locals to purchase their goods. CONSTANTLY. Every 5 to 10 minutes is not an exaggeration. if you wish to lounge on the beach you WILL be pestered constantly...probably to the point of giving up and moving to the pool area. The beach is not spectacular anyhow. It's the weekend local hotspot though so it gets very crowded with locals on the weekend is totally TRASHED by them. They send in local cleaners to pick up the garbage from the beach when the weekend is over. It seems to be the local culture to just drop your garbage wherever you happen to be.

My biggest surprise was to learn that the Don Juan has a reputation as a sex tourism resort for pedophiles. There are young pre-girls constantly around the resort looking to service clients. You will often see old, single men hooking up with these 13 - 15 year old girls on the resort, by the pool and on the beach. Local authorities do nothing about it. If you see it happening though, report it nonetheless. Be vocal about it. Take photos and videos of it for the authorities. I would not bring my children anywhere near this place.

If you are a scuba diver, there is a great shop called Treasure Divers nearby and some really nice dive sites including wreck and deeps dive. There are also some awesome freshwater cave sites with spectacular haloclines to experience.

There are not too many resort options in this area and all likely have the same issues. The prices seems surprisingly higher than other Dominican resorts in Punta Cana that are on some of the best beaches in the world. Go figure.

If you fly into Santo Domingo airport, the drive to the hotel is quick. Most flights land in Punta Cana though which can be a 4 hour drive to the resort from the airport…making for a very long day. [Details]

this was our 4th time at the Don Juan Hotel in Boca Chica. We were shocked to see how much has changed for the worst in just 3 years. Rooms were smelling like mold and dirty(even though we had the upgrated Captian's room), beach towels were very hard to come by and so were beach loungers. The food was cold and not appetizing. Everything in and around the Hotel looked worn. Lots of single white man with prostitudes in the hotel. Overall a big disappointment.
Would never go back there. [Details]

Terrible I would never go anywhere near this hotel with a 10 foot pole. [Details]

We were not impressed overall with Don Juan resort . The 5 bikes were not capable of rolling let alone riding .broken chains ,missing wheel bolts . the 3 sailboats no better no rigging or sails have been on these boats in at least 2yrs. the food was poor ( stewed hotdogs at breakfast 1 day in 7 bacon . christmas day had not enought tables to accomadate all the guests. cheap plastic tables & chairs most of which were broken. the room was ok , maid did a great job . the security had no interest in keeping the very young ( 15 -17 ) yr old hooker out of the resort, my husband was hit on in front of me at the resort, many old men with very young girls .even as we tried to enjoy the only alacart dinner , would not recomend this location to any fellow canadian traveller [Details]

I travel a lot and I enjoyed every single trip until now. This was the first time when I wanted to go home in the 1st day. A long wait to check-in in this horrible resort. The room was dark and smelly with no working toilet and no hot water. The maid never cleaned the room properly. In one week she never change the bed sheets, change only twice the towels (after I complained to the front desk) all that after a 3 US dollars tip left every single morning on the bed. The beach is full with vendors who do not let you relax for 2 minutes. Food is terrible, my family and I got sick. The resort is full with prostitutes. NEVER AGAIN!!!!
I will NOT recommend this resort to anyone. [Details]

It was very far from the airport on difficult and dangerous roads. We got sick from the food and lost 3 days out of our 7 day holiday. The rooms were decent but had no soap, shampoo, coffee maker. The initial room we were given was dredful and we weren't moved until 2 days and alot of complaining later. We never got the suite we had paid for. The bartender would absolutely not serve you unless you had money for tipping in your hand every single time. The peddlers on the beach were bothersome and numerous, even if you pretended you were asleep they would wake you. We only spent 1 day on the beach because of it. Overall experience was well below what we expected. [Details]

The staff is amazing, but the bathroom at the hotel was dirty and old! The maid service needed reminders everyday to bring soemthing! The vendors on the beach were annoying and were extremely constant, didn't get a break! Food was excellent, overall it was a good holiday! Next time I would land in Santo Domingo to avoid the 4 hour trip to the airport! [Details]

If you're looking for welcoming friendly people and a basic week away this is the place to go!
my friend and I weren't expecting much, but this resort met all our needs and exceeded them. the food was great and there were enough options throughout the week
the pools were never crowded and the security guards will always help find you a beach chair.
Our room was basic but met all our needs, the beds were comfy in my opinion, but i would bring your own pillow.
The staff that work there are very friendly and never expect you to tip, so we ended up choosing our favorites and tipping them throughout the week, and left the maids something at the end of our stay. they have a special animation team that is designated to interact with the guests as well as put on shows and dances.
The resort overall is very colourful and welcoming. it's very close to downtown Boca Chica, but we still felt very safe and even visited the local bars and clubs. as long as you go downtown with only your room key you'll be fine!
This was a great resort for us because we didn't experience all the spring break hype every night, we were able to have a great time partying when we wanted but were also able to relax without all the noise students bring to a resort. [Details]

For the price everything was great [Details]

The hotel was clean and the food very good. The staff is extremely freindly & helpful. To bad it is located in Boca Chica.

The public beach just down from the hotel is filthly. One does not feel comfortable walking there. The streets are not well lit at night, making venturing out of the hotel complex seem a risk.

Not much in the way of entertainment, no water sports to speak of (Snorkeling, sailing, water toys etc)

They offer all inclusive guests only local liquors, wines & beer. If you want "name brand" there is a cost.

In sufficient pool/deck chairs, limited variety for snack foods during the day around the pools.

Single check in agent making the process very slow. Especially aggrivating for vactioners arriving late in the evening. [Details]

The best beach, specially for kids - water is always calm and shallow. Great food. Nice grounds.
'Villa superior' is a basic room. Lot of vendors on the beach. [Details]

Travelled with 2 children, ages 8 & 5 years. Direct flight (Sunwing) to Punta Cana was excellent - fantastic service. No wait time at Punta Cana airport, taken to shuttle bus. 3 hour travel time to Boca Chica - saw much of the countryside and town - air cond bus - ride was fine. Check in at hotel very quick at 12:30 am - assigned room on 4th floor of hotel (had booked 'superior villa')- room was not good - immediately requested a better room at front desk (asked for Captain's room) - given beautiful room on 1st floor of hotel with balcony overlooking beach, 2 queen beds, sitting area, big bathroom area with whirltub. Room and view was amazing! Very convenient for kids & us being on first floor - pool very close, as well as restaurant. Pool great, big - had children's area as well (2 ft)- buffet was 5*plus!!! Great variety of food, different theme nights, fresh food - always something for adults and children. Pizzeria for late day snack next to pool as well. Just fantastic. Service great/staff were very friendly. Gardens lush and stunning - lots of tropical flowers, mango/banana trees - staff constantly cleaning up. Beach was very clean and beautiful. Some vendors selling - but very respectful - security very good. Some entertainment during day if wish to participate. Night shows good. Highly recommend this hotel! [Details]

4 hours from International airport Punta Cana is a long haul in a bus with no bathroom. Food is alright but it gets repetitive. There s only 4 places to eat on site(including a pizza). Be careful to bring immodium because many people we knew including myself got extremely sick which may have effected the trip. We also thought more things would be included (ie. non motorized sports like paddle boats or snorkeling masks)- nope. It was annoying to have Dominicans harrass you on the beach asking you to buy things. Other then that an ok trip. What you paid for I guess... [Details]

This is an excellent resort! We had trouble with our first room the night we got there, it was full of mould and we had to ask our tour rep to help get it changed. Help from the front desk was slow. However the rest of the staff are very helpful, work hard and are friendly. Any minor problems we had were addressed immediately after our initial room change. The rooms are clean if somewhat sparse and the resort is kept up extremely well. The food was excellent and varied. A nice touch was the mini bar/restaurant on the dock. A great place for kids as well, security is very good and the beach area is large and kept very clean. [Details]

Loved the room, loved the view, tranquil and the food was great [Details]

Hotel was nice. Except my room didnt have a number on it. Got lost several times. Good Staff. Did not enjoy the 4 hour drive to and from the airport. [Details]

If you are looking for beach for long walking and enjoy with kids it is not a place. People are very friendly but I did expect more from the beach.
[Details]