We were checked in in no time. However, since we were 3 couples who wanted to stay in the same building it took longer to get that change but this one desk clerk stayed with it till he got what we wanted. The food was great. The people never asked for a tip, though in the end we did leave a little for the maid. Everyone there was eager to please. The only negative was the water pressure in out shower. Otherwise no complaints. My wife, el exigente, loved it more than I did. She wants to go back.

We stayed at the Oasis Hamaca in Boca Chica from 9/6/08-9/12/08. We had an absolutely fantastic time. There were 7 of us total ranging from ages 25-65. We booked our trip through CheapCaribbean.com. I have read so many negative reviews that I wanted to leave a review on our experiance.

CHECK-IN: We arrived at the hotel around 4pm. We didn't wait in a line and were immeadiatly given our wrist bands and room keys. We were also given a welcome drink while standing at the front desk checking in. Remember, we are a group of 7 and we didn't wait at all!

ROOMS: We did change rooms once, only because two people in our group couldn't climb stairs and our first set of rooms were on the 4th floor on the Garden side of the hotel that has no elevator. We stayed in those rooms for 1 night and they were absolutely clean!! With CLEAN sheets and towels. The Room that we switched to was in the main building because it does have an elevator. That room had an ocean view (over trees, but who cares) and was VERY CLEAN and NICE! To be honest I went expecting the worst and saw nothing that has been left by other reviewers. I have actually seen with my own eyes a total of 8 rooms (4 on the garden side and 4 in the main building) and they have all been VERY NICE AND CLEAN!! All windows and doors shut, all bathrooms were clean, all sheets were white and all towels were white. I brought two towels with me, but never used them as the towels supplied by the hotel were very nice and clean. We did tip our maid $2US a day. But I don't think everyone did on our trip and we all got the same service. Two rooms were with one maid and two with another.

FOOD: We ate at all restaurantes except the one that you have to pay at. We loved the food at every location. We ate breakfast at the big buffet everyday. Lunch was always at Mangos by the beach or pizza. I have heard that some think the Dominican restaurante is not really Dominican. WRONG!! My mother-in-law and her sister were born and raised in the DR and they LOVED the food! I have home cooked Dominican Food on a regular basis and it is very close to the same thing. It just isn't "home cooked" food. But, when you go to Olive Garden do you think it taste just as good as food cooked from the home of an italian!?!

BEACH/POOLS: We were at the beach every day except 1. We loved it. They clean the beach on a regular basis. You do get towels from the dive people. You have to turn in your towels everyday and get a ticket. This was very nice as we didn't have to carry wet towels around the entire resort with us all day. The new pool is the only one I can comment on. It is spectacular!!! We loved it. You can see the beach and ocean from the pool. And there is natural shade from the building around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. We didn't have a problem getting a shade cannopy on the beach at all.

SPA: This was the best part of the entire vacation! They offer a 3 massage package for one person for $100US. They allowed us to split the package up by 3 people. So 6 people in our group got a half hour massage for $33US per person. We also got use of the sauna and jaccuzzi as well as complimentary tea. The girls in the Spa are very sweet and really take great care of you!

TOURS: We went Snorkeling and 4-Wheeling. We loved both. Daniel was our guide Snorkeling and he was fantastic. It was only 3 of us with him. He took us to see a small ship that had sunk. He was GREAT! Our 4-wheeling was good. You are supposed to go into the country and ride on the beach. It had rained the day before so there was a lot of mud on the country part. (My husband and I 4-Wheel a lot and this is what we are used to...no big deal!) The country part took a bit longer due to the mud so the manager would not allow our tour guide to take us to the beach. We just complained and were allowed to go to the beach. Just make sure you don't spend too much time in one place.

STAFF: I only had one run in with a rude employee the entire time of our stay. She could have just been having a bad day. Remember you don't know what kind of things another person may being going through! The front desk people were always helpful and very nice. The maids always said hello. The bartenders are very good. The waiters went out of their way to get you what ever you asked for. And always with a smile.

CASINO: My husband loved the casino. It is nothing like a Vegas casino, which we go to every year. But it is great in its own right. I didn't notice anyone really winning anything. But again you are in a resort in the Dominican Republic not in Vegas.

MISC: The are a few guys running around the resort with a squirel monkey, two parrots and an iguana. My husband and I had some very cute pictures taken with one of the parrots. The photos were $7US per picture. I don't think that is too bad. There are guys that sell paintings and jewelry on the resort. We bought 3 painting for a total of $65US. Talk them down. You can do this. But, remember they need to feed themselves too! The shows that the resort puts on are very good. The MC just speaks a little to fast. I don't speak much spanish so I didn't always understand him. But I really enjoyed the shows anyways!

I think you just need to realize that you are going to a third world country that has a lot of poverty, but is extremely beautiful. You need to understand that it is rated 4 or 5 star based on the Dominican Republic. Not America. There is a language situation, but you are going to a spanish speaking country. It wouldn't hurt to learn some spanish! And always remember, you get what you pay for!

Ok, it was a nice room with the basics but, You really had to use everything threre and couldnt book outside venues, we tried but the interet was down for 3 days and we had to use the events that the hotel used, I would Never go back, ok it was a cheap vacation but we had money to spend and just couldnt get out of the hotel, ! The food ok, all the Staff work very hard ,the shows we watched Cute, and the bartenders Awesome ,, Please tip them thats how they make ends meet, I would never go back because I want to safetly explore the island,,,,not be a prisoner of the hotel!

JUST DON'T GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I arrived on Tuesday, August 5, 2008. Ate all of my meals there--
remeber this is an all inclusive resort, -- Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday during the day. On Friday evening I ate at the Italian Restaurant and immediately my stomach began to rumble, I felt as if I was going to have diarrhea and had this strong urge to vomit. I immediate proceeded to my room where I did vomit (something I had not done since I was a child) and had sever diarrhea. The severe pains in my stomach would not leave and I felt very warm, started to have chills. The vomiting and diarrhea continued. I was very,very sick!!! I was so sick that I indeed thought death was not far away!!!!!!!!!!!

The front desk called the doctor. And I ASSumed that they were going to pay the bill. The doctor came and took my vitals. My normally low blood pressure (120/70) shot up to 154/95; my temperture spike to 101.3 degrees; and my pulse was racing.

I was treated by the doctor and much to my chagrin given a bill of $160 American Dollars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In a country where there is NO minimum wage! Most people earn less than 40 per month. You must settle this bill immediately. They will hold you hostage if you do not settle!!

The manager of the hotel refused to pay the bill and told me I had a delicate stomach. (His assistant wanted to know if I drank--that implication was clear!!) He had no response to, my query, "If I had a delicate stomach, why did I not get sick at this all inclusive resort on Tues, Wed, Thurs, Friday Day, Sat. Sun. Mon. or Tuesday? And I have traveled extensively throughout Eurpope, the Caribbean, and Africa, eating in their villages, as well as their restaurants with out an incident!!!!!"

In addition, the sink in my room leaked so badly in created an unsafe condition on the tiled floor. They sent a maintenceman and by evening the problem was back again. The housekeeping staff solved the problem by placing on of the wastepaper baskets under the drain and that is how it stayed until we left. AND I have pictures to prove it.

I was forewarned about this resort, but since it was a 34th Family Reunion, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go--What a terrible mistake.

NOW YOU HAVE BEEN FORWARNED!