Marco
04-10-2006, 10:02 PM
Review: Hotel El Caucho, Boca Chica
Submitting a review of my experience while staying a total of five nights at the El Caucho Hotel in Boca Chica late March. When you read my review you should keep in mind that I have not stayed at another hotel in BC and can't compare with other hotels. I hope this review will be helpful for anyone reading it in order to decide if the hotel might the right one for you. Parts of the information below has already been posted in my trip report, http://news.insearchofchicas.org/forum/showthread.php?t=8437 , but I have added more information and much more pictures. I'm very happy with my stay and the staff at the hotel is absolutely great. I will definitely stay at the hotel again when I come back to BC.
CONTACT INFO:
El Caucho
Calle 20 de Diciembre #5
Boca Chica
www.elcaucho.com
Phone: (809) 523-9681
LOCATION:
The hotel is located in the western part of BC, or to be more specific Los Coquitos, at the beginning of Calle 20 de Diciembre #5. The beach is a five minute walk from the hotel, and the main park Parque Central is about ten to fifteen minutes away (by foot) from the hotel.
Below is pictures of the hotel from the street:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho1.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho2.jpg
RESERVATION/PRICE:
I made my reservation by phone through one of the managers of the hotel, Francesco. He was very friendly and service minded. When I spoke with him he asked me if I was a member of ISOC and he offered me the 10% ISOC discount right away without me having to ask for it. The rate offered was US$ 35 per night including taxes for a single standard room after the ISOC discount. The total for five nights was US$ 175 including taxes, I later paid the bill in cash. A day after my reservation he sent me a confirmation email and he also informed me that he had upgraded me from a single room to a single superior room.
AIRPORT PICKUP/DROP-OFF:
When I reserved my room I also asked for airport pickup (US$ 20). When I arrived at the airport the driver was waiting for me with a sign with my name. BC is only five miles (8 km) east of Las Americas airport (about a ten minute ride).
HOTEL STANDARD:
When judging the hotel standard of any hotel in the Dominican Republic I think it is a good idea to remember that it is a third world country and that things will be different compared to the U.S. or Europe. El Caucho is by no means a Hilton or Marriot, but on the other hand I was only paying US$ 35 per night including taxes. The standard was more than adequate for my needs, and considering the room rate a good value for the money.
CLEANLINESS:
The room was cleaned every day including Sundays, and the maids did a good job. Towels were replaced everyday. Bed linen were clean without any nasty spots. Bathroom supplies were restocked on a regular basis and for example there was never any shortage of bathroom tissue.
ROOMS:
The hotel has about 25 rooms. There are three room categories:
-single room
-single superior room
-double room
I stayed in a single superior room. The room had air-conditioning that worked very well without any excessive noise. The room was located in the back of the property away from the street and the room was quiet. The bedroom was on the small size, I estimate the size of the bedroom to be about 13' x 12' (4 m x 3.5 m):
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho4.jpg
The bed was comfortable and adequate for my needs. One chica fits, but the bed might be to small for comfortable happy hours:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho5.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho6.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho7.jpg
There was more than enough drawer space for my needs, I do tend to travel light and prefer to bring with me limited amount of luggage. In the picture you can also see the safe (key operated) that was large enough to hold a notebook computer:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho8.jpg
One drawback with the room I was staying in was that what from the picture looks like a wardrobe where you can hang your shirts, only had shelves. There was no space in the wardrobe to hang any clothes so I just improvised. Clothes hangers were provided in a drawer.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho9.jpg
The room had a small 13” color TV with many cable channels including at least one porn channel. The picture quality was good. However I did not use the TV much, because I don't watch TV when I'm on vacation. The room also had a minibar, containing the usual stuff you would find at any hotel: water, sodas, beer, wine, snacks, etc. Prices were very reasonable considering what some hotels charges for items from a minibar. The minibar was restocked daily, including Sundays:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho10.jpg
The room also had a remote controlled stereo with radio and CD:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho11.jpg
Below are pictures of the bathroom, the maids did a good job in keeping it clean:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho12.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho13.jpg
The room had a private balcony:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho14.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho15.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho17.jpg
The balcony was overlooking a pool that was really nice and always clean:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho16.jpg
The hotel has two stories and this picture is taken from the pool area towards my room:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho3.jpg
RESTAURANT/BARS:
The hotel has a restaurant (Ristorante Marechiaro) serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There were many Italian items on the menu. I ate there a number of times and I liked the food:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho19.jpg
The main dining room are is located on the second floor of the restaurant, and has working Wi-Fi:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho20.jpg
The hotel also has two bars, however only one was in use when I was staying there. Prices were reasonable. This is the bar that was open, and it had also working Wi-Fi connection:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho18.jpg
This bar by the pool area was not in use when I was there. However, the pool table and the ping-pong table was available. The pool table isn't in the best condition, but nevertheless I played some pool with the girls. One of the girls was really good at playing pool. She beat me almost every time:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho21.jpg
CHICAS ON SITE:
The girls are great and the hotel policy is that you as a guest can approach them if you want. There is no pressure from the girls and if you don't want to hook up with them, they will leave you alone. I liked the girls at the hotel, they were really cool to talk to and just to hang out with and there was no pressure at all from their side for a date, buying drinks, etc. There is no set price, you have to negotiate with the girls and the price will depend on factors such as if she likes you, your age, if she is short of money at the moment, etc. I enjoyed spending time with them and practicing my Spanish. Girls leave and new ones replace them on a regular basis so the quality of the girls might vary from time to time. Rearwindow's avatar no longer works there unfortunately....
SERVICE:
What distinguishes this hotel from many other hotels is the friendly and service minded staff. The managers Francesco and Abbey are great and very accommodating. One of them was always around and they didn't mind mingle with the guests. They were generous with help and advice for however asked.
SECURITY:
The hotel is chica friendly and there is no extra charge for a chica. There is a security guard working at night making sure that only hotel guests and their company will gain access to the property. Chicas must leave their cedulas with the security guard and my overall impression of security was that it was good. The security guard was always on his post every night when I got back to the hotel, and I never had to wait at the gate for him to show up.
INTERNET CONNECTIONS:
The bar and the second floor of the restaurant has free Wi-Fi connections. There is also a computer terminal with Internet connection (DSL) by the reception area. The rate is RD$ 60 pesos per hour. I never brought any computer with me nor did I use the computer in the reception area during my stay because when I'm on vacation I stay away from computers.
ADVANTAGES:
-Outstanding staff!
-Clean rooms.
-Good value for the money.
-On site chicas who are really cool just to hang out with, without any pressure.
-Good security.
-Convenient with a bar and restaurant on premises, great when hanging out.
-Nice and clean pool.
-Free Wi-Fi.
DISADVANTAGES:
-Rooms are small.
-If you don't like to walk or to take motoconchos the location of the hotel is not as central (=Duarte/Parque Central) compared to hotels such as Europa and Madejra (for me personally this was not any problem because I like to take long strolls, but if you are a little older or for some other reason don't like to walk the location might be a disadvantage).
Submitting a review of my experience while staying a total of five nights at the El Caucho Hotel in Boca Chica late March. When you read my review you should keep in mind that I have not stayed at another hotel in BC and can't compare with other hotels. I hope this review will be helpful for anyone reading it in order to decide if the hotel might the right one for you. Parts of the information below has already been posted in my trip report, http://news.insearchofchicas.org/forum/showthread.php?t=8437 , but I have added more information and much more pictures. I'm very happy with my stay and the staff at the hotel is absolutely great. I will definitely stay at the hotel again when I come back to BC.
CONTACT INFO:
El Caucho
Calle 20 de Diciembre #5
Boca Chica
www.elcaucho.com
Phone: (809) 523-9681
LOCATION:
The hotel is located in the western part of BC, or to be more specific Los Coquitos, at the beginning of Calle 20 de Diciembre #5. The beach is a five minute walk from the hotel, and the main park Parque Central is about ten to fifteen minutes away (by foot) from the hotel.
Below is pictures of the hotel from the street:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho1.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho2.jpg
RESERVATION/PRICE:
I made my reservation by phone through one of the managers of the hotel, Francesco. He was very friendly and service minded. When I spoke with him he asked me if I was a member of ISOC and he offered me the 10% ISOC discount right away without me having to ask for it. The rate offered was US$ 35 per night including taxes for a single standard room after the ISOC discount. The total for five nights was US$ 175 including taxes, I later paid the bill in cash. A day after my reservation he sent me a confirmation email and he also informed me that he had upgraded me from a single room to a single superior room.
AIRPORT PICKUP/DROP-OFF:
When I reserved my room I also asked for airport pickup (US$ 20). When I arrived at the airport the driver was waiting for me with a sign with my name. BC is only five miles (8 km) east of Las Americas airport (about a ten minute ride).
HOTEL STANDARD:
When judging the hotel standard of any hotel in the Dominican Republic I think it is a good idea to remember that it is a third world country and that things will be different compared to the U.S. or Europe. El Caucho is by no means a Hilton or Marriot, but on the other hand I was only paying US$ 35 per night including taxes. The standard was more than adequate for my needs, and considering the room rate a good value for the money.
CLEANLINESS:
The room was cleaned every day including Sundays, and the maids did a good job. Towels were replaced everyday. Bed linen were clean without any nasty spots. Bathroom supplies were restocked on a regular basis and for example there was never any shortage of bathroom tissue.
ROOMS:
The hotel has about 25 rooms. There are three room categories:
-single room
-single superior room
-double room
I stayed in a single superior room. The room had air-conditioning that worked very well without any excessive noise. The room was located in the back of the property away from the street and the room was quiet. The bedroom was on the small size, I estimate the size of the bedroom to be about 13' x 12' (4 m x 3.5 m):
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho4.jpg
The bed was comfortable and adequate for my needs. One chica fits, but the bed might be to small for comfortable happy hours:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho5.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho6.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho7.jpg
There was more than enough drawer space for my needs, I do tend to travel light and prefer to bring with me limited amount of luggage. In the picture you can also see the safe (key operated) that was large enough to hold a notebook computer:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho8.jpg
One drawback with the room I was staying in was that what from the picture looks like a wardrobe where you can hang your shirts, only had shelves. There was no space in the wardrobe to hang any clothes so I just improvised. Clothes hangers were provided in a drawer.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho9.jpg
The room had a small 13” color TV with many cable channels including at least one porn channel. The picture quality was good. However I did not use the TV much, because I don't watch TV when I'm on vacation. The room also had a minibar, containing the usual stuff you would find at any hotel: water, sodas, beer, wine, snacks, etc. Prices were very reasonable considering what some hotels charges for items from a minibar. The minibar was restocked daily, including Sundays:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho10.jpg
The room also had a remote controlled stereo with radio and CD:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho11.jpg
Below are pictures of the bathroom, the maids did a good job in keeping it clean:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho12.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho13.jpg
The room had a private balcony:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho14.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho15.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho17.jpg
The balcony was overlooking a pool that was really nice and always clean:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho16.jpg
The hotel has two stories and this picture is taken from the pool area towards my room:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho3.jpg
RESTAURANT/BARS:
The hotel has a restaurant (Ristorante Marechiaro) serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There were many Italian items on the menu. I ate there a number of times and I liked the food:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho19.jpg
The main dining room are is located on the second floor of the restaurant, and has working Wi-Fi:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho20.jpg
The hotel also has two bars, however only one was in use when I was staying there. Prices were reasonable. This is the bar that was open, and it had also working Wi-Fi connection:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho18.jpg
This bar by the pool area was not in use when I was there. However, the pool table and the ping-pong table was available. The pool table isn't in the best condition, but nevertheless I played some pool with the girls. One of the girls was really good at playing pool. She beat me almost every time:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/bocaortega/BocaChicaHotelElCaucho/ElCaucho21.jpg
CHICAS ON SITE:
The girls are great and the hotel policy is that you as a guest can approach them if you want. There is no pressure from the girls and if you don't want to hook up with them, they will leave you alone. I liked the girls at the hotel, they were really cool to talk to and just to hang out with and there was no pressure at all from their side for a date, buying drinks, etc. There is no set price, you have to negotiate with the girls and the price will depend on factors such as if she likes you, your age, if she is short of money at the moment, etc. I enjoyed spending time with them and practicing my Spanish. Girls leave and new ones replace them on a regular basis so the quality of the girls might vary from time to time. Rearwindow's avatar no longer works there unfortunately....
SERVICE:
What distinguishes this hotel from many other hotels is the friendly and service minded staff. The managers Francesco and Abbey are great and very accommodating. One of them was always around and they didn't mind mingle with the guests. They were generous with help and advice for however asked.
SECURITY:
The hotel is chica friendly and there is no extra charge for a chica. There is a security guard working at night making sure that only hotel guests and their company will gain access to the property. Chicas must leave their cedulas with the security guard and my overall impression of security was that it was good. The security guard was always on his post every night when I got back to the hotel, and I never had to wait at the gate for him to show up.
INTERNET CONNECTIONS:
The bar and the second floor of the restaurant has free Wi-Fi connections. There is also a computer terminal with Internet connection (DSL) by the reception area. The rate is RD$ 60 pesos per hour. I never brought any computer with me nor did I use the computer in the reception area during my stay because when I'm on vacation I stay away from computers.
ADVANTAGES:
-Outstanding staff!
-Clean rooms.
-Good value for the money.
-On site chicas who are really cool just to hang out with, without any pressure.
-Good security.
-Convenient with a bar and restaurant on premises, great when hanging out.
-Nice and clean pool.
-Free Wi-Fi.
DISADVANTAGES:
-Rooms are small.
-If you don't like to walk or to take motoconchos the location of the hotel is not as central (=Duarte/Parque Central) compared to hotels such as Europa and Madejra (for me personally this was not any problem because I like to take long strolls, but if you are a little older or for some other reason don't like to walk the location might be a disadvantage).