Boca chica Travel Guide

There are many other things to do at this beach resort. One of the best beaches in the Caribbean is here, with two islands in the bay, to swim, sail board, or boat. The water is as clear as the Bahamas and the climate is perfect. Nearby is also La Romana, an international city with a great sports resort, Casa de Campo. A little farther east is Bayahibe Beach, one of the five most beautiful beaches in the world, mainly known only to Dominican locals. This is a great place to take your new female companion, as directions are tricky and a guide is preferred! Of course, <strong>Santo Domingo</strong>, the islands capital, is only 30 minutes to the west. Many tourists use Boca Chica as their base, due to its gorgeous beach and laid back atmosphere, to explore this colonial city. Santo Domingo, one of the oldest cities in the western hemisphere, has beautiful colonial ruins, great shopping, Las Vegas type entertainment and casinos, and the Malecon (boardwalk) on the weekends is an all night party. My choice of hotels here is the Jaragua Hotel, which has a perfect location on the boardwalk, the best casino and shows, a New York Deli, tennis club, Olympic pool. Now a Ramada's Renaissance affiliate, you can reach them by calling 1-800-331-3542.

Here are a few special tips to make your trip more fun with less hassles! First, if you want to save a great deal of money, go after April 15, when the low season starts and hotels drop rates 50%. The weather is the same, just a little more rain in the evening! Second, when you change money upon arrival at the airport, keep the receipt, since when you want to change back to dollars at the airport before leaving, you must show your receipt. If you lose it, ask a luggage handler or cab driver for dollars--although you'll get an awful exchange rate from them. It's better than having worthless Dominican pesos in the U.S.

In my opinion, the Dominican Republic is the best and most under-rated island in the Caribbean. It has everything a single male traveller could want or even dream of!

is Boca Chica is better than ever! The new deluxe Hamaca hotel is in full operation and has brought a touch of respectability to Boca Chica. The hotel ( part of the AMHSA chain - U.S. 1-800-945-0792) is as gorgeous as any deluxe property in Hawaii. If you enjoy first class, then this hotel is for you. It is now one of the three best hotels in the Dominican Republic ( others being the "Ramada Juragua" in Santo Domingo and the "Sand Castle" in Sosua) with its own private beach, four restaurants (you can book an all-inclusive package) two pools, four clay tennis courts (with two pros) and the most perfect location in Boca Chica -- on a slight bluff overlooking the best part of Boca Chica beach. It is only a few feet to the bars, discos, and whatever that makes this beach resort so popular with men. The bad news is no outside guests are allowed , even to use the pool. Soon this hotel will become part of the Interval time-share network, so look for special promotions. A good second choice is the Sunset Beach Club, an old R.C.I. time-share resort and now an all-inclusive hotel catering to the Europeans. For $60.00 a night you get an adequate A/C room plus all meals, daily activities, private sun terrace over the beach, and a nice pool. Call direct...809-523-4580. Oh, it is only a few blocks east of the Hamaca, if you want to play tennis or check out how the upper-crust pass their time. Something in-between is the Meson Isabela (809-523-4224), small apartments with a pretty pool, very clean, and priced under $50.00. Cheaper rooms are available if you don't mind sharing a huge living room with two other bedrooms (dormitory style). Located between the above mentioned two properties. Due to Hamaca five-star property opening, the city of Boca Chica has got their act together-- two years ago there was trash and sewage on the far west end beach, now has manicured Palm trees and daily raked sand. The water is still crystal clear and the night life is the same -- HOT! The new disco

(a remodeled El Partaiso) is the "Mariel" located on the main drag (only a half mile long) and really gets nasty after 11.00 P.M. Actually this disco is a last resort for the single male traveler... by the time midnight has struck, you'll have already been checked into one of the inexpensive (remember, good hotels don't allow visitors) beach bungalows that dot the main drag with your new friend. At night main street closes down and the outside restaurants and bars put their tables and chairs in the middle of the street for the night voyeur. You sip a beer, watch the fashion show, wink at the one you like (guaranteed, she will wink back) and that is that. Warning!

Don't wink or even smile at a girl you're not interested in...not only will it take the rest of the evening getting rid of her but when she sees you're not interested, she will ask for a few dollars for you wasting her time. Pay it (or she'll never leave) and let it be a lesson learned! Men are a prize in Boca Chica. Your last problem

is if you want to negotiate for the immediate hour, the entire night, or maybe the week. If you buy her some clothes or take her on a trip then love is free but like everything else in this world, if you can't wait it will cost. If you still haven't found Miss Right, go to Miriel's, for now the dance floor is full of lonely ladies dancing with each other. They are hoping you'll make their day (night) and approach to dance, flirt or ask them out for the entire evening -- what a life in Boca Chica! If there is a problemwith Boca Chica, it's its size -- by the third night you know every girl and they "all" know you by your first name. Your first love will bug you endlessly not to flirt with her girl friend. If you are a "butterfly" (in Asia, the name Thai ladies associate with men who's eyes & interest wander to a different girl every night) then it is time to move on. The charm of Boca Chica is not only the lay-back attitude of its amateur female population, but because they are so innocent (they do fall in love) they don't want to share the spoils...YOU!

Boca Chica's beach is truly unique.  Its waters make up a cove approximately 1 mile wide.  About 1/4 mile out, there is a reef in the shape of a giant semi-circle that extends from end to end and just protrudes out beyond the water's surface and completely surrounds the cove, forming a giant natural salt-water swimming pool with depths averaging 3-4 feet.  The reef acts as a natural break wall to the Caribbean Sea, so the cove is usually glass calm..  Inside the reef, the water is crystal clear, continuously filtered and fed by a series of natural underground springs.  It is this "swimming pool in the sea" that provides some very beautiful and distinct views because you have the deep azure blue of the Caribbean beyond the reef, contrasting with the shallow bay, which varies between a deep sky-blue and an intense blue-green, depending on the angle of the sun.

The water starts at the beach about ankle deep and reaches a depth of just few feet after about 100 yards out, with nothing but smooth clean sand underfoot.  As one approaches the middle, they may encounter a short distance of 10 yards or so where the water depth reaches 6 feet but it quickly returns to just a few feet in depth and slowly decreases until it is again ankle deep as one approaches the natural reef.

This naturally calm, clear, and shallow water makes it ideal for all sorts of water sports and swimming.  It is great for paddle boats, kayaks, water skiing, banana boat rides. Jet skis are restricted to the far end of the beach, away from the hotels and swimmers.  It is especially good for small children.  The sand along the shore varies in appearance from a light colored tan to white, depending on the angle of the sun.  It is usually flat for easy walking and the beach varies from 40 to 100 yards wide.  One can easily find room on the beach to throw a Frisbee around any day of the week, any time of the day. There is lots of open space. 

On Sundays, the beach gets very crowded, as many Dominicans families come in from Santo Domingo to enjoy the beach, but by Monday morning the beach is empty and cleaned up of any debris left from the Sunday crowds.  The rest of the week is equally quiet until Saturday, when the beach sees more visitors.

La Matica.
Off shore and inside the reef, there are two small islands.  At about the center is a mangrove named La Matica, or "Little Bush".  There is very little firm ground on this mangrove but it is home to thousands of birds called "garzas" (herons).  Many visitors enjoy wading out to the shore of the mangrove and just hanging out, as the water off-shore is only a couple feet deep and it recedes gently up along a soft and smooth sand bar.  A narrow waterway cuts through the center of the mangrove and curious visitors like to float through in a boat, just to see where it goes.

Los Pinos.
On the very far west end of the cove lies the island of Los Pinos, or "The Pines".  This island is larger and has plenty of firm land.  It is somewhat polluted along the edges from all the visitors that throw trash onto the ground but few venture beyond the first 20 yards once landing on this island.  This is partly because Hurricane Georges uprooted many trees and bushes making navigation across the property difficult.  Another reason is because most people arrive with bare feet and swimsuit.  An exploration of this little island requires sturdy shoes and mosquito repellent.  

Playa Andrés.
Directly across from this island towards the main shore is an old but still operating sugar factory, a key source of employment for the town of Andrés, often called "Andrés de Boca Chica".  Also across the shore is a marina, home to many large yachts, a Dominican Customs facility for use by the large freighters that arrive here at the port of Andrés, and there is a good stretch of beach called Playa Andrés that covers the distance between the marina and Boca Chica Beach.  It is seldom crowded and lined with natural palm-leaf beach umbrellas and wooden slat chairs.

Boquilla Beaches
Bocachicha Beaches