Boca Chica is a coastal municipality of Santo Domingo, located 26 km east of the Dominican capital. It has one of the most beautiful and wide beaches in the country. Boca Chica became very popular and crowded in the late 1970s, both by national and international tourists.
Boca Chica is now a small seaside resort town in the Dominican Republic, very famous for its crystal clear, calm and shallow waters, but also for its proximity to the airport and the capital as well as for its exuberant nightlife.
Boca Chica is the most modern public beach town in the country.
Boca Chica Beach
Boca Chica beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the Dominican Republic, with white sand, soft and calm waters, crystal clear and shallow.
It has a small island in the middle where you can enjoy water sports, banana boating, fishing and snorkeling.
Boca Chica beach is unique, where its waters form a bay of approximately one and a half kilometers wide.
About 400 meters along, there is a reef in the shape of a giant half circle that covers the entire surface of the bay giving rise to an impressive and gigantic natural saltwater pool, with an average depth of 1 meter.
The reef acts as a natural barrier to the Caribbean Sea, which is why the waters of the bay are very calm.
Inside the reef, the water is clear, and always filtered and fed by a series of natural subway springs.
The beautiful and distinct views are due to this“pool in the sea“.
Boca Chica Gastronomy
Boca Chica has an excellent and very special gastronomic offer, which is why for many Dominicans it is the best place to taste fish and seafood.
Boca Chica’s fried fish is a very exquisite dish prepared with tostones, lemon and oregano, which turns out to be a real delicacy.
Boca Chica is the place where the largest number of Italian immigrants live, hence the large number of Italian pizzerias and trattorias. It is also full of seafood restaurants and Creole food.
Very famous are the restaurants that have a wooden platform on the beach that offer a rich seafood gastronomy such as:
- Restaurant Neptuno: Whose specialty is fish and seafood.
- Restaurant Pelícano: A la carte restaurant specialized in seafood, fish and international cuisine.
- Vista Marina Restaurant: With terrace or platform over Boca Chica. It has an excellent seafood cuisine and the typical drink is sangria.
If we talk about nightlife in Boca Chica, this town never sleeps. Its nightlife is a lot of fun and it develops in 2 stages:
- Between 7 and 11 o’clock at night.
- Between 11 am and 4 am.
Life between 7 and 11 p.m. takes place on Duarte Street, a very pleasant and pedestrian place, where most of the restaurants are open and where you can taste delicious dishes accompanied by a good drink.
Merengue along with Bachata are the two most listened rhythms everywhere.
After 11 p.m. most restaurants close their doors and older tourists and families return to the hotel, giving way to the night owls.
It is now when the nightlife begins where the bars set up their terraces on the street and turn it into a party place.
Many of the discos and bars stay open until the wee hours of the morning.
Activities and excursions in Boca Chica
The town of Boca Chica is the starting point to many islands in the incredible Gulf of Chiriqui.
One of the main activities here is sport fishing, surfing, kayaking and snorkeling.
If fishing is not your thing, you can take advantage and indulge yourself by visiting all the natural beauty of the islands of the archipelago and spectacular beaches.
You can also enjoy the presence of monkeys, turtles and more than 300 species of birds.
Juan Dolio
Juan Dolio and Guayacanes are two municipalities located east of Santo Domingo, 40 km from the capital and belong to the province of San Pedro De Macoris.
The east coast of the Caribbean coast has long stretches of white sandy beaches and several resorts, hotels, restaurants, diving centers, bars, luxurious residences…, which have been built along its shores.
Juan Dolio offers tourists the opportunity to enjoy the privacy offered by its beach hotels with wonderful tropical views and beautiful marine scenes.
It is a favorite destination for many Dominicans who go there on weekends to relax on more than 10 kilometers of white sand.
At the same time, being located close to major cities, it offers a wide variety of entertainment, with the possibility of organizing day trips.
Its perfect location together with the very good restaurants and the practice of good golf are the reason why a large number of residents come from Santo Domingo every weekend.
Restaurants in Juan Dolio and Boca Chica
Among the main restaurants in Juan Dolio and Boca Chica in the Dominican Republic we find:
- Boca Marina: Beautiful original restaurant located on the outskirts of the city.
- Bocana Beach&Club: Very famous for its great paellas and for its enjoyment of a great variety of food and drinks typical of the area as well as international.
- El Sueño Ristorante Pizzeria: Specialized in Italian cuisine: pastas, pizzas, etc.
- Pesca de Oro: Specializing in fresh local and imported fish and seafood products.
- La Proa Bistro Marino: Fish and seafood cuisine. A very cozy place located in front of the sea.
- Neptuno Restaurant: Well known in Santo Domingo, specializing in fresh seafood (cerviches, lobsters…), and fish dishes prepared in various ways (grilled, baked, or fried).
- Nico’s Beach: Nice beach restaurant specializing in seafood.
- Etc.
Excursions in Juan Dolio
The town of Juan Dolio, just one hour from Santo Domingo, is a favorite destination for many Dominicans.
It is the perfect location for day trips to the cities of Santo Domingo, La Romana and San Pedro de Macoris, cities full of stores and activities.
Besides spending a relaxing day at the beach, it is perfect for surfing at Playa Caribe or playing golf, just an hour away are the golf courses of Guavaberry and Los Marlins.
If you are looking for adventure do not hesitate to visit La Cueva de la Maravillas where you will learn much more about the first inhabitants, the Tainos and pictographs.
