Personal & Tasty Insight into Boca Chica for Local Beaches in Dominican Republic

I’ve got this thing for local beaches in Dominican Republic, for personal and tasty reasons. So when recent discussions about global foodie spots and islands came up on Instagram, this little spot came to mind. Sitting at home this winter in colder, humid Spain, it was super easy to daydream about Boca Chica. It’s a tropical local beach that I grew up going to with my Dominican family and I wrote about it during my solo-female travels. Whether you’re sitting in winter temperatures somewhere or not, indulge your beach fantasies and  foodie-appetite with this local beach story. You may discover ideas for your next island trip!

Only a half hour drive from Santo Domingo, the capital city of the Dominican Republic, is a beach called Boca Chica. There are tourists that visit there, but for the most part you can find that a lot of Dominicans enjoy a nice day at this beach as well. It’s a great one-day beach visit for people living in the capital city and its surrounding areas. The shallow waters formed by the bay are great for having children play in and the water has that gorgeous turquoise shade of tropical waters. There’s always a pleasant refreshing ocean breeze, which is the only thing that causes small waves on the otherwise glass-smooth surface.

Ever since I was little and would visit my mother’s family in the Dominican, I have been making visits to this beach. I still like how it is one of those beaches where the water is so clear and shallow, with no large waves. Palm trees cluster in a variety of tall and short heights, providing ideal little canopies of shade. While many hotels are located right along the shore, most of them are small, local hotels and their beachfront areas are open to the public as well. This means that visitors have access to rent chairs and enjoy bars and restaurants.

Above Images – Each little cutie are my cousins. They both have the coolest hair.

Today, the ladies of the family enjoyed the last few hours of the day at Boca Chica. We ordered pescado frito (fried fish) with tostones (fried plantains) and went through quite a few bottles of cerveza Presidente, the beer of the Dominican Republic. But to be truly Dominican, it has to be served buen fria, which means so cold that as soon as you uncap it, it starts to crystalize into frozen beer bits and even overflows some. It’s glorious in that sweltering hot, humid Dominican weather!

Take note – this was the first beer I ever had. And of course I had it during summers visiting family in the DR, a bit under-age, especially compared to US standards. Aah…good times. It was a great relaxing time of laughter and stories, the kind that can only be enjoyed by three generations of Dominican women together.

Above Image – That’s right – freshly roasted corn on the cob, on the beach. It’s more delicious that way. 

While I don’t care for the view of the large commercial harbor in the distance, it is still a great little spot to enjoy for a day visit that is conveniently close to the capital city. Over the years, I’ve seen it become cleaner and safer. When I was young, it was known as a bit dangerous for foreigners and not as ‘made-up’ as other beach areas.

I’ll never forget the hilarious story of when I spent the summer I was 15 years old in the Dominican – my abuelita and tia were talking about taking me to Boca Chica and someone commented, ‘Oh, be careful of the tigeres’…without hesitating I asked, ‘What!?! They have tigers there?’… Everyone started laughing and eventually someone said, ‘No, tigeres means the fresh boys who will try to grab and kiss you’. Oops. Talk about a local dialect lesson!

Boca Chica is one of the overlooked local beaches in Dominican Republic that gives one a great immersion into the local culture and people. So remember this beach if you ever get to visit Santo Domingo and want to have a beach experience that is authentically Dominican in the personal and food aspects of its heart-warming culture.