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Just 20 miles east of Santo Domingo and a short 10-minute ride from Aeropuerto Las Américas is Boca Chica, a funky little resort town known for its beautiful beach by day and spirited bar and nightclub scene by night. Most of the action takes place on or alongside the bar-and-restaurant-lined beach, a wide, sandy, palm-fringed stretch of golden white sand where you will find people sunbathing, splashing in the calm, shallow waters, or perched at tables overlooking the action. The local color includes a lively – and persistent – mix of bands, vendors, and other entrepreneurs who hawk everything from a song to hair-braiding... or even themselves. Boca Chica can make a great day-trip from Santo Domingo or Juan Dolio on a Sunday afternoon when Dominicans from the city drive in for the party.
Since gaining popularity in the 1970s, however, Boca Chica has unfortunately become known for a much seedier side as well. At night its main strip, Calle Duarte, becomes an open-air brothel, with male “sanky pankies” and female “putas” out aggressively stirring up business among the crowds of tourists, many of whom visit the area for the explicit purpose of hooking up with prostitutes. Unless you’re actively looking for that type of thing, it can make for a very uncomfortable, even sordid atmosphere.
Calle Duarte, which roughly parallels the sea, is also the place to find shopping and tourist services such as bank ATMs, money changers, calling stations, Western Union, Internet cafés, markets, and medical facilities. There’s a government tourist information office at the Plaza Boca Chica (☎ 809-523-5106) on the corner of Duarte and Caracole.
