Challenge of private beaches

Sit close to the water, smile, engage them in conversation (tell them about yourself, etc). If that doesn't work - 100 pesos will help! Yes the beaches are public but you should stay within 60 meters from the water. Some of the guards are very friendly if you are nice. Others will allow you to stay but not sit in a hotel chair.

chuckuindy said:

Somewhere I have read that all of the beaches in the DR are public, yet many of the hotel beaches have guards posted and do not allow non-guests to use a portion of the beach even if it is directly adjacent to a known public area. My question is what happens if you challenge the guards and hotel establishment by telling them that by law all beaches in the DR are public?

Chuckuindy

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You are correct, of course, that by law, the beaches are public, and legally, the owner can only block access accross his land.
If an Army General has posted guards at the extremities of the beach in front of his property, to stop anyone from passing and you argued and tried to force you way through, they WOULD stop you, legal or not.
It's never wise to argue with a man who is carrying a weapon.
If the guards are working a hotel property, as mentioned above, there may be a way to get by with courtesy and/or a tip.
There is only one rule, the Golden Rule.
He who has the gold, rules.

Are they keeping you off the beach or from going onto the non-beach property of the hotel?

My only experience with this was with a guard who didn't bother me until I started walking toward the hotel.

They are violating the law. If more people challenged this, those in violation would not be so successful. The law obliges these properties to leave a public passway to the beach.

I would like to see a prosecutor/judge being thrown off a beach and see how he reacts. I would like to see an investigative journalist being thrown off the beach and see if this can become a story...

Personally, I have not been allowed to be thrown off beaches, claiming my rights and have written about it in the past.

Could one sue for being thrown off a beach... has yet to happen.

Ken said:

Are they keeping you off the beach or from going onto the non-beach property of the hotel?

My only experience with this was with a guard who didn't bother me until I started walking toward the hotel.

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I've had similar experiences. No problems when walking on the "private" beach, only when trying to get to the beach via the hotel property.

I have personally been told to leave HAMACA's beach by an armed Watcheeman during the day and chose not to find out if he had a good shot!

Their beach is protected by an illegal concrete wall that extends into the water, that I may add, has destroyed 1/2 of the public beach of Boca Chica through years of erosion.

Anybody wanna challenge Hilton, S.A.?

rellosk said:

I've had similar experiences. No problems when walking on the "private" beach, only when trying to get to the beach via the hotel property.

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In my case it was trying to get to the hotel property via the beach.