Boca Chica 2/20-27/2007
First many thanks to all those who?ve shared their experiences in this forum, your insights gave me a wonderful foundation for a memorable trip. FYI I?m a middle-aged US male with rudimentary Spanish skills.
I got a non-stop flight from JFK to Las Americas on Delta and within 60 minutes of landing arrived at the Hotel Garant International located at Calle Sanchez 9 in Boca Chica. The hotel is owned by a Quebec native and is small but cozy and very clean with plenty of hot water, daily maid service, and a pool. I paid $40 a night for a non-a/c room with international cable tv, refrigerator, wall safe and a ceiling fan. Easy walking distance from the beach and the downtown area. There were a variety of guests from chica chasers to families but never any late night noise or problems that I was aware of. It?s number 19 on the map found here. Boca Chica, Dominican Republic Map
I carried cash and traveler?s checks. First order of business after arrival was to exchange some currency. There are many options but I wandered into the cambio, which is located a few doors west of Pequena Suiza restaurant on Duarte. The exchange rate was fair and the transaction easily accomplished. (The bank on the eastern end of San Rafael happily cashed traveler?s checks for me and had a slightly better rate than the cambios.)
I?m not much of a night person. The routine I fell into consisted of breakfast at the Garant at 8:00 then down to the beach with a book by 10:00. Usually holed up in front of the Playa Vista using their lounges and umbrellas for the price of a few bottled waters and a Bohemia or two as the day wore on. Swim, sun, dry, repeat. I believe their prices were the best of any of the bars or restaurants I stopped at. A regular Presidente was 65p Bohemia 60p agua fria 30p. They also are a wi-fi hotspot for those who can?t let go of their computers on vacation and the owners are just plain friendly and helpful.
Lunch was either a 100p plate of fruit cut to order by the vendor just west of Playa Vista or some goodies overlooking the pool at the Garant. The best bread I found was sold by Fredy?s Shack located just east of Calle Sanchez on 20 de Diciembre across from the school. That along with some fruit from one of the street vendors or a couple chunks of chorizo and some cheese from the Mercado necessitated a great deal of walking to keep from growing out of my trunks.
Fernandos Restaurant, just toward the beach from the east end of the park, was my favorite for dinner. Great food, good prices, very pleasant wait staff. Pollo Guisado was 220p I believe. I had a very nice meal at Pequena Suiza, fettucini primavera, a glass of wine, bottled water and delicious bread for under 400p, and the handsome waiter should have the ladies smiling. The most expensive meal I had was at D?Lucien next to Italy Italy on the east end of Duarte, a beautiful whole grilled fish with a green salad, two glasses of wine, bread, a bottled water and a complimentary appetizer for 1200p. I can honestly say I?ve never had better fish. Didn?t get to try it but was told the shanty type operation just east of Calle Sanchez on San Rafael was also excellent, she had Filet Mignon as a special when I walked past.
I made all my calls back to the states from one of the many call centers in town. The Cambio/Call Center just west of Pequena Suiza on Duarte was the cheapest at 6p per minute, the nicest was in the plaza behind the two Italian restaurants at the east end of Duarte. They were 9p per minute. I used the internet caf? by the Banco Popular east of the park and another in the plaza with the gourmet shop near the park. Both were around 40p per half hour and had good connections when I tried them. The gourmet place will make you a delicious sandwich to your order or you can purchase ingredients there that you won?t find in the local mercados.
Booked a Saona Island tour with Cigua Tours and was happy with the experience. A very fussy German gal who?s been operating there for twelve years owns the tour company and runs a tight ship. $60 for the tour, which included a two and a half hour bus ride to Bayahibe, a two and a half hour catamaran ride with all the cuba libres and cute animacion girls you could want, a couple hours on the beach including a welcome drink and tasty Dominican lunch, speed boat back to a popular snorkeling spot, then back to the harbor and the bus to Boca Chica. Twelve hours for $60. Not normally my thing but a great way for a neophyte to get some exposure to different parts of the island. The Cigua tour stand is on Duarte west of Pequeana Suiza.
There are a number of reasons to pick Boca Chica. The beach itself is wonderful for sunning and swimming. The fact that it?s a popular tourist area makes it easier to get along with limited Spanish. Proximity to the capital makes it a good choice for sightseers. The safety and security of the area are better than I had anticipated. And the friendliness and openness of the people made the trip more enjoyable than any of the other foreign destinations I?ve visited.
The last night of my trip I paid my first visit to the casino and being informed that the hold-em game wouldn?t start till ten I headed back toward the Garant. Brugal Rum helped sponsor a carnival area near my hotel. They had blasted thumping DJ tunes that I?d drifted off to the preceding three nights. On monday night, the night before independence day, they were scheduled to have an appearance by the Orquesta Brugal. The 60p Cuba Libres made with the Extra Viejo Brugal went down easy and the Orquesta was hot. Had to be 15 pieces, four or five horns, guitar, keyboard, bass, a couple percussionists, three or four guys singing and dancing out front. The only thing they lacked was a decent spotlight to show them off. Fabulous fun for free. The only hassle was battling off the local girls (not the rental type) who seemed to think it would be fun/funny to dance with a fat old white guy. If this isn?t paradise it?s close enough for me.
First many thanks to all those who?ve shared their experiences in this forum, your insights gave me a wonderful foundation for a memorable trip. FYI I?m a middle-aged US male with rudimentary Spanish skills.
I got a non-stop flight from JFK to Las Americas on Delta and within 60 minutes of landing arrived at the Hotel Garant International located at Calle Sanchez 9 in Boca Chica. The hotel is owned by a Quebec native and is small but cozy and very clean with plenty of hot water, daily maid service, and a pool. I paid $40 a night for a non-a/c room with international cable tv, refrigerator, wall safe and a ceiling fan. Easy walking distance from the beach and the downtown area. There were a variety of guests from chica chasers to families but never any late night noise or problems that I was aware of. It?s number 19 on the map found here. Boca Chica, Dominican Republic Map
I carried cash and traveler?s checks. First order of business after arrival was to exchange some currency. There are many options but I wandered into the cambio, which is located a few doors west of Pequena Suiza restaurant on Duarte. The exchange rate was fair and the transaction easily accomplished. (The bank on the eastern end of San Rafael happily cashed traveler?s checks for me and had a slightly better rate than the cambios.)
I?m not much of a night person. The routine I fell into consisted of breakfast at the Garant at 8:00 then down to the beach with a book by 10:00. Usually holed up in front of the Playa Vista using their lounges and umbrellas for the price of a few bottled waters and a Bohemia or two as the day wore on. Swim, sun, dry, repeat. I believe their prices were the best of any of the bars or restaurants I stopped at. A regular Presidente was 65p Bohemia 60p agua fria 30p. They also are a wi-fi hotspot for those who can?t let go of their computers on vacation and the owners are just plain friendly and helpful.
Lunch was either a 100p plate of fruit cut to order by the vendor just west of Playa Vista or some goodies overlooking the pool at the Garant. The best bread I found was sold by Fredy?s Shack located just east of Calle Sanchez on 20 de Diciembre across from the school. That along with some fruit from one of the street vendors or a couple chunks of chorizo and some cheese from the Mercado necessitated a great deal of walking to keep from growing out of my trunks.
Fernandos Restaurant, just toward the beach from the east end of the park, was my favorite for dinner. Great food, good prices, very pleasant wait staff. Pollo Guisado was 220p I believe. I had a very nice meal at Pequena Suiza, fettucini primavera, a glass of wine, bottled water and delicious bread for under 400p, and the handsome waiter should have the ladies smiling. The most expensive meal I had was at D?Lucien next to Italy Italy on the east end of Duarte, a beautiful whole grilled fish with a green salad, two glasses of wine, bread, a bottled water and a complimentary appetizer for 1200p. I can honestly say I?ve never had better fish. Didn?t get to try it but was told the shanty type operation just east of Calle Sanchez on San Rafael was also excellent, she had Filet Mignon as a special when I walked past.
I made all my calls back to the states from one of the many call centers in town. The Cambio/Call Center just west of Pequena Suiza on Duarte was the cheapest at 6p per minute, the nicest was in the plaza behind the two Italian restaurants at the east end of Duarte. They were 9p per minute. I used the internet caf? by the Banco Popular east of the park and another in the plaza with the gourmet shop near the park. Both were around 40p per half hour and had good connections when I tried them. The gourmet place will make you a delicious sandwich to your order or you can purchase ingredients there that you won?t find in the local mercados.
Booked a Saona Island tour with Cigua Tours and was happy with the experience. A very fussy German gal who?s been operating there for twelve years owns the tour company and runs a tight ship. $60 for the tour, which included a two and a half hour bus ride to Bayahibe, a two and a half hour catamaran ride with all the cuba libres and cute animacion girls you could want, a couple hours on the beach including a welcome drink and tasty Dominican lunch, speed boat back to a popular snorkeling spot, then back to the harbor and the bus to Boca Chica. Twelve hours for $60. Not normally my thing but a great way for a neophyte to get some exposure to different parts of the island. The Cigua tour stand is on Duarte west of Pequeana Suiza.
There are a number of reasons to pick Boca Chica. The beach itself is wonderful for sunning and swimming. The fact that it?s a popular tourist area makes it easier to get along with limited Spanish. Proximity to the capital makes it a good choice for sightseers. The safety and security of the area are better than I had anticipated. And the friendliness and openness of the people made the trip more enjoyable than any of the other foreign destinations I?ve visited.
The last night of my trip I paid my first visit to the casino and being informed that the hold-em game wouldn?t start till ten I headed back toward the Garant. Brugal Rum helped sponsor a carnival area near my hotel. They had blasted thumping DJ tunes that I?d drifted off to the preceding three nights. On monday night, the night before independence day, they were scheduled to have an appearance by the Orquesta Brugal. The 60p Cuba Libres made with the Extra Viejo Brugal went down easy and the Orquesta was hot. Had to be 15 pieces, four or five horns, guitar, keyboard, bass, a couple percussionists, three or four guys singing and dancing out front. The only thing they lacked was a decent spotlight to show them off. Fabulous fun for free. The only hassle was battling off the local girls (not the rental type) who seemed to think it would be fun/funny to dance with a fat old white guy. If this isn?t paradise it?s close enough for me.