Dominican Republic Resorts
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The Dominican Republic has numerous coastal towns that have developed into 'thriving resorts'. Typically, being close-enough to, yet far enough away from the Capital, both these lively Southern 'vacation hot-spots' have seen massive investment over the last twenty years or so:-
East out of the Capital, Santo Domingo, it takes about half an hour by car to reach the beginning of this 'extensive' resort. In fact the area of this ‘well known’ coastal town now stretches along more than 20km of generally nice coastline, though parts have been ‘man-made’...or at least ‘man-enhanced’! The resort has developed over the past two decades to become one of the major settings for large ‘all-inclusive’ and well known ‘Golf’ developments.
For many, Juan Dolio has provided the setting for acquiring a typical ‘tourist’ appreciation of the Dominican Republic. So, if you are looking for a fairly antiseptic experience, and you aren’t too much of a foodie, and if you don’t care too much about seeing the ‘real’ DR...(or you are prepared to make an effort to see the real DR and get the place into perspective by getting out and about, and missing some of those all-inclusive ‘perks’) ...then we’d say Juan Dolio might be ‘just fine’ for you!
Most visitors to this resort will observe that the Juan Dolio ‘stretch’ develops out of , and to some extent intermingles with some of the poorer ‘urbanizations’ just beyond the boundary of Santo Domingo, in the province of San Pedro de Macoris.
In many ways the contrast between ‘luxury all-inclusive’ and simple local ‘homes’ exemplifies the disparity in wealth that exists in the DR. Visitors really should grasp the fact that local people live in a world of extremes, so Juan Dolio does represent an opportunity for those willing to ‘take this in’ to begin to get under the skin of the country rather than merely wallow in the fantasy presented by the premium priced ‘all-inclusive’ environment.
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So, we were born in the Dominican Republic, but still wonder how this place came to be named after ‘a young girl’s mouth’?
The closest resort to Las Americas International Airport, being just a quarter hour drive away, Boca Chica, sits at the very edge of Santo Domingo’s provincial boundary, close to Juan Dolio.
Some 600 years or so ago the Boca Chica area was apparently an important site for the native inhabitants of the Island, the peaceful Tainos...but then along came Columbus!
Much later, during the dictatorial years of Trujillo, the area began to develop as a favorite haunt of wealthy Dominicans desiring a break from their labours in SD. As often happens over time a seedier element began to insinuate its way into this centre for ‘hedonistic’ pursuits.
Boca Chica is blessed by being host to a beautiful sheltered white sand beach. Shallow, warm waters cradled in the arms of a protective reef make it a perfect place for the ‘less-adrenalin-inducing’ water-based activities than Cabarete offers. So the setting is great for undemanding snorkelers and paddle-boaters! Though, true you can get out there on skis, and surf boards too, if that is your thing!
But Boca Chica really comes alive as the sun goes down having a well established ‘night scene’ offering classy dining and other diversions...some of which are still rather less ‘family orientated’ than other resorts offer!
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Ruth & Esther
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