One of the things that surprised me when I first moved to the Dominican Republic is the openly gay community that you find here. While politically the Dominican Republic appears to be rather neutral, the predominant religion of the country Catholicism has historically been, at least publically, against same sex couples. Even with this pressure against this sexual orientation, homosexuality is more prevalent in the D.R than in any other country in the Caribbean.

While in the United States the more showy gay men (flamers) are usually only seen in the larger cities, it is not uncommon to see men in traditionally women’s clothing even in the smaller towns of the D.R. For the most part Dominicans are tolerant of this culture (either locals or foreign visitors), although there is frequent reports of “Gay Bashing”, either verbal or physical, reported in the news. It is not uncommon to meet younger men (15-20 years old) that are obviously experimenting with “alternate lifestyles”, even in the smaller towns.

Like the U.S. homosexuality is even more frequently observed in the larger cities, especially the ones that receive large amounts of tourist traffic. Prostitution, both straight and gay is open and readily accessible in most of the beach and tourist towns. (more…)

The Playa Dorada is one of the two more famous resort beaches in Puerto Plata, the second one being Costa Dorada. In case you are checking a map you will likely find the name of the city to be San Felipe de Puerto Plata although the locals just call it Puerto Plata.

Playa Dorada is surrounded by the many resort hotels, many of them offer special “All Inclusive” rates for staying there. It’s said that there are 100,000 hotel beds in the city. Which gives you a little bit of an idea of how packed the beached can be in the main tourist season. It’s best to try and hit these beaches in the off-season.

Another great reason to think about going to Playa Dorada or Costa Dorada in a off season it the rates. Often “All Inclusive” hotels drop their rates from about $120 USD per person per night to as little as $30 USD per person per night. A that rate it is cheaper to go to an all inclusive then it is to get a normal hotel room and buy your own food. “All Inclusive” are exactly what the name implies. All food and drink is included with the price of the room making it a great deal. (more…)

Boca Chica Beach Sunset

Boca Chica beach is located on the southern coast of the island of Hispaniola. It’s a unique reef-protected lagoon of tranquil blue waters and powder-white sand. It is perfect for families with children as it is only waist deep even up to a mile from the shore and hardly ever there are waves. The crystal clear and shallow water are great for swimming and snorkeling, paddle boating, kayaking, especially around the coral reefs. Boca Chica has two small islands, Los Pinos and La Matica (later there maybe something more about those two islands).

Boca Chica has a many Hotels and all inclusive resorts within walking distance of the beach. For a list check out our Boca Chica Hotel Reviews.

Boca Chica is the most crowded beach of the Dominican Republic especially on weekends and holidays because it is only 19 miles away from the capital city – Santo Domingo. Only Monday morning the beach is empty and cleaned up of any trash left from the day before. It is so close to the capital that it pays off to go there even for one day. It is small and basically everywhere you can get on foot. You can always take a motoconcho for 10 pesos and they will take you whenever you want to. If anyone gets tired of the beach, it is also close to other places such as a small horseshoe bay that offers great boogie boarding or if you are interested in playing golf, there is San Andres Caribe Golf Club in the area.

Boca Chica Beach Video

People call it “shopping beach”, (more…)