All-Inclusive Resort On Popular Beach with Calm Waters and Offshore Reef

In the 1950s, wealthy denizens of Santo Domingo would flock to Boca Chica, the nearest beach in the city, to spend their weekends in leisure. Beyond being merely convenient, Boca Chica has some of the calmest waters in the Dominican, as it’s sheltered by a large coral reef. Visitors come to the white-sand shore here to take off on trips for scuba diving, jet skiing, fishing, and other watersports. At low tide, you can even walk from Boca Chica to one of the offshore islets, where mangrove swamps house a variety of bird species.

Be Live Hamaca Suites sits right on the bay, making it easy for guests to frolic on the beach with a beach club and dive center. From this point, you’re also only about 30 minutes from the capital.

There’s plenty to do onsite as well. The complex features five pools, a kids’ club, and a spa. In the resort’s casino, you can try your hand at slot machines and classic table games such as roulette and blackjack. Be Live Hamaca Suites also features a range of activities and evening entertainment programs, which include Latin dance classes.

Five à la carte restaurants and one international buffet are onsite. Among them, Rodizio specializes in Brazilian cuisine and the sea-front Pelicano highlights the local seafood. There’s also a 24-hour snack bar where guests can grab quick bites to eat between meals. For drinks, hit up any of the six bars spread throughout the complex; they serve local Boca Chica and international alcohols. Some of them have themes and feature live music and shows.

Greater Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: 15th-Century City with Vibrant Nightlife

Before it was a popular vacation hub, the Boca Chica area was a series of sugar plantations. Traces of this are still visible today—Playa Andrés, a nearby beach, hosts an old sugar factory. For another dose of history, head west to the capital city of Santo Domingo. It's recognized as the first European city in the New World, and it claims to have the first castle, the first monastery, the first paved road, and even the first sewer system ever built in the Americas. In the Colonial Zone, you'll find the city's oldest and most historical sites, including Alcázar de Colón, a tapestry-lined palace built for Christopher Columbus's son Diego.

During the day, street vendors at the city's national market, El Mercado Modelo, sell everything from fresh mangoes to jewelry and carved wooden figurines. When the sun goes down, head to Malecón, an oceanfront avenue lined with bars and discos that pump out merengue music until late.

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