Santo Domingo Bay Convention Resort & Casino

Santo Domingo Bay Convention Resort & Casino is the new name for one of Boca Chica's best-known hotels, the former Be Live Experience Hamaca Beach. Spanish group Globalia, which owns the property, closed it for a top-to-bottom renovation and reopened it in December 2025, with Dominican press putting the investment at between roughly US$40 and US$48 million. President Luis Abinader attended the relaunch, and the stated goal is to turn Boca Chica into a base for both beach and event travel, thanks to its position about 10 minutes from Las Américas airport and 30 minutes from the Zona Colonial.

The hotel is all-inclusive and sits directly on the east end of Boca Chica Beach, where the reef-protected lagoon is calm and shallow. Press materials from the relaunch describe about 350 fully remodeled rooms and suites, more than 90 percent with sea views, plus three pools, a spa, a gym, a casino and convention rooms. Older listings show a much higher room count from before the renovation, so expect the numbers on booking sites to vary for a while. A set of 325 apartments was developed alongside the hotel as a separate project.

Who it suits: travelers who want an all-inclusive close to the airport and the city, conference and wedding groups, and families who like the idea of a kid-safe lagoon in front of the pool. Because the property is new in its current form, independent reviews are still building up, so read the most recent ones before you book and confirm which room categories and restaurants are open.

The beach itself is the classic Boca Chica experience: shallow water you can wade far into, boat rides to the islets, and vendors along the public sand. Weekends bring crowds from the capital to the public stretches next door. Sargassum can reach this coast in heavy summers (September 2025 was bad), so check conditions if you are traveling between May and October.

Note on names: Globalia also runs separate Be Live Hamaca Garden and Hamaca Suites listings in Boca Chica, and recent guest scores for those have been low. Make sure the booking says Santo Domingo Bay if this is the hotel you want.