Denver and I have been looking forward to this particular weekend trip ever since we happened to come just the right weekend in February 2018 to get to experience La Boquita beach together. We loved our day there, and said to each other often during that visit, “Our kids are going to love this!” So we were excited to finally get to share it with them!
Things to love about La Boquita: The photo gallery for this one will really tell its own story, because there are so many unique and beautiful and fun things to love about this beach! But let’s start with the beachfront itself. From the little outdoor restaurant cabana area that La Mariposa students park at during visits, there is a very long stretch of white sandy beach heading down to meet the water with the most gradual slope I have ever experienced at a beach, resulting in waves that break much farther out and then travel gently further up the beach for long stretches with only very shallow water washing over the sand. That unique characteristic makes these beach “waves” perfect for young children to run and splash through with no threat of being knocked down or pulled under by the current. It also makes for beautiful reflection photographs as the wide expanses of wet sand reflect back the colors of the sky, clouds, and children at play.
Next, there are the huge rock formations that invite climbing and exploring. The rocks capture all kinds of little pools of water to play in and find tiny ocean life, like snails and barnacles.
Then there is the unique feature that this particular stretch of beach has a river that feeds into a large freshwater pond, which then drains in a series of shallow streams flowing through the sand and rocks to reach the ocean. The shallow streams and pools it creates are again the perfect depth for young children to walk and splash through, and our older two little swimmers loved playing together in the pond (where local children who live in a little village all around the water were also playing and cooling off, as were a few cows and pigs).
For the equivalent of $4 US, you can take a ride on a beach horse up and down the beachfront for a half hour, which I was ecstatic to get to do last year with Denver, fulfilling one of my “bucket list” dreams of riding a horse on a beach, and this time I got to share that experience with Thea and Cheyenne which was also really special.
Many people in this area make a living fishing, and the colorful array of little fishing boats lined up along the shore make a fun backdrop. That also means that you can buy a very fresh fish dinner (if you are into that kind of thing, as my husband and children are; I stuck to chicken). But the others who ordered the fish meal raved about it. Meals come with copious amounts of rice, salad, and fried plantains on the side, all delicious after a full morning of playing and exploring in the fresh beach air and sunshine!
And when you need a break from splashing and climbing and sunshine, there are always hammocks and chairs in the shade of the cabana, with a good book (I was reading “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime” which was a fun beach read!)
We seriously started talking about whether there might be a beachfront property for sale with our names on it. Or at least, the plausibility of planning future family vacations for this beach instead of East coast US beaches. It was just that good of a day.
THey took a lot of pictures. What is Cheyenne’s smile doing? I love you.
Thank you for reading, Rosemary! I like to take lots of pictures of pretty things, which one is your favorite? Cheyenne does have some silly smiles! 😜Hope you are having fun helping take care of that new baby brother! Lots of love to your family!