Looking for a warm beach vacation off the beaten path? Five years ago we were searching for a tropical vacation that wouldn’t break the bank, and discovered this lesser-known Mexican beach town. Here are some of our highlights from visiting Puerto Peñasco (also known as Rocky Point by the ex-pats) in Sonora, Mexico.
Our journey started with a quick flight to Phoenix, followed by a few hour shuttle ride from the airport, across the border and down to Puerto Peñasco. If you’re not planning on driving in and around Mexico yourself, I would highly recommend this affordable option. The shuttle service we used dropped us off and picked us up directly at our hotel (they serve many of the hotels and resorts in the area) and made the border crossing each way easy.
While there are a handful of resorts on the north end of Puerto Peñasco, we chose one of hotels closer to the center of town so that we had better access to some of the local restaurants. As hinted above, there are a lot of American and Canadian ex-pats in the area, so if your Spanish is rusty, you should still find it easy to communicate in most places in town. We also made it a point to visit the Tequila Factory, and I can’t recommend it enough. Delicious drinks, free samples, and more than reasonably priced.
Pro-tip when visiting the Tequila Factory:
Our taxi driver informed us that there’s a “second round of tastings” at the Tequila Factory if you purchase a drink after the first round; definitely worth it, and don’t forget to tip these friendly folks well! Make sure to pick up a few bottles to take home, too. At last check, you can bring back two bottles of alcohol per person across the border.
While visiting Puerto Peñasco, be sure to take a stroll through the Old Port area of the city. Here you’ll find more restaurants, the fish market, and some historical structures – not to mention a great view of the water!
Old Port 
Old Port 
The Point
If you’re visiting Puerto Peñasco, then a boat ride to “Bird Island” (officially Isla San Jorge) is an absolute must. It’s an all day round-trip, and be sure to check the weather before booking. We had a rather rough crossing in the morning (the boat almost turned back, actually, after a few people ended up seasick), but fortunately the weather calmed down by the time we arrived. This small island is covered with both birds and seals. You can snorkel around the boat once anchored, and take a kayak tour around the island to get a closer view of the wildlife.
Finally…the sunsets. For me, no tropical vacation is complete without stunning sunsets, and Puerto Peñasco has them in abundance. We had stellar views from both the pool bar and the beach outside our hotel – always a great way to end an evening.
Enjoying my “Looking Back” series? Over the past few years, my love for both hiking and travelling has increased almost exponentially, and I’ve been fortunate to have had so many opportunities to travel recently. With the current health crisis, our travel plans for 2020 were scuttled; so I decided I’d take some time over the next few months to write this “Looking Back” series, where I dive into a recap of some of my favorite trips over the last few years. Click the navigation below to read more.
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