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My blog trip report almost 1 year ago on my weekend visit to Rocky Point ie Puerto Penasco
We hit I 10 at 8:37am, exited Ajo Way which turns into 86W. We gassed up in N. Tucson @ 2.95 gal. Clear sky’s 46 degrees. Every bicycle rider in Tucson was out and I mean hundreds of them and did I mention the bikers…. It was the perfect weekend to get out and do something !!!
As we progressed on into The Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation also known as the Papago, they are a group of Aboriginal Americans who reside primarily in the Sonoran Desert of the Southwest United States and Northwest Mexico. “Tohono O’odham” means “People of the Desert.” You will pass right by the Saguaro National Park, and the next place on down and off to the left is the exit to Kitt Peak Observatory, after that there’s not much except for the price of of gas to get your attention R. unleaded 3.30 gal, diesel 3.98 gal
.
Finially the road comes to an end turn left towards Lukeville, as your headed to the Puerto Fronterizo Sonoyta, crossing you will pass through Organ Pipe National Park. We arrived at the border at 12.00 pm. Well we did have to stop and gamble some… From there it is 63 miles to Rocky Point. I might point out as soon as you enter the reservation that is your first US Border Patrol Stop, 100+ miles yet to the border.The Mexican Border Patrol just wave you on thru I don’t think the red lights even work at this crossing.
Then on to the Motel Playa Inn, AAA rated we paid 125.00 plus 10.00 each for two small dogs and 12% IVA surcharge. Our room had two Q size beds, cable TV in English and Spanish. There was a large pool and a hot tub.
So we unload, take dogs for a walk and feed em…..Then leave em to their own devices..We’re off to the drag, the main strip what ever you wanna call it..
Wow here we are, so it looks like parking is gonna be a problem …. so we rubberneck it down the street… check out the “Ocean View” and the “Giant Statue of some Mexican Hombre riding a Giant Cameron” We circle back around and Wallah !!! Gotta parking spot 3 or 4 spots into the beginning of Gringo Paradise, great food and awesome Doo Dads and whatever you gotta enough money and stupidity to buy….and or drink, smoke, Whatever your greedy little heart desires and people will tolerate, so you get the picture…
Well the “Older Establishment” that’s been there forever is the first stop. It was Packed !!! I order a Negra Modela and look over the menu..Then off to my left I hear a drum beat and a whole lotta rhythm thing a happenin…. Now these are a “Two Man” I think…. Dancers doing a whole lot shaking and shell rattling..But where their face is supposed to be is all hair..Now I only have had about 4 sips of beer, now these guys know how to work the crowd !!!! Fantastic Show !!!! They’re raising money for some charity, So I say to Rick “Gimme some money please” He says “Use Your Money” So I whip outta 5 and felt I gotta heck of a deal…
Oh bye the way before we checked in there was a Bancomer @ one of the “Major Intersections” on the left, with hardly no parking..but hey we got lucky, line was about 7 or 8 people in real time 2 cigarettes wait time, for you non smokers that’s about 15 minutes..and another block or 2 on down and to the left is a nicer bank with more parking that is way more crowded mostly gringos in that bank …
Meanwhile back at the restaurant we discover they have “No Steamed Clams” ….. La Quinta Por Favor….Cerveza3.50 tip .50… Dancers Priceless…View priceless for those elusive steamed clams…. My feet are doing the Texas Two Step Shuffle, with the Mexican Rap blasting from some Gangsta boom boom car…..
The real price: Peso 817.
Dlls $77. plus $10. Dlls per dog, the other price was for their suite…
Back to those elusive clams,We’re walking down the street looking over every body’s menu and asking about the clams “No Clams” but their every where in baskets for sale $10 a kilo. Sm. med size. The grouper, snapper and sea bass and just about everything is $5.00 a lb..Oyster and Scallops are $5.00 a dz. The colossus clams are .50 a piece. or $8.00 for “10 lbs” “Big Shrimp” 17.00 a kilo, Med shrimp 13.00 a kilo filleting free and they will freeze it in ice for you for an additional charge to take back to AZ..
You have to ask for the “Kilo Price” or they “Will” only sell in lbs…
Well after all this price checking and jewelery pricing I need another beer. Outta no where this young Mexican joven says “You like steamed clams, follow me” so off we go to Pinkest Restaurant with the steepest ugliest mint green spiral staircase in Mexico I have ever seen. Up, Up, Up, and around we go. Now compared to all the other places this is bare bones…I order a beer “Bohemia” this time, no Negra aqui…No Problemo…the price is down to 3.00 a beer here.
We settle in and guess what ???? In my opinion we have the sexiest waiter in town, Rick is busy staring across the street at the Prettiest Mexican Chicas tending bar where all the Gringos are. We order a platter of steamed clams drink more beer and stare at every body’s else’s food. We are the only Gringos in this place, so we know we’ve hit pay dirt !!!! Its actually a really slow weekend here, just don’t go on Spring Break. A Mariachi Band “???” is really jamming out at one of the tables where a 12-15 Mexican Family is having a blast…The kids and grand kids are dancing and the Tequila is flowing and at the other tables too I might add. Note “???” marks and Mariachi Band, more later…. So 3 or 4 beers later the Steamed Clams arrive WOW there must be 40 or 50 on this 1 platter Sm to med size. Now how did that Sexy waiter gett emm all up here with out losing a few ??? He’s Good ,Really Good… and did I say Handsome ? well we polished that off.
Now its time for more seafood Rick orders fried shrimp and I order boiled shrimp and gotta have some of that steamed asparagus Rocky Point is famous for and of course more beer !!!! The real reason we came Seafood and Beer !!!!
While waiting for the rest of our food the Cutest Little Muchacho says “Madam, excuse me and proceeds to plop all the wooden animals he has on the table, thank God he’s got the small version. Now these really aren’t my thing and the very last one is a cute little brown and black bear with a fish in his mouth with little beady black eyes….He knows hes got me know 15.00. of course I say No Grasias and dice 7.00 and mumble under my breath que manchado!! We bicker back and forth and finally agree on 7.50 I don’t think he left happy…
The food arrives and the band plays on and on and the Tequila is still flowing steadily around us… 6 butterflied large shrimp and 15 large shrimp w/ shells their cheaper that way and 1/4 to 1/2 lb perfectly steamed asparagus and another round of beer…And did I say you can still smoke in this restaurant/bar some of the others you couldn’t and what w/ that lovely sea breeze blowing thru..
Meanwhile the band is finishing up and strolls on over to us satiated gringos and I decide we need to hear Guadalajara…The band has a conference they know the words but not the ??? Hmmm………this is an unexpected development so 2nd choice Malaguena now there are 2 versions of this one, another conference….and ??? About this time here comes that Handsome waiter/bartender with 2 shots of Cazadores Tequila compliments of the large Mexican family and 2 more beers and The band plays on..Well I am busy burning off those calories running up and down those “Steep and Windy Stairs” wondering if they can improvise and play that one…
OK its finally time to pay the man now…This is where it really gets interesting…not including the beer $30.00 Us Dlls plus the tip seems he forgot to add the steamed clams so now we’re back up to $40.00 plus tip and beer. total cost of beer for 2 people $30.00 2 Cazadores Tequila and 2 beers free…Tip 7.50… By the way I highly recommend “Panama Jacks”
When this thread started a year and a half ago I kind of dissed Puerto Penasco. Everything I said then still applies, but since then I've spent a lot more time there and the place has really grown on me. I've become quite fond of it, enough so that I recently started a blog about it called Rocky Point Tides (totally non-commercial, just informational-- with recipes 'cause I love to cook ).
I think I fell into the trap of comparing it to other places in Mexico, instead of just taking it as it is. Puerto Penasco is not the next Los Cabos, Cancun or Puerto Vallarta. It is its own quirky, funky place, not like any other, and I like it like that. It will grow in its own unique way, and indeed it has a lot of potential.
I'm actually a bit glad that the brakes have been put on the condo development craze, though that, along with all the recent negative publicity, has been very hard on the economy there. It gives the city a chance to catch its breath and look at improving the city's infrastructure.
Among the improvements recently made was the election of a new police chief, who is targeting corruption in the ranks. So far he has fired and/or arrested a dozen officers in the police force, one of whom is still in jail. Among other things he wants tourists and expats to refuse to pay any bribes on the street and opt instead to go to the police station where they can either pay their legitimate fine or register a complaint against an officer. He intends to make PP's police force professional, efficient and polite. That's a good thing.
Yes, Puerto Penasco is a safe place to go. Yes, the drug wars have been horrendous and there are many places (especially along the border) that are very dangerous for anyone who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. That mess is largely a result of Americans who a) buy the drugs, creating the demand and b) provide the weapons used in those battles, but those are issues for another thread and another time. But you know what? Phoenix, AZ rates just behind Mexico City as having the second highest kidnapping rate IN THE WORLD (also mostly drug-related)! So would you not visit the USA because of that? You have to keep things in perspective.
Just a couple of weeks ago there was a big women's collegiate golf tournament held in PP at the Peninsula Golf Course down at the Mayan Palace. I think something like 17 college and university teams participated, and it went swimmingly. This month Jack Nicklaus will be there to give a golf clinic.
Puerto Penasco is not Juarez, Tijuana or any of the other border cities that have been in the news lately. It is a safe destination. You are more likely to be hassled by US Border Guards coming back into the US than by anyone on the Mexico side of the border. Don't leave your brain at the border, don't go into places/areas you wouldn't visit back home (to do things you wouldn't do back home), obey the laws and remember that you are in a foreign country where your status as a US citizen is irrelevent.
So don't be afraid. Go on down and enjoy what Rocky Point has to offer-- the beaches, the restaurants, the laid back funkiness of a little beach town that has big dreams. Life is short. Have fun.
Our first trip to Rocky point was our last! It seems that when a post starts on a subject like this, many people jump in to defend the place. The views don't seem impartial. So much went wrong for us that we and another couple left early. I won't go into all of it because someone would just say it isn't true or say we are crazy. Let's hear the good as well as the bad! As far as safe...we we and the other couple were shot at. This is on record with the hotel and police. Enuff said! Now let's hear from others who can tell the bad along with the good!
Our first trip to Rocky point was our last! It seems that when a post starts on a subject like this, many people jump in to defend the place. The views don't seem impartial. So much went wrong for us that we and another couple left early. I won't go into all of it because someone would just say it isn't true or say we are crazy. Let's hear the good as well as the bad! As far as safe...we we and the other couple were shot at. This is on record with the hotel and police. Enuff said! Now let's hear from others who can tell the bad along with the good!
I'm very sorry you had such a bad experience, and I don't blame you for not wanting to go back. Of course, that means that your view is not impartial, either...
Of course there is bad along with the good, and I've mentioned it before in other comments on this board. In Rocky Point the bad has mostly been in the form of developers not delivering what was promised (and paid for), selling land that did not belong to them, and other forms of greed-related land scams. Plus low-level shakedowns from officials in the form of mordida, etc.
Kind of like selling swampland in Florida or securitized mortgage packages that are totally toxic or renting out your house when you know it's in foreclosure and the renters are going to be very surprised when they get evicted...
I've been shot at in Michigan, mugged in Orlando and Sacramento, harassed by bikers in San Francisco and run off the road by another car in Las Cruces, NM. Plus a myriad of minor incidents all over the USA in cities large and small (I'm old, lol). In Mexico I was once stung by a stingray (not something you want to have happen!), and once followed home (in broad daylight) by a young man who scared the heck out of me (thank god Mr. Baja Boomer and our Mexican neighbor recognized the situation as I approached our condo and came out to give the guy some serious stink eye and scared him off). Bad things happen everywhere, but it's scarier when it happens in a foreign country.
Regardless, Rocky Point is still generally as safe a destination as Panama City Beach or Myrtle Beach or Daytona or...
I have been to Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) many times. We love it ! We are headed down in a week just to enjoy the Sea of Cortez - be on the beach and look through the many water pools of wonder and the spirit of the Mexican culture. The beaches in San Diego are dull in comparison. Am I worried about the recent crime reported in the media about Mexico and the drug wars and all that stuff? ... of course... but if your not carrying weapons, drugs or any money of any consequence we don't believe it is a problem. My husband was born in Mexico and their family of 8 moved to Arizona when he was 4 (he is a citizen of the US & is 55 years old now). We believe the border is safe enough to go. Just don't do anything stupid.
We have a hotel we go to on the beach that is very old and very "Mexican" culture we prefer that as it fronts the beach and you can walk the water pools when the tide goes out and just enjoy it so much. I have a granddaughter that is 11 years old that I have custody of and has been there 3 times that is almost in tears at the thought of not ever going back again. We offered her Sea World - Disneyland in CA. and she just wants to go to the same place in Mexico. This is our vacation and we choose Puerto Penasco. Be sure you have your birth certificate & driver's license - you can get Mexican Insurance before you cross the border (think the last time it cost me $35) or call your insurance carrier before you go and let them know your destination if you are worried about vehicle crimes. If you have a passport, take it with you. Just don't do something stupid! Most of the people there speak English and if you get into a problem just tell them "No hablo Espanol"....
I have been to Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) many times. We love it ! We are headed down in a week just to enjoy the Sea of Cortez - be on the beach and look through the many water pools of wonder and the spirit of the Mexican culture. The beaches in San Diego are dull in comparison. Am I worried about the recent crime reported in the media about Mexico and the drug wars and all that stuff? ... of course... but if your not carrying weapons, drugs or any money of any consequence we don't believe it is a problem. My husband was born in Mexico and their family of 8 moved to Arizona when he was 4 (he is a citizen of the US & is 55 years old now). We believe the border is safe enough to go. Just don't do anything stupid.
I left there this morning to come back to phx for a few days. Before I left, I did some research, googling you might say, as best I could with news papers (local and phx)trying to find the alledged student incident of killing brought up by azloafer. To no avail, the only thing I found was the above blog, his blog. Last week was like a graveyard there. My girlfriend and I were the only ones on Playa De Oro beach Wed & Thurs. We talked to alot of vendors about the whole 'it's not safe' thing. We were out again on Friday with maybe 10 others on the beach when one of the vendors ran up to us, so happy, he had sold some sunglasses that morning! I am happy to report that on my drive this morning heading North, there were tons of vehicles going South. I believe they will have a better week and am glad to hear it. Thank you to the travelingfella for bringing up that information is really gossip until you have a trusted verifiable source.
I can only wish that no matter where you are or who your with, have a wonderful spring break everyone!
I visited Rocky Point for the first time during Spring Break in March of 2003, during my sophomore year at UA. It probably goes with out saying, but I had a blast! Since then I have gone at least once every year, twice a year a few times (9 trips total). Since that first visit, my trips have mellowed out a bit (with the exception of my cousin's bachelor party that was held down there... yikes!). Nights filled with shots of tequila at Manny's, Pink Cadillac and Baja Cantina have been replaced by a few cervezas on the beach during the day and a trip to Thrifty's Ice Cream shop, however having a blast has not changed. The majority of my stays have been in a house or condo in Las Conchas, but I have also stayed in a condo on the Mirador Beach as well as two stays at the Sonoran Sea condos (Las Conchas beachfront is by far my favorite place to stay though). Regardless of where I have stayed or what my vacation consisted of, I have never felt unsafe or had any issues while in Rocky Point. In line with what others have said, crime occurs everywhere, including Rocky Point, but I really don't feel there is any more of a heightened concern in Rocky Point than there would be in the US. Also in line with what others have said, Rocky Point is not the greatest spot in Mexico (Riviera Maya holds that place in my heart) but it is great if you live in AZ and are looking for a quick, inexpensive, relaxing, beach getaway for a long weekend. With that being said, I currently live in Spokane, Washington and in the interest of not breaking my tradition of at least one annual Rocky Point trip, I am currently planning a trip to Rocky Point over 4th of July weekend with a bunch of my AZ friends. So it can still be great even if you dont live in AZ!
Now that I've said all that, here are a few of my favorite things to do in Rocky Point:
- Renting a beachfront condo in Las Conchas.
- Riding ATV's through the sand dunes next to the estuary, again, in Las Conchas.
- Buying shrimp at the port and bbq'ing them on the beachfront porch at sunset.
- Visiting the Thrifty Ice Cream shops (Coconut Pineapple is amazing).
- Swimming in the warm waters of the Sea of Cortez (May through September only).
- Walking the tide pools and finding a bunch of crazy creatures.
- Spotting dolphins in the ocean.
- $1 taco stands!
- Most importantly - hanging out on the beach, getting tan, tossing the football around and drinking dos equis while hanging out with my friends.
what do you do when you go to Mexico? a special short term policy to cover you while your out of the country? is that expensive? anyone whos gone, whats it like crossing back over the border? thanks
Mexico insurance, for the lowest legal liability, costs about $125 for 6 months. (You can buy and print online). Which is OK if you go there several times during that period. The daily rate is about $4 a day. When you plan to go to Mexico, phone your USA insurer and ask to be put on suspended status---they will refund your premium pro-rata for the number of days you are out of the country, so if you are paying $4 a day for your total US coverage, it is a wash, but they might not do it for only a few days at a time. I crossed back into the US at Presidio TX last month, and it took about ten minutes waiting in line and a minute or two for the US officials to run the computer check on our passports. The border at Sonoita should be pretty quick.
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Rocky Point, Mexico
