Top 5 Things to Do in Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point)

Puerto Peñasco, or Rocky Point, is our favorite quick getaway from Arizona. We've been three times now, and every trip adds something to the list of why we keep going back.

This is our running top 5 of things to do there. We like to count down, so we're starting at 5, and we'll keep updating it as we go back.

Shopping on Rodeo Drive

A fun afternoon off the beach

Don't let the name fool you. This is not Beverly Hills. Rodeo Drive in Puerto Peñasco is a street of small shops and stalls, with colorful papel picado strung overhead, and it makes for a fun afternoon when you want a break from the beach.

It's the easiest thing on the list, and it's a good one for the days you want to walk around, browse, and pick up something to take home.

A shopping street in Puerto Peñasco with colorful papel picado strung overhead and shops and awnings along the sides — Papel picado strung over the street.

Great Food, Great Value

Better food, smaller bills

You can go to a steakhouse in Puerto Peñasco and pay a fraction of what the same dinner would cost back home. A steak dinner that would easily run two to three times as much in the U.S. is a bargain there. At Garufa Steakhouse, we paid under $50 for both of us. In Phoenix, that same meal would have been $175 to $200.

The grocery stores are just as good. The food is fresher and better, and we honestly don't know why we can't get it on this side of the border. On our first trip, we stocked the condo with breakfast food, snacks, beer, and wine for $42.

Even the chips are better. Yes, we mean Lay's, which is sold as Sabritas in Mexico. We're not kidding, and Tamekia would back us up from bed with a bag in each hand.

Whether it's a cocktail, a beachside lunch, or a nice dinner out, the value is hard to beat.

A bowl of salsa, a basket of chips, and a cold Indio beer on a table at Wrecked, on the beach — Salsa, chips, and a cold Indio at Wrecked.

Tamekia smiling at her phone in bed with a big bag of Sabritas and a bag of Doritos Nacho — Tamekia, Sabritas, and Doritos. Even the Lay's are better down there.

A tall orange cocktail with a cherry on a bar, in front of a Citron Fine Cuisine menu — A cocktail at Citron Fine Cuisine.

Tamekia eating a to-go lunch on a beach chair under palapa umbrellas, with the water behind her — A to-go lunch on the beach.

Lazy Rivers and Pool Days

Float, lounge, repeat

Some of the best days in Puerto Peñasco are the ones where we don't do much of anything. The resorts have lazy rivers and big pool areas, and a pool chair or a slow float is a perfectly good plan.

Everything is beautifully maintained, and it's easy to spend a whole day that way.

An aerial view of a resort lazy river and pool area with colorful shade pergolas and a palm tree — A resort lazy river, seen from above.

A Fishing Charter

Our boat, our crew, three hours

We went out with Federicos Fishing Charters, 10 of us on the boat for about three hours, and paid around $45 each. The crew baited our rods, skinned the fish we caught, and did so much for us that it was such a great value.

The boat was nice enough. Inside it's just the basics, not a luxury yacht, but outside it was accommodating, and the crew was amazing. We fished, jumped off the boat (more fun than the snorkeling, honestly), and snorkeled. The fishing was the team's favorite part.

Tamekia got a little seasick. We think she was in the wrong spot on the boat, trying to make lunch for everybody, crew included.

Read the full story in our fishing charter post, and watch the short on YouTube there.

The charter at a glance

WhoFedericos Fishing Charters
How longAbout 3 hours
What we paidAround $45 each
Team favoriteThe fishing

Our fishing charter boat at the dock in Puerto Peñasco with rods lined up at the stern — Our boat at the dock, rods lined up at the back.

Less Than 4 Hours From Phoenix

Why we keep driving back

This one is #1 for a reason. Puerto Peñasco is less than four hours from Phoenix. We drove it in about three hours and 45 minutes from Peoria, and after the border crossing, it's pretty smooth sailing. New to the drive? Start with our first-trip guide.

The resorts are a fraction of the cost of other places we've been. They're beautifully maintained, the service is great, and everything we've done there has been a good value. A beach getaway that feels this easy and this affordable is hard to find, and it's why we've gone back, and why we're ready to go again.

The view from a high balcony in Puerto Peñasco, looking over the beach and the water with outdoor furniture in front — The view from a high balcony, with the beach below.

That's our list for now. We'll keep updating it every time we drive back.