Introduction
Ask people from around the world their impression of tourism in Mexico, and I imagine you’ll hear things about street food in Mexico City, beautiful beach resorts in Cabo, Cancun and Zihuatanejo, or ancient Mayan ruins in Yucatan. Ask an Arizonan and they’ll probably tell you something about Puerto Peñasco.
Puerto Peñasco is almost like Arizona’s “beach town.” It’s an incredibly popular spot for vacations, holiday weekends, even retirees. It’s closer than San Diego and usually cheaper. Just about everyone I know has visited before and always come back with great stories. From what I had heard, it seemed like there was a bit of something for everyone: relaxing beaches, fishing, good food, museums, great views.
As I went through the passport application process, I got to thinking about what would make a good “practice trip” before I commit to anything larger in the future:
1. Affordable
2. A day’s driving distance
3. New experience
4. Chance to relax (high school and work had me burnt out)
Puerto Peñasco seemed like the perfect choice. Four days by myself would be around $600, it’s drivable in 2-3 hours from Phoenix, and it would give me a chance to experience crossing a border, handling customs documents and, of course, a new foreign culture. And best of all, I could relax on a nice beach.
Preparation
Choosing Where To Stay
Puerto Peñasco is similar to many other Mexican resort towns in that there are two main approaches you can take for a vacation there: an all-inclusive resort or a simpler hotel or rental. In my mind, you can either pay more for the carefree resort experience and leave it less frequently, or, choose to stay somewhere cheaper where you take a much more “active” role choosing restaurants, shops, and getting around town.
There are at least a dozen beachfront resorts lining the bay, some of which offer all-inclusive packages. There are also plenty of vacation rentals and smaller hotels throughout town to choose from.
I decided to go with the latter. Beautiful photos online drew me to La Choya, a small community of Spanish-colonial style homes built into a mountain on a peninsula about a mile northwest of town.
Documents and Insurance
Assuming you’re driving a personal, US-plated vehicle, there’s really only three things you need to cross the border: a valid US passport, a completed FMM form, and car insurance from a provider licensed in Mexico. The FMM can be printed online or you can get one at the customs office upon crossing and it is essentially a visa. If you plan to stay less than 7 days, there is no fee when you get your stamp. On the drive down, you will probably see dozens of shops and gas stations offering “Mexico insurance”- Mexican law requires that all foreign vehicles obtain liability insurance as virtually no US policies cover Mexico. Some liens also prevent driving your vehicle to Mexico, so you should probably double-check. For me, a five day policy was about $95.
Getting There
From Phoenix, take I-8 west or I-10 west and AZ-85 goes straight to the Lukeville crossing. From Tucson, many people take AZ-86 west until it meets with AZ-85. Once you cross, Mexican Fed 8 will take you directly to Puerto Peñasco.
Day 1
Driving to Mexico
I live in the southern part of Phoenix so I chose to drive Interstate 8 west until I reached AZ-85. I’ve taken I-8 a few times with my family in the past on trips to California, and it offers some great views of the Sonoran desert.
AZ-85 takes you south through Ajo and Why. Ajo, although now pretty sleepy, was once a booming copper mining town before labor strikes and the falling price of copper caused the mine operators to sell their stake and leave in the 1980s. The population dropped pretty drastically, but many retirees bought homes from the company as it liquidated and the town has seen somewhat of a cultural resurgence in the last few years.
In Mexico
I crossed on a Monday afternoon and there was virtually no traffic. Lukeville is infamous for long lines on Fridays and Sundays due to weekend visitors. After a quick vehicle search, I was waved through and stopping to get the stamp on my FMM took less than five minutes.
My biggest culture shock in Mexico, as soon as I crossed the border, was the driving. Things like lane discipline and turn signals are much more lax than in the US. A huge positive though is that this means you can park almost anywhere. I realized this later in my trip when, stopping to get brunch at a pretty packed restaurant, there was unrestricted street parking like half a block away.
Mexican Fed 8 is a pretty nice drive as well. The highway passes by the Pinacate Peaks, so there are lots of sweeping panoramas of volcanic mountains and sand dunes.
La Choya
My rental was a guest house in the community of La Choya. La Choya is a small municipality of Spanish colonial style homes built into a peninsula overlooking Choya Bay. While it is a little bit out of the way (and the washboard road was pretty brutal to my suspension), I highly suggest staying here or at least visiting for an afternoon. There are a few restaurants, a convenience store, and you’re about a 2 minute walk from the beach no matter where you are.
Pane e Vino
Naturally, the first choice for dinner when visiting Mexico is an Italian restaurant. Kidding, of course, but Puerto Penasco seems to cover all the bases when it comes to word cuisine and Pane e Vino was recommended to me by a few different people. The restaurant is on top of a hill and had some pretty fantastic views of the sunset.
A coworker recommended that I get the beef wellington. The steak and pastry were cooked great and came with a nice mushroom white sauce. I was surprised that it was only 30-something dollars, I imagine a similar dining experience would probably be at least $100 in the US.
Day 2
Mexican TV
My Mexican friends always told me that anime was huge in Mexico, and honestly I thought they were kidding. But, I turned on the TV and in between the telenovelas and Spanish news broadcasts there were at least half a dozen channels of various subs and dubs.
I found it funny because a few of the shows like Everday Tales of a Cat God, a.k.a. Cuentos de un Gato Sagrado, have been on my watchlist for a while and were probably the last thing I expected to see on broadcast TV. The Spanish dubs were actually pretty entertaining.
Kaffeehaus
Of course, after driving all the way to Mexico, the best place for breakfast was a… German themed restaurant? Remember what I said about Puerto Peñasco having all the bases covered when it comes to world cuisine. This was also on recommendation of a coworker.
They were pretty busy but I was able to get a nice table overlooking the entrance. Their breakfast menu had plenty of traditional Mexican dishes, but my favorite part was definitely the apple coffee cake- it was layers of apple slices, strudel, powdered sugar, and a cinnamon sauce.
CEDO (or not)
This section is where I’d put my pictures of CEDO- if I had any.
CEDO, or the Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans, is a co-op between organizations in the US and Mexico to study and preserve the unique flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert and Sea of California. They have a small museum in Las Conchas a few miles east of town and often do kayaking and hiking expeditions.
Well, let’s just say that the road to Las Conchas crosses a few sandy washes near the ocean. And, uh, a front wheel drive subcompact Ford Fiesta isn’t exactly the ideal car for offroading. Long story short, my car got stuck in the sand. Luckily, within a few minutes a gentleman walking down the beach saw me and helped me get my car unstuck. If I ever come back in a 4x4, I'll have to visit.
The Beach
A cool thing about Mexico is that, with very few exceptions, all beaches are public by law and accessible by anyone. A big reason I decided to stay in La Choya was that the beaches are much less crowded than the ones near the resorts in town. There was a nice breeze and I read a book for a few hours by the water. The view was great- you could just barely make out the mountains on the other side in Baja.
Mare Blu
For dinner, I decided to check out Mare Blu. It’s an upscale Italian restaurant right on the beach. They had a number of pastas, pizzas, and a few specialty salads. It was great to watch the sunset and enjoy a drink. I’ve never been huge on shrimp, but I enjoyed the scampi.
They had a really interesting lychee cocktail I wanted to try, but they were out of it so I opted for a Cosmopolitan instead. $240 DRINK?!! Kidding. You get used to the different price “scale” of Pesos pretty quickly.
Day 3
Acuario Peñasco
Puerto Peñasco is home to a small aquarium. My friend knew that I liked turtles so he suggested I visit. Admission is free, but they accept donations at the door. For such a small place, I thought it was really well put together. There were painted murals, interesting informational signs, along with a few statues in the yard.
The main attraction though is the sea turtles. The aquarium has three or four, all different species. Their tanks are unfortunately pretty small but it was nice to have the opportunity to get so close to them.
Candy Cake
For brunch I stopped at Candy Cake, a pretty well-known spot in town. They have a huge breakfast menu, with a focus on sweet items like waffles, french toast, and other things of the sort. I got the french toast and really enjoyed it, but I realized almost as soon as I ordered it why they offer a half portion. I’ve got a pretty big sweet tooth but I called it quits halfway through and got a to-go box.
Rodeo Drive
When it comes to trinket shopping in Puerto Peñasco, you have two choices: the Malecón and Rodeo Drive. I had promised a few people gifts, so I decided to head to Rodeo Drive. It’s a lively row of stalls selling just about anything you can imagine. The entire street is covered in Papel Picado and had a very nice atmosphere.
And when I say you could find anything, I mean anything. There was everything from Hello Kitty mugs...
...to a literal floor to ceiling wall of, maybe, uh, let’s just say “less-than-genuine” designer handbags.
Dinner at JJ's
To wrap up the day I decided to head back to La Choya and get dinner at JJ’s Cantina. It’s got great waterfront seating and is walk-up from the beach and boat ramp. They have live music on the weekends but things were pretty relaxed when I went on a weekday night, so I got to enjoy the sunset. The fish burrito and their special sauce were great.
Day 4
Fishing
Puerto Peñasco is a popular spot for fishermen thanks to the diverse marine life in the Sea of California. I had decided to bring my rod and tackle with me, and received a lot of advice from coworkers and friends on the best baits, lures and lines to use for the area. The weather was pretty windy and there were a few storms over towards Baja, but it was nice to be on the beach again.
La Casa Del Capitan
Judging by the fact I went to buy lunch, you can probably guess that I didn’t catch anything. I was kind of running out of money and my rental hosts had given me a 50% off coupon for La Casa Del Capitan, a restaurant neighboring Pane e Vino. The dining room had wide windows with sweeping views of the ocean and it was spectacular. I had almost the whole restaurant to myself so it was pretty quiet and relaxing.
I got a chicken enchilada platter with green sauce. The enchiladas, rice and beans were all good. I probably took an hour to eat because I was enjoying the view so much.
Mexican Soda (and a sunset)
My rental had a nice deck on the roof with chairs, so I decided to round off the trip with a nice sunset. The convenience store was a few minute walk away, so I grabbed a few Mexican sodas. They say soda is better in Mexico, and honestly I can attest to that. Jarritos sodas are pretty easy to find in the US but I’ve never seen the Peñafiel brand before. I enjoyed both flavors, although Piña Colada probably came out on top.
Good Advice I Received (And Stuff I Wish I Knew)
Bringing an SUV or Truck
Certain Mexican travel forums advise against Americans bringing SUVs, pickup trucks, or other off-road vehicles into Mexico as they may attract more attention than a regular car. However, during my time in Mexico, I saw plenty of them bearing Arizona and Sonora plates alike. For Puerto Peñasco at least, I’d say the fear is probably overblown and considering the condition of a lot of roads in Mexico I wouldn’t think twice about bringing one next time. In fact, I’d say it’s near a must if you plan on staying in La Choya or Las Conchas outside of town.
Money
Crossing into Mexico, carry a small amount of cash in your wallet- like $20 US. Almost all businesses in Puerto Penasco accept USD, but generally give you a rounded-up exchange rate that’s less favorable than if you paid in Pesos. The cheapest way to get Pesos is at a bank ATM in Mexico- I went to BBVA and had no issues withdrawing with my Visa card. Be sure to decline the rate the ATM offers, and your bank will handle it.
Speaking Spanish
Puerto Peñasco has a large number of English-speaking American tourists and the staff of many restaurants, hotels, and other businesses are bilingual. A trip here is doable if you’re not proficient in Spanish, but I highly, highly recommend learning at least basic phrases. ‘Gracias señor,’ ‘Lo siento, no hablo mucho español,’ and ‘¿Cómo estás?’ will get you a long way and locals generally appreciate the effort made to learn the language. Remember that you are in a Spanish-speaking country and people have no obligation to cater to you by speaking English- it’s done as a courtesy.
ATV Rentals
It’s hard to miss the ATV rentals throughout town. It can be tempting, but many people suggest avoiding them. There have been reports of rental agencies charging exorbitant amounts of money to tourists for cleaning or minor damages.
Traffic Laws & Bribes
Follow all speed limits and lock the fuck in looking out for stop signs. They’re often faded, randomly placed, and hidden behind poles, plants, or other signs. You never realize how spoiled you are by bright red, reflective, clearly marked signs until you drive in Mexico. Stop. Count to two. If you are pulled over by the police, remain calm and ask to be shown your ticket or escorted to the station. Corrupt officers want you to pay in cash right there so they can pocket it- if you push to be taken to the station, there’s a chance they’ll drop it and let you off with a warning. I followed all the limits and signs and had no issues, but there’s always a chance an opportunistic cop might pull you over anyway.
Water
Don’t drink the tap water. Bring a case or two of bottles with you across the border.
Closing Thoughts
I had a great time in Mexico and really enjoyed my trip. I encountered a lot of friendly people, good food, and beautiful scenery. Although I understand Puerto Peñasco is somewhat "sanitized," it was great to experience a new foreign culture and build some experience for larger trips in the future. At no point during the trip did I really feel 'unsafe'- I know that Mexico has problems with corrpution and crime, but sensationalized news can make it easy to forget that there are good people everywhere just living their lives. A few family members practically begged me not to go due to safety concerns, but I'm actually more likely to be murdered as I type this in Arizona than I was anywhere in Puerto Peñasco. If anything, they should be telling me to go back.
Mexican catgirls drinking Tecate know what's up.
@alexis7182