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Puerto Penasco Mexico
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Affectionately called Rocky Point by
the thousands of Arizona residents who use it as their beach, the sleepy fishing
village is awakening.
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This tiny fishing village of Puerto Penasco Mexico, sits
on the northeastern shore of the Sea of Cortez. It’s a magical place, where
desolate desert surprisingly meets azure waters and deserted beaches.
Puerto Penasco, Mexico one of the few places on earth where you can watch the
sun rise and set over the same sea.
Just 68
miles south of the Arizona boarder, it’s a quick getaway on Highway 8, a paved
two-lane road with a wide shoulder.
Getting to Puerto Penasco
Driving into the Puerto Penasco area, don’t expect to see water or
beaches—yet. Don't forget to check on auto insurance. Mexican auto
insurance is a must. Some American auto insurance companies will cover your car
for a certain number of miles into Mexico. Some auto insurance won't cover you
at all. Short term car insurance is available in the border towns. Discount auto
insurance is more likely available in Tucson or Yuma.
As you approach Puerto Penasco, you can turn west to Sandy
Beach, where high-rise resort construction dots the skyline north of town. Or,
continue into town and go into the old, original village where the tourist area
hosts restaurants and shops—here will be your first glimpse of the Sea of
Cortez. Dirt roads are being paved and new sewer lines were installed in the
Spring of 2006, but it’s still a dusty area of just a few blocks with a short
malecon (boardwalk) and an impressive statue honoring the shrimp fishermen,
which is the livelihood of the village.
Alternatively, before you get to the tiny old town area, turn
east to reach the long, south-facing shore which is home to hundreds of beach
homes and after 20 miles, the Mayan Palace. Again, you won’t see azure blue
waters yet. You’ll feel like you’re trekking across one of the most desolate
places on earth where there’s so little rain that vegetation can barely hang on.
To access any of the beaches, you must turn off the paved road and take one of
the wide, well-maintained dirt roads a couple of miles south. Then you’ll climb
the rise of sand dunes to be rewarded with the beach and sea at your feet.
The houses all along this 20-mile section
of Mexico real estate, operate on solar
power, some with generators, and water is trucked in to fill gravity-fed
cisterns. There are no phone or cable TV lines, and cell phones don’t work, so
you feel like you have truly gotten away from it all.
This lack of utilities has
kept development from running rampant making for deserted beaches—one rarely
sees another person on this wide, endless stretch of sand and shells. There are
however, two high-rises under construction during the spring of 2006 with more
scheduled to break ground and properties in and around the Rocky Point / Puerto
Penasco area are already selling rapidly.
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