Vacation Recap: Rocky Point, Mexico

I’m sure you guys know by now, but I just got back from my very first trip to Puerto Penasco, Mexico, better known here in Arizona as Rocky Point. Puerto Penasco is the Mexican name for the city which means “rocky point” in Spanish, hence the reason why the names are used interchangeably. Rocky Point is about a 4 hour drive away from Phoenix and Tuscon, making it also known as “Arizona’s Beach”.

My husband and I were invited to visit Rocky Point by the Puerto Penasco Tourism Board and were spoiled rotten with a weekend of fun. Clearly, my husband and I caught the travel bug a long time ago (click here to read my Beijing recap from December) and so we are always up for a new adventure. I’ve heard countless people in Phoenix talk about Rocky Point, but we’ve never been down there before for some crazy, no good reason.

It was an easy drive down over the border. Being totally honest, I was a tad bit nervous about the drive. I’ve been to Mexico countless times, but driving through Mexico did seem a little more intimidating than flying. We had no problems getting through border patrol and took one simple road all the way to Rocky Point. I noticed the highway was marked with “no hassle – USA” signs, clearly showing Mexico is doing something to protect the tourists. At no point did I ever feel uncomfortable or unsafe during the drive. Would I want to do it at night or by myself? Probably not. But would I go back again with my husband and kids? Absolutely.

Like I mentioned, the trip was hosted by the tourism board for a group of bloggers. We met up with the group at an amazing Mexican restaurant called La Casa del Capitan. We started the trip off right with a margarita (obviously), some awesome food and took in the ocean views. Following lunch, we headed back to check into our hotel. My husband and I stayed at Princesa de Penasco and were welcomed with the cutest welcome message.

Click here for maxi dress details.

Our resort was made up of individually owned condos, so each unit was a tad different. I forgot to photograph the inside of our room (blogger fail), but it had a bedroom, full kitchen, updated bathroom, family room with a murphy bed, and an awesome patio. We had a few minutes to check out the resort, then it was time to get ready for our next adventure: ATV’s through the sand dunes.

I’ll admit, I’m not much of a car person so this probably wouldn’t have been an activity I would have picked to do myself. However, it was SO MUCH FUN. When I make it back to Rocky Point, I’m absolutely going ATV-ing again. It was a million times more fun than I expected. My husband drove probably 95% of the time, but I did get behind the wheel for a few minutes. We were given an hour to explore the sand dunes on our own, which was absolutely spectacular, especially as the sun started to set. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me.

Following the ATV’s, we changed for dinner, which was at Hotel Penasco Del Sol. This resort was so pretty and had a nice, swanky feel to it. We toured a few of the rooms, checked out the pool area and then enjoyed some more margs and steaks for dinner. I’ll admit, I took a few photos of the food, but they aren’t worth posting. After all, I’m definitely not a food blogger.

We woke up Saturday morning and headed off to one of my husband’s all time favorite activities: golf. The group played at Vidanta, which was about a 20 minute drive from downtown Rocky Point. Yes, it is a bit of a drive, but wow was it beautiful. The course was right on the ocean and the views were just amazing. I’m not much of a golfer, but I happily rode around and took in the scenery. I hit a few balls as well, just not well. Haha.

Following golf, the group headed over to Mayan Palace, which was the resort located right next door to Vidanta. Wow, was that place gorgeous. I’m not joking, it was as nice as any other fancy all-inclusive resort we’ve stayed at before in Mexico. How is this place only a quick 4 hour drive from my house? Lunch was delicious and the conversation was even better.

Click here for details on my tassel dress, hat and clutch.

Following lunch, we headed back to our condo and had a few hours to ourselves. Kurt and I decided a walk on the beach was clearly the answer. It was a bit chilly so it wasn’t exactly swimsuit weather, but it did feel really nice in the sun. We strolled around and ran smack into a guy making fresh pina coladas in pineapples on the beach. Don’t mind if I do. He cut up the fruit and used a generator to power his blender on the beach. I mean, it doesn’t get much better than a cocktail on the beach out of a pineapple. I could have sat there all evening, but it was time to go meet the group for dinner.

Outfit details: top (similar), jeans, shoes, bag, earrings

Dinner was at a cute restaurant called El Tapeo Wine Bar. Again, my food pictures failed to show how delicious the food really was. I ate my weight in cheese and enjoyed some amazing wine. Such a fun night.

 

Click here for details on my tassel dress and swimsuit.

On Sunday morning, Kurt and I hit up the restaurant at our resort for the best breakfast burritos I’ve ever had in my life. I realize that’s a big claim, but they were that delicious. I seriously would go back again just for the burritos. Following breakfast, we hit up the hot tub for some time in the sun, then headed back to Phoenix to see our kids. I wanted to stay an extra day, but I’ll admit, I missed my little ones.

It was such a fun weekend in Puerto Penasco and I cannot wait to go back. I want to send a huge thank you to OH Partners and the Rocky Point Tourism Board for hosting us on this trip. You’ll be seeing us down there again soon.

Have you been to Rocky Point before? If you have any tips to share, leave them below in the comments.