Puerto Peñasco

Travel Guide
Puerto Penasco featuring a park
Enjoy sunset cruises and watersports on crystal-clear waters, golf and a vibrant nightlife scene at Rocky Point, a popular beach resort in north Mexico.

Puerto Peñasco is major beach resort at the northern tip of Mexico’s Gulf of California (aka Sea of Cortez). The resort attracts visitors with an offer of attractive beaches, enticing water, sporting activities and nightlife. Puerto Peñasco started as a quiet fishing community and grew in popularity during the prohibition years of the 1920s and 1930s. Today, the close proximity to the Mexico-USA border makes it a favored destination of U.S. vacationers.

Start at the resort’s historic quarter, the Old Port. Stroll along the waterfront Malecón Kino, home to handicraft shops, pottery workshops, ice cream parlors and restaurants. Experience the vibrant activity of the Fish Market. Check out Posada la Roca, a hotel where Al Capone once stayed. Legend states that Capone used the city as a base for smuggling liquor across the border.

Stretching north around a curving bay from the Old Port are Puerto Peñasco’s main beaches, Sandy Beach and Playa Hermosa. Discover attractive strips of golden sand lined with beach bars, condo-style accommodation and large hotel resorts. Try kayaking, Jet Skiing, parasailing and snorkeling. Go deep-sea fishing, take a sunset cruise along the coast or visit Isla San Jorge, an island revered for its birdlife and sea lion colony.

Play a round of golf at courses such as the Jack Nicklaus-designed Peninsula De Cortes Golf Course. Enjoy guided nature walks and interactive science exhibits at the Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans. Visit El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve, a spectacular landscape of deserts, volcanic craters and mountains.

Puerto Peñasco is famous for its nightlife, too. The bars, cantinas and nightclubs on Calle Matamoros are favorite hangouts of the Spring Break crowd. Cholla Bay is another busy nightlife district.

Puerto Peñasco is about a 4-hour drive from both Phoenix and Tucson, in the U.S. state of Arizona. Get to the resort with a rented car or catch a bus from Hermosillo, Tijuana or the Arizonan cities. The combination of nature, recreation, entertainment and a balmy climate make Puerto Peñasco a great year-round destination.

Where to stay in Puerto Peñasco

Laguna Shores Resort
Laguna Shores Resort
3 out of 5
1 Laguna Shores, Puerto Peñasco, SON
The price is $70 per night from Oct 4 to Oct 5
$70
per night
Oct 4 - Oct 5
Stay at this 3-star beach hotel in Puerto Peñasco. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and 2 outdoor pools. Popular attractions Competition Hill and Bonita Beach ...
7.6/10 Good! (516 reviews)
"Great place. A little far from town. Which is the best part. Very quiet and peaceful. Would definitely recommend. Also the staff is awesome"

Reviewed on Sep 26, 2023

Laguna Shores Resort
Las Palomas Beach & Golf Resort
Las Palomas Beach & Golf Resort
4 out of 5
Blvd. Costero 150, Sandy Beach, Puerto Peñasco, SON
The price is $211 per night from Oct 4 to Oct 5
$211
per night
Oct 4 - Oct 5
Stay at this 4-star beach aparthotel in Puerto Peñasco. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and 2 outdoor pools. Our guests praise the pool and the bar in our reviews. ...
8.4/10 Very Good! (2,398 reviews)
"Comfortable stay. Daily room service for cleaning."

Reviewed on Sep 25, 2023

Las Palomas Beach & Golf Resort
Best Western Laos Mar Hotel & Suites
Best Western Laos Mar Hotel & Suites
2.5 out of 5
Paseo Balboa no. 90, Puerto Peñasco, SON
The price is $93 per night from Oct 8 to Oct 9
$93
per night
Oct 8 - Oct 9
Stay at this hotel in Puerto Peñasco. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and a children's pool. Popular attractions Plaza del Malecón and Old Port are located nearby. ...
7.8/10 Good! (1,002 reviews)
"It was close to everything"

Reviewed on Sep 19, 2023

Best Western Laos Mar Hotel & Suites
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.
Princesa by Casago
Princesa by Casago
3.5 out of 5
Blvd. Costero Km. 3.5, Costa Diamante, Puerto Peñasco, SON
Stay at this 3.5-star condo in Puerto Peñasco. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and a fitness center. Popular attractions The Links Golf Course and Bonita Beach ...
8.2/10 Very Good! (55 reviews)
home away from home.
"We just fell in love with Princesa, great place to stay with family, clean, staff was great at keeping busy with cleaning the pools and environment. Beach is calm, felt like home and not like a overwhelmed touristy place. Staying at a condo is very convenient"

Reviewed on Sep 21, 2023

Princesa by Casago
Las Palomas Beach & Golf Resort
Las Palomas Beach & Golf Resort
4 out of 5
Blvd. Costero 150, Sandy Beach, Puerto Peñasco, SON
Stay at this 4-star beach aparthotel in Puerto Peñasco. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and 2 outdoor pools. Our guests praise the pool and the bar in our reviews. ...
8.4/10 Very Good! (2,398 reviews)
"Comfortable stay. Daily room service for cleaning."

Reviewed on Sep 25, 2023

Las Palomas Beach & Golf Resort
Las Palomas 5-Star Resort
Las Palomas 5-Star Resort
2.5 out of 5
150 Blvd. Dr. Ernesto Guevara del Campo, Puerto Peñasco, Son.
Stay at this beach aparthotel in Puerto Peñasco. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and 7 outdoor pools. Popular attractions The Links Golf Course and Rodeo Drive ...
9.4/10 Exceptional! (6 reviews)
"Great safe place to stay. The pool is incredible and the ocean amazing."

Reviewed on Aug 31, 2023

Las Palomas 5-Star Resort
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.

Popular places to visit

Reviews of Puerto Peñasco

4.4
Top Destination
5 - Excellent
238
" "5 - Excellent 52.77161862527716%
4 - Good
162
" "4 - Good 35.92017738359202%
3 - Okay
39
" "3 - Okay 8.647450110864744%
2 - Disappointing
6
" "2 - Disappointing 1.3303769401330376%
1 - Terrible
6
" "1 - Terrible 1.3303769401330376%

4/5 - Good

Verified traveler
Mar 24, 2020

We loved the lighthouse restaurant up on the mountain in Rocky Point.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveler
Mar 3, 2020

The shrimp, fish and oysters are great but we recommend taking a known weight to check their scales. Some are not accurate.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveler
Feb 25, 2020

I love traveling to Puerto Peñasco it’s close from Arizona

4/5 - Good

Luis
Jan 31, 2020

Have your pesos ready (MXN). Expect to pay a lot for mix drinks at the Malecon. Also, Peñasco "promoters" every ten feet. Very annoying!

5/5 - Excellent

Janet
Jan 7, 2020

Beautifull

4/5 - Good

Verified traveler
Dec 11, 2019

Love going into the city to all the shops and to the good food the people Of the city Are wonderful and hustle

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