Puerto Peñasco, a.k.a Rocky Point, was officially founded in 1928 by fisherman settling along the shore. Since then, local and American adventuresome fisherman have enjoyed the richness of the upper Sea of Cortez, which offers several variety of fish along with world famous shrimp and tranquil estuaries.
In recent decades Puerto Peñasco has undergone tremendous growth in the tourism sector and grown to become a preferred destination in the northwestern corner of the country, both for young people and entire families as well as retirees coming from spots further North. The city now offers a wide variety of hotels and resorts, golf courses, sea and land activities, and ecotourism while maintaining its spirit as a traditional fishing village.
For several decades, Puerto Peñasco has received a large number of American and Canadian visitors who have found this to be the perfect place to relax, vacation, or retire. Given this phenomenon, several areas have grown around town where numerous foreigners have permanent or vacation residences, such as in La Cholla (founded in the 1940s), Las Conchas, and Playa Encanto. Part of the advantages people find when deciding to have a vacation home, or permanent residence, include:
• Small, tranquil town with a population to date of 55,000 residents
• More economic cost of living.
• Proximity to the USA
• Calm sea with extreme high and low tides.
• Beautiful sandy beaches.
LOCATION:
Puerto Peñasco is a city and municipality located in the northwest part of the state of Sonora, about 100 km from the Arizona border. It is set on the small strip of land that joins the peninsula of Baja California with the rest of Mexico.
Puerto Peñasco is only 220 miles from Phoenix & Tucson (4 hour drive), and 360 miles from San Diego.
THINGS TO DO:
Beaches
Rocky Point offers varied beach landscapes, from soft fine sand to more rugged and rocky seascapes that often vary due to the extreme high and low tides knownin the area. Some of the most popular beach areas can be found along Sandy Beach to the West of the city, or Las Conchas beaches towards the East. Playa Bonita, and the very popular Playa Hermosa, stretches down from Sandy Beach towards town. On the southeastern side of Rocky Point, Mirador beach offers rockier terrain as it winds down from the base of Whale Hill toward Las Conchas. Beyond Las Conchas, Playa Encanto picks up again after the Morua Estuary and the beaches near Mayan Palace even further south-east are among the most beautiful in the area.
Deep sea fishing
Rocky Point’s geographical location makes it a privileged zone for fishing. Surrounded by islands, reefs and estuaries, the upper Sea of Cortez is well known for its amazing deep sea fishing. Sierra Mackerel, Trigger Fish, Corvina, Grouper and Spotted Seabass Yellowtail are the most common species, among others.
Pinacate Biosphere Reserve
Just North of Puerto Peñasco (20 minutes) The Pinacate and Grand Desert of Altar Biosphere Reserve is a unique area of over 600 square miles. It is considered to be one of the 13 wonders of Mexico, and in 2013 was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Its magical landscape & biological diversity is unique as one of the few archaeological & geological areas in the entire Southwest that remains mostly untouched by human hands.
The area includes nine massive Maar craters, mysterious lava flow sceneries, a large sand dune area, and a Visitors Center with a moderm museum displaying information about the Reserve.
Golf
The city currently offers three challenging courses for the golf enthusiast. Both the Vidanta Golf Course at Mayan Palace, just South of town, and the meticulously landscaped back nine at Laguna del Mar were designed by Jack Nicklaus. The Links at the Las Palomas Beach and Golf Resort was designed by Phoenix based group Forrest Richardson & Associates. Green fees go from $65 to $120 and clubs offer season passes for regular visitors.
Fun on land, at sea or in the air
For thrill seekers, Rocky Point provides the opportunity to bounce across dunes on rental ATVS or cut across the waves on a jet-ski. If staying on the ground is not enough, there is even a chance to get a bird’s eye view of the beach as you soar above in an ultralight, or parasail over the turquoise waters of the Sea of Cortez. Banana boats can be found waiting just off shore and are always popular group and family adventures. With the serene waters of the Gulf of California enveloping the city, sea kayaking is yet another popular activity and kayak rentals are readily available. Sunset cruises departing from the city’s harbor offer a great way to wrap-up the day!
OWNING PROPERTY IN PUERTO PEÑASCO
Building or owning one’s dream home or condo along the Sea of Cortez is an exciting prospect! Having a beach home investment to share with kids and grandkids is also a valuable attraction for many folks from around the world who may be looking for a vacation or retirement property in Puerto Peñasco.
The legal manner that allows foreigners to safely acquire property along coastal areas in Mexico is based on a Mexican bank trust. This is a very common procedure for purchasing property.
Property options in town:
Condo units.
Condos are a very interesting investment option since units have a very good rental return. With over 2 million visitors / year, rentals offer the opportunity of a fair economic return. Condominum resorts offer a wide variety of recreative ammenities: Pools, jacuzzis, lazy rivers, Gym, pool bars, restaurants, and private security. Most of these are located along the beach front. Something important to consider will be HOA fees, which can range from $350 to $900 USD /month.
Most of the Condo resort complexes are high density communities with a heavy traffic of visitors during Holidays; there is only one development that remains “private” with no short-term rentals to ensure the owners’ privacy and enjoyment. This private complex is called Puerta Privada.
Homes.
Private homes in Puerto Peñasco offer the opportunity to have your own paradise on the beach, whether beach front or ocean view. Homes offer the chance to have your own space that is more private and provides the ability to house more guests on a single property, with more bedrooms as well as space for garage and storage areas in order to keep personal toys (vehicles, ATV, rhinos, kayaks, boats, etc.)
It’s important to emphasize there are tremendous investment opportunities with respect to homes by taking advantage of land prices that dropped during the 2008 real estate crisis. The crisis had a strong impact on Puerto Peñasco, which is why land can be acquired at reasonable prices (somewhat limited beach front, though numerous possibilities of land with ocean views). A custom home may be built according to your needs within a short period, and at the highest standards of quality, efficiency, and architecturally. This also provides a tremendous added value to the market.
With 15 years of experience in this sector, I can say the beach homes our firm has built have, at different times, reached the highest resale values on the market.
I am at your service to further discuss, analyze, or broaden any information you may be intereseted in.
To consult condo and home listings, I encourage you to visit the site: https://rockypointbest.com/ Aside from being certified real estate professionals (by AMPI – the Mexican Association of Professional Realtors), they are good friends and able to ready to get to work for you immediately.
Plinio Rivero Architect custom Home works:
