Rocky Point Whale Watching – A Family Adventure!

I have been enjoying coming to Puerto Penasco every year now for the last 24 years, sometimes twice a year!

But no matter how often I visit, I never get tired of this little beach town and I always look forward to my time there.

This year I decided to take my grandkids on their first whale watching adventure.

We decided to visit in February because I wanted my grandkids to have their first whale watching experience.

Day 1

We decided to stay at the Sonoran Spa resort. We love staying there. The condos are nice, rates are reasonable, the views are amazing and the staff is very friendly.

Upon our arrival, we went straight to the hotel and the front desk staff got us checked in very quickly.

The kids were tired after the long road trip, we came from Vegas, and it took us 8 hours to get to Puerto Penasco.

We decided to have dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. They have a good variety of food including freshly made pizzas and the servers are super friendly.

I’ve enjoyed the food at the Sonoran Grill many times before, but this was my son in law’s first time. He ordered the filet mignon and liked it so much that we had dinner there again the night before we left.

I had the flounder with rice and spinach, and we shared the coconut shrimp as an appetizer. The kids ordered quesadillas and chicken wings. The restaurant also offers takeout and delivery.

We then went down to the beach and enjoyed a lovely walk with a breathtaking sunset!

Day 2

On our second morning we went for a walk on the beach, before the tide came all the way in; later we decided to go to the Malecon and do some shopping.

While we were there, we ran into Caesar, a waiter at the Iguana Banana that I know from previous visits. After the years I have made many friends there. We decided to eat there.

This is a great place to eat and they take really good care of you. They have a good mix of seafood and Mexican food. I highly recommend the Dirty Iguana Drink. Very yummy! They have a great view of the ocean and both indoor and outdoor sitting.

Day 3

On our third day we took the kids to CEDO. The aquarium and the museum were closed, but we did take pictures of the kids in front of the whale skeleton. After that we went to Mermaid’s Market.

The Mermaid’s Market is an open air, arts and craft market held at Shrimp Park. It takes place once a month on Saturdays and it’s a fun place to visit.

I picked up a beautiful dreamcatcher for my grand daughter and a hand-crocheted hat for myself both for $27. I thought that was very reasonable for all handmade items. There are a lot of vendors and so much to choose from!

That night we ate at the condo. We brought a spiral ham and mashed potatoes. It was nice to sit on the balcony and enjoy a relaxing evening after a busy day.

Day 4

The big day! We originally wanted to book our whale watching tour with Del Mar Charters but they were full. We booked our trip online with Eco Fun Adventures as they were available.

We drove our car to the pier, parked it there, and boarded the boat at 9:30am

On our trip we saw several whales, what appeared to be hundreds of dolphins and sea lions. The grandkids loved it! The tour offered open bar, chips, salsa, carrot, and celery sticks. The kids were hungry so it was a good thing we packed sandwiches for them.

The tour lasted about 3 hours. We really enjoyed seeing the whales and dolphins, but if you’re traveling with children under the age of 17, I would suggest using Del Mar Charters instead. I didn’t feel Eco Fun’s atmosphere was appropriate for children. It would be perfect for spring breakers or a bachelorette party. If I had to rate it like in the movies, I would give it an “R” rating.

After the whale watching excursion we went to Rodeo Drive and enjoyed some more great shopping. We found some good bargains there! We also had really yummy churros there!

Then on to Collins Cantina for a late lunch. The fish tacos there are to die for!

After that we took the kids to the beach to hunt for sea shells, which they really enjoyed doing!

All in all it was a great trip and we are looking forward to going back again in November for Day of the Dead!

Written by Diana Bird from Las Vegas, NV.