Sandy Beach
Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico
Sandy Beach, also called Playa Arenosa, is the busiest stretch of coast at Puerto Penasco in Sonora, Mexico, a wide golden beach lined with big resorts. The water is calm and shallow, and restaurants, activity vendors and a pier keep it lively. A nearby reef draws snorkelers and divers. It is the closest Sea of Cortez beach to Arizona.
Calm water and every convenience, though it is the most crowded and commercial beach in town.
How we score beachesWalk toward the pier for the clearest bluish green water, and go on a weekday if you want space. Holiday weekends and spring break fill the sand.
Resorts and beach restaurants have their own parking, and street parking runs along the access roads. Busy weekends fill it quickly.
The sand is wide and flat, with resorts and restaurants close to the back of the beach. Soft sand slows strollers and wheelchairs.
Swimming season runs roughly April through November, with the water near 28 C in summer and closer to 17 C in February. Summers are very hot, and August and September can bring storms.
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