Travel In Puerto Peñasco, aka, Rocky Point, is open and still worthwhile. Last week I wrote about the current COVID-19 entry rules and regulations, beach access and resort restrictions.
This week I will tell you a little about the overall experience and how re-entry to the US from Rocky Point went.
Travel Into Mexico - Lukeville
We left mid-morning on Friday giving us an arrival time of around 2:30 or 3 pm. At this time we were unsure of how long the entry process would take. Getting there before the weekend evening crowd was key for us since we were there for such a short time.
Other than the need to wear a mask when you pulled through Border Checks or to enter establishments during stops, the drive was down was exactly the same. We stopped in Why Arizona for the very first time. It doesn’t seem like much, but I highly recommend the little mini mart. Cute parking area in front of bathrooms, very clean and has lots of options for snacks and drinks.
I should mention that they are building the Trump wall and you will likely come across trucks or equipment pulling in and out of the work zone. You can actually see them working on the wall as you are getting closer. It is a big wall! The truck are driving up and down Hwy 85 as well. We got slowed down for a few minutes behind some of the trucks and were lucky enough to have our windshield broken by a flying rock! Good Times.
When we got to the Lukeville border, there was a small line of maybe 3 or 4 cars. About normal for us. It is usually a 50/50 shot if you will get a green light or red light for inspection, I feel like lately we always hit red. Maybe that means that we have had our fill of red lights for a few visits.
They pulled us into the bay, we rolled all the windows down so they could see and chat with all of the passengers. They had Derek step out, open the back up and tell him what we had. Remember, Mexico allows a limited amount of alcohol to imported. You are allowed a maximum of 3 liters of beer, wine or alcohol per person, which is equal to about four bottles of wine. If you are taking beer or liquor, you can do your own calculations. Google can help translate your numbers. Did you know you can do math and conversions right from the search bar?
After they flagged us through, we went straight for the military checkpoint and as always, it was just a few simple questions and we were on our way!
In Mexico, as it stands, you can travel in your car without a mask, so long as your window is up. Before you roll your window down, you must put your mask on. It was hot, so I was not worried about rolling our windows down!
Drive Into Rocky Point
Again, the drive to the beach along Mexico Hwy 8 was the usual mix of slow drivers and super crazy fast drivers. The big difference right now is that the usual back route we take to get to Sandy Beach along Hwy 3 is closed. They DO NOT tell you this and there are no signs to indicate it. The intersection with the highway is completely blocked off with military presence. The only way to get into Rocky Point is the health filter on Hwy 8 just pasted the overpass. If you don't realize this and have to drive all the way back to the main highway, this will extend your trip.
We get back to the health filter, and there is a bit of a wait, roughly 6 maybe 7 cars. I am trying to see who gets a Rapid Test since they say every 5th car will have a random test done on one individual in the car. I cannot tell and have already resigned myself to the fact that it might be us.
A gentleman asks for proof of accommodations, if we have been around anyone in the last week with symptoms of COVID-19 or if any of us have symptoms.He uses a thermal thermometer to check our temperatures, which means he shoots the thermometer about 2 inches above your wrist. No touching, just hovering. We pass and now we assumed we'd have our car sprayed, as they said they would do for every car. They did not spray our car at all, just waved us through so maybe they are not actually doing that.
Remember through all of this you must wear your mask. We usually stay at the Sonoran Sea and once we got to the hotel they did the same process, double check your reservations, and then check your temp once again. Easy peasy at this point. The whole process from entry at the border to the hotel adds maybe 20 - 30 minutes. Not too bad.
The Resort Experience
Check in was a bit different because they are not allowed to put the wrist band on you, you have to put it on yourself. Everything else was the same.
Elevators are allowing only 2 people at a time and are marked in each corner where you should stand. Since we were all in the same party we got on one elevator. Hand sanitizer is available on each floor and I highly recommend using it both times. If you're gonna get the COVID, it would be in this situation, so better safe than sick!
The condos are the same, the only thing I noticed and was very frustrated by was that we had NO kitchen towels, paper towels or any way to clean up anything. Luckily I always bring paper towels, toilet paper and Clorox wipes when we go to mexico. Oh and an extra garbage bag just in case. Room seemed very clean and appeared to have been disinfected. We still sprayed our homemade room disinfectant made using CDC guidelines on everything.
The resort did not appear to be very busy, which is exactly what I wanted. I wanted to be entertained by some of the people, but I did not want anyone too close to me. They had all pool furniture socially distanced and it appears they are cleaning the furniture nightly. Keep in mind that you should bring your own wipes so that you can clean up in case of in between uses by guests. It does not appear they are cleaning again, once used in the daytime, only overnight cleaning.
We did not go to the beach the first night we just enjoyed the view and ate at the on-site restaurant. Which is always fantastic. We did see some folks on the water past the beach curfew and soon the Polícia were running everyone off. I would say that they are fairly strict about the rules they have in place. You should familiarize your self with the rules and protocols before you go.
All of the restaurants are at about 50% capacity, some a little less and some a bit more. Nothing over 60% capacity from what we can see. Everyone is wearing a mask, even wandering around the pool or hotel area most folks are wearing a mask. There are hand sanitizing stations entering and existing areas. The number of beach vendors is smaller and all have masks on, which must be miserable in the heat and humidity they were experiencing.
The on-site experience is just what I wanted, still able to enjoy the moments but with a little caution involved. The pool bar was open, although the attached pool is being renovated, you could still get cocktails and food. We took our own as we always do, it is easier and cheaper, and I do not have to wait for anyone. Take an ice chest down with your drinks and some snacks you will be fine.
Re-Entry Into the U.S. - Lukeville
On Sunday we were up somewhat early since we were unsure of the process to re-enter the states or for that matter how long it would take. I continuously checked the border times and they all said under 5 minutes. We left the condo about 9:30. Remember you have to go through town and cannot take the back route, so that adds a few minutes to the drive.
Once we got to the border, the wait times were nothing. We were there about 10:30 and had maybe 4 cars in front of us. We were asked the customary questions, are we taking anything back, where did we stay and why were we there. He sent us through. We did have a bit of confusion as we left the border check. They had the usual exit closed off and we instead headed to the left side of the section. There was a car stopped and an officer chatting with them. They were stopped at some contraption that we finally tentatively identified as a disinfectant sprayer. We think. We finally saw up ahead and off to the right there was an officer waving us forward. It was confusing and not marked well at all. So keep that in mind, don’t panic and just forge ahead.
Conclusion
And there we went, we were now on the road headed home. It took less than 5 minutes to get back into the states. Into Mexico is a little more work, but back into the states, easy peasy. This is probably part of why Arizona spiked for a few months so quickly. You wanna come to Arizona, sure, no questions asked!
This was a great quick trip and we felt safe the entire time. My biggest recommendation is to wash your hands and/or sanitize every chance you get. Do that and this trip will re-energize your physically and emotionally. Something we all need in these current times of stress, confusion and uncertainty.
If you want to read more about traveling to Rocky Point in 2020, be sure to check out part 1 of our article. We also have additional articles on Rocky Point as well.
Living, loving, drinking, and traveling through life.
— Taunya
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