This weekend, I finally went where all Arizona natives should have gone by the time they’re through with college—Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, better known as Rocky Point.

It’s only about 3-and-a-half hours away from Phoenix, and it’s the perfect little weekend getaway spot (well, if you can stand high temps in the summer, that is.)

I stayed at the Las Palmas Resort, with one bedroom-one bathroom condos only about $150. The condos are fully furbished and include a living room, full kitchen, washer/dryer and queen size bed, plus a patio with beautiful views of the beach and ocean.

And did I mention the place has a water slide?!

It was a lazy weekend, and most of the time I spent hanging out on the beach. There you’ll find lots of vendors selling things like wood carvings, pottery and jewelry.

I rode on a “banana boat,” which is an inflatable tube shaped like a banana that’s tied to a speedboat. You straddle the boat (or, if you’re a wimp like me, sit in-between two of them) and hold on tight as the speedboat whips you around the ocean. It was only $5 for about a 10 minute ride, and it was so fun, I did it twice.

The ocean was amazingly beautiful and so fun to swim in because it was so warm—just take out your contacts before you go in.

I also went on the Fiesta Cruiser booze cruise. For $30 a person, you get a meal, unlimited beer and watered down margaritas, and a two-hour ride with a live band. I loved the sunset view and had a lot of fun on the ride, on which there were lots of families and plenty of drunk people dancing along to the music.

I feel ashamed I haven’t checked out Rocky Point until now, but I know I’ll be going back soon. It’s cheap, so close, has plenty of my favorite type of food and has a little bit of culture mixed in with the tourist vibe.