Reset, Refresh & Relax at Rancho La Puerta

I was looking for a reset. I was looking to relax. I was looking for a way to celebrate a milestone birthday and snag some much-needed time with my out-of-state bestie. I was looking for Rancho La Puerta.

Just 90 minutes from San Diego in Tecate, Mexico, Rancho La Puerta is a wellness resort celebrating 85 years of catering to the mental, physical and spiritual wellness of its guests.

Imagine a summer camp for adults. The all-inclusive stays for three, four or seven days include more than 45 activities available each day for guests to build a perfect, personalized schedule.

Looking to kickstart a fitness journey? You might opt for a 6am mountain hike, followed by circuit training, a tennis clinic and a cardio drum dance.

Need a mental reset? Sunrise yoga, a midday watercolor session and silent dinner might fit the bill.

Want to get out of your comfort zone? You might try aerial yoga, water polo on a noodle, Latin dance and an introductory Spanish class.

From pickleball to Pilates, dance class to drawing, sound baths to shallow water workouts and more, the weekly schedule at Rancho La Puerta allows you to customize a schedule of activities, workouts and classes to meet your needs. (See a sample of the weekly schedule here!)

In addition, each week includes a changing list of speakers, workshops, cooking classes and musical guests to inspire, educate and entertain.

They even have specialty weeks with themes like the upcoming Culinary Week (July 12-19) to explore the ingredients and flavors of Baja or Jazz Week (August 23-30) to enjoy daily concerts, artist talks and music workshops.

Although the Ranch is usually reserved for ages 14 and up, during the summer Family Week (July 26-August 2), parents and kids ages 7 and up get to explore a wide range of age-specific activities and special guests throughout the day (think drawing class from Disney animation artists and soccer lessons from world-class professional players) and then family-friendly activities together every evening.

As for me, I was looking for a little bit of everything. I packed a bag, grabbed my high school bestie and headed south to explore Rancho La Puerta.

Getting to Rancho La Puerta

Rancho La Puerta provides scheduled, complimentary ground transportation to and from the San Diego International Airport as well as from the Tecate border. After picking up my bestie from the airport, we located the resort shuttle which drove us 90 minutes to the border. There we disembarked, walked across the border through customs and boarded another shuttle on the other side. While this might seem a bit unusual, the driver shared that crossing the border by car could have hours-long wait times and this method allowed the fastest transition across the border. We walked across the border, put our bags through security and were on Mexican soil in a matter of minutes. Once inside the van on the Mexican side of the border, it was a short 15 minute ride to Rancho La Puerta.

Rancho La Puerta provides excellent communication in the weeks and days leading up to your stay. From packing lists and border crossing preparation to spa scheduling and tips on how to make the most of your stay, the communication was clear, helpful and plentiful, leaving me feeling well prepared for my visit.

Arriving at Rancho La Puerta

When you arrive, you are greeted by a collection of welcoming staff who will help you check in and get to your room if they are ready or, as in our case, take you on a tour of the property (with a 4,000 acre property you DON’T want to miss this!) and an orientation session to learn about the myriad of activity options.

The entrance is gorgeous when you arrive, but it isn’t until you start exploring the grounds that you get to experience one piece of the magic of Rancho La Puerta. Set in a valley at the base of Mt. Kuchumaa, the ranch property features an array of cultivated flora and curious fauna. From oaks, olives, palms and bamboo to chaparral shrubs and wildflowers plus a collection of squirrels, skunks, raccoons, rabbits and birds, the Ranch property surrounds you with the sights and sounds of the natural word.

Accommodations at Rancho La Puerta

The property has 86 casitas on the grounds, each with its own distinct style. Complete with outdoor patios, indoor fireplaces and gorgeous local furnishings, the casitas vary from rooms for one up to four people. On the website, you can view the layout, style and sleeping arrangements for each casita and select one that best meets your needs.

Our stay was located in the Villas Sol section of the property, a short walk from the Villa Pool, one of the property’s four main pools, and the Villas Spa, one of three locations for massages and other treatments. Our casita contained a king and a queen bed, a bathroom, a large living room and fireplace, sink and mini fridge and two outdoor seating areas with a view of Mt. Kuchumaa behind the property.

Fresh fruit, coffee and sparkling water are provided daily in the room and the nightly turn-down service included collector’s cards of healthy sleep suggestions and wellness tips.

Activities at Rancho La Puerta

I was glad I had a pen in my purse. After the new guest orientation and walking tour of the property, I sat down with the weekly schedule and started highlighting all the activities I wanted to fit into my visit.

The majority of all activities at the Ranch are covered by the all-inclusive cost (the exceptions being cooking classes, a wine tour and spa treatments). There are morning hikes and stretch classes, specialty sessions like yoga rope wall and Pilates reformer as well as classes on kettlebells, TRX and Bosu. In addition to traditional workouts, Rancho La Puerta also offers dance lessons, aerial yoga, art classes and a variety of special speakers each week.

My week offered a wide range of interesting presenters some of which included:

Eric Cruz from Progressive Health & Performance who provided informative lectures and practical workouts centered on “Ageless Athletics: Training for Brain Health & Longevity”
Award-winning chef, cookbook author and owner of the famed Brown Sugar Kitchen restaurant in Oakland, Tanya Holland who taught hands-on cooking lessons from her recent cookbooks at the ranch’s La Cocina Que Canta
A deep dive into midlife hormonal changes with endocrinologist Nancy Cetel, MD based on her book Double Menopause: What to Do When Both You and Your Mate Go through Hormonal Changes Together
Daily lectures on inner fitness from psychologist, coach and master hypnotherapist Dr. Kirsten Cameron
Broadway show singalongs with Emmy Award-winning actress, singer and recording artist Liz Callaway

You can check the Events Calendar to see who and what will be offered during upcoming weeks.

But here’s the best part of the Ranch’s programming: while you have 5-7 options you can choose from each hour between 9am and 4pm, you can also opt to just sit by the pool. Or walk the Labyrinth path. Or sit on the porch of your casita and read a book or soak in the stillness.

Each day you can build the day that you, your body and your mind needs.

Food at Rancho La Puerta

All meals are also included in the cost for the stay at Rancho La Puerta. That includes three meals a day plus multiple options for snacks, juices and smoothies throughout the day. The meals are pescatarian – heavy on organic fruits, veggies, beans and grains with a touch of seafood here and there.

As someone who regularly eats meat, this gave me pause, but I can report that not only was I never hungry, I was regularly blown away by the meals. Each day offered a brand new array of tasty soups spruced up with interesting garnishes, innovative salads with veggies fresh from the La Cocina Que Canta gardens and beautiful main dishes that highlighted healthy seasonal ingredients. And yes, they even have desserts!

If a particular meal isn’t filling enough (or to your liking) you can always get a second serving or take advantage of options like cottage cheese, peanut butter, nuts, fruit, roasted veggies or the Ranch’s nutty Orange Bread which strangely doesn’t taste like orange, requires no butter and tastes amazing warm or cold. (I’m still dreaming about it…)

Guests can also purchase additional snacks and smoothies at the Terra Allegra Juice Bar or enjoy specialty coffees or in the evenings, a glass of local wine from the Guadalupe Valley at the Bazar Del Sol.

Spa at Rancho La Puerta

We can’t go any farther without talking about the Ranch Spa….from standard spa fare like massages and facials to less common treatments like Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy and WATSU, you can add on spa treatments throughout your stay to detox and cleanse, relax and restore or energize your body and mind. I tried out their Sports Massage which included deep tissue massage with additional stretching – a treatment that definitely hit the spot after 4-5 hours of fitness classes each day.

The Ranch is also offering special spa treatments for their 85th anniversary including the 85 Anniversary Soothing 85, an 85-minute body and facial treatment, and a Spirit and Strength Package that includes six spa treatments, three private fitness trainings and a three-and-a-half hour cooking class and dinner!

Presuming you schedule yourself at least one facial, massage or specialty treatment during your stay, be sure to ask which of the multiple spa facilities it will be at (we almost went to the wrong one!) AND what else the spa facility includes so you can show up early and enjoy. From cold plunge and hot tubs to infrared saunas and steam rooms, each location offers a variety of different included amenities you can take advantage of before or after your treatment.

The Magic of Rancho La Puerta

There is truly something magical about the Ranch. There were single people who had come on their own and married couples looking to celebrate a milestone. There were teens with their parents and those in their 80s. Multigenerational family groups and pairs of best friends. There were people from dozens of different states and even a handful of different countries.

People had come for solitude, to celebrate, to heal or for a healthy reset.

During our four days there we met …

a single woman from Florida celebrating her 50th birthday
two twentysomethings who had met a few years earlier at the Ranch and became friends
a divorced woman and her teenage son from Texas looking for quality time
a lawyer from Canada on a solo wellness retreat
a pair of best friends celebrating 50 years of friendship
a dozen people from an extended family who had been coming to the Ranch each summer for years
a couple celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary
a woman whose mom had just passed away
and the most adorable 80+ year old man who carried his briefcase everywhere he went – even to the deep-water workout session

The people we met – the guests, staff and presenters – were all incredibly kind, gracious and open. They all seemed to know that life is beautiful and hard – sometimes at the same time. They understood the value of taking time to care for your body, inside and out. There was a spirit of trying new things, being open to new people and being grateful for little joys and small victories.

With an average of 150 guests each week, the Ranch feels big enough to find solitude when you want it, but small enough to have made some real connections over meals and during classes with other guests.

Founded in 1940 by Deborah Szekely, who is now 103 (!) and still comes to the Ranch each Wednesday evening to give a talk, and her late husband, Rancho La Puerta was the first true wellness resort and spa in North America. More than being the first, Rancho La Puerta has continued to be one of the best, being voted as Travel & Leisure World’s Best Destination Spas 10 times as well as a #1 Reader’s Choice award by Condé Nast Traveler among others accolades.

For my tax bracket, a future stay at the Ranch would definitely be an extravagant splurge. However, when you account that the price includes seven nights in your own casita, three meals a day and an array of speakers, activities and classes….I won’t say that it is a deal, but you do get a lot for the price. The option to share a room with others and stay for only three or four nights instead of a whole week also can help to make it a more affordable option. My visit was only four nights which definitely gives you enough time to take advantage of the Ranch’s activities and amenities.

By the end of my stay, I understood why you would save up to celebrate a milestone or indulge in some serious self-care at Rancho La Puerta.

While I may not be able to be a Ranch regular, if I was at a spot in my life where I needed time to process or heal, wanted to celebrate a milestone or was looking for a major reset, I would definitely be motivated to head back for more of Rancho La Puerta’s magic.

Maybe that’s you? If you are ready to celebrate, relax, renew or reset, you can explore your own stay at Rancho La Puerta here.

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