Rancho La Puerta – Savor Mexico Near San Diego
Rancho La Puerta is well known for their great food, including this chocolate flan.
Rancho La Puerta, the famous spa retreat in Tecate, Mexico, is a great option for visitors to San Diego who want a taste of Mexican culture. The resort is an hour east of San Diego and just 3.3 miles south of the border. Normally reservations are only accepted for one-week stays, but savvy San Diegans – like Mimi Pollack, who contributed this guest post – know that one day visits are possible on selected Saturdays.
In the past, numerous visitors to San Diego have asked me if I advise taking day trips to Tijuana for shopping and a meal. I was never a big fan of this idea because border cities don’t provide an authentic experience. However, in the last few years I’ve also had to say “Sorry, but it just isn’t safe.”
Enter Mimi and other San Diegans who shared with me how much fun everyone has on Saturdays at the Ranch when they dial back, enjoy a change of scenery, and get some much-needed exercise. In addition to these spa features, Rancho La Puerta offers a great opportunity to sample genuine Mexican art, food, and scenery in a totally safe environment.
Here’s more from San Diegan Mimi Pollack:
Many of us lead hectic, stressful lives, so it is always healthy to find ways to unwind and relax. Spending a week at a spa is one good way, but not everyone has the time.
This is the central pool at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico.
Here in San Diego, there are the “Saturdays at the Ranch,” a one day retreat offered at Rancho La Puerta, a luxury spa just across the border in Tecate, Mexico. At “the ranch” (as it is affectionately known), you can get away from it all and spend the day relaxing, recharging and being pampered from early in the morning until you return to San Diego in the evening.
Rancho La Puerta history
Founded in 1940 by Edmond and Deborah Szekely, Rancho La Puerta has built a solid reputation and a loyal following over the years. Deborah, 93, is the heart and soul of the place. She is known as a true pioneer of the mind/body/fitness movement. She also established the Golden Door in Escondido, California, which she later sold. She still lectures at Rancho La Puerta once a week on the principles of living a longer, healthier life and healthy eating.
Guests on Saturday Stays are welcome to enjoy this quiet garden at Rancho La Puerta.
“Saturdays at the Ranch” at Rancho La Puerta
In a day that stretches from 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM, you can go for a guided early morning hike, or join a variety of exercise classes to recharge. To relax, the choices include different types of massages, sitting by the pool, or taking a yoga class. In addition, you can eat delicious food, visit their working farm, and take a cooking class with a renowned chef.
Visitors to Rancho La Puerta also enjoy strolling the 300 acres of lush gardens, seeing the magnificent sculptures that dot the landscape, and stopping at the ranch museum to learn about the history of the place. The resort lies in 3,000 acres of native terrain at the base of Mount Kuchumaa.
Labyrinths, like this one at Rancho La Puerta, help create a sense of wellness.
The Saturdays at the Ranch include a fresh breakfast snack buffet and Mediterranean lunch buffet. These meals are served in a large, airy and artistic dining room. Much of the food is locally sourced as the ranch has its own organic vegetable garden. They also serve wonderful homemade cheeses.
Later in the afternoon, you continue your culinary adventure by going on a two-mile hike to their six-acre organic farm called Tres Estrellas (Three Stars) ending at their cooking school, La Cocina que Canta (The Kitchen that Sings). Classes are taught by executive chef Denise Roa or one of the guest culinary pros from around the world. After learning to create various dishes, the class culminates in enjoying the fruits of your labor.
Hiking around Ranch La Puerta is an authentic way to experience this border region of Mexico.
Rancho La Puerta art
Finally, there is the art. From the moment you arrive, there is something to admire, starting with the intricately patterned metal entrance gate. For me, the best is discovering the sculptures as you walk around the grounds. The sculptures were created by Mexican artists Victor Hugo Castaneda, the renowned Francisco Zuniga, and Heriberto Juarez. Two are in marble and the rest are in bronze. You will find several figurative female sculptures lounging in what look like yoga poses. The art is truly a feast for the eyes.
Rancho La Puerta: Sitting Crossed. Photo credit Mimi Pollack.
The “Saturdays at the Ranch” are an excellent way to a get away from it all in beautiful surroundings at one of the oldest and most unique spas in America.
The gardens at Rancho La Puerta are in stark contrast to the rugged moutains that surround the spa.
Details
The ranch provides bus transportation to and from San Diego, and a passport is required. Upcoming 2015 Saturdays at the Ranch will be August 22, September 12, October 17, November 14, and December 12. For more information go to the Rancho La Puerta website.
Mimi Pollack is an instructor at Grossmont College and San Diego Community College and a freelance writer.
Category: Southern California
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It’s awesome to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same out of date rehashed information.
Great read!