I celebrated my birthday in 2007 at this under-the-radar fitness ranch and spa located in Tecate, Mexico (about an hour from San Diego). Now I’ll admit that I had a bit of a "hook-up". Rancho la Puerta is honestly not the type of spot I would have sought out on my own. But boy am I glad I went. First of all, this 3000 acre resort was doing green long before it was the "in" thing to do. Opened in 1940, only organic food (no meat whatsoever) is served at the Ranch and almost all of the fruits and veggies are grown on the premises. There isn’t a Mickey D’s or even a vending machine anywhere in sight. There are no televisions or radios in the guest cabins. A computer lab, with Internet access is however - as well as - an adjoining library. No smoking or drinking is permitted on the premises. But we were served wine on the last night of our stay. Guests and staff walk (or jog/run) everywhere - there are no vehicles used on site. And I am convinced I heard coyotes during my first night although my roomie and good friend Tress thought I was trippin’.
Sound boring? Honestly, I was kinda afraid it might be. But this trip was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up so I went. Well, I had a ball. Seriously, I was so out of my comfort zone but it felt so good. Some of the food was on the bland side for my taste at first but I was cool by day 3. I never liked oatmeal but after eating it at the Ranch with brown sugar I’m a changed woman. The classes offered at the Ranch are quite vast making it virtually impossible to get bored. I discovered Nia, sweated out my ‘do in an African dance class, took a morning mountain hike to the Ranch farm and even braved a strip tease class. Confession: the suburban, middle-aged, soccer moms were not easy to keep up with in that strip tease class… I also enjoyed a therapeutic drawing class and sketched some of the beautiful trees surrounding my cabin. I actually like to draw but rarely make the time to do it at home. Oh, and the spa treatments were superb. I was rubbed, wrapped, and buffed to perfection every day of my week-long stay. My fave treatment was the energy balancing massage. Last but certainly not least, I made lifelong friends at the Ranch. Being there without the vices of everyday life (my Treo was off for most of the trip) allowed me to bond with some pretty cool folks.
Just swingin' it at the Ranch.
So my first, and hopefully not my last, green vacation was a blast. There was that night we managed to break out and explore Tejuana. Hey, I said I believe in moderation!
