This past July, I spent a week at Rancho La Puerta. Rancho La Puerta is a destination spa that promotes an active, yet relaxing respite from the routine and demands of our daily lives. It really is a fitness spa, not just a place to get multiple massages and lollygag, although downtime is highly encouraged when your body calls for it. Located in Tecate, Mexico, which is an hour from the border in San Diego, “The Ranch” is nestled in the rolling hills under Mt. Kuchumaa. The surroundings are serene and bucolic.  The accommodations are comfortable, but not decadent. The Ranch is a laid back, mellow spa, not the foo-foo experience you might find at Canyon Ranch or the Ranch’s sister spa, the Golden Door.

The food is great and there is plenty of it. You can make your stay at Rancho La Puerta a 1200-calorie per day experience with the help of a counselor, or you can eat as much as you can put down in one sitting. The upshot is that it’s all quite healthy—low in sodium, low in fat and low in refined sugar. They also don’t serve red meat or chicken, but have wonderful seafood selections. The food is made with fresh ingredients, organic when possible. Breakfast and lunch are done buffet-style. Dinner is about 4-courses and is a full-service, sit-down affair. If you can’t get satiated for some reason, the kitchen will give you peanut butter (all natural), tuna and extra bread (it’s healthy) upon request. Flaxseed and Beano are on the buffet—which of course elicited a few giggles from my compadres and me.

Speaking of compadres—you can make your stay at the Ranch one of almost complete solitude, or do some bonding with some other females from around the country. The Ranch takes about 100 or so guests for a week. The average age is probably somewhere between forty five and fifty and the females dominate. There are also a few husbands and the random solo male traveler. I went with a gal pal of mine and we were clearly some of the youngest there since we are both in our mid thirties. We met a trio of gals our own age and quickly became a little pack. “The Besties” as I named them, became the troupe that we hiked, weightlifted, breathed, breakfasted, lunched, and dined with. Bonus: We’re still in touch via email and personal visits (one lives in the Bay Area). The bottom line is, don’t let the age range throw you off—all of the women are great and there for pretty much the same thing: relaxation, recharging, and revitalization.

There are different types of workouts to satisfy a variety of exercising needs. Hikes start off the day. From adventure to rolling hills hikes, there’s something for every level. The multitude of daily classes include, but are not limited to: dance, yoga, weight training with weights, weight training without weights, NIA, Feldenkrais, boxing, breathing, Fitball classes, foam roller classes, and WaterWorks. The instructors are quite good and they teach pretty much right down the middle, as to not alienate any exerciser.

The spa services are not included in the cost of your week, but they’re quite reasonably priced and very well done. A big highlight: The Thai Massage (ask for Manuel). It might strike you as an odd experience if you’ve never had one, but I encourage you to just go with it. 

Know Before You Go:

• They don’t call them Magnificent Monday, Terrific Tuesday and Wipeout Wednesday for nothing. Pay attention when they tell you to pace yourself. Wipeout Wednesday did indeed happen to me, so take it easy when you’re body is telling you to. Also, The Besties and I renamed “Terrific” Tuesday “Tooty” Tuesday. Tuesday is the day when your healthy food finally kicks in. You do the math.