For those of you who follow some of the travel and spa magazines you may have seen that Rancho la Puerta (Tecate, Mexico) was just named the top spa in North America by the readers of Spa Finder.
So in honor of this award I thought I’d include a short review that I did based on my last stay at this resort. Feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment here with any questions about Rancho la Puerta.
Rancho la Puerta, Tecate, Mexico – by Donna Mantone-Adinolfi
Rancho la Puerta began in 1940 by Edward and Deborah Szekely and is located south of San Diego, California in Tecate, Mexico. It is the original destination fitness resort and spa and has offered a life changing experience for thousands for over 65 years. Every week, over 100 guests come together to hike, breathe, relax and go beyond their boundaries. Guests come to know one another, share experiences and enjoy a week of healthy vegetarian cuisine, physical activity and mindful moments. There are many opportunities to contemplate life including walking in the full size replica of the ancient labyrinth found in Chartres Cathedral in France. In walking the labyrinth you come upon many turns and just as in life you can’t anticipate where you will turn and where it will lead.
Every turn can bring you into a new destination. This truly was a lesson in being in the moment and focusing on each step and breath. Rancho la Puerta offers an abundance of fitness classes, hiking opportunities for the beginner to advanced, cooking demos, lectures and plenty of options for pampering in their health centers. Different people come to the Ranch for different reasons, all of which have meaning. Some come for the fitness opportunities, others to relax and rejuvenate and others for healing.
The Ranch has stayed true to its’ core. Fitness is the basis of a week at the Ranch balanced with relaxation, healthy eating and reflection. There is much that lures guests to Rancho la Puerta including Mount Kuchumaa, which Native Americans consider a sacred place. And it is a sacred place.
I’m inspired and transformed from my time at the Ranch.
© Copyright 2006 Donna M. Mantone-Adinolfi – All rights reserved.