Rancho La Puerta is a 4,000-acre destination wellness resort in Baja California, Mexico, that for 84 years has been providing guests an opportunity to commune with nature while pursuing health and fitness goals.
Visitors can stay in one of the 86 casitas on the grounds while exploring the resort’s cooking and wellness classes, spa services and other activities. The site also is available for private events.
The La Jolla Light asked the following questions to find out more. The answers were supplied by marketing representative Grace Wilkinson.
Q. How and when did the business begin?
A. In June 1940, newlyweds Edmond and Deborah Szekely started an impromptu summer health camp in the coastal mountains of Baja California, not far from San Diego.
As is often true, necessity was the mother of invention. As the horrors of World War II engulfed the globe, Edmond — a Romanian citizen — had become a man without a country when his U.S.-issued papers expired. He was told he had to leave the U.S. before June 1 or be returned to his country of origin, where his Jewish heritage was a death sentence.
So they crossed the border south, lacking papers but emboldened by dreams. They found a scrap of land with an adobe storage shed to rent, and it became their home. They not only lived but thrived in the most primitive conditions. Soon, their temporary camp became a permanent haven for health seekers.
Some 84 years later, Rancho La Puerta remains a retreat for anyone looking to live a healthier life and find harmony and balance with nature, body and mind.
Q. What is its mission?
A. The ranch’s motto is “Siempre mejor!” (“Always better!”) or, as co-founder Deborah Szekely (who turned 102 in May) likes to say, always learning.
Rancho La Puerta strives to provide our guests and staff with experiences that enhance the growth of their minds, bodies and spirits in a healthy, natural setting that promotes learning, growth and vitality. We are committed to offering the highest-quality destination wellness resort and spa experience while ensuring a highly functioning, sustainable operation. All eco-friendly practices are safe and effective, with the goal of not just reducing the environmental impact but regenerating and improving our environment.
Q. What services does it offer?
A. Rancho La Puerta offers three-, four- and seven-night all-inclusive vacations on 4,000 acres of nature preserve. We offer daily hikes on over 40 miles of trails, plus over 40 fitness and wellness classes per week, including yoga, strength and conditioning, pickleball, water classes, meditation and sound healing.
Our 6-acre organic farm provides fresh produce for our Mexican-Mediterranean modified vegetarian cuisine, and fresh fish from the seaport town of Ensenada is a daily mainstay. Our culinary center, La Cocina Que Canta (The Kitchen That Sings), hosts weekly cooking classes with visiting chefs.
Personal services at the spa’s three health centers include massages, facials, herbal wraps and body treatments, and evening programs feature speakers, authors, adventurers, physicians and more.
Q. What makes Rancho La Puerta unique compared with similar businesses?
A. Rancho La Puerta is considered the original wellness resort in North America. Decades of experience as a pioneer in the wellness industry make us a trusted leader in the field of health and wellness, and being family-owned and -operated allows us to stay authentic to our founding principles.
Q. What’s new with the business that you want everyone to know about?
A. We are very excited about all of our new culinary offerings this summer. At La Cocina Que Canta, we recently launched a new cooking class, “Divino Cacao,” a captivating journey into the rich heritage of Mexican chocolate.
We also offer weekly hands-on cooking classes with internationally renowned chefs, as well as a curated Chef’s Table dining experience with a visiting chef and Rancho La Puerta executive chef Reyna Venegas.
We offer handcrafted coffee, lattes and tea, and curated wines from the celebrated Valle de Guadalupe region. Our juice bar, Tierra Alegre, serves organic cold-pressed juices and smoothies, as well as protein-packed snacks that are organic, vegan, soy-free and gluten-free.
On July 13-20, we’ll be celebrating the vibrant flavors of Mexico with our annual Culinary Week. This year we are proud to feature five extraordinary female culinary experts from Baja California.
Q. What are Rancho La Puerta’s connections to La Jolla?
A. Rancho La Puerta is an easy hour’s drive from La Jolla, making it a perfect retreat for anyone who wants to be only an hour away but a world apart.
Rancho La Puerta is in Tecate, Baja California, roughly 57 miles from La Jolla. Current rates range from $4,900 to $8,050 per person for one week. Three- and four-night stays are on a space-available basis. For more information or reservations, call (800) 443-7565 or visit rancholapuerta.com.
— Business Spotlight features enterprises that this publication. ◆
