Baja California Norte and Rancho La Puerta

There’s More in Tecate Than Beer!

La Puerta rooms yield spectacular views of the mountains that border Mexico and the US.

Baja California, Mexico.  It’s the Mexico you and I didn’t expect… and it’s the Mexico that begins only a few minutes from San Diego, the gateway to Mexico’s surprising northern Baja peninsula.   I’ve enjoyed many visits to the southern part of this peninsula... the state of Baja California Sur, and have loved it.  Cabo San Lucas, Loreto, Todos Santos, La Paz… I keep going back.  A couple of years ago was the last time before this trip that I had entered Mexico through Tijuana (for a conference on real estate investment in Mexico) and I never left my hotel for four days. But this was the first occasion when I have spent much time roaming the “norte”.  In the state that holds the seafood and art mecca of Ensenada, the exciting border city of Tijuana, and the beautiful Valle de Guadalupe, heart of Mexico’s wine country, in the town of Tecate lies Rancho La Puerta Spa and Fitness Resort.  I was actually in Baja California on a culinary quest to learn more about the current style of northern Baja California/Mediterranean fusion cooking in this area, specifically, Tijuana… but more on that in another article. I lost my focus!  Plenty of interesting food to write about in Tecate, too… especially here in the world capital of taco stands!  I find it hard to pass up a taco stand in Tecate.

Taco stands dot the streets in Tecate

Life in Tecate revolves around their most prominent business, the Tecate Brewery.

Being male, my definition of a “spa” was a facility of a few thousand square feet nestled in a luxury resort that my wife went to while I was playing golf… but I learned that I was thinking “day spa”.  Wandering along the perfectly manicured, yet natively natural pathways through the 3000 acres of this, the mother-of-all-destination-spas, I was amazed that the 2010 Travel & Leisure Reader’s Choice as the World’s Best Destination Spa had escaped my radar.   Further confounding me was the fact that this spa has been here,   an hour from San Diego, in the town of Tecate,  Baja California, Mexico since 1940.

The dining hall at La Puerta is in a comforting natural setting.

Even the art at Rancho La Puerta reminds guests to slow down and reflect.

Founded by Edmond and Deborah Szekely, what is billed as the world’s first destination fitness resort and spa grew to become the premiere multi-day vacation destination spa in the world.  Rancho La Puerta offers world-class landscaped gardens, an organic farm, internationally known cooking school, and mountainsides and meadows of great hiking/walking experiences.  Not at all a “day spa”, but a sustainable paradise that, with a stay of a few days, guides guests toward a positive lifestyle change with focus on fitness, healthy diet,  and the relaxation that comes from the complete luxury spa experience.  What a nightmare… here I, a travel blogger/writer, am in this place without Sally and I have to write something about it that she will certainly read. Maybe I should think about playing it down?

Most of the facilities and lodgings are sprinkled amidst world-class gardens and vineyards.  Probably the world’s first “eco” resort, the Ranch practices sustainable organic gardening and resource conservation, and leads the way in environmental protection and education efforts in the region.  Within walking distance, their organic farm, Rancho Tres Estrellas, grows acres of the healthy fare guests feast on daily.  They produce over 115 different organic vegetables, fruits and herbs for bountiful seasonal preparation. As a food writer, I am trying to figure a way to extend my stay!

Slowly walk the labyrinth to excercise your spacial problem solving skills.

Activities at La Puerta include walks, hikes, Pilates, cooking instructions (I always do this everywhere I go), dance (I always do this when my wife makes me), golf (YAY), tennis, volleyball, swimming, yoga, quiet reflection… or absolutely nothing (YAY)!  I took a pre-dawn walk through the farm with kitchen manager, Salvador Tinajero, who was out chosing the seasonable organic produce that’s ripe and ready for today’s meals.  It wasn’t special treatment, either… it’s a regular activity for guests.

Salvador Tinajero, the farm manager,
harvests produce for the day's menu.

Birding is spectacular, and another reason to keep quiet to Sally, formerly with the Houston Audubon Society (Lewis’ Woodpecker, Chipping Sparrow, Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Orange-Crowned Warbler, Lesser Goldfinch, Spotted Towhee, California Thrasher, Phainopepla, and more… they list over 180 species on their website)  and hikes may focus on geology and wildlife, or merely oneself.  Strolling through colorful lavender and fragrant fields of sage and Artemisia, I scared up bobcats, gray foxes, rabbits, ground squirrels, coyotes, raccoons and prairie dogs. When looking skyward, golden eagles, Swaison’s hawks and turkey vultures were soaring in search of the small game that scurried about in advance of my footsteps.  I tried a walk through the labyrinth to exercise my spatial problem-solving skills. Didn’t work… but I understand it does for others.

The beautiful setting keeps you from staying in your room at La Puerta.

Always visible is the beauty of Mount Kuchumaa, a 3800 foot high peak which the indigenous Kumeyaay tribes people knew as the "exalted high place."  Occupying Baja California Norte for as long as 12,000 years, they viewed Kuchumaa as the womb of the world, from which all creation came.  Only shamans were allowed on the summit of the mountain, which was considered a place of initiation for spiritual leaders, while the valleys, meadows and woodlands below were gathering places for all.  Having recently returned from Chiapas, I was mindful of my constant obsession with the Maya and this trip drove home that there are so many diverse indigenous root paths running throughout Mexico. It’s not all about the Maya and the Aztecs.

Acres of seasonal produce grow to serve the guests of  Rancho la Puerta.

The spa’s farm is one of the most important features of La Puerta and the part around which much of the healthy lifestyle revolves.  The food here is spectacular and the key words are “local” and “organic”. Menus are planned around the seasonal produce from the farm and locally caught seafood.  Wines are all from Baja California’s wine country and are locally produced.  While La Puerta is not on the coast, it is near the Pacific coast town of Ensenada. Several times a week, buyers from La Puerta start the day at Ensenada's Mercado Negro… an open air seafood market that rivals the huge seafood markets in the Mediterranean… then they rush back to the kitchen with fresh whole fish, such as mahi mahi (Dorado here in Mexico… and no easy  feat to haul big ones like I have caught of the Pacific coast of Mexico), tilapia, grouper, yellowtail and red snapper  to be carved by La Puerta’s expert chefs into the day’s “catch” on the menu.  All dishes are complemented by the freshest ingredients such as extra virgin olive oil, organic peanut butter, nuts and seeds.  Menus are planned with the recommendations of Walter C. Willett, M.D., from Harvard's Graduate School of Public Health, author of Eat, Drink and be Healthy.

Would it be a spa without offering expert massages to begin (or end) your day?

As a true destination spa, rates and the plans are for weeklong stays, starting and ending on Saturday and can even include transportation to and from the San Diego airport.  There are three organic gourmet meals a day and snacks including a smoothie bar, juices, soups, and vegetables, etc.   All beverages with meals are included, also.  Guests have full roam of all fitness facilities, the spa, swimming pools, and the library and laundry facilities.

It's not hard to figure why this La Puerta hiker is smiling

An example of how much fun exercise can be is a dance class at La Puerta.

To illustrate the size and scope of La Puerta, it is interesting to note that there are approximately 50 different scheduled group classes per day, with up to five choices of activities per hour including guided hikes and walks and workshops.  There are spa and fitness concierges to customize programs and help you gain ease with the many proffered services.  I found that nightfall doesn’t necessarily mean bedtime, as there are evening programs and entertainment.  There are some a la carte items such as spa services, personal one-on-one training, and cooking classes or demonstrations at La Cocina Que Canta cooking school.

Cooking classes in La Cocina Que Canta teach healthy cooking with
local organic ingredients.

Rates for a weeklong stay at La Puerta range from approximately $3000 to $4000 per person.  Tipping at La Puerta is truly optional… there is NO service charge.   I found that made me want to tip, though.  Clever.

By the way, should you elect to use the available pickup from the San Diego airport and the return to same at the end of your visit, you will find that the infamous hour-long waits at the U.S./Mexico border are not to be suffered by you.  Mexico is heavily pushing medical tourism and that includes the ability of facilities like Rancho la Puerta, as well as hospitals and clinics, to drive you right up to the border in a special lane bypassing the long lines of cars awaiting inspection to cross to the U.S.!
I promise you, this will not be a vacation from which you will have to recuperate.


Rancho La Puerta Fitness Resort and Spa
U.S. Business Office
11696 Sorrento Valley Road, Suite 203
San Diego, CA USA 92121
858-764-5571 direct line
U.S. Toll Free:  1-800-443-7565
www.rancholapuerta.com
www.discoverbajacalifornia.com
www.ensenada.com
www.tecate.com

Recipes

I brought back recipes of a couple of the delicious healthy dishes served at La Puerta and offer them for you to try at home. Butternut Squash Soup with Caramelized Apple and Rancho la Puerta Baked Vegetable Eggrolls with Ginger Plum Dipping Sauce. Hope you enjoy tring these!

Butternut Squash Soup with Caramelized Apple

La Puerta's rich butternut soup is made from squash freshly harvested on-site.

Ingredients:

(6 servings)

2 pounds butternut squash, halved and seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons agave syrup
Salt and pepper

Garnish:
1 apple, peeled, if desired, and diced

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 450 F.
On sheet pan lightly brushed with olive oil, roast the squash for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, remove the peel and chop the squash into large pieces.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot and sauté the onion for about 5 minutes or until translucent, then add the garlic and continue cooking for another minute. Add the cinnamon, allspice, squash, vegetable broth, syrup, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, covered until the squash is soft. Let it cool for 1 hour.
When cool, puree the soup in a food processor in batches. Pour through a fine strainer and re-heat over low heat. Check the seasonings and adjust to taste.

While the soup is re-heating, sauté the diced apple in a teaspoon of olive oil until golden brown.

Serve the soup with a few bits of apple on top as garnish.

Rancho la Puerta
Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls

Ingredients:
12 - 14 egg rolls 

12-14 egg roll sheets
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced

2 cups domestic mushrooms, sliced
2 cups shiitake mushroom, sliced
2 medium carrots, julienne
½ medium onion, sliced thin
1 large red bell pepper, sliced thin
2 cups shredded cabbage
1½ cups bean sprouts
1 cup of celery, sliced

¼ teaspoon chili flakes
1/3 cup light soy sauce
Fresh-ground black pepper


Ginger-Plum Dipping Sauce 

2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon agave syrup
1 fresh red chile pepper, seeded & minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, grated

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 prunes, re-hydrated in 1 cup simmering water
2 tablespoons sliced green onion, including green stem

1. Combine the garlic, agave, red chile, ginger and lime juice in a small bowl.
2. Bring the water to a boil and add 4 dried prunes, reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer the prunes for about 5 minutes, or until very soft. Remove from heat and cool.
3. Add the prunes and their liquid to the ginger and lime mixture and transfer to a blender. Puree until smooth.
4. Serve the dipping sauce in small bowls with a few slices of green onion in each bowl.


Method for the Egg Rolls: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
2. Sauté the ginger and garlic in oil until nicely browned. Add the vegetables and sauté for 5 minutes. Do not over cook, the vegetables should remain slightly crispy.
3. Add the chili flakes, soy sauce and black pepper, cooking for 2 minutes more. Set aside to cool.
4. Lay an egg roll sheet on a dry surface. Place1 heaping tablespoon of stuffing on the bottom third of the sheet, Brush a little water along the edges and roll up like a burrito.
5. Spray a sheet pan with olive oil and put the rolls on the pan. Lightly spray the rolls with olive oil and bake for 25 minutes at 350F.