2 visits
It felt like our little oasis. We wandered the leafy paths and wondered ‘are other people really here?’ The Ranch was as secluded and romantic as we wanted it to be. Our stay rekindled our devotion to each other and our own personal well-being.
We are both normally on-the-go. Wade travels a lot for work. I’m in marketing. We trade our phones for flip-flops and follow the redbrick road to somewhere wonderful. The hammock becomes our office, the sky our calendar. We rediscover the simple joy of being together. Where else can you roam hand-in-hand in your robes?
We feel so cared for by The Ranch staff from the moment they pick us up in San Diego. They ferry us through the bustling town of Tecate into the green sanctuary of Rancho La Puerta. Serenity envelops us. Adobe archways open to mountaintops. Wild peonies spring from hillsides. Sculptures swirl, dance, bow and pray. Hummingbirds dangle in the feathery air.
Day one, we tuck our devices into the cell phone sleeping bags in our tote. At home, we’d be in front of a TV. We don’t have that option, so we tune into each other and the music of the mountain. Our hacienda becomes our haven, with its high-beamed ceilings, Mexican folk art and wood piled neatly in the tiled fireplace. Our patio has a sweeping vista of the mountains. Our main visitors are cottontail rabbits and mourning doves.
The Ranch is a walking village more than a stuffy resort. We soon realize, ‘getting there’ is as lovely as ‘there.’ We massage our feet on sun-warmed stones on a spiraled path. We pick sweet figs straight from the trees. A flock of California quail forage in the sagebrush. Flashes of orange fish shimmy in a pond. We happen across an enclave of hammocks under the live oaks and discover a secret: There’s still animals in the clouds.
The brilliance of the Ranch is that we can each pursue our own pleasures. We climb the Coyote trail together in the morning and scurry off to our chosen classes. I want to up my workout with TRX, tennis and ranch ropes. Wade seeks an antidote to his fast-paced job with yoga, meditation and anything in the water. We reunite at the poolside juice bar for a coconut-mango smoothie and a float in the bright southern sun.
We could choose a table for two but we often gather round a communal one. Meals are epic treats and thankfully they happen three times a day. There are vegan and gluten-free options, as well as Baja-caught seafood, fresh dairy and eggs from local chickens. The food is prepared with love. You can taste it. Wade decides he can’t live without The Ranch’s handmade tortillas, and learns to make them with fresh masa back home.
We’re giddy to discover the Bazar Del Sol lounge with its collection of wines from the neighboring Guadalupe Valley. We browse the cache of artisan crafts and snuggle on a couch by the fire. It’s sunset and coral hues splash through the valley. We’re filled with good cheer and love for each other. Salud, sweetheart!
More about the Bazar Del Sol