Rancho La Puerto Spa

Rancho La Puerto Spa

Tecate, a quiet border community 32 km (20 mi) east of Tijuana, is known as the home of two noteworthy things: the Tecate Brewery, which makes some of Mexico's most popular beers, and the Rancho la Puerta spa. More than six decades since its 1940 opening, La Puerta -- a pioneer among today's fitness spas -- continues to offer personalized service, with more than 300 employees seeing to the needs of up to 150 guests. Equally reliable are the climate, with an average of 341 dry, sunny days a year, and the vegetarian-seafood diet.

Still managed by members of its founding family, La Puerta requires a weeklong stay. A printed schedule helps you choose from the extensive daily selection of educational talks and dozens of fitness options. Activities include African dance, back care, spinning, labyrinth meditation, Feldenkrais technique, cardio-boxing, tai chi, and yoga. Mornings begin with guided hikes around the ranch's 3,000 acres of unspoiled countryside and through the foothills of sacred Mt. Kuchumaa. An extensive range of à-la-carte spa treatments and salon services offers the chance to relax with some pampering.

One-of-a-kind cottages contain studios and suites decorated with handmade rugs and furniture. Many have tile floors, fireplaces, and kitchenettes. The studios and suites in the villas, which run more than the other cottages, give you the option of in-room massages (for a fee) and breakfast poolside or in-room. There's no air-conditioning or TV, and only the villa studios and suites have phones. Reserve well in advance; when we checked, La Puerta was booked solid for two months!

Spa Services: Aromatherapy, body scrubs, facials, herbal wrap, hydrotherapy, hot-stone massage, manicure, pedicure, reflexology, scalp treatments, salt glow, seaweed wrap, sports massage, trigger-point massage.

Fitness Facilities: 11 gyms total. Elliptical machines, free weights, stair climbers, stationary bikes, treadmills, weight-training circuit; basketball court, labyrinth, Pilates studio, 3 pools, 4 lighted tennis courts, volleyball court; 5 whirlpools, 3 saunas.

Classes and programs: Aerobics, breathing techniques, cooking, crafts classes, dance, drumming, Feldenkrais method, hiking, health lectures, meditation, Spanish lessons, Spinning, stretching, tai chi, tennis, yoga.

Package: $2,460-$3,730 7-night package, per person, double occupancy, excluding tax, in high season; in low season, rates go as low as $2,080. Rates include all meals, classes, and evening programs as well as use of all facilities. It also includes ground transportation to and from San Diego International Airport.

General Info:. Carretera Federal Tijuana, Km 5, Tecate, Baja California, Box 463057, Escondido, CA, 92046. 760/744-4222 reservations; 800/443-7565 reservations in U.S.; 665/654-9155 to resort. 760/744-5007. www.rancholapuerta.com. 87 cottages. MC, V. All-inclusive