TRAVELER
with chores like gathering firewood and tend- ing the goats. By 1950 the initial rate had esca- lated to $25.00, but the 35 or so guests no longer had to milk the goats. Even though the Szekelys’ fitness concept was decades ahead be- fore it achieved popularity in the United States, post-war affluence helped it prosper. By 1955 the Essene had retaken the name of the original rancho and had added a pool, library, and the dining room. In those early times, many people looked
at the concept as a “fat farm” where weight re- duction was the sole objective, and women were the only guests. Since more Americans have gotten health and fitness conscious the
people at Rancho La Puerta will find Holly- wood celebrities in their midst, but others would not be aware of it. It is known that when “Titanic” was being filmed a little over an hour away in Rosarito Beach, actress Kate Winslett spent time at Rancho La Puerta. The 2016 weekly rates, from Saturday to
Saturday (7 nights); pretty much preclude all but more affluent people to partake in the he- donistic week. Double occupancy, per person, runs from $3,750 to $4,650 during the season. Single occupancy rates go from $3,750 to $4,200. Special summer rates and shorter (3 or 4 night) stays are offered. The rates include a comprehensive hiking
A La Puerta suite.
Son Alex, the guiding force during the 1980s and 1990s, passed away in 2002. Szekely’s daughter Sarah Livia, is President and respon- sible for much of the current success of the world class resort spas. TripAdvisor gave the Rancho La Puerta a
La Puerta pool.
Rancho La Puerta attracts both men and women, and overall health, good diet and fit- ness are stressed versus a one-time weight re- duction program. By 1958, the Szekelys had been ap-
proached by many of their graduates who were prominent directors, producers and actors in Hollywood and who wanted a little more pri- vacy and intimacy than was possible in Tecate. The family found a location in San Marcos, California and opened The Golden Door, a sis- ter fitness resort. From the early days, they offered stimulat-
x
ing seminars and presentations and in 1960 the noted author Aldous Huxley (Brave New World) was one of many luminaries who gave a symposium.
program on 3,000 acres of natural terrain, the skilled training staff, 50 different fitness classes (five choices every hour), all gourmet meals plus beverages and snacks, cooking demonstra- tions, evening lectures and movies, tennis, vol- leyball and basketball, 10 gyms, three swimming pools, and separate mens’ and wom- ens’ health centers with steam rooms, whirlpools and saunas. Extras would include massages, facials, body wraps, manicures and other specific offerings. Round-trip transportation between San
Diego Airport and Rancho La Puerta is also in- cluded. The rancho menu is mostly home grown from the organic vegetable garden and is considered a modified lacto-ova-vegetarian (twice weekly fish). The la nouvelle cuisine
And taken down The dining room.
Guest list is a Who’s Who The guest list at both spas over the years
could resemble a “Who’s Who” but the man- agement does not like to invade their privacy by mentioning it. That’s the attraction. Often
A working garden. menus of Rancho La Puerta and its sister
spa, The Golden Door, inspired the term “spa cuisine.” The founding philosopher Edmond
Szekely died in 1979 but the philosophy lives on. Deborah, now over 92, still lectures weekly.
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Certificate of Excellence and by July 2015 the 194 reviewers overwhelmingly gave it five stars. It’s been a big summer at Rancho La
Puerta. In July they celebrated their 75th Birth- day, and the August 2015 issue of “Travel & Leisure” named its annual World’s Best
Awards, designating The Golden Door and the Rancho La Puerta as Number One and Num- ber Two in the Top Destination Spas Overall. The bucolic border village of Tecate may
be home to the Tecate Brewery, but it’s the Rancho La Puerta that put the town on the map. (Greg Niemann, a long-time San Clemente Journal contributor, is the author of Baja Fever, Baja Legends, Palm Springs Legends, Las Vegas Legends, and Big Brown: The Untold Story of UPS. Visit
www.gregniemann.com.)
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