So they gave me some coupons...

I'm at Rancho la Puerta, a spa in Tecate, Mexico, 20 miles east of Tijuana, about 90 minutes from San Diego. In a few hours I'll be heading home. It's been a good two weeks. Usually this place is completely full, but with the economic slump affecting the tourist industry, and the media fear frenzy hurting Mexico, they're only at about 90% (my guess). So they're giving returning guests $250 coupons to pass out to friends, good only for first-time guests. None of my friends at home are interested in (or can afford) this kind of thing, so if you are interested, PM me and I'll send you one or two (depending on if anyone else asks... I've got 4 of them). Google Rancho la Puerta for their web site.

This place is a very up-scale, and very expensive spa. Luxurious accommodations, great staff, all the usual spa classes (fitness, motivational, informational, etc.) and treatments (massages, facials, etc.) as well as hiking in the surrounding mountains and along the river lowlands. It's the hiking I came here for, and although it does not hold a candle to British Columbia, it's warm and dry here when Canada is covered in snow and the hiking is beautiful and impressive, with enormous boulders, some carved by erosion into fantastic shapes. (Caveat: in winter there can be chilly and rainy days.) I cannot speak of the treatments. I don't do those. But the fitness classes are great, and the gymnasium is excellent. The hiking is beautiful.

The place is very expensive, but cheaper than similar places in the U.S. The food is great. They offer a 1600-calorie diet, but you can eat all you want. No requirement to be on a diet. The menu is vegetarian plus dairy plus fish. There is no meat or fowl ever. They will accommodate special dietary requirements, such as vegan or allergies. Check with them first if your dietary needs are uncommon.

If you are looking for an upscale and very expensive spa, take a look at their web site, and PM me if you decide you want a discount coupon. This is my third time here, which tells you what I think of the place. Honestly, I would not come here if British Columbia were not covered in snow right now. But when the best places are too cold, this is a very nice second-best. I've been here in February, and I won't come back in that month, as it rained too much. I've been told that January is not as wet, but have no first-hand experience of that. The climate here is very much like San Diego, as it is so close.

 

The discount coupons are so little ($250) compared to the cost of a week's stay (three to four grand) that they are not going to make the difference for anyone to go there. But if someone was going to go there, might as well use the coupon.

As for skiing, I don't want to go up and down the mountain fast. I want to take my time and enjoy the scenery. And I enjoy the hard work. Thus skiing and gondola-riding are out for me. I did go up there two years ago January for snowshoeing. It was amazingly beautiful and I loved the hard work of breaking trail. But my feet got so cold the pain was intense! I would need winter boots. Also my hands were freezing. Gloves help, but I cannot eat lunch with gloves on, and my hands became numb with the cold while eating, which I think is the step before frostbite. I would do it again if a girlfriend dragged me there, but probably not otherwise.