5 visits
There’s a palpable draw to The Ranch. The second you get there it envelops you. As you leave you daydream about going back.
I wouldn’t trade my girlfriend getaway to The Ranch for anything. We step out of time and the roles we play. We slip into robes and the rhythms of nature. We hike, dance, laugh and dream. Each of us follows our own fancies — hopping on a trampoline, crisscrossing the mountains, rocking in yoga silks. We feel deeply connected to each other and ourselves.
The Baja sun streaks the land golden as my girlfriends and I chat our way through chaparral meadows. It’s a two-mile trek to the famed farm kitchen La Cocina Que Canta, and our bellies are already singing for the succulent buffet ahead.
Learn more about Tres Estrellas
We’re met by an orchard of fruit trees, a sea of blooms and the ebullient lead gardener Salvador, who oversees the organic farm like a proud papa. Tres Estrellas grows about 90-percent of the produce served at The Ranch. It’s so fantastical, it reminds me of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory—only for vegetables! The food is delectable. The vegetables are crisp. We taste the caring collaboration between farmer and land in each bite.
As a fitness instructor, I’m blown away by the excellent teachers at Rancho La Puerta. They challenge me and show me new moves. I figure I can do anything in 45-minute increments—except striptease dance! My girlfriends love this playful, fully-clothed workout. As for me, I’ve got no rhythm. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of classes to entice me. They salsa and I cycle. They hip-hop and I water jog. It’s fun to hear what your friends did without getting dragged along yourself!
After cardio, we swing like children in silky, purple hammocks. I thought I’d need acrobatic superpowers for aerial yoga, but it’s one of the most restorative classes at The Ranch. The silks hang less than a foot from the floor. We lie on our backs with feet suspended in fabric, drawing circles in the air. We crawl inside where we’re swaddled like babies. My favorite part is shavasana. There’s no impact, gravity, or worries. We dangle in childlike wonder—chandeliers twinkling like constellations above.
Aerial Yoga
One friend retreats to a steam room, another to the meditation space. I sunbathe on a boulder. We walk the classical labyrinth in an ancient oak grove. A concert violinist serenades us. In a world where we do all things, to just do one thing is magical.
We gather around a crackling fire in our Mexican villa each night, reflecting on our day. The Ranch teaches us to slow down, luxuriate in whole food and authentic conversation. I return home with a sense of what really matters.