Rancho La Puerta in Mexico

Last week I was invited, along with a couple of lad bloggers (Christine and Suzette) to Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Baja California, Mexico.  Yes Mexico mass.  And IT was Impressive!  I could go happening and on about how unreal this destination is, and I probably will, and you will most like see room too umpteen photos, and then you may want to catch up a beverage, and snacks, and settle on a comfy couch with your laptop.  And don't even get me started on their cooking school and preparation center.  Once more, AMAZING!

I'm non kidding when I tell this place is life changing, it was named World's Best Destination Health club in Go by & Leisure World's Best Awards Reader's Poll in 2011.  I secretly wondered if they would notice if I holed myself up in one of the villas and didn't bequeath.  Ever.  Merely then I remembered I have kids at home who need me, and well, then I immediatley started planning girlfriend trips in my head.  The spread is 3000 acres of everything you could ever need – fitness classes, activities, in condition meals, spa treatments, private villas, tramp, culinary cultivate, guest lectures, pools, and an living thing garden.   In that location are lots of rooms for downtime with tremendous comfy couches, fresh yield, water, gourmet coffee, and most importantly peacefulness and quiet.  At that place are quadruplet pools, a lawn tennis court, basketball game court, and volleyball.  And, did I mention the peace and peaceful.  The place is so large, and then spread impossible that you don't find out noise from former guests, or classes.

So let me tell you a little near our day.  Although we went on a Wednesday, we experienced what Sabbatum's at the Ranch are like.

Once we arrived at the ranch, we changed into some workout gear and took a tour of the cattle farm.  Which meant we walked a lot, I think for close to 2 hours.  We viewed or s of the classes that were happening, we walked through the many a gardens, and stopped for a warm coffee.  Let Maine share few photos before I continue.

Once our tour was complete, we apiece enjoyed the most relaxing 50 minute knead.  You are given a locker when you arrive, along with bathrobe and slippers, and wear't care if you forget to bring toiletry items, because everything is right there for you, right down to sterilized hairbrushes, disposable razors, feminine products, and sunscreen.

After our massages, and acquiring changed we were whisked off to lunch.  There is one primal location for lunch and a large dinner bell that is stave when meals are ready.  We went into a smaller private area and enjoyed a delicious lunch and learned more more or less the howling spread and their amazing Family Weeks that are coming up from August 4-11 and 11-18.  If my kids were 7, I would Koran this in a heartbeat for our family.

While you are enjoying everything the ranch has to offer, kids will be erudition cooking, gardening, advert fitness classes, storytelling, drumming classes, nature activities, art and picture taking classes, bio expression, animation (with Dave Zaboski, a former Disney Animator), and they will have cross-cultural experiences too.   If families want to drop more time put together to lay by the pool, surgery stay in their casita, that's not a problem, the schedules are very flexible, you lav arrange as little operating room as very much like you want.

Ahead I forget, let me share a couple of photographs of the main dining orbit.

Afterward lunch, we were given a tour of the accomodations.  They really are little houses, and they are not heaped on top of one another, each has it's own space, a private deck with chairs, and a lovely view.

I Hope this photo gives a trifle perspective as to how far the castitas are distributed divided.

I want to testify you a few the casitas.  The first one is everlasting for parents with one child.

This i is great for a larger family.

Aren't the casitas gorgeous?  Like a sho you get laid why I wanted to move into one.   Best part, in that respect are NO televisions.  It's all about outlay time together and soldering.  There are movie nights that you can enjoy with other families in the picture show room though.

Later on our tour we were given free clock.  We immediately bicephalous for one of the sole rooms with Badger State-fi to send outgoing a few tweets and instagram few photos.  They were serving smoothies nigh so of run over we indulged.  They were berry and banana and had assorted toppings unfashionable such as granola, and toasted coconut to pinnacle your smoothies with.  Delicious is an understatement.  I should have got had two.

So Christine and I braved the washup suits and had a swim in nonpareil of the pools, before popping into the sauna for a little.  And so it was showers, and acquiring ready for the cookery school.

A van picked us (and other guests) ahead for the 2 mile drive to the Preparation Train and Culinary Center of attention where executive chef Denise Roa teaches guests how to cook toothsome dishes that they then enjoy for dinner.  The cooking school is placed along the Rancho La Puerta property, on with a 6-acre organic farm.   For those acquainted with San Diego, Denise previously worked at the Pacifica Del March, the Del March Racetrack Turf Club, and the Hilton in Torrey Pines, to nominate a few places.

We took a tour of the farm, then learned how to cook paella outdoors on the grill, and did a hands-on cookery class inside where we formed groups of ii and cooked Seafood Paella with each chemical group using a contrary grain.  Once the meals were finished we all Saturday outdoors and enjoyed a meal together complete with sangria, and tasted all of the wonderful dishes that we made.  I even have the recipes to share (see below).

The venue:

The garden:

The culinary school:

(Christine and I cookery our paella dishes)

Enjoying our dinner party with the radical:

RECIPES:

Seafood Paella

(serves 6) – you need a large pan that can go in the oven 12"opened x 3" deep

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp Spanish saffron duds
• 1/4 loving cup blistery water
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 poblano chiles, (stems & seeds removed, 1/4 inch diced)
• 10 cloves garlic (peeled &A; minced)
• 1 cup puny diced fennel
• 1/2 Patrick White Allium cepa (peeled, 1/4 inch diced)
• 1 leek, (white part only, 1/2 inch pieces)
• 2 cups long-grain brown rice
• 3 roma tomatoes (1/4 edge diced)
• 1 cup white wine
• 3 cups cabbage-like hackneyed
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 6 large peewee (peeled & deveined)
• 6 large clams and mussels
• 1 blood-red bell pepper (roasted, peeled and julienned)
• 1/2 tsp Spanish bell pepper
• 1/2 cup Spanish olives

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Inebriate the saffrom in hot water for 30 minutes.  In a 12-inch ovenproof saute pan, heat the olive oil o'er intermediate heat.  Saute the poblano chiles until soft, stirring often, about 1 minute.  Minimal brain dysfunction the onoin, leek and garlic, and fake stirring for 2 minutes.  At this clip you can also add some other vegetable for sauteing.  Call down in the rice, then the tomatoes, and cook for 1 minute to a greater extent.  Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Caucasoid vino.  Add the saffrom unfrozen and the stock and salt, and stir gently but good to combine.

Bring the Paella almost to a roi; milkshake the cooking pan gently, but do not raise.

Add the shrimp, clams, and mussels and Cook for 1 minute.  Add roasted peppers and olives and cover.

Move the Paella to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.  Sprinkle the seafood with paprika and give back to the oven for 10 minutes to a greater extent, or until the seafood is just cooked.  Off from the oven and scatter peas o'er the circus tent.  Get it eternal sleep for 15 minutes.  Serve with lemon wedges.

Sangria La Puerta

(serves 6)

Ingredients:

• 1 orange (thinly sliced)
• 1 lemon (thinly chopped)
• 1 bottle (750 ml) light-bodied red wine (such as Pinot Noir or Beaujolais)
• 1 cup fresh grapevine juice
• 1 cup unfiltered fresh Malus pumila succus
• 5 whole star anise
• 3 Cinnamomum zeylanicum sticks

Wash the orange and lemon and slice thinly from end to end.  Place the orange and maize slices in a a immense glass pitcher, add the remaining ingredients, and stir.  Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Nervous strain the sangaree and serve in large glasses over herbaceous plant lemon ice cubes if you corresponding, and garnish with piece of soaked fruit.

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If that wasn't enough photos for you, I have eventide more connected my Flickr album from the day.

Disclosure: I was provided with a day at Rancho La Puerta and returned with some goodies too.

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