Chasing Sunshine

IF THERE WAS JUST ONE destination where a traveler knew in advance that every tiny detail would be impeccable without being fussy and where all the golden promises of tranquility and enlightenment could be found in gentle abundance-would this be the one place to return to again and again? Yes, and I do. Rancho La Puerta is that elusive combination of retreat, pilgrimage, rest cure, and nature immersion.

- MARY BEMIS

Just 30 miles from the San Diego airport and across the border from Baja California, a 4,000-acre nature preserve is home to a series of gardens, fitness centers, pools, and adobe casitas and villas where at every step sage, wild rose, jasmine, and lavender scent the high desert air. In our post-pandemic world, the quiet and solitude of each casita's private garden provides as much solace as the spa's blissful treatments. Camaraderie and friendship feel as if they have been baked into the sense of place. Perhaps this is because when Rancho La Puerta first opened in 1940, it was a gathering spot for seekers, mystics, writers, and an international community that may have comprised the first global nomads.