T8⎮TORONTO STAR SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016 ON ON2

>>TRAVEL

TECATE, MEXICO-I guess I didn’t readthe brochure that carefully. I knew itwas a sprawling spa in Mexico withpools, massages and dozens of fitnessclasses.

I knew there was no booze or meatat dinner and no TVs in the rooms,but when I heard Wi-Fi was restrict-ed at Rancho La Puerta, I began totwitch.

I was on the bus heading southfrom San Diego and started gorgingon my $5 U.S./day plan, franticallyscrolling through Facebook, Twitterand Instagram.

I was going to send my kids a Snap-chat photo with the rolling hills inthe background, but ran out of timebefore we hit the Mexican border —the land of Wi-Fi or bust.

I took a deep breath and put myphone away.

Rancho La Puerta bans phones ev-erywhere except in your room and ina few lounges where there is Wi-Fi.

Disconnecting is the latest in a longline of health and wellness trendsyou’ll find at the ranch.

Since it opened in 1940, the spa hasdone it all, offering the “grape cure”(no, not that one), exercise andbreathing classes, and even shallow“Sumerian baths” for sunbathing.

Seventy-five years ago, the spafounders, an eccentric fellow knownas ‘the professor’ and his wife Deb-orah, couldn’t have imagined puttingcellphone ‘sleeping bags’ in everyroom. But there they are.

Deborah Szekely, now 94, advo-cates putting your phone away andspending time “just you and you.”She spends 20 minutes doing abso-lutely nothing every single morning.

“You’ll be amazed at what happenswhen you allow your mind to speakto you,” she says during her weeklypresentation.

I’m amazed at how hard it is notreaching for my phone when I wakeup. I tell myself I’m too busy for Twit-ter. Especially in the face of roaming

charges outside the Wi-Fi lounges. The weeklong spa schedule has six

or seven options every hour, on thehour. The adventurous select thingsthey’ve never heard of, such as gyro-kinesis (a mash of movements takenfrom dance, yoga, swimming, t’ai chiand gymnastics), feldenkrais (gentlemovements and stretching) or ropeclass. Others stick to yoga, hiking,pilates or tennis.

Being a Canadian in Mexico in Feb-ruary, I obviously choose activities inthe pool. You’d be surprised howmuch fun it is slapping little life jack-ets around your ankles and cross-country skiing in the deep end — justask the couple in H20 Boot Campwith me who are celebrating her40th birthday.

I also meet groups of sisters andfriends, moms and daughters and aguy, about 50, who has been comingevery year since the 1980s and ad-mits, a little sheepishly, that it’s a

great place to meet women.It’s like luxury summer camp. You

eat with different people in the din-ing hall. (The food is great, with plen-

ty of fish and, happily, salt, caffeineand vinegar are back on the menu.)

You sit next to someone else duringpresentations on sex, prayer arrows

or Mexican history. You also get to know people on the

early morning hikes or wanderingthe pathways between the gyms andpools.

It’s amazing how quickly you adjustto seeing faces looking up instead ofdown at tiny screens.

A few days in, I discover there’s awine bar tucked away at the top ofthe property and pencil in time to getto one of the Wi-Fi hot spots.

I write a few emails, fake cry on aSnapchat to the kids, and answer acouple of texts.

Maybe I’m waterlogged, but I don’tbother checking in to see what peo-ple are doing on Facebook or postingon Instagram.

I don’t think I care anymore. Be-sides, the ankle life jackets are wait-ing for me at the pool.Jennifer Allford travelled as a guest ofRancho La Puerta, which didn’t review orapprove this story.

Disconnecting from wireless distractions Destination spa in Mexicorestricts Wi-Fi so guests canreconnect with themselves

JENNIFER ALLFORDSPECIAL TO THE STAR

Rancho La Puerta, a healthy retreat southeast of San Diego, Calif., offers an array of mindfulness, meditation and fitness classes.RANCHO LA PUERTA

Getting there: Fly into San Diegoand get on the Rancho La Puertashuttle at the airport for the hour-long drive to the border. You walkinto Mexico and get in a van forthe five-minute ride to the spa.Prices: Weeklong stays at RanchoLa Puerta (including three meals aday, dozens of fitness classes, andtransportation to and from the SanDiego airport) range from $3,200to $4,500 (U.S.), depending onseason and type of room. Thereare also three -or four-day staysavailable. Details: rancholapuerta.com.

Packing: If you go in the winter,pack a few extra layers for theearly morning hikes. And don’tforget a hat for the hot sun later inthe day.Pace yourself: You could work out10 hours a day every day, but if youdo, you will run out of gas by“Tired Tuesday” and likely collapsein a heap by Thursday. Pick andchoose your activities and be sureto save time for doing nothing atall.Don’t worry if you forget a book:There are magazines, newspapersand books galore.

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