I Left My Heart in San Miguel

by Lisa Spiller, Luxury Travel Advisor
affiliated with Preferred Travel & Company.
Lisa@PreferredNaples.com
www.preferrednaples.com

I have a confession to make. Although I watch the news and understand that Mexico has received a lot of bad press for legitimate reasons, I love Mexico! I’ve traveled extensively around the world and have yet to experience hospitality and heart as true as what I find in Mexico.

Most recently, my travel bestie and I travelled to San Miguel de Allende, in the central Sierra Madre highlands of Mexico. Why San Miguel? It was recently voted the #1 City in the World by readers of Travel &Leisure magazine! As a UNESCO World Heritage City, it has become somewhat of an artists’ sanctuary, a chic ex-pat retirement haven for affluent Americans, and a niche vacation destination for travelers “in the know.”

For those craving a long-weekend escape, San Miguel offers a richly immersive experience: highly walkable (if hilly) brick and cobblestone streets, vibrant Spanish colonial architecture, art & handicraft galleries, a globally celebrated restaurant scene, locally crafted mezcal, luxury boutique hotels, and deep cultural traditions brought to life through daily markets and festive evenings in the town square.

During our three nights immersed in Mexican culture, my friend Stacy and I prioritized local cuisine, shopped in harmony for hours, freely supported each other’s impulse purchases, spent countless poolside hours drinking champagne and mezcal, danced salsa way past our bedtime and took an art class with a local artist!

We flew into Querarto Airport, north of Mexico City, and after enduring long but well-worth-the-wait security and immigration lines, we stepped into fresh mountain air. Our first surprise was the climate. We left 98° and 100% humidity of Florida to arrive in a refreshingly cool 60°. As our driver managed the moderate traffic of the Sierra Madre highway, we mentally dissected the contents of our luggage to figure out if we packed cold weather clothes. Sweaters? No. Wraps? No. Leggings? No.

No Problemos! We were provided Mexican blankets with our first sunset cocktails, and we wore our blankets all weekend. It was the perfect accessory to keep us warm during the cool mornings and nights!

Upon our arrival at Casa de Sierra Nevada, a Belmond Hotel, we were treated to a memorable welcome ceremony, including a signature cocktail and a glass heart, produced by a local artist, as a symbol of the heartfelt Mexican welcome and a remembrance of our stay. We were escorted though a lush courtyard to our exquisite suite and it was love at first sight. Our suite showcased local handiwork, featuring Spanish tile, hand carved wood furniture, plush bedding, handknit throws, a huge natural stone-walled bathroom, hammered copper tub, painted ceramic sinks and soaring ceilings. French doors opened to a covered patio overlooking the courtyard garden and pool inviting us to dive right into our vacation.

Summer in San Miguel is considered rainy season. But light drizzling rain didn’t stop us from climbing the winding stone stairwell to our resort rooftop lounge overlooking the city, where the staff spoiled us with attention. They wrapped us in Mexican blankets, held umbrellas over our heads, and as the sun broke through the clouds and cast sepia toned shadows over the city, Stacy licked on a “Pornstar Martini” and I indulged in a signature margarita.

On our first morning in Mexico, we indulged in a lavish gourmet breakfast—farm fresh eggs, local salsas, guacamole, warm tortillas, homemade granola and vibrant seasonal fruit—before setting off on a private guided walking tour of the city. San Miguel was originally home to the Chichimeca Indians and, in 1542, was formally established as San Miguel el Grande. Later shaped by Spanish conquest, the city still reflects strong colonial influence, from its colorful architecture to enduring traditions—including the local bullring, where traditional “fight-to-the-death” bullfights are held twice a year.

As we wandered through leafy parks and along narrow sidewalks, we were charmed by the abundance of chic rooftop cafés, inviting boutiques and vibrant street markets showcasing local jewelry and crafts. Along the way, we discovered flowering courtyards and breezy passageways adorned with glass and hand-hammered steel hearts, which our guide encouraged us to explore.

Although the air is cool and dry, the sun is intense, so we spent the greater part of the afternoon lazing in the garden by the pool with our pool butler who kept the champagne and chili-spiced nuts coming. The boutique size of the Belmond Casa de Sierra Nevada made it easy to make new friends. Two men celebrating their anniversary poolside joined us in conversation and very quickly we learned that we were one degree of separation from a mutual friend. We laughed and toasted in the sunshine all afternoon and agreed to join them at a local salsa club that night.

At happy hour, Stacy and I dipped into the cozy mezcal club for jazz music and tequila. The server picked a perfect table for us near the jazz duo and we ordered the local mezcal. We learned that, while all tequila is technically mezcal, not all mezcal is tequila. Traditional mezcal originates from this region and therefore, you won’t find choices for tequila as much as choices of mezcal in San Miguel. We found it to be smooth and palatable.

Our server graciously offered our drinks “With crickets or without?” Perplexed, we dove into the question further. Apparently, in this part of the country, mezcal is never served on its own, it is paired with crickets. Our choice was chili grasshoppers or straight up fried. We daringly chose both and washed down warm crisp grasshoppers with our mezcal. For the curious, they tasted like popcorn, but the problem was the legs. They got stuck in our teeth!

Our newfound friends joined us and we walked down the quiet streets of San Miguel to a local salsa club where a five-piece Cuban band was raising the roof. Half the tables were occupied, but the dance floor was empty. I’ve never met a dance floor I couldn’t claim, so we took to it with our American-style salsa and quickly sparked the room to life. Before long, everyone joined in—including gracious locals who kindly indulged us and then showed us how to truly swivel, sway, and slip into an authentic, electrifying salsa rhythm.

We wandered the three blocks back to our hotel arm in arm, singing the beloved Cuban folk song “Guantanamera,” and drifted off still giggling the refrain until sleep finally claimed us.

We were woken at 6:00 am to what sounded like the hotel under siege – the ratatat tat of rapid gunfire right outside of our courtyard window that drummed us to the core! I ran to the window to see what disaster was taking place and called guest services in a panic. Calmly and patiently, our host responded that it was the Sunday celebration of the Saint of Fireworks, no need for concern. Church bells jolted us off the phone and clanged incessantly while fireworks continued through sunrise, shocking us out of our tequila hangover. Honoring the Saint of Fireworks. Who knew?

Following a delightfully indulgent champagne breakfast, we enrolled in a private art class at Casa de Sierra Nevada with famous local heritage artist Hermes Arroyo. Mr. Arroyo specializes in the rare traditional art form creating Mojigange – the paper mache puppets for which San Miguel is widely recognized. You may have seen images of these gigantic paper mache puppets being paraded through Mexican streets on holidays and celebrations. Using a photo of us, he made custom paper mache dolls in our likeness and together, we painted and decorated them. The intimate class with Hermes Arroyo and our souvenir Mojiganges were truly a highlight. Don’t miss it!

Sunday evenings in San Miguel are especially magic. I recommend walking through town to the Cathedral of Arc Angel San Miguel for the evening prayer service of the rosary. Even without a rosary or religion, one will enjoy experiencing something so authentic and holy in the iconic, neo-Gothic pink stone 17th century cathedral. Following the evening prayer service, the park facing the cathedral transformed into a spirited local festival with live local mariachi bands and craft fairs. The square burst with local life under the golden glow of the Cathedral lights; multi-generational families ate ice cream and cotton candy, strolling Mariachi bands pounded out harmony in full regalia, Mexican artisans showcased colorful glass, clay and tinplate treasures, and stray dogs, balloon and toy peddlers filled in the gaps. A Sunday night at Cathedral Square will give you the answers to why you came and what will draw you back. I left my sentimental heart in this authentic, peaceful, colorful and beautiful Mexican community.