A dear friend of mine persuaded me to add Travel to the list of topics I write about. She asked how I could leave out such a big part of my life from my writing. I don’t know how to include it, I said. Being a meditation coach and all, I’m not clear on how to make it work with everything else I write about.
Also, I’m a luxury traveler. While I’m unapologetic about it, I’ve kept this specific part of my life sensitively quiet, not wanting this to become a distraction. My friend pushed back. I wasn’t sure about it, but I trusted her, and in doing so, I was forced to awkwardly figure it out. San Miguel de Allende (SMA) is my opening, and I’m stepping out.
SMA is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s every bit as magical as people say it is, with its offerings, its fascinating history, and the dichotomies not unique to places attracting an influx of expats. There’s also an energy of insurgency in slumber underneath the celebration of artistry. SMA knows itself. In this way, it is very, very spiritual. This energy attracts expats who enjoy a specific flavor of the good life; the more genuine, understated, life of living (aka being). You won’t feel the buzz of work, treadmills, or rat race here. Nor the total stop of beaches (you’re in the mountains). It’s not uncommon for a person who is drawn to vacation here to make this their new home upon their very first visit.
I fell in love with its Colonial and Spanish architecture and its colors, the cobblestone streets, the weather (and we visited during its coldest month: January), its endless nooks and crannies from which you will find treasures of all kinds, the cuisine with the many cafes, restaurants, and street food, and its parks that encourage sitting, being, people watching, and communing amongst others while the mariachi bands play and the mojigangas (the large paper mache puppets, including one of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera) stand in the squares for you to take pictures with. The town’s design prompts you to explore, get ice cream, and enjoy life. And take lots of pictures.
7 days just wasn’t enough. But sufficient if you only have that.
You could feel the spiritual energy; in fact, SMA is considered to be a spiritual vortex. Visually, you might guess that it comes from Catholicism with its churches everywhere. But it stems from something much more mystical, natural, and powerful than a religion imposed upon by the Spaniards. The main explanation is that SMA is believed to be built on a bed of quartz crystals, which heightens energy. But perhaps it also has to do with the strength and spirit passed down by its natives, the Chichimecas, who successfully held back the Empire in the early stages of Spanish colonization (1550-1590), and whose spirit was carried forward by SMA’s critical involvement in the War of Mexican Independence from Spain in the early 1800s. They were the first Mexican town to declare independence from Spain.
The first U.S. settler was an artist named Stirling Dickinson who fell in love with the site of La Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel and decided to stay and start an art school there. Many more artists and writers would follow.
The second group of expats was the U.S. soldiers settling here to heal post WWII.
San Miguel de Allende is known as El Corazon, or the Heart, and is considered one of the most romantic cities in Mexico.
Independence, art, healing, and love, surrounded by crystals, churches, prayers, mountains, sun, and amazing weather, I suppose, all contribute towards a powerful, spiritual vortex. Which, I might argue, is further protected by the fact that it’s not so easy to get there. It’s a 1.5-hour drive from the closest commercial airport, León Guanajuato Airport (BJX), which, depending on where you’re coming from, often requires a connecting flight. You have to want to go there.
All of this speaks to the complexities of who we are. We are of the world, and also above it. We are survivors of our own history, in touch with the pain of injustice and in search of peace and freedom. We have a desire to be creators, to live a good, simple life surrounded by beauty, to heal, and to simply be. To drink coffee, have a churro, chocolate, or some delicious Mexican bread, and read a book. To walk and see sunsets on rooftops and hilltops. Discover amazing food. And make friends.
This is San Miguel de Allende.
Love, Savitree
Where Larry and I stayed
We stayed at two different places over the 7 days. It’s another way to experience the town, through its accommodations. We first stayed at 5 Queens Boutique Hotel. Relatively new (about 7 months old as of this writing), it has 10 rooms. The owner has a son and 5 daughters, aka the 5 Queens. Interestingly, the kids all live in the States. This was their home turned into a hotel. We met the architect who designed it, and the cook who made us breakfast in the morning. They have good coffee here, in case this is important to you.
They are all quite lovely, accommodating, and amazing to get to know. They are very casual here, like you are visiting their home. My complaint was that the floor was cold and it was difficult to control the temperature of the room. And the pillows weren’t comfortable; they were too thick for me and barely succumbed to the weight of my head when I lay down to sleep. I use cracker thin pillows at home. It’s located about 5 blocks from the main square, the city center where stands La Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, the cathedral that shows up in every visitors’ picture. Lavanda Cafe, a wonderful place for coffee, is a block away from the 5 Queens.
The next place we stayed at was Casa Arca, just a half block from the city center. The shops on this block had us pulling out our wallets, we loved them so much. One offered sunglasses (the presentation makes the experience, and they gave it in the most welcoming, non-pushy way), another offered a line of clothing reminiscent of fashion designer Eileen Fisher. Another offered palomina hats, which are sold all over town, a couple of bakeries, and the restaurant El Milagro (alas we never made it there but heard it’s amazing). It’s also just a couple of blocks from the well known San Agustin’s Churros and Chocolates. I got myself some churros and a cup of dark hot chocolate - yum. Casa Arca is a magazine quality type of dreamy luxury. Not the entrance and dining area; for some reason they don’t match the rest of the common areas and the rooms, which are gorgeous; a mix of clean minimalist white with a touch of rustic. The concierge whom everyone calls “Mah-ho,” is amazing and a natural in hospitality. The rooms and pillows were incredibly comfy. The temperature was perfect. My one complaint: I didn’t like their cappuccino.
SMA is the most walkable and charming city I’ve ever experienced. And I’ve been to a lot of walkable cities. When you pack, you’ll want to only take stable, cobblestone friendly shoes, you won’t get away from it. Shoes take up a lot of space in your luggage. Save that space for purchases.
Ubers are readily available.
Some of the places we ate
Luna Rooftop is located at the best-known, high-end Rosewood Hotel. They have amazing views of the city, live entertainment, and good food. While there, check out the gallery in the lower level of the hotel. Their food is Mediterranean inspired with a local twist.
Dinner at Luna Rooftop, Rosewood Hotel Tres Marias is less well-known and not a part of a hotel. It has a ground level dining room as well as a rooftop with amazing views. The chefs’ culinary inspirations come from Italy and Argentina, and their steaks are their specialties. I loved their pasta. They also have live entertainment.
Amazing dinner at Tres Marias Quince is well known and has my favorite rooftop view. They have live music, a DJ, and a circus artist doing tricks on a tightrope. LOL. They serve sushi, pasta, and steaks.
View from Quince Restaurant I would have loved to have tried Los Milagros, which is literally right across the street from Casa Arca but didn’t learn about it until later. They serve Mexican food. When you’re there, please try it.
My favorite cafes:
Lavanda Cafe on Loreto St is run by San Miguel residents, and they roast their own coffee. Naturally, I had their lavender latte. Loved it.
Jacques Cafe & Eatery on Del Pueblito St. I enjoyed their cappuccino and their matcha latte. Their menu looks amazing but we didn’t try their food. We stuck with our breakfast for lunch included in our accommodations, so dinner was our one big outside meal. Jacques offers juices, smoothies, and both meat and vegan options for food.
San Agustin Churros and Chocolates - for their churros. Evidently, people love this place so much that there is often a line outside the door with a person letting people in as patrons go out. I enjoyed their darkest hot chocolate, though it wasn’t the best that I’ve had (I’m often in search of the best dark hot chocolate). The churros were, however, the best that I’ve had. Better than the ones I had in Lima, and that’s saying a lot.
San Agustin’s Churros and Chocolate Panio Bakery has these amazing square chocolate truffles that was introduced to me during our visit to Casa Dragones, a small batch producer of exceptional sipping tequilas. I haven’t had tequila since my college years, and I submitted to it here due to special circumstances: Larry’s friend, who is a part of this company opened up Casa Dragones for a private tasting, just the two of us, and in his absence, on a day they are normally closed, and the education was so fascinating. I’m glad to have experienced it. I didn’t try the baked goods at Panio Bakery, but they look and smell amazing. I got the truffles and a latte. Both delicious.
Chocolate Truffle from Panio Bakery
Tours:
We were originally planning to take a street tour but didn’t end up doing it. There was so much to explore on our own, and we know we didn’t cover it all in those 7 days. That said, we’ve been told that the tours there are amazing, and we’ve found that tours, in general, are invaluable. They add context and depth to your experiences. I fell deeply in love with Lima when we went, and I’m not sure if it’s because of the city itself, or because of what I learned from our city and food guides of its history, people, politics, and culture.
Shops:
In many galleries, you’ll see the artist sitting right there painting. In one of them, we saw the artist’s 8 year old daughter painting with her father observing with pride. Their gallery offers 3 generations of artists from the same family. I unfortunately don’t remember their name.
Weather:
January is the coldest month of the year in SMA. While we were there, from January 9 through the 16th, it got as low as 45 degrees fahrenheit in the early mornings with the highs in the low 70s in the afternoon. I love this weather. It lends itself to a faster paced walk, especially up hills; too much heat makes me drag. On our way out, weather forecasts predicted highs in the mid to upper 70s in the afternoon in the upcoming days. I would have loved that as well. The hottest month is May with the highs in the mid 80s and lows in the mid 50s.
The days rhythm:
SMA is a town that starts late. The cafes don’t open until 9. They have lunch around 2 pm as their heaviest meal, with a lighter dinner around 8 pm.
SMA is in Central Time.
Since Larry and I are both early risers, I logged on to Zoom every weekday morning from 6 to 6:30 am to meditate with my peeps while Larry took a walk through the quiet streets.
I’d join him sometime afterwards for our brisk walk through new parts of town. Then we’d come back for breakfast. Then walk and shop. Then, for us a semi lunch (we eat twice a day), and then back for a siesta and to clean up, and then get to our dinner reservations.