Blaire's 5 Best - San Miguel de Allende

I knew I had to go to San Miguel de Allende because it is SUCH a popular destination for fellow Houstonians... so many weddings and weekend trips! But I must admit, I didn't necessarily understand the hype at first. It seemed like a Mexican version of Santa Fe, and to be completely honest, my time in Santa Fe has left much to be desired. Much to my surprise, I was completellyyyyy blown away by this city.

San Miguel de Allende is in the center of Mexico located in the state of Guanajuato. This town had colorful buildings lining the hilly streets with the most amazing church, the Parroquia, as the anchor. & let me tell you - this was one of the cleanest cities I have EVER seen in my entire life. I did not see one piece of trash on the beautifully preserved cobblestone roads. Plus, I felt completely safe walking the streets by myself. OH and the food..... every meal was amazing!

Before I start reviewing the hotels I visited, I want to give a shout out to two companies. First, to Journey Mexico. Journey Mexico is BPK Travel's preferred partner in Mexico, and I had them set up tours and transfers for my mom, grandmother and me while we were there. To be completely honest, I set up a walking tour and was kind of dreading it beforehand... I'm not usually a fan of organized tours, personally, but boy was I wrong! This walking tour was relaxed, tailored to exactly what I wanted to see and gave me a whole new perspective on San Miguel de Allende. Plus, our guide is a local who's lived there all of his life, so we learned a ton of insider information from someone who actually has experienced the culture for 40+ years rather than a transient guide there for a summer job.

Another shoutout I want to give is to Coyote Canyon Adventures. A couple of my friends overlapped my stay in San Miguel de Allende, and we opted to take a horseback ride through the city while stopping at various historic cantinas. When we first got on the horse, we were a little skeptical. We mounted the horses in the middle of the main town square and were definitely a site to see! But once we started riding (and holding up traffic!), it was so fun to see the city from this perspective. I felt completely safe and taken care of the entire time, as well. This is a must do!!!

Ok... on to the amazing hotels. Here are the 5 things I liked best about each one:

Rosewood San Miguel de Allende

The Rosewood San Miguel de Allende was my home base for 3 nights, and it was beyond picturesque. Such a fresh take on Mexican luxury without being overly obvious. Here are the 5 things I liked best:

Its Rooftop Bar. Rosewood's Luna bar is located on top of the resort and has absolutely incredible views of the town of San Miguel de Allende. It's most special to go at night and witness the sunset while the entire town is lit up. It's the perfect place to grab a cocktail and some tapas to enjoy your evening.
Its Gardens. I don't think of central Mexico as being lush, but the gardens at the Rosewood were perfect. The aroma of the plants could be experienced throughout the entire resort, and the grounds were meticulously manicured. The combination of plants and flowers was perfection.
Its Pool. Out of all the resorts I toured, the Rosewood San Miguel de Allende had the best pool. It has super comfy lounge chairs, three areas to lie out and cabanas that are first come first serve in case you want to shade yourself from the sun.
Its Aesthetic. San Miguel de Allende is lined with orange, red and yellow colored buildings, and the Rosewood San Miguel de Allende perfectly mirrored the town's aesthetic. The exterior buildings were a vibrant red. It was historic but also extremely fresh.
Its Spa. I had the absolute pleasure of experiencing a spa treatment at Rosewood's Sense Spa, and it was a real treat. The spa is extremely cozy and is filled with the most comfortable seating areas. The dim lights add to the ambiance of this relaxing retreat. I loved it!

*The only thing I will warn clients about is that the Rosewood is the farthest away from the town center. And by far, I mean it's about a 10 minute walk... the Rosewood always had a taxi out front for those who couldn't walk as well.

Belmond Casa Sierra Nevada

The other Virtuoso property in San Miguel de Allende in the Belmond Casa Sierra Nevada. BPK Travel also gets some amazing perks here because of its Bellini Club partnership! Here are the 5 things I liked best about this property:

Its Proximity to Town. The Belmond Casa Sierra Nevada is close enough to town to not feel like you're walking a bunch but far enough away to feel like you're out of the main city streets.
Its Family Set Up. Belmond Casa Sierra Nevada is divided into multiple buildings lining a street. No building has more than 7 rooms. If a family is looking to travel to San Miguel de Allende and wants something that feels like a private home but with the amenities of a resort, look no further. The Belmond would be the perfect place.
Its Courtyards. Each casa as mentioned above has beautiful courtyards that are ideal for relaxing, drinking coffee, catching up with family and friends and experiencing some R&R!
Its Wedding Space Options. Everywhere you turned on my tour, a different wedding venue was pointed out. Whether it's drinks under a patio or dinner and dancing in a lush garden, the Belmond Casa Sierra Nevada has tons of options for your special day!
Its Cooking School. The Belmond Casa Sierra Nevada is home to Sazon, a cooking school! While I did not see this facility first hand, I just know it's perfect for any one ranging from culinary expert to beginner!

*I personally didn't love how this resort was divided amongst separate buildings. As I said in #2, it's great for a family, but I would prefer a different hotel if I was traveling with one other person or with one other set of friends. I felt it made the hotel non-cohesive and a little choppy.

L'Otel

L'Otel actually has two different locations. I went to the Doce 18 location and was completely WOW'ed from the second I walked in. L'Otel Doce 18 has only been open for 6 months and is modern, fresh, young and hip! Here are the 5 things I liked best:

Its Setup. L'Otel is above a cool, bustling marketplace with various restaurants and shops. You can actually order room service from one of the restaurants below! The market place is extremely hip... not crowded and dirty. It was a really interesting take on a new hotel concept.
Its Décor. L'Otel is suuuuuper funky. From the gold plated elevator to the clean lines of the seating areas to the black and white checkered pool deck, there's no better way to describe this place than "cool".
Its Pool Deck. L'Otels pool was probably my second favorite in San Miguel de Allede. It was small but super clean and well designed. I could definitely see myself with a drink in my hand enjoying the sunshine !
Its Rooms. There are only 10 rooms in L'Otel ranging in sizes. The room I saw was super fresh, comfy and inviting. Plus, all the bathrooms in the guest rooms were clean and combined light tile with beautiful marble. Some of the rooms even had an option to take an outdoor shower or bath!
Its Natural Light. L'Otel has the best natural light of maybe any hotel I've ever been to. Though the hotel is small, they did a great job making it feel inviting and opening up the space by letting the sunshine in. I loved it!

*I personally think L'Otel is better suited for younger, hip people. Its very funky and fun. Some people may not like the aspect of a marketplace below the hotel, but I thought it added to the "cool" factor.

Hotel Matilda

Hotel Matilda is the original funky hotel in San Miguel de Allende. So many people love this hotel, so I knew I'd be in for a treat during my tour. Hotel Matilda was super chic, fun and modern! Here were the 5 things I liked best about Hotel Matilda:

Its Restaurant. Moxi in Hotel Matilda was one of the most beautiful restaurants I've seen. I'm a huuuuge sucker for a perfect combination of prints, and Moxi hit a home run. Moxi is also considered one of the best, if not the best restaurant in San Miguel de Allende, so it can talk the talk and walk the walk!!
Its Check In Desk. From the streets, you can see Hotel Matilda's check in desk. It's a really cool display of LED lights lit up in a cool, almost flower shaped pattern. It is such a fun pop of modern-ness, especially from the historic streets of San Miguel.
Its Artwork. Hotel Matilda is lined with unique artwork all along the hotel. Each piece has a significance to the hotel and is well thought out and perfectly placed. Hotel Matilda also has a really cool, colorful mural behind it's pool. Unfortunately I was unable to take a picture, but this artwork adds some pop of color against the white/grey exterior buildings.
Its Color Scheme. Hotel Matilda is made up of darker rooms that are cozy and inviting. The main social area is a hip library with all the books turned the opposite way which symbolizes "you can't judge a book by its cover". The guest rooms were also extremely special and combined sleek lines with a neutral color scheme.
Its Bar. Hotel Matilda has such an amazing bar on the second level. The bar is comprised of unique seating areas and a beautiful wooden bar. This is a very cool place to hang out with some friends and feel like a VIP!

*Hotel Matilda is definitely funky and is meant for someone who is interested in that vibe. If you're looking for something that is more authentic Mexican luxury, this probably isn't the place.