San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Luxury Hotels and Destination
Located in the mountainous central region of Mexico, San Miguel de Allende offers luxury hotels travelers a comfortable mild climate, stunning colonial architecture, and a colorful culture. The city has become a second home to a large number of expatriates and retirees, but don’t let this lead you to believe that San Miguel de Allende is an uninteresting luxury hotels destination. On the contrary, this beautiful town boasts a thriving arts community, a vibrant nightlife, a myriad of fine restaurants, and countless attractions that will keep all types of luxury hotels travelers on their toes.
The Beginnings of San Miguel de Allende
This beautiful small town was founded in 1542 by a Franciscan monk named Juan de San Miguel because of its important position for a pit stop on the silver route. The town became known as San Miguel El Grande. Its current name was not adopted until after the Mexican War of Independence where General Ignacio Allende led the Mexican army to several victories against the Spanish colonialists. His heroic role and his tragic and gruesome death led the town to rename itself San Miguel de Allende in his honor in 1826.
San Miguel de Allende was designated a historical landmark in 1926, and it has preserved its colonial heritage by banning new style construction, neon signs and other symbols of "modernization" ever since. The city’s resulting charm and elegance began to attract wealthy visitors in the 1950s, including world famous celebrities, film stars, signers, and other wealthy travelers. Luxury hotels and other elegant accommodations began to spring up as the lodging industry recognized the beauty of the region and the ideal location that would make San Miguel de Allende a promising tourist destination. Today, San Miguel de Allende offers the exotic qualities of a Mexican city as well as the modern conveniences and comforts of any luxury hotels destination.
San Miguel de Allende Highlights
The quaint cobblestone lanes, bright colors, and lovely landscaped courtyards make San Miguel de Allende a wonderful place for luxury hotels travelers to explore by foot. Most of the sightseeing highlights are located around the downtown area, and guided walking tours are a great way to make sure you won’t miss at thing. Guided tours point out many of San Miguel de Allende’s most important buildings, landmarks, and architecture and offer great insight on their history and importance.
The Jardin, San Miguel de Allende's main plaza, has been the center of the city since 1737. The fountain that originally stood as the plaza’s centerpiece was replaced in the 1860s with an attractive gazebo. The Jardin is a great spot for luxury hotels travelers to rest their feet and catch their breath for a few moments. You can take a seat on a shaded bench and enjoy a cold drink or an ice cream treat as you watch the world go by. You can also feast your eyes on the Templo of San Rafael which dates back to the 16th century and was the first building to be built in the Jardin.
The Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel is a beautiful church worthy of a visit by luxury hotel visitors. Its construction was started in 1689 with just 1000 pesos. The completion of the baroque style towers in 1730 marked the end of the construction project. More than one hundred years later, the first Bishop of León commanded the addition of the neo-gothic tower of the Parroquia. The distinctive look, derived from European postcards by the master builder, Serefino Gutiérrez, has made this beautiful church an internationally recognized landmark. Don’t leave your luxury hotels without your camera; you’ll be sure to want to capture this architectural wonder on film!
The mansion immediately to the right of the Parroquia is the Casa de Allende, birthplace to the formerly mentioned war hero, Ignacio de Allende. Constructed during the Golden Age of the colonial period, Casa de Allende is one of the best surviving examples of 18th century architecture of the Spanish colonial nobility. On the stonework decorating the balconies which face the Jardín, you will find such motifs as grape clusters, flowers and other symbols of bounty. For a fine example of Spanish colonial architecture, you’ll want to squeeze this gem of a place into your busy sightseeing schedule during your San Miguel de Allende luxury hotels vacation.
If you find yourself in need of some quiet, reflective time during your busy day, after an enjoyable breakfast at your luxury hotel just make your way to Parque Juarez. Here you’ll get an opportunity to get back in touch with nature amidst the native tree species, including walnut, mulberry and chirimoya. Many of the trees are over 100 years old, and provide a shady oasis from the summer heat. This park would also be an ideal location for a charming afternoon picnic.
Cultural Attractions
San Miguel de Allende boasts a thriving cultural and entertainment scene. Many events, like plays, lectures, and art classes are held in English to encourage an international audience. The renowned San Miguel Music Festival is held each December and features many Mexican and international artists. A city with six patron saints and dozens of churches, San Miguel de Allende has enough cause for celebration to fill an entire calendar with religious festivals. The town's biggest bash, a celebration honoring the town's chief patron saint, is held in San Miguel Arcángel. The event includes a running of bulls through city streets, traditional dancers, and lots of merriment. It is held each year on September 29th. Regardless of the time of year that you schedule your luxury hotels vacation, you’ll never have to worry about a lack of local cultural attractions in San Miguel de Allende.
Shopping & Dining
These two features, great shopping and delicious dining, distinguish San Miguel de Allende from other small colonial towns. For shopping, the city boasts some of Mexico's best craft shops and fine art boutiques. The variety of merchandise is exceptional, as is the workmanship. If you’re browsing through the merchandize of a street stand or an open market, be sure to give bargaining a try. With a pleasant smile and a witty persistence, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to get “more bang for your buck.” You’ll find lots of little treasures to bring home with you at the end of your luxury hotels stay. The dining scene in San Miguel de Allende is simply put, top notch. Nouvelle Mexican cuisine, plus a diverse assortment of international dining options have given San Miguel de Allende a reputation for having the best "small town" dining in Mexico. The palate of even the choosiest luxury hotels traveler is sure to find something appealing in San Miguel de Allende’s diverse dining options.
Day Trips Outside of San Miguel de Allende
Though this exciting city is home to ranches breeding brave bulls, vineyards, haciendas, the Tuesday market, colonial architecture, churches, thermal baths, archaeological sites, spectacular scenery, excellent golf and tennis, superb equestrian facilities, hiking and mountain biking, some luxury hotels travelers like to explore the surrounding area as well.
The village and Shrine of Atotonilco, a twenty minute drive from San Miguel de Allende, has some of the finest native frescoes in Mexico.
Dolores Hidalgo, 45 minutes away, is a center for ceramic dishes and tiles that are hand painted and fired into high quality items.
The city of Guanajuato, an hour away, has unique underground streets, mansions of aristocrats who were the world's main silver suppliers in the 18th century, and a museum of mummies preserved by the soil and dry climate.
The city of Queretaro, 50 minutes away, is famous for opals, convent museums, and marble work.
The city of Leon, about 90 minutes away is one of the leather capitals of the world. Here, you can stock up on quality leather handbags, boots, and shoes. There’s even an entire shopping mall devoted to leather goods. Just remember that at the end of every luxury hotels vacation, you have to squeeze all of your treasures back into your suitcase!
San Miguel de Allende—The Luxury Hotels Experience
Situated on a hillside facing the Laja River and the distant Guanajuato Mountains, San Miguel de Allende is in the perfect geographical haven for a relaxing, beauty-filled luxury hotels vacation. San Miguel de Allende is an ideal luxury hotels vacation destination if you are looking for an authentic Mexican town with international flair, centuries old history, and a relaxing atmosphere. In San Miguel de Allende, there is a blessed absence of traffic lights, parking meters, billboards, and neon signs; and the city seems free from the pressures of modern living. This picturesque, small, quiet, charming town with its mild weather and slow pace is sure to capture your heart. From your first stroll down the cobbled streets, you will discover why people from all over the world come, return and, in many cases, decide to stay in San Miguel de Allende. Staying in one of the many San Miguel de Allende luxury hotels is a guarantee for a pampering, relaxing, luxurious vacation experience.
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