The Perfect Weekend,
36 Hours in San Miguel de Allende

A friend recently issued a challenge to me:

If someone was coming to San Miguel de Allende for a weekend, how should they spend their 36 hours in San Miguel? This idea comes from a column in the New York Times that takes readers to cities all over the world for 36 hours—the waking part of one weekend.

I couldn’t resist the challenge, although I can’t imagine anyone wanting to limit themselves to such a tiny piece of time in such a rich and wondrous place as San Miguel. So I set about writing my own version of how that perfect weekend visit to San Miguel de Allende would look.

A Perfect Weekend in San Miguel de Allende

FRIDAY, 2 PM

Their private car from the airport delivers them to one of the nicest B&Bs in San Miguel de Allende where they have reserved the most wonderful room—Casa Luna, the Frida Kahlo Suite. After settling in, they have a drink on the upper terrace and look out at the roofs and spires of town. Then they put on comfortable shoes and head out, strolling the few short blocks to the Jardín.

It’s Spring, so they enjoy looking up the hillsides at the dozens of big purple puffballs of the jacaranda trees in full bloom. The town band is playing in the kiosk at the center of the square. A few locals dancing to the music urge our friends to join in and they do.

They wander around the square, poking into the shops and galleries under the portales, buy a bunch of fresh flowers and maybe a colorful basket from the vendors there. They walk a few blocks down Calle Relox and step into "Marta" so the female half can pick up a pair of San Miguel shoes—those sexy but sturdy “Combat Cocktail Sandals”—so much more stylish than sneakers and more practical on San Miguel de Allende's cobblestones than high heels.

They pick up a copy of Atención, the local paper, then plop into a chair at one of the outdoor tables at Café del Jardín for a cafe con leche. As they leaf through the "¿Que Pasa?" section of the paper, they drool over all the wonderful lectures, films, concerts, gallery openings and classes they won't have time to enjoy during their brief visit to San Miguel de Allende. They vow to come back for a longer stay, then browse a few of the real estate and rental ads.

5 PM

They've noticed two art exhibits are opening tonight, quite nearby, so they set off to see them. At the first, the works feature strands of the artist's very long hair twined into circles against an ink-brushed background that echos her Asian heritage. They sip a glass of wine and fall into easy conversation with another couple studying the artworks, then have a chat with the artist herself. A few blocks away at another gallery, they gaze at huge, amazingly detailed and sensual paintings of flowers. They run into the same friendly couple they met at the last gallery and agree to have dinner together. They quickly learn that this kind of serendipitous meeting is the norm in San Miguel de Allende.

6:30 PM

Since they have tickets to a performance later at the Angela Peralta Theatre—a world-class flamenco dancer is in town—they decide to eat at Nirvana, the Fusion restaurant inside the Hotel Casa Linda, opposite the theatre. The food is fabulous and the atmosphere casually elegant. While there, they can't resist buying several pieces of the extraordinarily beautiful "Mara" ceramics used on the tables.

The flamenco performance is everything they'd hoped for, and they leave the theatre still vibrating to the eery strains of the singer. There's time for a nightcap, so they pop back across the street to Tio Lucas where they get some great jazz with their drinks and have an interesting chat with Max, the owner.

11 PM

A few minutes walk brings them “home” to Casa Luna and their Frida room, and they fall asleep beside the walls of azul anil, a color they will forever after refer to as "Frida blue."

SATURDAY, 5 AM

It's barely dawn when the alarm sounds. Minutes later a van picks them up and takes them to meet Jay Kimball. They are going for a balloon ride over San Miguel de Allende. The launch takes place just outside town. They watch Jay and his crew inflate the giant globe, then climb in the wicker gondola and float off towards the Parroquia. The morning air is soft, the sky turning from deep purple to salmon pink to a piercing blue as the sun rises in the sky. Since they are moving with the wind, there is no sense of movement. They feel as if they are suspended from a cloud while the church and Jardín float by below them. After seeing San Miguel de Allende as the birds do, they land to a champagne toast.

9 AM

Jay takes them to breakfast at Mama Mia's—which they learn has been a must-stop for visitors to San Miguel for decades—then walk 10 minutes to the Instituto Allende, where one of the periodic craft fairs is going on. Wandering from table to table, they pick up some beautiful hand-crafted silver jewelry by local artist David Godinez, a weaving from Oaxaca, an exquisitely crafted journal, and some primitive embroidered pillow covers hand-stitched by a woman from the campo. One of the vendors reminds them to walk to the Instituto's back terrace for the not-to-be-missed view of the Parroquia.

Leaving the Instituto Allende, they wander farther up the Ancha de San Antonio in search of the wonderful tamales they've been told they'll find there. Ummm, they're as good as promised.

1 PM

They love to shop and they love art and antiques, so they hop in a taxi and ride a few minutes to Fabrica Aurora, a remodeled textile factory, where they can wander through some 35 shops, art studios and galleries. The complex is just four years old and is already one of the nicest and most popular places to shop in San Miguel de Allende. They find a 100-year-old Vietnamese kitchen cabinet and a hand-painted armoire from Chiapas and arrange to have them shipped home. They buy a bronze sculpture by Rita Torlen, a painting my Merry Calderoni, and some vivid textiles from Patzcuaro. They have lunch at the outdoor cafe while watching the birds beg for crumbs.

3 PM

They taxi to their hotel with their purchases. Falling right into the Mexican way of doing things, they decide to have a "siesta."

5 PM

They wander back to the Jardín. They've already come to realize it's everyone's front yard, the very heart and soul of San Miguel de Allende. Although they’d noticed lots of ex-pats and other foreigners here in the morning, now there are only a few. They hear almost no English.

Kids are running around being kids. Teenagers walk in circles eyeing each other, the girls giggling, the boys practicing their first attempts at swaggering. Young lovers moon at each other. Balloon sellers sell balloons while the elote vendors serve up their ears of hot corn with crema, cheese and chile powder. Beside the church, the giant draft horse stands patiently beside his ice cream cart while tourists pose for pictures beside him. The shoeshine guys are doing a brisk business, slapping their brushes and rags and chatting up their customers. Abuelas sit on the benches under the laurel trees, gossiping and keeping an eye on the kids. Dogs doze in the sun. Tourist’s cameras snap dozens of photos of the Parroquia, the lovely neo-gothic church glowing pink in the late afternoon sun. It is San Miguel de Allende at its best.

Behind our travelers, the mariachis strike up a number. They recognize the standard "Cielito Lindo" and hum along. The next number, unknown to them, is a classic lament that proves no one can sing and cry at the same time better than a Mexican.

6:30 PM

As the sun sinks low in the sky, turning the Parroquia to peach, then fuschia, then a deep rich rose, they go in search of a taxi. There's a full moon tonight, and their new San Miguel friends have invited them to the regular full moon ceremony at the Plaza of the Four Winds at "El Charco del Ingenio," the botanical garden at the edge of town. The garden is another of the treasures of San Miguel de Allende. They arrive in time to watch the sun set in a sea of flame falling into the lake, and the moon rise huge and full. Several regulars have brought musical instruments—a flute, a conch shell, some drums—and they sing the moon up into the heavens. It is a purely magical, purely Mexican moment.

8 PM

By the time the ceremony ends, they're starving, and tonight they don't want "gourmet international cuisine;" they want authentic Mexican fare. With several new acquaintances from the evening, they head to Olé Olé on Loreto. They step in the door of the restaurant and drop their jaws at the decor. Red, red, red, and bulls, bulls bulls. The owner is a true aficionado of the Fiesta Brava, or bull ring. The red walls are almost completely covered with posters, matador photos, picador sticks, a "suit of lights" and at least four huge stuffed bull heads.

The limited menu makes ordering easy. They choose a mix of fajitas—shrimp, chicken, beef and... ostrich. Yummm.

10 PM

It's their last night in San Miguel de Allende, and they want to continue the authentic atmosphere. The whole group heads to Mama Mia for some live salsa music and dancing, their sexy, sinuous moves helped along with a shot or two of tequila.

SUNDAY, 10 AM

They wake to a lazy morning. By now, they're feeling like real sanmiguelenses. No hurry. They wander off to join new friends for brunch at Cafe de la Parroquia. The conversation is lively and intelligent, the weather is perfect, and Francoise, the owner, smiles warmly as she greets everyone and refills the coffee endlessly.

NOON

There's time for one last San Miguel de Allende tradition. Hailing a taxi, they go to La Gruta, one of the natural hot springs a few miles out of town. The first pool they enter is bathtub warm. Then they wade through a long, dark tunnel into the innermost pool. Cavelike, almost womblike, it wraps them in its heat. There is simply nothing to do here but relax totally, feel the heat seep into every pore and muscle and listen to the water drip from the stone ceiling domed high above them.

Limp and so relaxed they can barely walk, our travelers ride back to the hotel for a final good-bye to Diane and Suzanne at Casa Luna. They'll sleep on the plane home...and dream about how soon they can return to San Miguel de Allende.

So what would YOUR perfect weekend in San Miguel de Allende look like?

We'd love to hear how you'd spend 36 perfect hours in San Miguel. Send us your stories. Include recommendations for hotels, restaurants, activities, or anything else that would make your weekend in San Miguel ideal. We may add them to this section.

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