Where do I even begin with this beautiful place?? Barrett and I made a trip to San Miguel last month for a relaxing getaway before a friend’s wedding. We instantly fell in love with the colorful buildings, delicious food and mexican culture. The narrow cobblestone streets are filled with restaurants, art galleries, hotels and shops. On almost every corner you will find authentic artisan goods and somewhere to drink tequila. But what is most captivating, is the old colorful buildings and mexican architecture. You can walk around the streets for hours just simply admiring the history and charm of the city. If you’re looking for a relaxing trip to Mexico where you can eat, drink, shop and be inspired, San Miguel is calling your name! Thank you to CTB Travel for always booking the BEST hotels for us!

Stay

We stayed at Belmond Casa de Sierra Nevada and it was an absolute dream. We’ve loved every Belmond hotel that we’ve stayed at so it was a no brainer for us when we reached out to CTB Travel. We also loved Rosewood San Miguel and spent a lot of time there during our stay. The Belmond is great for more of a boutique hotel experience with beautiful authentic mexican rooms, an amazing pool located in a garden, and really wonderful staff. The Rosewood is more of a resort with an awesome rooftop with stunning views, a beautiful pool, and really great restaurants. If you don’t stay at the Rosewood, it is definitely worth visiting to see the rooftop view of the city and to eat at 1826. If you are more of a resort person, you could stay at the Rosewood San Miguel and never leave the hotel!

Eat

The food in San Miguel is AMAZING. We had the best guacamole and quesadillas at the Belmond Blue Bar, along with the complimentary paloma they hand you when you arrive, and it was the best start to our trip! The Belmond also has a really good dinner restaurant that’s a brief walk down the street and is absolutely delicious. I also love the sushi at Rosewood’s downstairs bar, 1826 Tequila Bar and their restaurant, 1826. We ate brunch at 1826 and they had women hand making fresh tortillas outside for tacos and quesadillas…DELICIOUS! Outside of that, my two favorite stand out restaurants that were truly to die for, are The Restaurant and Lavanda Cafe.

The Restaurant must orders are the blistered green beans, pork and shrimp pot stickers, bluefin tuna tartare, beef carpaccio, spaghetti and meatballs and the ribeye. We ate at The Restaurant 3 times (yes, i said 3!) and it was absolutely delicious every time.

Lavanda Cafe must orders are the croissant to start, cazuela, chilaquiles and the waffle. To be honest, you cannot go wrong ordering here. This was the most delicious breakfast I’ve had in a long time. They also have the best coffee where you can get lavanda (lavender) infused into your cold brew, latte, iced coffee, you name it! Tip - there is always a wait so make sure to arrive no later than 9:30 in the morning and be prepared to wait outside. It’s 1000% worth the wait!

Other great restaurant spots are Quince, Doce 18 and La Posadita

Do

Eat, drink, shop and relax and do it all over again the next day! The best way to explore the city is to just start walking around. It’s smaller than expected so everything is fairly close. Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel is the big beautiful church in the middle of town and is definitely worth checking out. The church is in the middle of a lot of shopping and restaurants so it’s a great place to start! Cuna de Allende is a street right by the main square/church and has a lot of cute stores. Another really cute but higher price point boutique is Mixta. If you are wanting a really authentic local experience, head to Mercado San Juan de Dios where you’ll find food, goods, jewelry, etc. This is the main market with a ton of local vendors selling their products. To be honest, you only need a couple of days to explore the city. The rest of the time I would suggest relaxing at the beautiful pools at The Belmond or Rosewood.

The spicy jalapeno watermelon margarita at The Belmond Blue Bar was INSANE. This was my drink of choice all trip long!

Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel

The pool at the Belmond. Super private and relaxing!

Lavanda Cafe… Drooling just thinking about it!

I’m truly not exaggerating but the cazuela is literally life changing! It’s basically cheesy mexican scalloped potatoes, with bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and a fried egg. The food was SO FRESH and delicious.