ANY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GUANAJUATO, SAN MIGUEL OR QUERETARO

[thepiranha]

I'm going to be using my five day package in Guanajuato that I bought from Luxury Link to go to Guanajuato, Mexico. We're also going to travel to San Miguel de Allende and Queretaro. Can anyone recommend any sights, side trips, restaurants, etc. in those three cities? We're also looking for lodging in San Miguel and Queretaro. Muchas gracias, amigos.

El Piranha

[summersky10]

If you check the trip advisor forum for San Miguel, you will have more than enough info. It is one of the most active boards around. It is very easy to take a bus from Guanajuato to SMA. It is about $8 and they give you a cookie and soda with first class lounging seats. Taxis in all towns are so reasonable - all around town around $2.50. When you get to San Miguel, find the Atencion newspaper

(bi-lingual)and that will give you the week's activities. If you tell me the general price range for your lodgings, I can help with hotels and bed and breakfasts as I know the town very well. You will have a suberb time!

[thepiranha]

Hey, thanks for the reply. I've looked into buses and that's how we plan to get from Guanajuato to San Miguel. We'll also take a bus from San Miguel to Queretaro, and then back to Mexico City. We don't need anything too fancy in San Miguel since we're traveling with our two teenagers. The luxury part of our trip will be in Guanajuato. A place that's reasonably quiet and clean would be great. I prefer something not very touristy since my kids are fluent in Spanish. I looked at vrbo.com and there are quite a few listings in San Miguel. Should we stay in the center of town? What hotels or bed and breakfasts do you recommend? Muchas gracias.

[summersky10]

Hi there,



Houses are a wise possibility especially if you are going to stay for a week and it sounds like you also need more than one bedroom. To rent a house, you usually have to put up $200-500 security depositwhich takes about 2-3 months to get it back though since the Mexican phone company, takes a long time to send bills and the security is not returned until the owner sees the phone bills.



There are essentially no big hotel chains in San Miguel so you are most likelylooking at bed and breakfasts- look at casa anita and casa calderoni and let me know what you think. Casa Anita is one of the most economical with very good reviews.



If you stay in Centro, you get the true feeling of the colonial town and I would suggest that for the first time tourist. The town is so lively with many fiestas and restaurants everywhere so the in-town locationhas many benefits. It is a very safe town - I especially love the early morning light and inthe late evening walking through winding cobblestone streets.If you do decided to stay a bit out of town it will be very easy to get a cab- never have waited more than a minute or twoexcept for New Year's

Eve where you had better be prepared to walk home.



In Guanajuato- are you staying at Maria Christina?

Jan

[thepiranha]

We're staying at Quinta Las Acacias in Guanajuato. I bought a four night package in a Luxury Link auction. The place looks beautiful.

[summersky10]

Quinta is a beautiful hotel- it is a bit out of the center of town but that makes it quieter - a five minute cab (about $4)or about a 20 minute walk- It is in an quaint andinterestingneighborhood - Maria Cristina which is also a fabulous hotel is about two blocks away on the same street. A few doors down to Quinta is my favorite casualMexican restaurant - the owners are lovely and the food is wonderful especially chiles en nogadas. The Diego Rivera Museum which was Diego's childhood home is filled with his art and is a charming intimate museum. Also there is a Mummy museum- I found it fascinating but it is certainly not for everyone. You can take the funicular at the jardin and get a bird's eye view of beautiful and colorful Guanajuato. I think your children would love the funicular - if they are not afraid of heights.



In Queretaro at the main square, there is a fantastic Indian restaurant owned by a really nice British man, named Steveand his wife. Food is very authentic. Outside dining is everywhere and is one of the Mexican delights.



Jan

[thepiranha]

Thanks for the dining tips, Jan. Do you happen to know the name of the Mexican and Indian restaurants that you recommended? We'll definitely ride the funicular. The kids aren't afraid of heights, but I'm not crazy about them. However, I'll go out of my way to get a great view or take a good photo. Frommer's says that people will find the Mummy Museum either fascinating or grotesque. I'm sure that we will check it out, as well as the Diego Rivera Museum.

Please let me know if you come up with any more travel tips to the area. Thanks again.

El Piranha

[summersky10]

OK, El Piranha-



Bhaji is the Indian Restaurant is Queretaro



I don't know the name of the one in Guanajuato but it will be only a few doors away from you. The food is so good, incredibly reasonableand the owners are lovely. We came one night at around 10PM and they were closing and actually opened the entire restaurant just for us.The front patio is great for people watching.



Ten Ten Pie is a cute casual Mexicanplace in San Miguel only one block from El Jardin.

El Buen Cafe is very nice for breakfast .

El Campanario is expensive and beautiful with very nice views.

Gombas for veggie pizza

Olivers for delicious hamburgers

Ole Ole is a must - they have great fajitas and the restaurant is papered with old bullfight posters.

I am against bullfighting but I have to say the casual ambiance is great.



seriously, check out the trip advisor site - there are serious foodies who live there who are in the know!



You can take a trip from San Miguel to thermal baths- I have not done that but hear it is very nice and the children might like that.



Fabrica Aurora is a factory converted to beautiful upscale art studios with the artists' in residence- a lot of original machinery is there too - very interesting. There is a little cafe there that is nice for an afternoon snack and also a sophisticated wine bar.



The Angela Peralta Theater right in centro has excellent perfomances at such reasonable prices too - mostly different genres of music.



When are you going? also my private email is jwatthemeadow@yahoo for futher questions

Jan

[mamooshi]

Can anyone help me with this please! If we are planning a one night stay in Guanajuato state, and plan to vist San Miguel de Allende and city of Guanajuato, WHICH CITY has more to see and do to where it be best to get a hotel there, and then make a short half day trip to the other....I dont know if I should book a hotel in San MIguel and travel t guanajuato and come back, or the other way!!! PLEASE SOME ONE HELP I NEED TO DO THIS ASAP!

[summersky10]

Hello-

Perhaps this will help with the logistics. The city of Guanajuato is about 30 minutes from Leon airport by taxi- whereas San Miguel is about one and a half hours. ( we usually hire a private car or you can have a van pick you up.Both towns are wonderful. Guanajuato is a lively university town with a small and special Diego Rivera museum.San Miguel, I think, would have many more accomodations but would be more expensive.English is barely spoken in Guanajuato - so if that is important to you I would say to choose charming San Miguel.I would say that San Miguel has many more restaurants and is a more walkable town as G. is full of steep alleys and lanes. Have fun! You will love it!