Peering out the window from our cramped taxi as we hit the exit for San Miguel de Allende, it felt like I was staring into a dream I'd been planning forever. This place has been on my must-visit list ever since Condé Nast Traveler crowned it the best small city in the world. Every photo I’d seen made it look like a movie set, or a freeze-frame from a Disney animated film. Something about the cobblestone streets and the Rothko-esque painted walls made it look almost too curated, too picturesque to be real. But after having spent a week there, I can tell you confidently that the beauty of San Miguel is far from manufactured. It’s as breathtaking and cinematic as it looks, but the vibe remains authentically Mexican, and the people are some of the friendliest we’ve met in any of our travels.
You’re going to be hard pressed to read any article about San Miguel de Allende that doesn’t mention the famous Rosewood. The Rosewood San Miguel does what Rosewood hotels do best — location-specific luxury, impeccable service, and culinary excellence. Their rooftop restaurant, Luna, offers the best view in the city, their pool is the perfect temperature, their rooms are tasteful and comfy, and the architecture and gardens are totally gorgeous.
Rosewood San Miguel de Allende
One of my favorite travel hacks is Rosewood’s annual Travel Tuesday deal following Thanksgiving, where every Rosewood slashes prices—30% off resort stays and a whopping 50% off urban locations. Despite San Miguel feeling miles off from what I would consider “urban” by New York standards, we were able to book an entire week in their largest suite for what you’d normally pay for a mid-tier hotel in NYC.
For our first full day, we took ourselves on a self-guided walking tour of San Miguel, starting with a heaping plate of chilaquiles at the eclectic (and gay-owned!) Cafe Rama.
Our adventure continued with a stroll through the charming Parque Benito Juárez where they were celebrating the Feria de la Candelaria, a festival where gardeners and flower vendors sell thousands of different kinds of plants and flowers. As certified PlantGays™, it was almost torture not being able to take home at least one of these beauties. Next, we climbed up to El Mirador, a viewpoint at the top of the hill overlooking the city with breathtaking views of San Miguel’s colorful rooftops. From there, we went on to explore Fabrica La Aurora, an old textile factory that’s been transformed into a massive art gallery, showcasing tons of local art and craftsmanship.
Feria de la Candelaria at Parque Benito Juárez
A muralist at Fabrica La Aurora
Vantage point from El Mirador
After a morning of walking, we desperately needed an espresso break, which we did at Hotel Casa de los Soles, a hotel and café that boasts a seriously impressive collection of hand-painted ceramic suns, or talaveras.
One tiny qualm about San Miguel de Allende is that there are no LGBTQ+ dedicated spaces. To be clear, as gay travelers, we always felt incredibly safe and welcome, and even when speaking with some of the gay locals who we met, we were told about a handful of LGBTQ+ owned/friendly spaces, but none that were technically “gay bars.” This perhaps speaks to San Miguel’s tolerance. Gay travelers are welcome everywhere, but having flown all over the world, there is a unique experience that only queer people can understand, where you are dropped down in a foreign country where nothing looks familiar, and suddenly, you arrive at a place where you can walk in and immediately recognize people who are just like you. It’s something that always feels magical. Fortunately, what SMA lacks in queer spaces, it more than makes up for in beautiful spaces for people of all kinds to hang out.
Bekeb
The only location we visited twice on this trip is Bekeb, an uber-trendy rooftop cocktail bar that served up the perfect ambiance, played all the right music, and whose cocktails were among the best we’ve ever had. The second visit at Bekeb was only because we had reserved sunset drinks at Tunki on the rooftop of the The Belmond Hotel. When we arrived, we were told that they actually weren’t open and that I must have been mistaken. I showed the email correspondence where the manager (who we were literally speaking with) had confirmed with me, not once, but twice, yet we were told again that the error was on us. It was a rare moment of tension in what was otherwise a trip an incredible trip, but fortunately, we headed over to Bekeb who generously welcomed us back and even served us a free round of their signature cocktail made with the famous local tequila, Casa Dragones!
Cocktails at Bekeb
We purposefully scheduled our trip to coincide with Valentine’s Day as well as our ten-year “meet-a-versary,” but when booking this trip, I don’t think either of us realized just how romantic the city of San Miguel is. Much in the same way you feel strolling down the Seine in Paris, this there’s no other way to describe this town than bursting with love. Every couple seems to be holding hands, and we fully saw multiple marriage proposals in front of the Parroquia (a sight that usually makes me cringe, but hear always made me tear up). We spent V-Day Eve indulging at Aperi, one of San Miguel’s Michelin-starred restaurants, where we did a tasting menu and wine pairing in a romantic courtyard setting.
Tasting Menu at Aperi
Mexico is famous for tequila and mezcal, but its vineyards, especially around San Miguel, are also worth exploring. We set our sights on Viñedos San Lucas, arguably the most picturesque winery in San Miguel. (My wine expertise may be limited, but when it comes to choosing aesthetics, I’m basically a master somme.)
The estate the winery is located on could honestly rival any European vineyard, with Tuscan-style architecture and made-for-Instagram fields of lavender. Our host, Jessica, took us on a tour and walked us through a private tasting session. Their state-of-the-art facilities and scenic vineyards are truly amazing, and the wine cave where we had our tasting was awe-inspiring.
Jessica explained that the vineyard’s wines are geared to a Mexican palate, which typically means slightly sweeter and brighter. I thought this might be a turn off, as sweet wine is usually something I steer clear of, but we enjoyed trying them. The sauvignon blanc stood out as particularly complex and the local honey and cheeses that they used for pairing were super tasty as well.
Had we not already tied the knot, both Scott and I remarked that Viñedos San Lucas would have been a kind of perfect wedding venue.
Continuing our journey through San Miguel, our next day was dedicated to culinary exploration, starting the morning with one of my favorite Mexican pastries, a concha from Cumpanio. Our appetite for discovery then led us to the trendy neighborhood of Guadalupe, dubbed the Brooklyn of San Miguel. Unlike the centro historico, a UNESCO World Heritage site where building aesthetics are preserved, Guadalupe thrives with artistic freedom, with the artist residents turning many of their homes into a canvas for murals. We also suspect this might be the gayborhood, based on the number of same-sex couples we saw making their way to brunch.
Concha at Cumpanio
One of my favorite ways to learn about a town is through its food, so whenever I can take a cooking class from a local, I jump at the opportunity. After reading some TripAdvisor reviews, we decided upon Pura Vida Kitchen, a local cooking school. We were shocked to learn that our chef, Alicia, was originally from Brooklyn Heights. She had followed a boyfriend to SMA twenty years ago and has since made it her home. Chef Alicia was incredibly entertaining, hilarious, and knowledgeable as she guided us through the basics of Mexican salsas and introduced us to new ingredients like huitlacoche (Mexican corn fungus) and xoconostle (prickly pear). She was also so kind as to take us to a nearby grocery store to stock up on dried chili peppers and tortillas for her tasty chicken tinga tacos. She even gifted us with some raw brown sugar cones and dried hibiscus flowers, which are hard to find in the States, so we could make her seriously delicious margaritas once we got back home. Don’t worry, we declared everything!
Chicken Tinga Tacos at Pura Vida Kitchen
As we were checking out at the grocery store, Scott whispered to me, ‘I think this is my favorite thing we’ve done.’ I have to agree with him. If you make the trip down here, booking a class with Alicia is a must. Plus, she also provided us with her e-cookbook so we can bring these, and other favorite Mexican dishes, back to Brooklyn.
Exploring San Miguel de Allende is best done while wandering its cobblestone streets on foot. But if you get the chance, exploring it by horseback is incredibly fun. We arranged a sunset horseback ride with Coyote Canyon Adventures, situated just twenty minutes outside of town. The ride led us through the rugged mountainsides, offering breathtaking views of the city below before descending into Centro Historico and galloping down the same streets that we’d explored in the days before. From seamless hotel pickup to the warm hospitality of our guides, every aspect of this excursion was super organized, making it a highlight of our trip.
Mole with eggs on tortillas with plantains at Rustica
Continuing our culinary journey in San Miguel, we ventured south of the Centro Historico for breakfast at the incredibly vibe-y Rustica. The atmosphere was amazing, with al fresco dining, and the food, beautifully prepared. (Ricotta nut toast, I think I’ll miss you most of all). It’s hard to overstate the aesthetic appeal of every single place we ate on this trip. Each space managed to blend the town’s architectural charm with a trendy, but laid-back vibe. Truly my taste to a T. Dinner was a last minute pick after one of our reservations fell through, the Rooftop at Selina. I recommend in general, whenever you can eat somewhere with a view, do it. San Miguel has no shortage of them. I promise you, food and drinks just taste better when you can watch a sunset.
Rooftop at Selina
On our final day in SMA, the thought of getting back on a plane to the states had me wishing for a pause button. Checking Instagram, it looked like NYC was getting pummeled with cold weather. Meanwhile, San Miguel was in its winter period, which somehow meant a high of 78 during the day with cool temperatures at night, perfect for those light jackets that I always buy but never seem to get to wear.
Lavender latter at Cafe Lavanda
Making the most of our final 24 hours, we headed to Cafe Lavanda, a cash-only place that specialized in the eponymous ingredient, lavender. I got a lavender latte and Scott got a drink (espresso, lime juice, lavender, and seltzer) that absolutely should not have been good, but was somehow delicious and refreshing. Also, I ordered my fourth chilaquiles of the trip. DON’T JUDGE ME!
Trazo 1810
Lunch and cocktails were at another stunning rooftop restaurant, Trazo 1810, where we enjoyed some delicious bites with what had to be our favorite view of the Parroquia de San Miguel de Arcangel of the trip.
We soaked up the last bit of sun at the Rosewood pool before heading to what ended up being our favorite meal of the trip at Tostévere. We both agreed that this spot best captured the essence of San Miguel's vibrant culinary scene. It’s dishes were creative, yet familiar and the atmosphere, warm and inviting. I led the charge in ordering, ambitiously selecting what felt like half of the handwritten menu. Even the waiter was a little taken aback by our appetite, but it turned out to be just enough. I’m telling you, every bite was a bit of a revelation, from the octopus tostada to the softshell crab wrap to the truffled street corn, each dish surpassed the last. The flavors were so good, at one point I caught Scott tearing up. I really think Mexico is up there in terms of my favorite food country, maybe even slightly above France and Italy. It was with heavy heart that we had to bid adieu to SMA’s food scene. It shouldn’t surprise you that over our final dinner, we were already plotting our next trip to Mexico to see what else this incredible country has in store for us next.
Tostévere
Where we stayed
Where We Ate
Cafe Rama (@caferama.sma)
Rustica (@rustica.sma)
Tostévere (@tosteveresma) - OUR TOP PICK
Where We Drank
Bekeb (@bekeb_sma) - OUR TOP PICK
Hotel Casa de los Soles (@casadelossolessma)
What We Did
Parque Benito Juárez
Pura Vida Kitchen (@puravidakitchen) - OUR TOP PICK