Six Reasons To Consider San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, As A Vacation Destination

Colorful Arts City Also Has A Lot Of Outdoor Activities Such As Hot Air Ballooning & Horseback Riding

Known for its cobblestone streets, Spanish architecture, vibrant arts scene and cultural festivals, there is more to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, than first meets the eye.

Here are six reasons this UNESCO World Heritage site rich with Mexican culture and history is a good vacation destination.

• Horseback riding: Xotolar Adventures (www.xotolarranch.com)

This ranch on the outskirts of the city, operated by the Morín Ruiz family generation after generation, guarantees a safe and comfortable horseback riding experience amid impressive natural landscapes. Xotolar offers half- and full-day riding excursions to Cañada de la Virgen (“Virgin Canyon”) as well as camping experiences and rural cooking classes. These guided tours are specifically designed and adapted to the needs of the group or family to offer an inclusive service and outdoor experience in the greatest comfort.

• Hot-air ballooning: Globo San Miguel (www.globosanmiguel.com)

Take your vacation stay to new heights with a hot-air balloon ride from Globo San Miguel. Offering daily flights above San Miguel de Allende and its surroundings, Globo San Miguel boasts 27 years’ experience in the area and more than 50 years of ballooning expertise in California’s Napa Valley. Services include a classic flight at sunrise and exclusive flights for groups and couples — an ideal experience for marriage proposals or any special occasion you want to celebrate. Ask about promotions and packages for each flight, as some include breakfasts.

(Due to Covid-19, flights are not being operated at 100% capacity. Safety protocols in place include social distancing and masking to ensure a secure outdoor experience.)

• Beach: Manaia at Valle de los Senderos (www.vallelossenderos.com/en/manaia)

Valle de los Senderos, a spectacular oasis 15 minutes from downtown San Miguel de Allende, has a divine beach: Manaia, with natural sand and crystal-clear spring waters that invite visitors to immerse themselves and spend the day taking the sun, practicing paddle board, eating delicious foods and enjoying this heavenly hideaway in the Heart of Mexico.

Enjoy the transparent thermal pool waters that, with some fins and a snorkel mask, feel like a dive in the sea and a gentle lagoon perfect for paddle boarding.

Valle de los Senderos offers various packages that include family tickets, as well as picnic packages for Mexican eatery “Sal y Canto” (Mexican cuisine restaurant. This place is an award-winning, ever-changing, mixed-use country development. An incredible place for the whole family, where various activities and opportunities are focused on ecology, well-being and contact with nature and beauty.

• Dining: Mama Mía Campestre (www.mamamia.com.mx/campestre)

In a mesquite forest along the San Miguel-Dolores Highway, you will find Mama Mía Campestre, a beautiful place that offers you a natural experience to connect with natural surroundings, enjoy wood-fired Italian cuisine and savor the local craft beer, La Hechicera. All dishes are prepared in grills or ovens fed with mesquite wood, lending them a unique essence, and are served with vegetables grown in Huerto Rancho Luna using organic methods. Before you wash down your meal with that ice-cold La Hechicera, learn how the beer is proudly crafted on site. Come with your family to enjoy the cooking with connecting with San Miguel’s incredible natural surroundings.

• Oils: Finca Luna Serena (www.fincalunaserena.com)

Also on the outskirts of San Miguel de Allende lies Finca Luna Serena, home to the region’s resident experts in extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and oil-based beauty products. This picturesque farm offers a lunch service where you can enjoy salads, balsamic infusions in cheeses, chicken, steak, salmon and desserts.

The property includes a large country house that you can rent for one night and disconnect from the urban hubbub to the sound of crickets and birds at night. Come and enjoy the “cottage,” with breakfast included, and its three bedrooms, fully equipped kitchen, small pool with Jacuzzi, and personal transportation (if required). Relax and enjoy the peace and quiet outdoors.

• Hotel on the Outskirts: View Cabañas (www.viewhotelboutique.com.mx)

This is for couples seeking romance when they travel. On the outskirts of the city, just eight minutes from San Miguel de Allende in the direction of Celaya, a feast for your eyes awaits at the aptly named “El Hotel View.” This boutique property offers fire pit experiences by candlelight, movie screenings in the hotel cinema, sunset teepee experiences and romantic moonlight dinners with a bouquet of roses and a three-course menu.

There are also wellness activities at Aruma Spa such as hydromassage with salts and flowers, as well as unique therapies such as medical biomagnetism, bioenergetics and osteopathy.

Off property, go on a cave painting expedition or up, up, and away with a hot air balloon ride.

How To Get To San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

•  The two major airports serve San Miguel de Allende. One is Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City, 3 1/2 hours from the city (there is direct bus transportation to nearby Querétaro), and the León/Guanajuato airport, a travel distance of 1 1/2 hours.

San Miguel de Allende Tourism Board Website: VisitSanMiguel.travel