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The Best Boutique Hotels in San Miguel De Allende

The sleek, contemporary LÔtel in the heart of downtown San Miguel
The sleek, contemporary L'Ôtel in the heart of downtown San Miguel | Courtesy of L’Ôtel / Booking.com

Discover the jewel of Mexico‘s central highlands, a once-sleepy colonial hill town turned international magnet for travellers and gourmands, and a Unesco World Heritage site. Book now with Culture Trip.

Narrow cobbled streets lined with ochre and lemon-yellow cottages, Juliet balconies and church bells ringing from a cathedral glistening with gold… San Miguel de Allende is quintessentially Mexican. With a lively arts and café scene, beautiful townhouses and a hinterland of pine-covered hills, it’s a popular weekend escape from Mexico City and is replete with tasteful boutique hotels.

Casa Mision de San Miguel

Boutique Hotel

A rustic boutique hotel room at the Casa Mision de San Miguel.
Courtesy of Casa Mision de San Miguel / Expedia.com

Minutes from the central plaza and set in a converted Spanish colonial mission house, Casa Misión is wonderfully romantic. The hotel even has a Spaghetti-Western-style church bell tower. Rooms are small but artily decorated – with Mexican rugs on terracotta-tile floors, local ceramics and scatterings of colorful textiles and art. And the upper balcony is the perfect spot to sip a margarita, the San Miguel skyline at your feet.

Hacienda El Santuario

Boutique Hotel

A bohemian and wooden-orientated hotel room at Hacienda El Santuario
Courtesy of Hacienda El Santuario / Expedia.com

Spread across three colonial townhouses, with a garden replete with bougainvillea and dotted with benches, El Santuario sits on a quiet street a few minutes’ walk from leafy Benito Juarez park. As with most San Miguel boutiques, its rooms are small, with narrow desks and chests of drawers squeezed into the modest spaces around the ample beds – but the décor is beautiful, with Mexican textiles and folk art and crafts decorating each room and El Santuario’s public spaces.

Hotel Nena

Boutique Hotel

Outdoor pool in the courtyard of Hotel Nena
Courtesy of Hotel Nena / Expedia.com

Not all San Miguel boutiques evoke the romantic Spanish colonial look. With fashionable muted grays (offset with single-color scatter cushions), distressed woods and raw stone, and walls hung with modern art, La Nena is self-consciously contemporary. And, despite being a stone’s throw from the center, it even has a pool squeezed into the central atrium and so small you can swim across it in a stroke.

Casa Aliz

Boutique Hotel

A big double wooden bed with warm lighting at Casa Aliz
Courtesy of Casa Aliz / Expedia.com

The standard rooms in this townhouse hotel are simple, finished in wood-laminate and fresh pistachios and off-whites but with little more than a bed, a modest chest of drawers and bedside tables. But they’re decorated with arty carvings and are excellent value – with prices including a hearty Mexican breakfast. The center is close by and there are pretty skyline views from the al fresco sun deck.

Hotel Real De Minas De San Miguel Allende

Boutique Hotel

Funky wall art over a games corner at the Real de Minas San Miguel de Allende.
Courtesy of Real de Minas San Miguel de Allende / Expedia.com

Real De Minas is big for a boutique hotel – with more than 200 rooms in a sprawling complex of buildings – and the town center is a 15-minute walk away. But this is one of the few hotels in central San Miguel to have a large pool and extensive gardens. Rooms feel a little hotel-chain anonymous but are modern, in off-whites and olives, with tile-carpets and ample space.

Hacienda Las Amantes

Boutique Hotel

A cosy room built into rock at Hacienda Las Amantes
Courtesy of Hacienda Las Amantes / Expedia.com

This adults-only, romantic boutique, set in an ancient raw-stone house with colonnades of Romanesque arches and rooms in heavy ochres and sky blues, looks like a set from a Zorro episode. It’s in a great location, perched over the town with skyline views from the rooftop sun deck. Breakfast, served in a gallery overlooking the tropical garden, is huge and there are bars and restaurants on the doorstep.

Selina San Miguel de Allende

Boutique Hotel, Chain Hotel

A large and modern room at Selina San Miguel de Allende.
© Selina San Miguel de Allende

Colonial meets contemporary at the Selina. The hotel sits in a large Spanish-era townhouse in the city center, and built around a central atrium lush with wall and floor plants. But with their solid blocks of color, huge windows and kitschy poster art, rooms feel contemporary. So does the big open-plan upper sun deck with a view from its lounge-y sofas, wooden decking and cocktail bar restaurant.

Hotel Matilda

Boutique Hotel

A chic and large modern room at hotel Matilda.
Courtesy of Hotel Matilda / Expedia.com

San Miguel’s first attempt at modern, chic hospitality has been a roaring success. Matilda, and its restaurant Moxi (under the direction of celebrated Mexico City chef Enrique Olvera), may well be the future for colonial and quaint San Miguel. Not only is the interior decor eclectic-hip, but the clientele is younger, more moneyed and more urban than the average tourist. The hotel often hosts DJ nights on the rooftop bar, special chef appearances at Moxi, and local fashion events executed with flair.

Dos Casas

Boutique Hotel

A small roof terrace with sun loungers and plunge pool at Dos Casas.
Courtesy of Dos Casas / Expedia.com

Each of the seven rooms at Dos Casas is filled with classic, stylish furniture in blacks, whites, grays and tans. Comfortable and luxurious, the hotel is a renovated San Miguel colonial mansion with a rooftop pool and a tiny wine bar perfect for intimate moments and quick drinks before dinner — and what a dinner it is. The hotel restaurant, Aperi, is quickly becoming one of the top dining spots in town, with most fans recommending the chef’s tasting menu, which is prepared in front of you.

L'otel

Boutique Hotel

A fashionable boutique living room at Lotel.
Courtesy of L'otel / Expedia.com

L’otel is built above the Doce 18 Concept, a gourmet food court and luxury shopping complex in the heart of downtown San Miguel. The hotel is brimming with contemporary art, set against the white-on-white backdrop of its walls and linens. There’s a heated rooftop pool, several suites have open-air bathrooms and the best suite has a whirlpool tub on the balcony.

El Palomar

Boutique Hotel

Grey-themed living room and bedroom at PALOMAR-4

El Palomar sits above town at the top of San Francisco street in what used to be an apartment building, with each room a mini-suite in the cozy style of a Parisian apartment. Views from the rooftop bar of the city’s iconic main cathedral are illuminated by the twinkle of orange-glazed cobblestone streets and the sound of church bells. The hotel restaurant serves classic Mexican dishes for breakfast and the rooftop pool provides a chance to cool off in the high desert sun.

El Meson

Boutique Hotel

Roof terrace with hot tub and outdoor seating at Casa Cincuenta
Courtesy of Casa Cincuenta / Expedia.com

Formerly a granary and hotel for weary travelers coming through San Miguel to sell their wares, El Meson has plenty of history and even more class. It has 10 eclectically decorated rooms dotting the perimeter, each with garden views, and a stone-lined pool, sun terrace and sun deck sits in the middle of the central patio.

Casa 1810

Boutique Hotel, Hotel

Elegant communal area at hotel Casa 1810
Courtesy of Casa 1810 / Expedia.com

Colonial stone walls, Mexican-made textiles and antique furniture mean Casa 1810 blends seamlessly into the old-world ambiance of San Miguel de Allende. Rooms ring a hacienda-style central courtyard and the rooftop provides views of the pink cathedral, Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel. The hotel is just steps from the historic and charming downtown of San Miguel.

Sagrada Boutique Hotel

Boutique Hotel

Colourful veranda at Sagrada Boutique Hotel
Courtesy of Sagrada Boutique Hotel / Expedia.com

Providing something different from the boutique hotels of downtown San Miguel, Sagrada is a desert retreat with homey luxury. Individual cabins are designed for ultimate tranquility – soft fabrics, wood and stone construction, and a Zen decor. You can take part in communal dinners in the kitchen, get a deep-tissue massage, take a yoga class in the stunning open-air studio or just hang out around the fire pit, sipping wine and taking in the breathtaking scenery.

Casalinda Hotel Boutique

Boutique Hotel

Simple double bedroom with TV and fireplace at Casalinda Hotel Boutique
Courtesy of Casalinda Hotel Boutique / Expedia.com

Suites in Casalinda are fun and whimsically decorated but don’t stint on luxury either, with high-quality linens and amenities accompanying local art work and splashes of color. All have small kitchenettes, whirlpool tubs and private balconies. The on-site restaurant, Bugambilia, is a favorite among locals for classic Mexican cuisine.

Alex Robinson contributed additional reporting to this article.

About the author

Lydia Carey is a freelance writer and translator based out of Mexico City. She has worked as an editor and writer for various publications including Mexico's English–language newspaper The News, Afar, The New Worlder, International Living and The Latin Kitchen among others. Lydia has been blogging and writing in Mexico for over a decade and lives a double life as a local tour guide in her adoptive hometown. You can find her on the street eating tacos or at her blog www.mexicocitystreets.com.

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