For the next 3 months, we are resting our heads in lovely San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Just a few minutes flat walk away from the Jardin, the town square, we’ve found a wonderful home that we are renting for $1000 a month. What do you get for $33 a day?
3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 12 foot ceilings, 2 private terraces, 2 fireplaces, maid service twice a week, a gardener visit once a week, a washer and dryer for laundry, and is fully furnished with all utilities included… a lot more than we need. The location is fantastic, and we are once again living in the lap of luxury.
We’ve rented such a large space partly to make it easy for friends to visit, since we are just 4 hours away from LA or SF or Houston.
Just inside our front door is a small courtyard with an illuminated fountain and a wall of ivy. The heat of the day stops at the door, as we enter a lush oasis behind the thick brick walls.
Welcome Home (Dog Not Included)
Fountain
Just up the stairs, we find the first of our two terraces, a great place to have morning coffee or some lunch amongst the aroma of flowers and citrus. We even made some kumquat jam with the harvest of one of these shrubs
Bask in the Sunlight on Terrace #1
Inside the ground floor is a wide open space with living room, dining area, and kitchen. We have a choice of eating our meals at the kitchen’s bar, in the formal dining room, or on the main terrace. The living room is a comfortable space to play guitar and watch the next episode of Breaking Bad on our laptop.
Also on the ground floor is a guest bedroom, which is currently used as a sitting room, and a full bath.
Kitchen
Living Room
The terrace leads to the master bedroom, and a flight of wrought iron stairs leads up to the main guest bedroom and a rooftop terrace.
Top 2 Floors. Master Bedroom Ahead
The Master Bedroom is an oasis within an oasis, with king sized bed, fireplace, and chaise lounge, along with enough closet space for a family of 8.
Master Bedroom
The master bath has a hand crafted tub, hand laid tile, and an unlimited supply of hot water with incredible force, enough to work out those knots in your shoulders and lower back. Ahhhh
Master Bath
The guest bedroom and bath are open for business, with a comfortable bed and equally impressive shower.
Guest Bedroom
Guest Bathroom
The rooftop terrace is a great place for some evening wine and tapas, watching the sun set and the city lights come to life. All of the main architectural landmarks are within sight
Rooftop Terrace, the Parroquia and Bella Artes in the Distance
It’s hard not to love returning home everyday. We like it so much we may never leave
Wow, what an awesome home. Your friends will really have to make the trek down. Wondering do either of you speak Spanish? Do you know other people from the states that live there?
Hi Mark,
A little less than a year ago, we spoke almost no Spanish.
https://gocurrycracker.com/dos-cervezas-por-favor/
After a month of group Spanish classes in Mexico, 3 weeks of private lessons in Guatemela, and about 8 months of traveling in Spanish speaking countries, we can now speak some pretty good Spanglish. To put that in context, 5 year old locals speak better than we do, but today we managed to make dentist appointments over the phone with a dentist and receptionist that speak no English. Progress
We don’t know many other Americans here, I think because many Americans have been told that Mexico is dangerous by Fox News. There are a ton of Canadians though, and a few Australians and Europeans. We mostly hang out with a mixed crown of Mexicans and foreigners, all of whom speak English, but use Spanish daily during the course of normal everyday life
Cheers
Jeremy
Oh what an enchanting place! Speaking of dentist appointment, would you share how you deal with health care when you are not working (so not health insurance via employer) and traveling internationally?
I’m taking a sabbatical until early 2014 and wonder if I might as well travel during the break. But a bit terrified if I get into accidents etc.
Hi Jian,
A lot of people do buy travel medical insurance that would cover you for an accident. See http://www.travelguard.com as one example, and http://www.travelmedicalinsurance.com/ offers policies for less than $1 a day. Our friend Lucy over at http://lucysperegrination.blogspot.com bought something like this for less than $200 for a year (We have no personal experience with either company)
We just self insure, which basically means if we get in an accident while traveling we will just pay cash for medical care. Medical care is very inexpensive in Latin America.
We also have insurance as a hedge against pre-existing conditions before the ACA took place, and will buy insurance through an exchange before the end of the year. (See this old post for an idea of what we have: https://gocurrycracker.com/health-insurance-is-cheap/)
Please don’t let fear of an accident hold you back
All the best
Jeremy
Thanks, Jeremy! That’s not so scary at all :D. I might just pop up in SMA and rent one of your luxury guest rooms :).
Excellent! We will be waiting
Gorgeous!
When we were in Sam Migual way back in the mid-1980s it was being over run with gringos.
Interesting that you haven’t met many. Sounds like it is time to check it out again!
I remember it as a beautiful place and an ideal climate.
Enjoy!
Come on down anytime Jim, I’ll save a spot in the guest room for you
Of all the places we’ve been in Mexico, SMA is our favorite. There are certainly gringos here, although that all seems positive. The tourist money means the town is clean, with incredible restaurants, art galleys, and activities.
One of our Mexican friends said something to this effect, “The foreigners don’t want to change the Mexicans, and the Mexicans don’t want to change the foreigners. We live in balance.” That rings true from what we’ve seen
Mmmm…
I might just do that. How long are you there?
First, and over Christmas, we are headed to Guatemala. We have shoes we need stolen.
We are here until at least Dec 31st, but… we are considering using SMA as a base. We are touring houses tomorrow afternoon. The seasonal rental market is very strong here, so we would potentially have roots AND wings
Where are you going in Guatemala? We loved it there
A couple of days in Anitgua and then Lake Atitlan
So which do you prefer? SMA or Lake Atitlan?
Oh, and it was your posts and adventures that put Guatemala on our list!
Nice, I’m excited that you enjoyed our posts and are going to visit Guatemala! I think you will enjoy both Antigua and Lake Atitlan. Try to do a sunrise hike on Indian’s Nose, it is definitely worth rising early
The whole Lake Atitlan area is incredibly beautiful, but for daily living we prefer SMA. There are better showers, restaurants, music options, etc… in SMA, albeit at a higher price tag.
I just discovered your blog – its terrific! How did you find such a great place? Thanks for the info.
Hi Joanne
Thank you very much, it is nice to hear that you are enjoying our blog
This particular place we found by searching online.
There are many different home management companies in San Miguel and most of them have an online presence
Cheers
Jeremy
This is what I was looking for, thank you! We’ll be in SMA in January :)
Hello Go Curry,
Do you know if the house in San Miguel is available to rent? Do you have the contact information for the owner? The place looks beautiful, and I have been looking for something just like it. Please let me know, thanks. ;)
Hi Alex
You can contact the property manager from here:
http://www.sanmiguelhousecare.com/
Jeremy, we are now able to travel and wonder how you are able to make these plans. Do you have an agent or do you just hop a plane and stay where you land. We want to do a lot of traveling but don’t know where to start.
Just book a 1-way ticket and go
http://www.thebrokebackpacker.com/best-backpacking-destinations/