Love San Miguel but it is getting touristy and expensive. Is there another less known "gem" that might be comparable to how San Miguel might have been about 10-15 yrs. ago?
Something charming with some modern conveniences etc.? A place where a retiree could spend a couple of months?

I ahve heard that Guanajuato is charming and pretty. It is an hours drive from San Miguel. Less English spoken..you might want to look into that.
I will be there in August

Several choices. As the first poster said, Guanajuato is very nice, lots to see and do, and is only 90 minutes by bus ffrom SM, so you could easily hop over there too.

Queretaro is a much larger city, but at the core it remains a beautiful colonial city. Its located north of Mexico City, on the way to SM.

A little farther afield from Mexico City are Morelia and Patzcuaro, the latter being a quieter and more rustic.

South of Mexico City there is Oaxaca, many people favorite colonial city. Also nearby are ruins and good crafts villages.

Also, you may want to check out Antigua, Guatamala. Cheaper than comparable places in Mexico, a great town, some really nice places to stay, all in a wonderful setting.

Thank you. Guanajuato sounds intriguing. Could you "live" there for a couple of months in the winter without a car? Where would you find apartment rentals? When I put Guanajuato into search, I get a ton of stuff on San Miguel but little on Guanajuato itself.

http://www.mexconnect.com/MEX/mxc/gto.html

bashful. try this
I went to Barnes and Noble one day and just got every book on Mexico and read about SMA and Guanajuato. G has less English spoken, is built right into the side of the mountain with underground streets, some streets to close you can touch from one balcony to the one across the street!
When are you going? Soon? I will be there in August and will be happy to post a detailed report on the towns.

Thanks Scarlett...we wouldn't be going before next year so I'll look forward to your trip report! If you get any inside scoop on apartment rentals while you're there, I'd love to hear about it!

Definitely bashful! We are starting to get interested in the idea of part time residence in one of those little towns too, for the future.
http://c4.zedo.com/ads2/f/23507/3869...895774038.html

See if this works, it is another site we have for Guanajuato!

LOL, it didn't work ! It is an ad for Las Vegas!
Sorry

Here ya go~


http://www.bootsnall.com/cgi-bin/gt/...anajuato.shtml

I like Zacatecas too.

Very nice colonial town and not overly touristy, IMHO. I love taking the teleferico up to the top of the hill and just soaking up the view...

The great thing about this part of Mexico is that it is SO easy to jump around to other cool cities...no reason to confine yourself to just one place.

Have fun!
Mark
www.tiogringo.com

Scarlett, I would love to read a trip report after your August venture! We're going to San Miguel in October and plan to go over to Guanajuato at least for a day. Thanks, eb from Texas

Love Guanajuato and could easily spend a month there. Also love Patzcuaro. But Oaxaca is my favorite place in Mexico.

Oaxaca is a much larger city than the others, so living there for a couple of months would be different. I think Guanajuato is closest to San Miguel in ambience -- the two are pretty close geographically, for one thing.

I have been to Mexico many times, but to places with purified water for tourists like PV and Cancun. How is it for us bacteria deprived Americans to eat/drink in these cities you all mention? I would love to explore other parts of Mexico, but not sure about that part of it. Thanks!

Companies distribute bottled water every where in Mexico, so plenty to drink!

Would love to know if Scarlett ever posted her trip report???
We're going to San Miguel in October for a week and plan to go over to Guanajuato and spend a night - would love to hear recommendations on where to stay in Guanajuato. Thanks, eb