Both Querétaro & Leon have international airports, QRO & BJX respectively. BJX is probably busier. Both are a little over an hour from San Miguel. When we've flown, typically we use Bajiogo shuttle service. $30 USD p/p shared van from either airport. They also can pick you up at MEX, but of course it'd be more expensive, I wanna say in the $90-$100 USD range. A bit more cumbersome is taking a bus directly from the airport to Queretaro, then taxi or Uber from there to SMA. Airport buses don't go all the way to SMA. Another option would be taxi to the Mexico City Norte bus station then a bus to San Miguel. Primera Plus & ETN serve that route. We've done the latter but usually spend at least 1 night in cdmx as it makes for a long travel day otherwise.

Thanks very much, Baldone

I appreciate this thread.

My husband and I booked tickets to visit San Miguel de Allende March 12th through the 18th.

I would love restaurant recommendations.

We are tentatively staying at the Hotel Matilda.

Which hot springs for a day trip?

For hot springs, probably La Gruta & Escondido Place are the 2 most popular. We've been to both, they're very similar. Mayan Baths, as mentioned is quite luxurious but I'm unsure of their hours for the public. Friends treated us to an evening there. Xote is more kid-oriented with water slides and such. Taboada has a hotel on site.
As far as restaurant recs, I'm a little intimidated to offer suggestions because if you're staying at Matilda, then the on site restaurant Moxi is pretty well regarded but out of our budget so we've never dined there. But I'll offer some of our faves. Los Milagros Terraza has the best view in town for sunsets and the molcajetes are amazing. Hecho en Mexico is good for lunch. La Parroquia is good for breakfast. Lavanda too but there's almost always a line. Pueblo Viejo has jicama tacos, but they're not on the downstairs menu so you have to ask. They are on their rooftop menu at La Azotea. Half price margaritas Monday-Thursdays non-holiday weeks.

Thanks so much! I appreciate the suggestions! We like all types of food.

We had some Marriott points to use and the Matilda qualified. It looks nice!

Kueriff, you don't say if you've ever been to San Miguel. The Matilda is in an excellent location. And for your dates, the jacarandas should be in bloom. About 2 blocks from Matilda is the Rosewood Hotel, an amazing property with a nice rooftop bar that has amazing views of the surrounding jacarandas. Another thing about San miguel is that there are no street food vendors during lunch in or around the jardin. But next to the aforementioned Rosewood there are usually 3 or 4 carts selling street food during the lunch hours. Elsewhere the street food vendors are out in the evening, near, but not in, the jardin.

We’ve never been to Mexico! Well, when I was ten we walked over the border to Tijuana. So this is all new. A friend from high school has done several bike trips through Mexico and his most recent photos inspired this trip. That and it worked with air miles, too. Plus no time change for us, and that sounds so great! We’ve been going to Europe in March and that’s a seven or eight hour change.

K, it might not be the worst idea to start your own thread to get input from other Fodorites. Even though we live in San Miguel, our tastes as residents may not align with those of visitors. We tend to stick to our old favorite restaurants, rather than try the new & trendy. Often, we simply choose a place where we can easily park our car. I will add this, you'll want to do at least day trip to Guanajuato during your stay. Or even a night or 2 before or after if your arrival is to BJX (Leon) should your budget/time allow. Speaking of time zone change, Mexico no longer observes daylight savings time except in border states.

This is a great thread with lots of advice on SMA!
goddesstogo: we are also planning a trip from Toronto . We are going to be flying to CDMX and then hopefully squeezing in either SMA or Oaxaca afterwards before ending with a few days at a beach for the kiddos to relax.

BaldOne : Any advice on whether to choose Oaxaca as a city to visit or SMA ? Would one be easier to get to from CDMX ? We have three teenagers in tow but we all like great restaurants / history etc. Also, we want to end with a few beach days at an all inclusive but I am seeing that it is doable with either city.

I suppose San Miguel is easier to get to, about 4 hours by bus whereas Oaxaca is more like 7 if I recall. Both cities have their attractions. Many people like to combine a visit to Puebla on the way to Oaxaca. Oaxaca of course has nearby archeological sites, while San Miguel is close to Guanajuato & Queretaro for day trips. Oaxaca's airport is just outside town, whereas the closest airports to San Miguel are over an hour away. I mention that thinking you may fly to your beach destination.

I think the next best thing for me to do is get a map out and look at Mexico! We've never been to Mexico either so all this is new to us.
Baldone, if any of your old favourite restaurants is anywhere near the hotel areas I'd love to hear about them. We're not foodies so new and trendy isn't that important to us but we do enjoy good food and have found our most fun experiences to be in local restaurants. Plus we don't mind taking a walk or a cab ride to get somewhere recommended.
Nadak, when is your trip? And do you live in Toronto or are you just flying from here?

Goddesstogo : we are planning a trip down for March break. We live in Toronto and are looking for best flight options currently. Our plan was to do about 5-6 nights in CDMX , 2-3 nights in either SMA or Oaxaca and then flying to a beach resort for about 4 nights at the end .

That sounds wonderful, nadak. Please write a trip report when you get back. I might just duplicate it for us next fall!

Great thread! We’re considering a 2-3 week trip in February or March and very interested in SMA, Guanajuato and the region. So far, Guanajuato really appeals but I don’t know that I’d want to stay for more than a week in the city. Which city would be a nice complement? Would SMA be a good contrast?

I’m looking at flying in and out of Leon as the timings are better than in or out of Queretero.

progol, lots of options, all of them good. I'll put a few suggestions out there.
I agree that a full week in Guanajuato might be too much, even with a day trip to León for leather shopping. With 2-3 weeks you'd be able to move around a bit and not be too rushed. The Bajío is a region rich in Mexico's history. I do tend to think San Miguel offers a good contrast to Guanajuato. Guanajuato has better museums, unique visually, built in the valley, while San Miguel has better restaurants & shopping, plus the nearby hot springs and the santuario de Atotonilco, the 'sistene chapel of Mexico'. Guanajuato is a university town, thus has the vibe of a younger crowd, while San Miguel has its older ex-pat crowd but at the same time it's popular with weekenders from CDMX, both young & old. I could envision a 2 week trip including Guanajuato, San Miguel & Queretaro, a classic itinerary. Day trips from Guanajuato could be Leon, as mentioned. From San Miguel, besides hot springs & Atotonilco, might include Dolores Hidalgo & Pozos. From Queretaro, Bernal & Tequisquiapan. If you wanted to add another city, San Luis Potosí might be an option. It has a beautiful Centro Histórico & some good museums. Few foreign tourists. Not a long bus ride back to León for the return trip. I don't know if any of this is helpful or if it even fits your travel style.

Another good alternative to the aforementioned, would be Morelia, Patzcuaro & surrounds.

Hey GtG. I forgot about your post here until progol bumped the thread. My bad. With some exceptions, the majority of San Miguel's hotels are within walking distance to restaurants & coffee shops and the like. Hotel location kinda depends on budget & travel style. The closer the hotel to the jardin, the more expensive, generally.
There was a time that I had a bucket list to try every restaurant on Trip Advisor. That never happened, lol. Lots of turnover as you can imagine, and the pandemic changed things even more. But some long time faves (besides what I mentioned earlier) are Hecho En México, (lunch, dinner) La Parroquia (breakfast), Media Naranja (lunch, breakfast), El Correo (lunch), Posadita (lunch, dinner, views), Grandpa & Son (burgers in the Fabrica Aurora), Gombo's (pizza), Don Taco Tequila, (vegan, but yummy, try a Sotol margarita) Milagros Centro location, Victoria's (pozole), Mario's (seafood/shrimp), Allende tap room & Mama Mia's (craft beer), El Tucan (hole in the wall for flautas), Denver's Los Olivos (Italian). That's only scratching the surface, but all are places we never hesitate to return to. Ymmv. ¡Provecho!

Many thanks, baldone! We’ve been going back and forth for a while on what and where to go. After searching for flights in and out of both Guanajuato and Queretaro, I couldn’t find flights that worked for us - but I now have good-priced flights in and out of Mexico City and will either fly or shuttle to where we stay.

That will give us 2 1/2 weeks for our trip. Since we’re really looking for no more than 2 bases, we’re considering half the time in SMA and half the time in GTO. I have an old college friend who lives in GTO and she loves it. I’m interested in Morelia and Patzcuaro but we’d prefer not to be traveling a lot and would like the trip to be easy and relaxed so I think SMA and GTO might work well.

And just to update this - we’re doing 9 days in SMA and 9 days in GTO in February/March and we want slooooow travel so this fits the bill! I’ve got this bookmarked for all the restaurants and sites/sights mentioned. We’re definitely low’-keyed in our food interests so any small, local places are great. Any additional recommendations for favorite local activities in either location? I’ve got the SMA calendar saved.

I have reservations at Casa Calderoni and Casa Zuñiga so our accommodations are set.

We’re looking forward to our relaxed visit to these 2 cities!

Progol, you've picked 2 great properties for your stays; well done. Zúñiga is our go-to place when in Guanajuato. Rick (Zúñiga) is a wonderful & knowledgeable host, and Carmen a great cook. Eclectic place above the fray in Centro. Calderoni too has an excellent location in SMA's Centro. Quiet street away from the noise nearer the jardin. I've met Ben a number of times over the years. And right across the street is Jaques, an excellent restaurant for breakfast or lunch. No doubt you'll discover it.
Since you'll be in sma in February, that's when La Candelaria kicks off. SMA celebrates it as a feria, which lasts most of the month, with some activities to open the event. Mostly, it's when vendors set up in Parque Juárez to sell plants & other greenery. Not much for tourists to buy, but it's kind of fun just to wander through the park.
Also near Casa Calderóni is the Mercado de Artesenias. It extends from Hidalgo st up to the Ignacio Ramirez mercado. About 4 blocks or so of shopping. Lots of tourist souvenir type stuff, including goods from Oaxaca & hand crafted stuff by local Nauhatl speaking vendors. The silver jewelry sold there is the real stuff from Taxco, mostly by the Nauhatl sellers. I've known a number of the silver vendors there for years and never hesitate to buy their goods.
It sounds like you'd be a street food fan? I think I mentioned up-thread that there's not much street food in the jardin area during the day. But near enough to Casa Calderóni and across the street from the Fabrica Aurora is a taco cart that has lunch hours. And in the evenings, in front of the library, (about 2 blocks from you) is a popular taco cart.
Tuesdays has the Tianguis, or Tuesday market. Lots of good food stalls. The market is football field size (or bigger) and has almost a carnival type atmosphere. Tools, clothes, blender parts, furniture, used cars, fruits, vegetables, pirated DVDs & miracle natural cures on sale. Take the bus to "placita" (little plaza) and follow the crowds. One of the main bus stops in Centro is about a block & a half from CC, across from Templo del Oratorio. Watch your pocketbook in the Mercado.
The Ignacio Ramírez market has good stalls as well, but the Tuesday market has more and I think is better. There other local market is the San Juan De Dios, walkable from your lodging as well, and bigger than Igancio Ramirez.
Lastly, for cheaper & more modest eats (than in Centro), the road heading south out of town (Salida a Celaya) is a veritable restaurant row. Many places lack ambiance due to proximity to a busy (but slow) street, but worth a look.