sparklegem

Hi,

Does has anyone have insider information on, Centro Bilingue de San Miguel (in San Miguel de Allende)? Their website looks great and they are very nice by email. Thinking of classes for myself, camp for my daughter, who will be ten, and a home stay for us both. Just want to check in to see is I could get a personal opinion or two.
Thank You!!
Gem


(I tried to post this earlier today but could not find it posted. Sorry if it is duplicating)

mikemo

SO's grandchildren loved it and it is well regarded by most.
Lots of options here, but check Trip Advisor forums and
www.portalsanmiguel.com
www.internetsanmiguel.com
www.fallinginlovewithsanmiguel.com
M (SMdA, Gto.)

sparklegem

Hi, Mikemo!!

So nice to hear from you and thank your for the recommendations and links. I will get to work on them straight away.

We are thinking of trying a home stay, but if we do not do you have a suggestion of a place to stay for two weeks or a little more? Hoping for somewhere safe, affordable and walking distance to the school. Do you know if the people that you mention did a home stay when the were studying at Centro Bilingue?

Thank you again for your help!

Very Best,
Gem

mikemo

Actually, one of the very best is Marina's family at Calle Reloj 54.
She is a great cook and gently corrects every minor language mistake. Three of her four children are college grads and the forth is now a senior in college.
She contracts via Habla Hispana (www.mexicospanish.com), but perhaps others as well.
Buen viaje.
M

sparklegem

Hi Mikemo,

What do you think is the best way to contact Marina? Do you think that it would be ok to try through Habla Hispana? I checked their website but they do not offer children's classes; so we would not be able to take pour classes with them. I did not want to step on any toes if there was a more direct way to contact her. Do you know her personally or know people who have stayed with her?
Thank You!!
Gem

mikemo

Yes, I know her and many folks who stayed with her.
I used to live at Reloj 122 and have shared wine and meals at her house.
I'll see if she will do something for you.
It's a short walk, some a bit uphill, from Reloj to Correo #46.
Louisa is going to visit her this AM and will try to get contact info for you.
M

sparklegem

Wow, Mikemo!
Thank you so much!! You are amazing!!
Very Best,
Gem

sparklegem

Hi Mikemo,

I have been doing more research and have come up with a couple of apartments that might be an option. Could you give me your opinion on two? I am not really sure where they are and how that relates to the school and if they are in a safe and quiet place.

Here are my favorites:

vrbo #78220
vrbo #30590

Thank you so much for your help. You are very generous.

Very Best,
Gem

mikemo

Hola sg,
Marina was out yesterday. I called this AM and got no answer. Her # is (011 52 415) 152 6486.
I sent an e-mail to vrbo 78220 which sounds like it is near Reloj/Loreto/Animas/de la Presa near the Mercado. Those are all fairly flat and safe and not much of a hike to school.
Vrbo 30590 is SW on 5 de Mayo which has some nice condos, but it's a real hike and not the safest area at night.
M

sparklegem

Thank you so much for all your hard work on this, Mikemo. With your help things seem to really moving along.

May I ask a bit more about the home stay that you recommended? (I am finding that I am really nervous to do a home stay)

How long would it take to walk from Marina's home to the school?

Is Marina nice? Do you have any idea if she likes children? (I feel really silly and almost insulting asking these questions- but it is what I am worrying about)

Is it attractive?


Thank you,
Gem

P.S. What is your opinion of Casa Carmen? It has gotten very good reviews on TA but no mention on this board.

mikemo

Marina's house is a very typical middle class place in a wonderful middle class MX neighborhood. I loved it (lived at Reloj 122 for 26 months - made net $86K on the sale of my house there).
Her rooms are smallish, but her cooking is great (ask for the Aztec Soup and Chiles en Nogada).
She is a wonderful person and will help greatly with your Spanish language skills. Having 4 children with college degrees is nearly unheard of in middle class MX.
It's about a gentle 7 min walk to the school.
Louisa stayed at Casa Carmen in Feb '05 and loved the community desayuno and comida. It's a bit austere with no in room phone, tv, etc.
Great location and surprisingly quiet.
M

sparklegem

Thank you so much, Mikemo. I think that we have decide to go with the apartment that you said was in a good location. It might be easier, traveling with my daughter, to have the apartment. She may be tired after the classes and it would be nice for her to have the freedom to spread out and relax. Maybe when we are there we could meet Marina and think about a home stay for our next trip, as I sure that we will be planning our return before we leave San Miguel. Also I am hoping to convince my husband to come down to join us for a week. He does not get very many vacation days; so we will have to figure that out.

Now I am just trying to figure out when to come and for how long. I am really thinking that three weeks would be perfect with two weeks of classes. Do you know if apartments ever offer a discount on the week price for multiple weeks? Also, the month of June is less the the month of July. Is June just as nice as July? Is it a bit less busy? What type of weather should we expect for those months? Do we need to worry about altitude?

Thank you again (and again!!) for all of your help!

Very Best,
Gem

mikemo

Our typical hot months are April and especially May, but June is usually nice as the rainy season has begun.
This year May was very moderate with early rains. The warmest temps were late April while we were in NYC.
Lots of Texans here in July and August.
www.wunderground.com (Queretaro) has a history/archive function for daily weather info.
Downtown is about 6300 ft and we are in the E hills at almost 6800 ft so a couple days rest and hydration are recommended before too much strenuous activity if you are from near sea level.
Buen viaje.
M

sparklegem

Thank you for information. We are coming from sea level (Santa Monica).
Very Best,
Gem