Vacation Rentals by Owner

Fabulously relaxing casa

Guest: Maureen H.
Date of Stay: 03/05/12 Review Submitted: 03/17/12

Setting up our rental with Patrick was incredibly easy as he replied quickly to all of our emails and Casa de Los Amigos was everything the listing promised! The Mexican decor was perfect as it allowed us to feel like locals for a bit, starting with the beautiful entryway from the street and continuing through the tiled floors, ceramic dishes, and artwork on the walls. We particularly appreciated the purified water faucet, the wireless internet, and the wonderful rooftop terrace. Isabel, the housekeeper, was beyond attentive and Miguel, the house manager, even came out on Sunday morning when we ran out of gas for the stove and hot water. Upon our arrival, we had arranged an airport pick-up from Martin (recommended by Patrick). This made getting to the casa incredibly easy and Martin shared many stories (in English) en route. (We opted to take buses back to BJX at the end of our stay, which was less expensive, but certainly not as convenient.) The casa is an easy uphill walk to the center of town, but also close to local markets and a short walk to the main bus station. We had no trouble taking a bus to Dolores Hidalgo for the day and no trouble getting a local bus to the hot springs another day. (Escondido Place was well worth the trip for a day of complete relaxation!) Taxis were indeed plentiful and we wisely took a taxi to and from the botanical gardens one evening to watch the white throated swifts nesting in the cliffs followed by an amazing sunset over San Miguel. We recommend the walking tour from El Jardin as a good introduction to the town. Every restaurant we tried was great, from little roadside stands to family run places to larger establishments. We also cooked at the casa a fair amount using groceries picked up along our walk home. Every day, it seemed, we explored a different part of San Miguel just by walking in a new direction. We wish we spoke more Spanish, but were able to manage just fine in English. We would absolutely recommend San Miguel and Casa de Los Amigos to anyone looking for a relaxing cultural experience. Although a week was plenty of time to see some sights, wander the streets, and simply spend time with friends, we would have loved to stay longer.

Owner response:My wife and I spent 15 years in the hotel/resort industry and there is nothing more rewarding than Maureen's comments about our Casa, and the special attention we like to show to our Guests. Also a big thanks to our local team who takes such a good care of our home when we are not there.

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A lovely home away from home.

Guest: EJPE (Washington DC)
Date of Stay: 01/15/12 Review Submitted: 02/06/12

My husband and I spent two lovely weeks at Casa de Los Amigos in January 2012, This lovely house has a very well equipped kitchen, two very nice size bedrooms with full baths on two separate floors which provides plenty of privacy, in addition there is third half bath on the ground floor. In addition to the very comfortable beds and deliciously soft linens and towels the hosts also provided laundry facilities in the house. Twice a week, Isabel came to tidy up and clean the house and even did our laundry for us. During the hot afternoons, we lounged upstairs on the shaded roof top terrace. We had no difficulty walking to the town center, to restaurants, stores and to the lovely Juarez park, one of our favorite spots in SMD. We can recommend Casa de Los Amigos as a very nice home away from home. We have rented homes in many places in Mexico and in Europe and the owners of the Casa de Los Amigos are most generous hosts.

Owner response:My wife and I spent 15 years in the tourism/hotels industry in Europe and in the U.S. and we learnt what being "hosts" means. We want to make sure that our Guests feel at home in our home.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway.

Charming Home Away from Home

Guest: Conant R.
Date of Stay: 12/28/11 Review Submitted: 01/15/12

What I really enjoyed the most was not coming "home" to a hotel, but coming home to my home even if it were only for 6 days. Upon arriving I was a little worried as the neighborhood seemed just ok and Casa de Los Amigos was simply a small inauspicious door. But, once inside the door, a long outdoor hallway covered with a vine roof led to the charming house evident in the photos. The neighborhood was fine and a 10 minute walk from the center of town. At night, I felt very safe walking "home". The kitchen was well equipped. The beds were very comfortable. The bathrooms were nice and the owner should show them via his photo gallery. The living room could use better lighting for reading, but one can always go up on the roof terrace for sunny reading. I also found the owner very friendly via email communication and helpful. I recommend this home and enjoyed my stay at La Casa de los Amigos.

Owner response:It is true that San Miguel is this kind of place where behind many uninviting gates you may find charming homes and sometime amazing properties. During our last week stay in our home we bought three new beautiful iron lamps that will definitely give more lights at dawn and complete the beautification of Casa de los Amigos.

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Thank you for sharing your lovely Casa with us

Guest: Judi and Kevin
Date of Stay: 02/02/10 Review Submitted: 04/20/10

Just wanted to thank you for sharing lovely Casa de Los Amigos with us. It was everything you describe and more. So comfortable. We love the diverse neighborhood and the short walk to everything. Martin and Miguel and Marisella were all great. We were so lucky with the weather - never one cloud in the sky and 70's every single day! Muchas Gracias, Judi and Kevin

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Guest: Judi & Kevin
Date of Stay: 02/02/10 Review Submitted: 02/01/10

Just wanted to thank you for sharing lovely Casa de Los Amigos with us. It was everything you describe and more. So comfortable. We love the diverse neighborhood and the short walk to everything. Martin and Miguel and Marisella were all great. We were so lucky with the weather - never one cloud in the sky and 70's every single day! Muchas Gracias, Judi and Kevin

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Such a wonderful Christmas...

Guest: Judy and Paul
Date of Stay: 01/24/10 Review Submitted: 04/20/10

We had such a wonderful Christmas living down there -- it was exactly what we wanted to experience -- another culture's way of celebrating this holiday. The neighbor lady's nightly children's Posada was simply charming. We met your new neighbors (2 doors down) who are from Washington state. The cooking class we finally wound up taking wasn't very good - but we did learn that 2 lbs of lard goes into making tamalies! We highly recommend Helene Kahn as a tour guide (and your guests who followed us, did use her services as well). And we loved being in a real neighborhood rather being isolated within a gated community amongst other gringos! Judy and Paul

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Guest: Judy & Paul
Date of Stay: 01/24/10 Review Submitted: 01/23/10

We had such a wonderful Christmas living down there -- it was exactly what we wanted to experience -- another culture's way of celebrating this holiday. The neighbor lady's nightly children's Posada was simply charming. We met your new neighbors (2 doors down) who are from Washington state. The cooking class we finally wound up taking wasn't very good - but we did learn that 2 lbs of lard goes into making tamalies! We highly recommend Helene Kahn as a tour guide (and your guests who followed us, did use her services as well). And we loved being in a real neighborhood rather being isolated within a gated community amongst other gringos! Judy

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A wonderful time at your lovely home!

Guest: Gale and William
Date of Stay: 01/12/10 Review Submitted: 04/20/10

We did have a wonderful time in San Miguel and at your lovely home!"... "By the way, your staff is excellent. Martin is such a personality, and Very reliable. Miguel was very attentive to our requests, about the fireplace. It was cold and we did not have a handle on how to work it. Marisel? was very sweet. Happy New Year to you, and Thank you!! Gale and William

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Guest: Gale & William
Date of Stay: 01/12/10 Review Submitted: 01/11/10

"We did have a wonderful time in San Miguel and at your lovely home!"... "By the way, your staff is excellent. Martin is such a personality, and Very reliable. Miguel was very attentive to our requests, about the fireplace. It was cold and we did not have a handle on how to work it. Marisel? was very sweet. Happy New Year to you, and Thank you!!" Gale

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Thanks for helping make our vacation special

Guest: Linda
Date of Stay: 12/21/09 Review Submitted: 04/20/10

As you may know by now, we made it safely to your wonderful home. We thoroughly enjoyed staying there and hearing the bells, roosters and sounds of Mexico. We loved the people, the location and the warmth and kindness of everyone. Thanks for helping make our vacation special. Your home was perfect for our needs and Marcella and Miguel took care of everything. I hope you get down there yourself soon. Linda

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Guest: Linda
Date of Stay: 12/21/09 Review Submitted: 12/20/09

As you may know by now, we made it safely to your wonderful home. We thoroughly enjoyed staying there and hearing the bells, roosters and sounds of Mexico. We loved the people, the location and the warmth and kindness of everyone. Thanks for helping make our vacation special. Your home was perfect for our needs and Marcella and Miguel took care of everything. I hope you get down there yourself soon. Linda

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Just sitting on your fabulous rooftop...

Guest: Carol and Jon
Date of Stay: 11/18/09 Review Submitted: 04/20/10

Hi there just sitting on your fabulous rooftop watching the sun slide behind the mountains! Tomorrow is our last full day here and we wanted to let you know that we have had a brilliant time and really enjoyed your home. We love the location and it's been fun finding our way around. We appreciated all of your notes and suggestions and we'll leave a few notes of some of the new places that we tried including a fabulous new bistro that just recently opened about 10 minutes out of town on a ranch. They have an organic garden and you can dine al fresco and watch the cowboys come in at dusk. It was a really special evening. Just for fun I'm attaching a few photos that I have shot from your terrace including a few shots of your beautiful bougenvilla. Thank you again!!! Carol and Jon

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Guest: Carol & Jon
Date of Stay: 11/18/09 Review Submitted: 11/17/09

Hi there Just sitting on your fabulous rooftop watching the sun slide behind the mountains! Tomorrow is our last full day here and we wanted to let you know that we have had a brilliant time and really enjoyed your home. We love the location and it's been fun finding our way around. We appreciated all of your notes and suggestions and we'll leave a few notes of some of the new places that we tried including a fabulous new bistro that just recently opened about 10 minutes out of town on a ranch. They have an organic garden and you can dine al fresco and watch the cowboys come in at dusk. It was a really special evening. Just for fun I'm attaching a few photos that I have shot from your terrace including a few shots of your beautiful bougenvilla. Thank you again!!! carol and jon

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Our stay was nothing less than wonderful!

Guest: Mary and Daniel
Date of Stay: 07/20/09 Review Submitted: 04/20/10

Our stay at Casa los amigos was nothing less than wonderful! It was relaxing and we walked and walked. You can certainly see the care that you have put into your second home. Thanks for having the items in the refrigerator as we arrived to late to shop. Martin was terrific and we asked him many questions about SMA. I return to Dubai on July 31 and start back at work on Aug 1, a little jet-lagged. Thanks again! Mary and Daniel

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Guest: Mary & Daniel
Date of Stay: 07/20/09 Review Submitted: 07/19/09

Our stay at Casa los amigos was nothing less than wonderful! It was relaxing and we walked and walked. You can certainly see the care that you have put into your second home. Thanks for having the items in the refrigerator as we arrived to late to shop. Martin was terrific and we asked him many questions about SMA. I return to Dubai on July 31 and start back at work on Aug 1, a little jet-lagged. Thanks again, Mary

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We adored the roof... truly so magical

Guest: Kathleen
Date of Stay: 04/13/09 Review Submitted: 04/20/10

We adored the roof! The stairs were the least of our worries!! On a few nights, the moon was rising from behind as the sun was setting at the same time. Truly, truly so magical. We loved every minute and will for sure return to stay in your casa. I will keep you posted. You are very lucky to enjoy such a special place. All the best to you & I will be in touch for sure. Kathleen

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Guest: Kathleen
Date of Stay: 04/13/09 Review Submitted: 04/12/09

We adored the roof! The stairs were the least of our worries!! On a few nights, the moon was rising from behind as the sun was setting at the same time. Truly, truly so magical. We loved every minute and will for sure return to stay in your casa. I will keep you posted. You are very lucky to enjoy such a special place. All the best to you & I will be in touch for sure. Kathleen

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