Jewelbox in the Historic Centro
- Minimum stay:N/A
- Internet:Yes
- Pets allowed:No
- Wheel chair accessible:No
Casita Laurita, built in 2008, is an architectural gem on one of San Miguel’s oldest and best loved streets, Calle Loreto. The three-story townhouse, designed by prominent Mexican/Norwegian architect Anja Fauske, has been called a 'jewelbox' by architects and designers who have stayed here. Open the modest door and be amazed at the cool, spacious, airy, sophisticated house. The name is 'Casita' but it is an entire house.
Casita Laurita was featured in the Great Homes and Destinations column of the global New York Times on April 21, 2010.
'Absolutely, the PERFECT place to stay in San Miguel for those who appreciate modern design and convenience! Truly a beautiful home. Feels like an oasis in the center of town..' --Emily Chan, recent guest at Casita Laurita
The 2-bedroom, 2.5-bath house is an easy and flat walk to the jardin, and steps away from the town’s famous artisan market. The house is Mexican modern style, built around a central courtyard, with clean design and exquisite details. The top terrace has a lovely 360-degree view of San Miguel and its famous Parroquia church. A second patio is private and cozy, perfect for dreaming, surrounded with lavender, jasmine, and other scented potted plants. There is an outdoor seating area downstairs, too.
A sunny studio with a 13-foot wooden desk makes Casita Laurita a wonderful retreat for a writer. The gourmet kitchen is a splendid spot for a cook who wants to explore Mexico’s cuisine.
The house is modern but respecting historic style and materials. The entryway shimmers with patinaed glass and Moroccan-style lamps. The kitchen was designed by an award-winning food writer, with an island, toaster oven, French press and drip coffeemakers, good knives and cutting boards, and artisan plates. The kitchen table pulls out to accommodate nine; the island has stools for people who like to watch the cook. There's also a wine cabinet and lots of storage.
The stairs lead up to an airy office with a huge desk and napping couch, along with ergonomic keyboard and 2 comfortable and adjustable task chairs. (The napping couch has linens and is big enough for 1-2 children or an overnight guest, who can use the powder room downstairs without disturbing the other bedrooms). Wireless Internet and local phone service. This is also where you can find a great book to read on the terrace.
A passage over the courtyard (open to the sky) leads to the master bedroom, with its full bath, Queen bed, and two reading lights. Plenty of closet space. Artisan-made bed and furnishings. High thread-count sheets, sophisticated palette, spare design. Modern bath has shower and artisan tiles with concrete shelves, modern fixtures, and baskets for personal items. Organic soap.
The second bedroom on the top floor doubles as a media center, with a cozy Moroccan pillowed nook for viewing films on the flat-screen TV. There is an extensive DVD library of films. The second bedroom has a double bed, also with good linens and a comfy, firm mattress.
Across from the second bedroom is a laundry area as well as a private terrace with scented potted plants. The top terrace has a teak sitting area with a sun umbrella and a wet bar.
Keywords: House
Property Type
- 3 story
- House
- 1000 sq. ft.
Accommodation Type
- Vacation Rental
Meals
- Guests Provide Their Own Meals
Onsite Services
- Housekeeper Included
Suitability
- Pets Not Allowed
Bedrooms
- 2 Bedrooms, Sleeps 5, Beds for 4-5
- Bedroom 1
- Bedroom 2
- Den
- Queen size Beds (1), Double Beds (1), Sleep Sofa or Futons (1)
Bathrooms
- 2.0 Bathrooms, 1 Half Bathrooms
- Bathroom 1
- Bathroom 2
Kitchen & Dining
- Stove
- Dishes & Utensils
- Toaster
- Microwave
- Refrigerator
Amenities
- Hair Dryer
- Iron & Board
- Washing Machine
- Clothes Dryer
Other Amenities
Entertainment
- Television
- Music Library
- DVD Player
- CD Player
Communications
- Wireless Internet
Outdoor Features
Theme
- Historic
- Tourist Attractions
Location & View
- Car Not Necessary
Activities
- Cinemas
- Live Theater
- Restaurants
- Health/Beauty Spa
- Sight Seeing
- Antiquing
- Shopping
- Wildlife Viewing
- Hot Air Ballooning
- Hiking
- Mountain Biking
Other Activities
Reviews
Write a review-
Excellent tranquile home
Excellent tranquile home
- Guest Ted
- Date of stay 08/20/12
- Review Submitted 11/20/12
Casita Laurita is delightful. This peaceful and tranquil casita is centrally located within easy walking distance of San Miguel’s attractions and fabulous restaurants. Laura has created an environment that is aesthetically beautiful, homey and a pleasure to live in. The neighborhood and the house are secure. I always felt safe walking out and back regardless of the time day or night. I have recommended this home to my friends and family. I stayed for a week intending to write and rest. Casita Laurita more than met my expectations. I wrote pages and pages in the comfortable office. After only a week my manuscript more than doubled in size. I will return soon to continue writing. This is exactly the space I need to focus my creative mind and bring this project to completion. The property manager Guillermo speaks fluent English and Paula the housekeeper takes care of laundry chores, plant watering and all the other household responsibilities. I was free to write and explore every day. The meticulously appointed gourmet kitchen made it easy to prepare morning coffee, breakfasts, lunch and dinner. The top deck veranda provides lovely views of the city and a sunny space to relax. There is a written guide in the house with recommendations for nearby cafes and restaurants. It also details day tours to nearby hot springs or the newly discovered Canadá de la Virgin Pyramid archeological site. The listing is accurate, the property and everything in it is maintained with impeccable care. There is a lot to do and see in San Miguel and after a day of exploring it is a pleasure to return to this beautiful home.Recommended for: Age 55+, tourists without a car, romantic getaway.
Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0
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The perfect 10
The perfect 10
- Guest cristina
- Date of stay 07/02/10
- Review Submitted 07/11/11
I stayed at the Casita for 2+ weeks and enjoyed every moment. It is a beautiful retreat in the middle of the city. It is a quiet, well designed house with luxurious amenities. Traveling alone, I felt safe in the house and the neighborhood. The walk home after dinner is nice. Both the manager on site and the housekeeper were helpful and nice. I would definitely come back.Recommended for: Girls getaway, families with young children, sightseeing, age 55+, families with teenagers, tourists without a car, romantic getaway.
Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2
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Mellow Paradise in a Groovy Town
Mellow Paradise in a Groovy Town
- Guest Larry Smith
- Date of stay 04/29/11
- Review Submitted 05/14/11
I stayed at Casita Laurita for nine amazing days recently to sort of hibernate and work on a project, and this house was ideal. The house is designed with lots of great pods to hide away in (to sleep, to write, to stare out at San Miguel from the lovely roof terrace), as well as an open air "living room" on the first floor, which was created for chilling in the morning with a book and cup of coffee. As I'm sure others have noted, plants and flora abound, creating a feeling of mellow paradise. The location is ideal -- minutes on foot from all the action in town, but still in what's largely a quiet block for of locals (and you'll quickly get to know some of the wonderful shopkeepers and restaurant owners -- you can eat for a week within blocks of the apartment and not get bored). Casita Laurita and San Miguel Allende were two of the smartest decisions I've made in a while, and I can't wait to go back.Recommended for: Girls getaway, sightseeing, age 55+, tourists without a car, romantic getaway.
Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3
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Everything you need in SMA
Everything you need in SMA
- Guest Rosemary & Bill
- Date of stay 11/01/10
- Review Submitted 11/28/10
Casita Laurita was a perfect house for our one month stay in lovely SMA in November, 2010. Beautifully designed for a narrow lot and very tastefully appointed, it has the feel of a warm, comfortable boutique hotel.The lovely central atrium & patio areas provide natural light and greenery throughout. We appreciated being in a non-touristy area of town that is close to the Artesanal Market and a 5-10 minute interesting walk to the Jardin. Delightful! Highly Recommended.Recommended for: Girls getaway, sightseeing, age 55+, tourists without a car, adventure seekers, romantic getaway.
Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2
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Casita Laurita is MUY' BUENO!!!
Casita Laurita is MUY' BUENO!!!
- Guest Heather
- Date of stay 09/25/10
- Review Submitted 10/12/10
Casita Laurita is the absolute perfect location and stellar property to explore the beautiful artsy town of San Miguel de Allende! My friend & I spent 2 weeks at casita laurita in Sept/Oct 2010 and only regret was leaving the narrow house & hip town. The casita is architecturely interesting, perfectly done & easy place to call your casa away from home for short or long stay! The house has 2 bedrooms, comfy beds, gourmet kitchen (which we maximized given 2 blocks walk to market for great vegetables/fruits/food), several outdoor spaces to enjoy morning coffee, sun & evening cocktail, awesome office area with internet access & Paula made sure everything was sparkly clean & towels were fresh. Guillermo, the property manager, was so helpful in arranging airport sedan transport & answering questions starting with initial tour of property & easily reachable by cell phone. It was very easy to rent house & great to have all the upfront information for planning purposes. Also, appreciate the details of the house with iPod/tv/dvd, access to bottled water in darling pottery & some really cool art work...EVEN better than pics on the site! So much to do...so little time! We were 5 minute walk from lovely Cafe Muro for breakfast, Sazon cooking school for 2 yummy classes on salsas & tacos, jardin was great spot to enjoy outdoor lunch and late night fireworks, rented bikes to explore organic farms & outlying area (mountain bikes which were definitely needed), hiked from botanical garden, wonderful house & garden tour from biblioteca, great coffee/pastries at La Petit Four, art galleries at Fabrica la Aurora, yoga at Bella Artes, day trip to Mission Dolores & Guanajuato for vibrant visuals of colorful houses & Diego Rivera Musuem, spent 2 hours with talented local photographer: Rober de Gast to hone photo skills, delicous dinners out, music around town, too many art galleries to recount, dancing at the Mint & met lots of fun interesting and very friendly locals & tourists to make for an amazing 2 weeks! (The "Atencion" weekly paper available at biblioteca has list of fun daily activities for every type of adventure: art, spiritual, food, yoga, etc...) I would absolutely recommend a stay at casita laurita (which I initially read about in Laura Fraser's awesome memoir "All Over the Map") & can't wait to go back! Awesome to find a perfect little gem of a house & vacation town that is so VERY safe, friendly & affordable!Recommended for: Girls getaway, sightseeing, age 55+, tourists without a car, adventure seekers, romantic getaway.
Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3
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Beautiful home in a fantastic location to visit San Miguel
Beautiful home in a fantastic location to visit San Miguel
- Guest Brandi
- Date of stay 08/15/10
- Review Submitted 08/31/10
We stayed in San Miguel for 10 days in August 2010. The property manager was so helpful and booked a very nice, affordable, car (with seatbelts and air conditioning) for our drive from Leon to San Miguel. The driver even made a quick stop so we could buy some snacks and water. The house itself is a gem. The lot is small but it is designed so beautifully that each space feels open and airy and full of light. Each of the two bedrooms has its own spacious bath and the office has wifi. Also, for traveling in warm weather, the windows have screens which keep out mosquitos and keep fresh air moving through the rooms. It is Mexico so bring earplugs and a sleeping mask if you are a light sleeper. But soon you will adjust to sleeping in later, staying out later and relaxing into the rhythm of Mexico. The main square (Jardin) is a short walk away, and there are restaurants and shopping just a stone's throw away. The cost of living is cheap so eating out, taxis and shopping will all seem quite affordable. The city's architecture, art and friendly people will soon enchant you. We couldn't think of a nicer place to stay when in San Miguel. Everything about our stay was comfortable, beautiful and easy! What more could you ask from a vacation! Don't miss the hot springs outside of town (La Gruta for grown ups or Xote on the weekend for kids), the Botanical Gardens, Benito Juarez Park or if you like horseback riding, http://www.ranchodelacapilla.com/horsebackriding.htm . Just a morning or evening sitting in the Jardin watching people is a perfectly lovely way to spend the day.Recommended for: Girls getaway, families with young children, sightseeing, age 55+, families with teenagers, tourists without a car, adventure seekers, romantic getaway.
Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2
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Better than imagined!
Better than imagined!
- Guest Kim in SF
- Date of stay 05/01/09
- Review Submitted 05/04/10
This house is more beautiful than the photographs. Really. First, the location. It's in the center of town. Yes, it's noisy, but in a charming way. I wanted to be in the thick of things and it was ideal. I felt more like a local than a tourist. Second, the comfort. The house has everything I needed - fully stocked kitchen for someone who really cooks, great nooks to read in, patios to sunbathe on, books, DVDs, washer and dryer. Great place for friends to visit or to just hang out and do nothing. Third, the beauty. This house is gorgeous. Everything from the linen to the dishes to the plants appear to be carefully chosen and much-loved. If I had to identify drawbacks, I would say this house is not small child or handicap-friendly. There are a lot of stairs that are impossible to avoid. Also, the kitchen is a bit dark, but this can be a welcome respite from a long day spent in the sun.Recommended for: Girls getaway, sightseeing, tourists without a car, adventure seekers, romantic getaway.
Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/5
Rates
Regular Season ............. $ 800/week ...$2800/month... Christmas/New Years, Thanksgiving, Day of the Dead, and Easter .. $1000/week $200 per night for weekends and up to a week. Payment for rent accepted by Paypal or personal check.6% tax added to total. Low Season (April & May) $675/week...$2000/month $500 US Refundable Security Deposit collected at time of booking, along with 50% of down payment/balance due 30 days before rental.
Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.
This owner accepts HomeAway's most secure form of payment.
HomeAway PaymentsSM is the most secure way to pay and automatically protects your payment up to $10,000 (learn more). Call the owner directly to confirm payment details.
Location
Owner info
Year Purchased: 2008
About the owner: Laura first came to San Miguel de Allende with her family when she was ten years old, to learn a little Spanish and a different culture (smart parents!). It was a wonderful childhood experience that made her forever interested in languages and travel. When she returned to SMA in 2007, she fell back in love with the magical town and bought a run-down lot in the Centro on an impulse. Everyone thought she was crazy, until a year later, when they saw the amazing house she'd built with her architect and friend, Anja Fauske.
Why the Owner Chose Centro Historico:
Casita Laurita is on one of San Miguel's best streets--Calle Loreto. It runs through the artisan market, is convenient to the design center, and three blocks to the jardin in the center of town. It's a great location, and yet retains an authentic feeling of Mexico. It's wonderful to be right near the market and to live on a small, curving street with little traffic.
The Unique Benefits at this House:
The house is comfortable and relaxing, with three terraces, and the top has a splendid view of all of San Miguel. The office is beautiful, and a wonderful place to work. I love how the plants drip down the atrium, everything is simple and elegant, and the kitchen has everything a cook could desire. I like to go up to the Morrocan-style media room, which doubles as a guest room, and be cozy watching movies on the flat-screen TV. The neighbors are friendly and there has not been a robbery on my street in 30 years. I always feel safe walking around by myself at night. Please note that this house is not for people who have mobility challenges, as there are a lot of stairs. This also isn't the house for you if you require a large livingroom with a giant TV.
Contact us
- Primary: (415) 227-0353 (California, USA)
Links to more information:
- CLICK HERE - Casita Laurita webpage
- Click Here to see All My Rental Listings
Photos
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Central open atrium flows into kitchen/dining room
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Casita Laurita/Calle Loreto
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Gourmet kitchen/island, dining area, couch in front
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Office with 13' foot desk, ergonomic chair and keyboard, WIRELESS, napping couch
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Geraniums and open-air atrium
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Upstairs bedroom across from terrace leads up to the top terrace with view.
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View from top terrace
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Outdoor seating area in the atrium.
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Entryway--powder room tucked under the stairs
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master bedroom with en suite full bath
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Second bedroom/media room/flat screen TV/en suite full bath
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Terraces with lovely spots to soak up the sun--lavender, jasmine, rosemary.
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View from the top terrace
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Date last modified - Tuesday, February 05, 2013
(415) 227-0353 (California, USA)