Vacation Rentals by Owner

Excellent in every way

Guest: Judy and John (Pacific Northwest, USA)
Date of Stay: 02/01/11 Review Submitted: 03/03/11

We stayed at the Casa in February 2011 and the property was beautiful; we especially enjoyed cooking in the fully appointed kitchen and waking up to the sounds of cooing doves and church bells. The house and grounds were kept immaculate and we found several charming tiendas nearby for all our needs. We walked to town nearly every day in about 15 leisurely minutes and went to the Escondido Hot Springs 3 times during our stay. A masseuse came to the house and gave each of us hot stone massages (heavenly!) and we entertained friends in the spacious kitchen. Ten Ten Pie on nearby Sterling Dickinson was the site of several memorable meals; charbroiled steaks and excellent guacamole. At no time did we feel unsafe in the city; San Miguel is a precious retreat from worry and this casa was all we'd hoped for.

Owner response:So happy you had such an enjoyable time. San Miguel is so magical and Safe! Casa Ariel gives so many that feeling of peace and grace. Thank you so much for your eloquent words and sentiments. I want the name of your hot stone massage therapist! Thanks again... Ariel

Recommended for:Age 55+, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Beautiful Casa!

Guest: Mary (Overland Park, KS USA)
Date of Stay: 12/26/10 Review Submitted: 01/10/11

My family and I thoroughly enjoyed our recent stay at Casa Ariel! It was very beautiful and met our needs perfectly. The vine covered walkway up to the casa was so inviting. At night, when the walkway was lit softly, it was magical! The casa was so spacious that our family of four didn't need to use the guest casita for sleeping but our son used it as a music practice room. The view of San Miguel from the rooftop terrace was particularly beautiful on New Year's Eve as we watched fireworks and listened to the church bells toll. We also loved the location of the casa. It was close enough to El Centro to walk downtown and enjoy stopping in some of the small shops along the way. Your staff was remarkable. Amada kept the casa very clean and comfortable for us. Additionally, in the words of our daughter, Fernando Ibarra is now like our Mexican uncle--a part of our extended family! He was so much more than a reliable driver. With his extensive knowledge of the history of Mexico, he was informative and made our travels more fun and interesting. We had a fairly complicated schedule with some events to attend associated with a family wedding. Fernando was always there for us when we needed him. All of the suggestions which you provided regarding activities, shopping, restaurants, etc. were also very helpful. On our own, we discovered a local restaurant one block west of the casa--El Rinconcito, at Calle Refugio Norte #7. This family owned restaurant served very good food at reasonable prices. Our family has enjoyed some wonderful vacations but our trip to Mexico will always remain in our memories as one of the most enjoyable. The beauty of Casa Ariel, the charm of San Miguel, and the beauty of central Mexico will never be forgotten!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

Lo Mejor!

Guest: BFS (Providence, RI New England)
Date of Stay: 03/01/10 Review Submitted: 03/29/10

Casa Ariel was MORE than promised: beautiful, spacious, quiet, comfortable - we loved it! We were lucky enough to have perfect weather - cool mornings, sunny, breezy, warm-hot afternoons and evenings with an everpresent light breeze. We walked everywhere - to cafes, galleries, restaurants, concerts (fabulous music in SMA), mercados, stores, la biblioteca, etc. We went to Patsy's Place for lunch (highly recommended), la Gruta (delightful thermal baths), Guanajuato and Dolores Hidalgo (we hired Fernando for the day but we'd recommend specifying that you'd like to visit multiple ceramic factories). At first we missed Casa Ariel because we were looking for a terra cotta house. However, from Calle 28 de Abril, one only sees the gate. Once opened the vine covered walkway invites you up to the house which is a surprise: spacious and welcoming and equipped with everything you might need. Amada was wonderful. Pilar was ready to help whenever we needed her (we had some trouble with internet connections initially). There is a big supermarket (Mega) for all major purchases and a little market at the end of the street for extra milk, juice, mangoes, etc. and a couple of mercados for fresh veggies and fruites. The Allende Institute as well as a language institute are close by and the Jardin is a comfortable walk. We spent 3 weeks at Casa Ariel and enjoyed every day. Every street offers intriguing art galleries and great margaritas and good food and helpful people. Everyone is acknowledged in passing with a Buenos Dias or Buenas Noches. So many Americans seem to be concerned about safety issues. We never felt concerned at all. This was a wonderful escape from winter in New England. We have over 200+ pictures!

Owner response:Thank you so much Mary for your generous, comments! I was delighted to hear the casita was used as a music practice room. Casa Ariel always welcomes creativity. I will make sure Amada and Fernando are Aware of your kind words.

Recommended for:Age 55+, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 04/01/07 Review Submitted: 04/04/07

A delightful surprise. I expected comfort, service, and some charm. What we received was first-rate comfort and service, with more room than envisioned,and enormous charm. Looked forward each evening to returning to this "home away from home." Highly recommended.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 11/01/06 Review Submitted: 11/29/06

Dear Ariel, We wanted to thank you for the wonderfuly comfortable stay at Casa Ariel. The kitchen was perfect for cooking and the sitting room was very relaxing for a family from far corners of the world to catch up in. Amada your house gal was wonderful and pleasant. The proximity to the grocery and small staple shops was very appreciated when we needed the extra ingredient for our recipes. Thanks again for a lovely stay. Best, The Lesters, The Lotspeiches and the Asboe

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 09/01/06 Review Submitted: 09/11/06

Dear Ariel, A belated but heartfelt thank you for opening your amazing home and property to our family! We had a phenomenal time in San Miguel. Per your suggestion, we made arrangements to have Fernando Ibarra pick us up in Leon upon arrival. What a delight he is. After dropping us off at Casa Ariel, he returned in moments with warm, fresh tamales and orchita for us! Amada was gracious and charming and helped us all improve our Spanish! Your home is spectacular and we had lots of space to be together or have individual oases. The weather was perfect, with the occaisonal thunderstorm rolling through to provide spectacular lights and sounds. All of your suggestions for sightseeing, eating and drinking were perfect. My daughters and I took two separate cooking classes which were also fantastic and gave us a real feel for the culture and their food. Thank you again for making Casa Ariel available to us. We will return! Saludos, Deborah

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 09/01/06 Review Submitted: 09/01/06

What a magical place! Your house was absolutely stunning. We thoroughly enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells of an authentic SMA neighborhood. Our six and two year old daughters loved it.It also provided the "space" and ambiance to embrace the opportunity to make a life changing career change. Thanks, Roberto

Owner response:I was delighted to hear that Roberto decided after a 14 year career as a public defender to open his own law practice. He credits this in part to the atmosphere at Casa Ariel, the comfort, tranquility, and beauty of the house and of San Miguel afforded him the time to re-evaluate. To have such a meaningful and transformative experience in my house made me very happy.

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Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 07/11/06 Review Submitted: 07/11/06

We were in heaven!Casa Ariel is even more breathtaking than the pictures. The staff is so kind and helpful. We found everything we needed at the little shopping center at the corner, encluding our gourmet coffee (freshly roasted). The jardin, the shops & the restaurants are just a short walk away. Julian Cartas drove us to & from Mexico city airport. He is such a nice friendly person and absolutely reliable. We went to a music concert and attended a show of flamenco dancers. We took side trips to Dolores Hidalgo & Guanajuato. We even went down to visit the Monarch butterfly reserve. A long day but well worth it.We strongly recommend Casa Ariel to anyone thinking of visiting San Miguel.Helene & Robert SerréGatineau, Canada

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 07/01/06 Review Submitted: 07/10/06

We were in heaven! Casa Ariel is even more breathtaking than the pictures. The staff is so kind and helpful. We found everything we needed at the little shopping center at the corner, encluding our gourmet coffee (freshly roasted). The jardin, the shops & the restaurants are just a short walk away. Julian Cartas drove us to & from Mexico city airport. He is such a nice friendly person and absolutely reliable. We went to a music concert and attended a show of flamenco dancers. We took side trips to Dolores Hidalgo & Guanajuato. We even went down to visit the Monarch butterfly reserve. A long day but well worth it. We strongly recommend Casa Ariel to anyone thinking of visiting San Miguel. Helene & Robert Serré Gatineau, Canada

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Guest: Evelyn Topper
Date of Stay: 09/08/05 Review Submitted: 09/07/05

The following is an email I received from one of my guests who stayed at my house. Dear Ariel: Allan, Vanessa and I want to let you know how fabulous it was staying at your lovely home in San Miguel de Allende. To say that it was a memorable birthday celebration for me would be a huge understatement. Everything was perfect....your taste is sublime! Thank you so much for arranging for everything so beautifully....your notes were great. We had so many wonderful adventures and superb culinary experiences. Please be sure to give my name to anyone who is considering renting Casa Ariel! Warm regards, Evelyn

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Guest: Brian Jamieson
Date of Stay: 09/08/05 Review Submitted: 09/07/05

The following is an email I received from one of my guests from Toronto, Canada. Ariel, We are back home(unfortunately) after a nice relaxing two weeks in San Miguel. My first task on getting home was to dig out snow that was about 18 inches deep on our driveway. We really enjoyed our stay at Casa Ariel. You have built a lovely house and we found it to be very comfortable. We never turned on the TV the whole time that we were there which tells you something about how relaxing we found our stay. Your housekeeper kept the place nice and clean and looked after us very well! We particularly enjoyed the roof where we could get a great view of the neighborhood which we found most interesting. As you mentioned in your "Welcome Letter" it gives you an appreciation of the Mexican culture. We got quite used to hearing the bells ringing at the beautiful local church. We were quite impressed with the friendliness of the Mexican people and had no concerns about venturing out at night apart from navigating the cobblestones. The location worked out very well, as we found that we could either walk to the centre of town or catch a taxi without any problems. We took day trips to Guanajuato and to Delores Hidalgo using a wonderful guide Luis Avarez (415 152-4008) His English is good and he took great pains to explain the significance and history of the various things that we saw. It made a difference to get someone who is so enthusiastic about helping you to understand his country. For our return to the airport we used a van driven by Julian Cartas (415 152-0079) - he was on time and got to Mexico City without any hassle. Many thanks for allowing us to stay in your beautiful house. Brian and Margaret Jamieson

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Guest: Diane Gibson
Date of Stay: 09/08/05 Review Submitted: 09/07/05

The following is an email I received from Diane Gibson after her stay at my house in San Miguel de Allende. Dear Ariel, We had a wonderful time!! Your housekeeper Amada was terrific. We certainly recommend your lovely home to our friends and hope to return ourselves as soon as possible. Thanks so much, Sincerely, Diane Gibson, Houston, Texas

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