Adorable, family friendly casa in superb location with spectacular views
- House
- Sleeps: 5
- Bedrooms: 4
- Bathrooms: 3
- Min Stay: 1 night
4 bedroom, 3 bathroom in centro historico, sleeps 5
Bedrooms
Property Manager
Property Manager
- Languages:
- english
About Property Manager
Although residents of the San Francisco Bay Area since the 60s and '70s's, our paths did not cross until 1991. By chance, we had both planned to spend 1-year sabbaticals in San Miguel to write and to study. We arrived about the same time and met soon after. Within two montsh of our first encounter, we were living together and engaged to be married! That year, we established many a great friendships and strong ties with the artist community and knew then that our life in San Miguel would continue past the end of our sabbaticals. In the summer of 1992 we got married in Berkeley, and toward the end of December 1993, we began our search for our dream retirement home in San Miguel. It was an intense search. We looked at about 30 or so homes within a week's time. On the verge of burn-out and just as we were about to give up, we happened upon this house and immediately fell in love. It seemed perfect in every respect: location, views, and size; architecture, design, and craftsmanship; furnishings and finishes -- wow! But just to be sure, we asked our real estate agent to get the sellers to let us stay in the house for 10 days so we could experience living in it. It far exceeded our expectations and by early January 1994 we were the proud new owners of Garita 8. We are delighted to be able to share it with you.
Property Manager purchased this House in 1994
Why Property Manager chose Zona Centro
Of the inhabited places on the earth, San Miguel is one of the easiest on the eyes. There is a quality of light here that draws artists from all over the world. We chose our particular location in San Miguel because we wanted to be near the heart of the city in the beautiful, well preserved historic center, where it is illegal to build anything looking newer than 500 years old, and because of the spectacular views of the whole city and the valley below from two terraces, the master bedroom, and even the master bath!
What makes this House unique
We love that we can get around on foot 99% of the time; that we have the space to accommodate visiting family and friends and to entertain guests; that public transportation is accessible and inexpensive; that good food is plentiful; that there is no shortage of educational, cultural and recreational activities and events; that we have good neighbors; that we meet interesting people from all over the world; that the climate is good;; that we can feel safe and relaxed; that the community is kid-friendly; that we have some of the best views in town and have very few steps to climb to enjoy them.
Amenities
Featured
- TV
- Satellite or cable
- Washer & Dryer
- Internet
- Children Welcome
- Heater
- Fireplace
- Parking
- Air Conditioning
Bathrooms
- Bathrooms: 3
Location Type
- DowntownTown center
- Lake ViewIgnacio Allende Dam
- Mountain View
General
- TelephoneTelmex phones in living room and master suite for local calls.
- Air ConditioningNone, but portable electric fans available in bedrooms and main common areas.
- HeatingPortable space heaters available in bedrooms and main common areas.
- Linens Provided
- Washing MachineIn service room. Laundry services available upon request.
- Clothes DryerIn service room. Laundry services available upon request.
- FireplaceGas fireplaces in living room and master suite.
- ParkingOn street.
- Internet
- Towels Provided
- Wireless InternetPlease ask property manager for access code.
- Iron & Board
- Hair Dryer
- Living RoomSee photos.
Kitchen
- Refrigerator
- Stove
- Oven
- Microwave
- Coffee Maker
- Toaster
- Pantry ItemsBottled water provided.
- Dishes & Utensils
- KitchenEfficient and fully equipped.
Dining
- Dining Room
- DiningSeats 6.
Entertainment
- Television
- Satellite / Cable
- DVD Player
Outside
- BalconyOpen air terraces on 2nd and 3rd levels. Furnished for outdoor living and entertaining. Views.
- Deck / PatioGround floor courtyard furnished for outdoor living and entertaining.
Suitability
- wheelchair inaccessible
- Long-term Renters Welcome
Onsite Services
- Housekeeper Included
Notes
- Housekeeping is provided Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The housekeeper's name is Adelina who has been part of our family for over 10 years. She is available to cook for you and do your laundry upon request. Please make your requests for additional services well in advance of your arrival. Costs for additional services are to be paid directly to Adelina on the day of service. Our property manager, Evaristo, is also very helpful and a wonderful resource. He is a real estate broker as well, and if you are in the market to purchase real estate in Mexico, we hope you will use him as your buyer's agent.
House Rules
Check-in: 4:00 PM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
No parties/events
Smoking allowed
Outdoors only.
No pets
Must be house-trained and obedient.
Children allowed
Don’t leave children unattended by stairs/terraces
Max guests:5 (sleeps up to 5 adults)
Cancellation Policy
100% refund if canceled at least 60 days before arrival date. 50% refund if canceled at least 30 days before arrival date.
47 Reviews
Great location, difficult check-in
We had very mixed feelings about this home. On the one hand it was a great size for our family, in a great location, and appeared pretty much exactly as it is shown in the listing.
But our experience was marred by a difficult check-in, and general difficulty in getting the property manager to respond to requests. We had exchanged multiple emails with the manager, telling him our flight arrival information and our intention to take a shuttle from the Leon airport to SMA, and we sent a final email confirming our ETA when we left the airport. But when we got to the rental there was no sign of him, and he didn’t respond to phone calls or texts. Eventually we resorted to contacting the owner in the US, who couldn’t explain why the manager was unresponsive. After an hour of waiting outside on the street with our luggage, with the temperature in the low 50s and rain starting, we gave up and checked in for a night at the B&B across the street (two rooms, at a price considerably more than one night at the rental). The manager eventually did show up after we’d checked in elsewhere. The owner was aware of what was going on, but has not offered to reimburse us in any way—not even for the first night’s stay, never mind the additional expense we incurred at the B&B.
The second issue we had with the rental was the lack of enough space heaters for all three of the bedrooms that we used. During the week when we were there at the end of December, evening temperatures dipped well into the 40s, and we *needed* space heaters. But of the three in the house, one didn’t work at all, one we were reluctant to plug in because its front panel was melted, and one worked. We requested more working space heaters after our first night in the house, but didn’t get more until our next-to-last night there.
We never received a good explanation as to why our communications with the manager were so fraught, and we’re reluctant to leave a bad review because we know others who have stayed here and loved it. But we think it’s important to give an honest portrayal of our experience, for the sake of those who may visit in the future.
Amazing views!
We had a wonderful time in the home. Evaristo greeted us promptly upon check in and helped us set up an amazing breakfast by Adelina! It was beautiful to enjoy coffee every morning on the roof top! I can’t say enough about the breath taking views! The house is of walking distance to the center of town and close to many restaurants. We can’t wait to come back!
Phenomenal house and location.
You can´t beat the location in this price range. Checkin and checkout were extremely smooth. The view from the property is great.
Wedding Weekend in San Miguel
The property was in an amazing location and walking distance form everywhere we wanted to go. The house had plenty of room for the 6 of us who stayed there, although the kitchen and kitchen table area were a little cramped. Also, this house is not made for people 6 feet or taller... the doorway into the kitchen has about a 5'6" clearance. Did hit my head on it once...
The second floor deck and the rooftop deck had amazing views but some of the patio furniture was missing cushions. Also, if there were a couple more chairs on the roof, that would have been ideal.
The master suite was the best part of the house I think. Very spacious room with a king bed. The house did not have A/C which I thought was listed online. There was a tower fan in the room but it looked like it was at least 10 years old and didn't provide much cooling.
Overall the house was great for the price, but it was definitely an older house and may be in need of some minor renovations soon. Some of the door handles were a little loose, and we also had a issue with the front door a couple times. Something with the handle on the inside of the front door and the latch were not working, and the door actually wouldn't open from the inside. I actually had to come let my friend out of the house because he couldn't get out. This happened a couple of times, so I think that door handle probably needs replacing.
Still had an amazing time in San Miguel and this house offered an amazing location and views.
Second time staying, was even better!
Of course, my stay may have been better because I was only with my partner and not a whole crew of family;-) Actually, I realize that I need to make it a point to stay at least 2 weeks - the house for that long easily (I only stayed 9 days). Cleaning was regular, had a slight issue with washing machine but Evaristo got that addressed within two hours. Just the perfect location within San Miguel, close to walking or taking Uber/Taxi to grocery store if I didn't want to carry bags of stuff from Bonanza. Just lovely.
With TLC this would be an dream of a Casa!
The location is perfect and the view is gorgeous! Grand old home, in an affluent neighborhood that needs a bit of updating & refreshing. This is a quick downhill 5 minute walk to the main plaza.
The charming property manager Evaristo is incredibly responsive and goes out of his way to make sure you are well taken care of.
The kitchen has what is needed in the way of pots, utensils etc. if you wish to prepare meals. However one must search to find the items. Everything is in need of a bit of organization & a good scrub would do wonders for the kitchen. It would have been nice to have at least the basics such as olive oil, sugar, salt & pepper and maybe coffee.
The master bedroom is very homey with gorgeous view of the cathedral & comfortable mattress though the sheets were a bit thin. If you are a light sleeper I might suggest you bring earplugs. The cars passing along the charming cobblestone street do make noise & the church bells all though charming seem to ring often.
There are 3 other charming bedrooms with a twin size bed in each.
In General this is a beautiful Casa with exquisite architectural details, the wifi is stronger in the main living area than in the bedrooms. The televisions have cable, there is a local phone line as well as Vontage phone.
This home is definitely not for people who have mobility issues nor would I suggest it for young children due to the many different steep & narrow staircases.
My hopes are that the owners will give it a much needed refreshing. I think attention needs to be paid to providing basic amenities in the kitchen. The housekeeper needs to understand that the lack of organization in the cabinets & cleanliness of the kitchen makes a major first impression. Finding dirty sponges & rags plus nasty strainer in the sink , frig not being spotless, sticky kitchen counter tops does make one wonder about the cleanliness of the remainder of the house.
Map
Individual or group classes in Spanish language; Mexican culture and history; visual, literary, performing, and culinary arts. Botanical and orchid gardens, parks, hot springs, daily artisans market, Tuesday Tiangui outdoor market, English-language library, house and garden tours, art galleries, international cuisine, and more. Day trips to Guanajuato, Dolores Hidalgo, Pozos and other nearby points of interest. Only 3 hours north of Mexico City. Literary conferences with international best-selling authors, music and dance concerts and festivals, live theater performances, fiestas and fireworks!