Thestar.com collaborator, Rick McGinnis published an interesting list of places to eat, shop and see in San Miguel de Allende include a mall, market, gallery, bakery, winery and olive farm. Check it out…
Tourists and expats have made San Miguel de Allende a natural destination, so there’s a lot to see, buy and eat while you’re there. Here are six suggestions, whether you’re staying for a weekend or for the winter.
The market: The Artisan Market just behind the Plaza Civica has it all — flowers, fruit and vegetables, shoes, hats, herbal medicines, little restaurants, takeout and souvenirs. It’s a rabbit warren of shops, some quite tidy and established, others little more than a collection of boxes and sacks on the concrete floor. Find an entrance and just keep walking — you’ll find something you’ll need soon enough, at very affordable prices.
The gallery:Skot Foreman’s gallery in the Fabrica La Aurora features Picasso, Basquiat, Escher, Calder and a roomful of Dali — a concise sampling of modernism’s best. Foreman moved to San Miguel de Allende four years ago after running his gallery in New York City and Miami Beach, and says that now half of his sales are starting to come from collectors in Mexico City. Details: fabricalaaurora.com
The mall:Dôce-18 Concept House on Calle Relox, just a short walk from El Jardin (the town square), is a sleek, glamorous shopping mall built into a complex of old buildings, with shops, bookstores, restaurants and little bars in a little maze of corridors, and a boutique hotel upstairs. Called L’Ôtel and built around a series of courtyards, it includes bathtubs under open skies and remarkably affordable room rates beginning at nearly $300 (U.S.) Details: doce-18.com
The bakery: Panio bakery is run by Frenchman Claude Petit, and every day its ovens turn out bread, croissants and pastries that draw in regulars from the city and the nearby hotels. Just down the street from El Jardin and adjacent to Cumpanio, a sit-down restaurant, it’s probably the best way to start your day in San Miguel de Allende.
The winery:Cuna di Tierra winery is a 45-minute drive from San Miguel de Allende but worth it — this ambitious little vineyard and winemaker Juan Manchon are producing some world-beating reds and a sophisticated white. Cuna di Tierra has won awards for its wines, logo and architecture, and tastings and tours can be arranged from its office on Calle Correo just off El Jardin. Details: cunadetierra.com/en/home
The farm:Finca Luna Serena is the retirement project of Victor Gutierrez and Susan Chamberlin, two former Madison Ave. ad execs who decided the best way to make her Tuscan dream come true was to open an olive farm in the Mexican countryside just a 15-minute drive outside of San Miguel de Allende. They do tours and tastings of their sweet, smooth, nutty olive oils, and even have a family guesthouse for rent on the property. Details: fincalunaserena.com
Source: https://www.thestar.com