Jennifer Kester a travel expert and Forbes Magazine contributor came up with a fantastic editorial piece on FORBES TRAVEL GUIDE, called “The Best Way To See San Miguel De Allende”… check it out
San Miguel de Allende is unlike any other place in Mexico. Stroll the cobblestone streets of the historic downtown to gaze at the stunning Spanish colonial architecture in shades of terra cotta and mustard, explore the hidden courtyards tucked inside many buildings and the alleyways lined with tables of handicrafts, get serenaded by roving mariachi bands and look for mojigangas, giant sculpted puppets, flopping about.
But the best way to see this enchanting UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Mexico is from above with Live Aqua Urban Resort San Miguel de Allende’s hot air balloon. While a number of hotels can send you on an in-the-air excursion, Live Aqua is the only one in town whose hot air balloon takes off directly from the property for a private tour.
For our trip, we headed out at 6:30 a.m. while it was still dark out in the hopes of catching the sunrise against the surrounding desert landscape and the charming colonial town. We went to the hotel’s second-floor terrace and watched as the team from Vuela en Globo fired up the large checkered balloon on its side. The illuminated yellow, green, purple and orange balloon squares came to life in the midnight-blue sky.
Then we hit a roadblock: the wind descended in the area that morning, which delayed our voyage. But this gave us time to partake in the lovely breakfast buffet that the hotel set out for us. Since Live Aqua has its own bakery in the lobby, the spread leaned heavily on fresh pastries, including chocolatin (the Mexican version of pain au chocolat), chocolate conchas (sweet bread topped with a chocolate shell) and carteras de crema pastelera (pillowy wallets of pastry cream).
We passed on the coffee and instead reached for the chocolate Abuelita, an indulgent, frothy Mexican hot chocolate bursting with cinnamon. The comforting, warming cup warded off the chill as we eagerly waited for our first hot air balloon ride.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE ON FORBES.COM
