If you've heard of San Miguel d'Allende, perched 6,000 feet up the central mountains of Mexico, you'll be enraged by this report. You've probably tried to keep Latin America's most civilized and beautiful town all to yourself. It has that effect on the first-time visitor: You vow instantly to keep it a secret, hoping to preserve its magic and charm.
But already Hollywood's glitterati are starting to holiday in San Miguel, and its cover will be well and truly blown by "On Mexican Time," an account by American writer Tony Cohan of his life there, which will be published in February. Cohan is expected to do for San Miguel what Peter Mayle did for Provence.Last winter -- February to April is the perfect time to visit -- I spent two months with my wife and year-old son in this birthplace of the heroes of the Mexican independence movement, founded in 1452 by Fray Juan de San Miguel, a Franciscan missionary. We were instantly smitten: San Miguel cleanses the soul, restores one's sense of romance and dazzles with its vibrancy and vastly eclectic tastes and sensations. It is the easiest place to fall in love with life all over again, and to get hooked on Mexico.
My son shares his birthday with Ignacio Allende, the leading military insurgent in the War of Independence, after whom the town is named. A week after our arrival, fireworks blazed, and my son was feted by Mariachi bands playing in the central square -- the Jardin -- where retired American expats (not the buffet crowd) sit and sip mocha coffees on sleepy mornings and locals doze during the daily siesta, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
You could not ask for a better climate. Year round, the days are warm and sunny, but you may need a pullover or light jacket at night. The high altitude keeps both the humidity and temperature down, and the air crisp and clear. The rainy season is from June to September, when you may experience late afternoon or evening showers.
The entire town was declared a historic monument in 1926 and is served by first-class bus from Mexico City, four hours away, or from Leon Airport, an hour-and-a-half scenic drive away.
The best way to enjoy it is to walk its steep winding, cobbled streets, lined with 16th-and 17th-century architecture, pastel-colored cantinas and beautiful old churches. The town of around 70,000 people lies in central Mexico, in the state of Guanajuato. The immediate area is called the Bajio, a vast plateau of fertile soil. A ring of foothills surrounding San Miguel provides an ideal backdrop for bright orange sunsets.
Look out for the intricately designed wooden doors, stonework, carvings, fountains, balconies, wrought ironwork and decorative metal doorknockers. The two arts centers in the town are particularly fine examples of colonial architecture: The El Nigromante is housed in a beautiful 18th century former convent, which has a large courtyard.
The Instituto Allende is just as ambient and offers internationally renowned language and arts classes. In fact, Spanish and Art are taught at three famous art schools in the town, and any night you can experience world-class concerts and plays.
Arts and crafts
San Miguel is the best place in Mexico to shop for authentic arts and crafts. Art galleries line almost every street. Its extremely affordable brassworks, wool carpets, blown glassware, ceramics of all sizes and colors are renowned throughout Latin America.
If you're looking for real bargains, steer clear of the smarter stores around the central squares and head for the Ignacio Ramirez handcraft market, where you can barter with merchants. You can design your own handmade rug and have it made -- eight foot by six foot will cost you around $160 -- at The Weavers, midway between the town and Los Grutas.
When your feet get sore (wear walking boots or sturdy shoes to protect your ankles on the cobbles) flop down on a bench in the Jardin Principal, San Miguel's popular meeting place, surrounded by stone archways from the seventeenth century.
Distractions within a few miles of the town include thermal waters, sports facilities such as golf, tennis, pony trekking, ballooning and off-road mountain-bike excursions through spectacular scenery. You'll need the exercise: if you like real Mexican food, you'll be tempted to gorge in one of the town's 100 or so restaurants, 20 of which are of exceptional quality.
Fajitas and burritos
Even at the most expensive restaurant, you will eat and drink well for less than $50 a head. You name it, San Miguel offers the best Mexican food in the most beautiful surroundings: exquisitely prepared seafood, quirky tapas, meat-stuffed burritos and enchiladas, a local variety of mole that is addictive, the tastiest Azteca soups, the freshest Caesar salads and homemade pastas. Having sampled around 10 of the finest restaurants, I settled on two favorites.
La Vendimia offers an informal, elegant atmosphere with international cuisine, specializing in fish entrees. On chilly winter nights, one dines in a lovely outdoor courtyard, warmed by blazing fires. I spent my birthday there, quickly losing count of the margaritas that arrived in crystal champagne glasses. The fish cakes and tuna steaks are perfect, as are the steaks -- so tender you'll never visit a steakhouse again. But beware: in Mexico, "rare' means "bloody'.
Our second favorite was La Bugambilia, which offers the best authentic Mexican cuisine. It has a wondrous courtyard, decorated with hanging tin stars with lights inside that cast flickering shadows across the ivy- and bougainvillea-covered walls. The soups are a speciality, and the steak fajitas cannot be bettered. Dinner for two, including alcohol, was around $65.
As a general rule, however, the wine lists were disappointing everywhere: limited, of mediocre quality at best, and overpriced. Stay with margaritas, tequila or cerveza, and you won't be disappointed.
Alternative therapies
If you are too tired, or have drunk too much tequila, getting about by taxi is cheap -- no more than a couple dollars to anywhere within the city limits. Taxis can be flagged down anywhere. They have no meters, so agree on a price, before you get in. If you get sore muscles from walking on all the cobble-stoned streets, hobble 50 yards from the main square to the Touch Spa. Massages are excellent value -- just $32 for an hour -- and the therapists are highly skilled. Reflexology, aromatherapy, facials and all kinds of herbal wraps and scrubs are also available. Randy, the Californian owner, even offers a cranial massage to soothe aching minds.
The area is blessed with hot springs, and perhaps the most atmospheric is Los Grutas, which has the feel of a Roman baths and includes an underground dome where hot water pours down from a hole into the aquamarine waters. Stand beneath it and have a free water massage.
Villa with a view
My wife, son and I stayed for two months in a very comfortable three-bedroom villa perched in the Los Balcones area, overlooking the city, with wonderful views of the main church. We rented our immaculate home, with a courtyard and two terraces, from San Miguel Properties (00 52 415 24416) for just $400 a week. The letting agency has the most desirable properties in town and can also be contacted over the Internet. It provided us with a nanny, who cost just $60 for a six-day week, eight hours a day. You can pay for almost everything in San Miguel in dollars. Most people speak a little English.
There are also many charming hotels and bed and breakfasts for those staying for shorter periods. My mother stayed in La Mansion del Bosque (20277,) a charming hotel where the evening meals were particularly stimulating, with guests congregating from around the world. It cost $70 a night, and was right beside the Parque Juarez where wonderful flower shows are held once a month.
For those with bigger budgets, there is the Casa de Sierra Nevada Hotel, one of the best "small luxury hotels' in the world, particularly popular with discreet Hollywood types.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, but just as charming in its way, for the budget traveller at least, is the Hotel Sautto, a colonial hacienda belonging to one of San Miguel's early families.