Mexico Trip

When did we go….

• Nov 17 – Dec 1, 2024

 

Why did we go…

• a week in November in San Pancho has become a tradition (this is our third year), and we decided to tack on two interior cities (Mexico City and San Miguel de Allende) prior to our coastal beach time

 

 

How did we get there…

• 4-hour flight to Dallas and then a 3-hour flight to Mexico City (half-hour taxi to our hotel)
• 2-hour flight from Mexico City to Leon (1.5 hour taxi to our hotel)
• 1-hour flight from Leon to Puerto Vallarta (1-hour Uber to our hotel)
• 5-hour direct Westjet flight from Puerto Vallarta to Calgary

 

 

 

Where did we stay…

Mexico City (Nov 17-20)

• Hotel Villa Condesa
• 20^th century mansion converted into a 15 room hotel
• in the Roma Norte district
• quaint boutique hotel with beautiful foliage and a lovely courtyard
• included a nice variety of breakfast options
• very helpful desk attendant named Eduardo/Ed/Eddie

San Miguel de Allende (Nov 20-24)

• Hotel Apapacho Boutique
• boutique hotel in the Centro Historico district
• six rooms that have a curated selection of local and national art
• rooftop bar and pool

San Pancho (Nov 20- Dec 1)

• Palmar Hotel Tropical
• quaint boutique hotel in the center of town
• small pool and lounging area as well as a rooftop spa
• 10 minute walk to the beach

 

 

 

Where did we eat…

Mexico City:

• Nonna (dinner, Italian, streetside restaurant with a nice open air atmosphere with the usual street vendors where we bought a hummingbird Xmas decoration, decent food and good service)

• Lardo (dinner, fun ambiance, excellent food, great service, close to our hotel)

• Casa Portuguesa (lunch, Polanco area on an outdoor terrace beside a group that seemed to be cartel looking folks, good Portuguese food and service)
• Maizajo (dinner, cool vibe upstairs with an open kitchen and take out/casual eating area on the main level, excellent food and Grandma Malcolm got eight month old Nona from Copenhagen laughing and playing peek a boo)

San Miguel de Allende:

• breakfasts at our hotel terrace (plentiful and yummy chow with a later 9:30 start that tied us over to dinner)

• Los Milagros (dinner, authentic Mexican, huge portions, amazing violin player entertaining us)
• Rustica (breakfast, quaint courtyard, excellent food, chatted with an illusionist from Edmonton)
• Noia (dinner, beautiful terrace in the Numu Boutique Hotel, excellent food and service)
• Casa Nostra (dinner, terrace setting, Italian owner/fun chap, excellent food)
• Tostevere (dinner, quaint 6 table joint, amazing ambiance, chow and service…DONT MISS THIS PLACE)

San Pancho:

• Amaryya (breakfast on several days, nice selection and friendly staff/owners, including the owner’s dog Moca)

• Ikan (lunch, upscale Mexican food, shared a plentiful Black Octopus Ceviche which was very good)
• Habibi (dinner, Mediterranean/Mexican fusion, great chow and friendly and fun owner from Italy)

• Barracuda (dinner, main street location with local street performers, very good food)

• Casa Chucho (lunch, Mexican food, very good food and service)
• Cerveceria Artesenal (dinner, yummy burger and fries, live music at one of our nightly watering holes, experienced the mystery of not being able to upgrade from regular fries to truffle fries…truth is stranger than fiction)
• Tomatina (lunch, beach restaurant in Lo de Marcos, excellent food)
• Trattoria Toscana (dinner, Italian, average food and service)
• Le Jardin (dinner, Italian, good food and service, but those misled us on the portion sizes, and we each ordered meals for two people)

 

 

 

What did we do…

Mexico City:

• had rooftop drinks at the Cabuya rooftop bar on top of the Andaz hotel with beautiful views of the city

• walked Avenida Amsterdam, which is the oval-shaped avenue in the heart of the neighborhood with its shape reminiscent of its former life as a horse racing track
• strolled the beautiful parks, including Parque Mexico, which is one of the loveliest parks in Mexico City as well as the fountains at Plaza Rio de Janeiro and Plaza Luis Cabrera, where we had a shoeshine from a chap with a Seattle Seahawk toque
• countless dogs hang out in the parks with their dog trainers and dog sitters while their paw-rents are at work
• checked out the Art Deco and Art Nouveau architecture that the area is known for
• enjoyed the colorful street art in Roma Norte, especially on Plaza Luis Cabrera
• enjoyed hanging out at a number of cool cafes
• took a 4-hour tour with Armando of the Centro Historico area, where we saw many historic sites and learned about centuries of Mexican history
• walked around the modern district of Polanco and through the huge Chapultepec park

San Miguel de Allende:

• enjoyed sunset drinks at Bekab Artisnal rooftop bar enjoying the sunset but in a cold wind

• enjoyed the Jardin Allende and La Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel, the parish church of San Miguel Allende, which is also people watching central

• walked up to El Mirador (steep steps/road beside our hotel) for beautiful views of the city
• strolled the San Antonio neighborhood, enjoying the murals and flower colored homes
• enjoyed meandering through the streets and getting lost in this beautiful city and its vibrant art scene
• had rooftop sunset drinks at Rooftop Mara and drinks at the Monkey Bar in the beautiful Hotel Matilda with its amazing art collection
• checked out Fabrica La Aurora, which is an old textile factory that’s been transformed into a massive art gallery (70 shops with some amazing pieces of art)
• checked out the trendy neighborhood of Guadalupe, dupped the Brooklyn of San Miguel, with its thriving artistic scene
• enjoyed afternoon beverages in courtyards at Ama Polo and Bastardo
• bought some unique hand sculptures at Galeria Casa Diana from internationally acclaimed artist Pedro Friedeberg (the gallery was formerly his residence)
• nightcaps were at San Mezcal, which was 50 feet from our hotel

San Pancho:

• spent time at the beach reading, boogie boarding, swimming, walking in the sand, cleansing in the ocean (don’t ask) and catching some rays
• enjoyed amazing massages at Alinea Therapeutic and Yoga Center
• enjoyed the spectacular beach sunsets at La Palmas Beach Bar being served by Celina (the blue water and orange sky are the most amazing I’ve ever seen)
• went to mud beach (Playa de Barro) with our guides Flora, Franco and Karime from San Padre Surf School, which was a 20 minute drive north of San Pancho through Las Lomas, then a 45 minute hike to the secluded beach with mineral rich grey clay spotted with blueish-white crystallized minerals tucked in the hillside at the south end of the beach (slather on the clay, lay in the sun to bake it in and then wash it off in the turquoise waves, our skin was soft for a few days after)
• shopped at the Tuesday market and bought a few things, as well as enjoying a fantastic taco from one of the vendors
• had post dinner drinks and listened to great live music at a few different venues within 100 feet of our hotel
• poked around the local shops, picking up a few local artisan items
• played pool with the locals and lost in my opening tournament match to an older Filipino lady who was the mother of the bartender (fun dynamics hanging with the locals)
• spent an afternoon on the beach at Lo de Marcos (20 minute taxi ride with Jose where the ladies enjoyed the gentle water)
• Mare had a chap named Maurice write her a poem and type it out on an old typewriter
• made friends with several local people including five year old Liberty whose mom was selling wooden fridge magnets
• rented a golf cart and cruised around some of the more remote areas of San Pancho

 

 

 

Background:

Mexico City:

• capital and largest city in Mexico
• greater metro population of 22M (13th largest in the world)
• one of the most important cultural and financial cities in the world
• it is the largest Spanish speaking city in the world
• the city was originally built in 1325 on a group of islands on Lake Texcoco
• in the 20^th century, the upper class residents of the bustling Centro Historico moved to La Condesa and Roma Norte to enjoy more space, green areas, and larger mansions
• the area has experienced a recent revival after the devastating effects of the 1985 earthquake

San Miguel de Allende:

• located 170 miles NW of Mexico City
• population of 175k

• UNESCO World Heritage site with cobblestone streets, colonial buildings, and a picturesque pink church that dominates the skyline
• known for its art galleries, museums, markets, lively festivals and events
• Conde Nast crowned it the best small city in the world
• authentically Mexican with very friendly people

San Pancho:

• San Pancho is a small beach town with a unique relaxed atmosphere, cool people from all over the world, nice little shops and restaurants, surrounded by amazing jungle and ocean landscapes
• it is located at Riviera Nayarit, Mexico, one hour drive north from Puerto Vallarta Airport and less than a 10 minute drive north from Sayulita
• population of 3000 people
• in Mexico, “Pancho” is the short name for Francisco, the official name of the village is San Francisco, but everybody lovingly calls it San Pancho

 

 

Final thoughts:

• the weather was very nice in all three areas although a touch cool at night in Mexico City and San Miguel but shorts weather throughout the San Pancho portion
• we enjoyed our two weeks with Mare’s cousins Trevor and Sherry from Kelowna who are fun to travel with
• Mexico’s people, culture and food were all amazing