Our Home in San Miguel de Allende

This month we’re living in a gated community in the hills above Zona Centro. Our condo is luxurious, light-filled, and spacious, with an open living/dining/kitchen space and a large terrace with views of the city.

Our condo has many modern amenities, more than we’ve come to expect in San Miguel. The kitchen has a dishwasher, microwave, toaster oven, and TWO blenders (one for sweet, one for savory). The water dispenser in the refrigerator door provides purified water from a garrafón (20L plastic water jug). We even have our own washer and dryer.

We do not have central heat, which is typical for houses here. This time of year, at 6,570ft elevation, the days are warm, but the nights are chilly. We are adjusting to the subtle warmth from wall-mounted stone panel radiators. They are highly energy efficient and make the small rooms feel cozy, but they are less effective in the large living space.

The one downside to this condo is its location on a very steep hill. Walking downhill to Zona Centro is easy and takes only 10-15 minutes. Walking back home involves a long uphill climb. The last section, with 80 continuous steps instead of a sidewalk, is a real workout! As Steve observed, it’s no wonder the gym here has no need for a StairMaster. I tell myself that it’s good to walk off the chicharrón and margaritas.

I miss the convenient location of the casa we rented last year, which was in the heart of Zona Centro. That art-filled colonial house lacked modern amenities, but it had plenty of character. Still, I do love the comfortable indoor and outdoor spaces of this well-appointed condo. To make life even easier, we’ll order food and other necessities online and have them delivered to our door. And we’ll take a taxi or Uber home if we don’t feel like tackling the steep climb. It will be interesting to see how it all works out.