This person Haunts you... San Miguel de Allende Mexico Announcements & News


San Miguel de Allende Mexico / Where ARE You ? in San Miguel de Allende Mexico / This person Haunts you... 

This person Haunts you... Announcements & News San Miguel de Allende Mexico

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San Miguel de Allende -- Today is Sunday, August 01, 2010 02:14 at our loyal server in the USA
From the Vip Club Newsletter for San Miguel de Allende with information on restaurant discounts available for club members who have purchased the VIP Club Discount Card
  • Alfredo's: 1520072, Inside Posada San Francisco Hotel. Fine dining, international cuisine, lunch and dinner, 1 - 10pm daily, closed Mondays. 20% discount for cash.


  • BBQ Bob's - Salida de Celaya #6, 152-0807.
    (10%) ($100 pesos minimum).


  • Berlin - (10%) ($100 pesos minimum, cash)


  • Buen Café - Jesus & Cuadrante, 152-5807.
    Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Closed Sundays. (20%) ($100 peso minimum)


  • Bugambilia - Hidalgo #42, 152-0127.
    Lunch and dinner. Traditional Mexican dishes. (20%) (no credit cards for discount).


  • Café San Francisco, Posada San Francisco - Plaza Principal 2, 152-0072.
    Courtyard and street side dining, full menu, Mexican cuisine including seafood and full bar. (20%.)


  • Casa Blanca - Hidalgo #34, 154-6070. Famous for crepes, pizza and international cuisine. (15%) ($100 pesos minimum)


  • Casa Montana Hotel Restaurant, Pozos - Jardín Principal, 01 (442) 293-0032 International and national dishes in the midst of a one-time old ghost town in a small luxury hotel. (20%)


  • Casa Payo - Zacateros #26. 152-7277.
    Landmark San Miguel Argentinean steak house. (10%)


  • Don Quijote - Prolongación de Pila Seca #55, 152-0807. Bar and Grill, famous ribs and burgers, lunch and dinner. Closed Mondays. (20% cash, 10% credit cards)


  • El Asador Catlán - Km. 9 Salida a Querétaro, 120-8118 Open 1 until 7pm. Closed Mondays. Renowned traditional Spanish fare. 15% cash, 10% credit card


  • El Correo Restaurant - Correo #23, 152-4951 Good traditional Mexican food, full bar, closed Tuesdays. (15% cash, 10% credit card)


  • El Puente,Canal 48, 154-8466, open everyday, breakfast, lunch and dinner, 8:30 - 11:30 pm, featuring seafood and molés.(10%)


  • Finnegan's Restaurant, two entrances, off Codo or off Zacateros. Full menu, live entertainment, Wednesday through Saturday evenings, with a live Sunday Jazz session from 3-5pm. The menu is a mixed bag including Mexican dishes and some of international fame. (10%)


  • El Tomato, Mesones #62, 151-6057, Open, Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. All natural food restaurant, mostly vegetarian dishes and sandwiches, salads fruits and vegetable juices. 10 %, not valid for daily special.


  • Hacienda los Laureles: Open 1-11pm, everyday but Tuesdays. Indoor and outdoor seating. Full bar, extensive menu traditional Mexican foods, Sunday buffet. (20%)


  • Harry's New Orleans Cafe and Oyster Bar - Hidalgo #12, 152-2645 for dinner reservations. New Orleans Cafe, Fresh sea food, cajun and creole dishes, extensive wine list, open 7 days a week. (10%, Cash only)


  • La Fragua - Cuna de Allende #3, 152-1144
    One of the most traditional restaurants in San Miguel, chef Fernando is your host with special recipes, full bar. Closed Mondays. (10%)


  • La Boca: Hernandez Macias #88, open everyday except Mondays, tasty sandwiches, pastas, soups and salads, along with other specials. they sport a full bar open 'til midnight weeknights and 1 a.m. (15%)


  • L'Escargot, Hernandez Macias #66, 154-9024.
    Authentic French cuisine Lunch and dinner, specialties like Beef Wellington, Oyster Rockefeller and escargot. Closed Mondays. 15% discount.


  • La Puertecita - Santa Domingo #75 , 152-5011.
    Rated internationally, as one of the top 100 small luxury hotels in the entire world. (20%) (no discount on buffets)


  • La Princesa - Recreo (20%)


  • La Toscana, Hernandez Macias #83, 154-9608,
    open daily 1 p.m. until midnight, closed Tuesdays. Full bar and menu: Salads, a variety of pastas with various sauces, beefs, poultry and salmon. Wines from Italy, Spain, France, Argentina and Chile. 15% discount Cash only. $100 peso minimum.


  • La Vista, Vista Real Hotel Restaurant: Callejón de Arias #4, 152-3984. Hotel restaurant, International dining room and exquisite view of San Miguel. (20%)


  • L'Invito (Instituto Allende) - Ancha de San Antonio #20, 152-7333. Serving authentic recipes from the north of Italy great ambience. (20%) (Instituto Allende)


  • Los Famosos De Pozos - Hidalgo #10B, Mineral de Pozos, Guanajuato. 01 442 293 0112, quaint seeting retaurant in the so called ghost town of Pozos offering a full menu and bar while serving traditional Mexican food.


  • Manolo's - Corner of Pila Seca and Zacateros 152-7277
    Intimate sports bar, appetizers, full meals, draft beer, Sporting events, satellite direct TV. (15%)


  • Market Bistro & Petit Bar - Hernandez Macias #95, 152-3229. Country French cooking. Imported wines. Daily until 11pm, midnight on weekends. (15%, $100 peso minimum at bar)


  • Mesón Castellano - Salida a Celaya #57.
    Spanish restaurant featuring paella. (15%)


  • Mesón de San José - Mesones #38, 152-3848.
    Located back in a courtyard off Calle Mesones, Homemade soups and fresh salads. (20%) ($100 peso minimum)


  • Olé Olé - Loreto #66, 152-0896. The best fajitas en the region, (10%)


  • Pueblo Viejo - Umarán #6, 152-4977. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, Traditional Mexican and international dishes. (20%)


  • QUANDO foods, vacuum-sealed, frozen, comfort foods easy to prepare while placed in boiling water. Quando sells gourmet type food products that includes, soups, main dishes and deserts. Some of their selections are: Mushroom chicken roll, potato chicken roll, Coq au Vin with risotto, Chinese ribs, Lisbon, French and Valencia pork dishes, Toas chicken, chicken pot pie, meat loaf and much-much more. For club members this is a DELIVERY SERVICE ONLY. The 10% discount offered to members is NOT INCLUDED at retail outlets where they also market Quando products. There is a 30 peso delivery charge. Members can call 152-5153, 152-0038 or 044-415-153-3444 for immediate delivery. Ask for Pam or Cindy.


  • Punta Sush Ingo: Hildago #23, 1521619. Combination sushi bar and internet cafe. Open seven days a week. (10%)


  • Sierra Nevada - Hospicio #35, 152-0415. San Miguel's prestigious hotel, all three of its charming restaurants are available.
    Also try Sierra Nevada on the park, just below the Chorro, one of San Miguel's most beautiful settings. 15% cash or credit card (all three locations)


  • Tapas y Tinis: Umaran #36, Modern bar and restaurant, intimate atmosphere, serving tapas, serves late (10%)


  • Ten Ten Pie Restaurant: Corner of Cuadrante and Cuna Allende, Small, clean and resonable prices, local restaurant, open seven days a week, serving breakfast lunch and dinner, serves late (10%) (20% off spirits)


  • Tio Lucas: Mesones #103, 1524996, Hallmark San Miguel steakhouse, plus. Open seven days, serves late, nightly entertainment. (10%)


  • Villa Rivera Hotel Restaurant, Cuadrante #1, 152-2289. Behind the Parroquia. Inside and outside dining. International menu, wonderful ambience, Breakfast, lunch and dinner. (20%)


  • Villa Mirasol; Inside Villa Mirasol Hotel, open for breakfast and lunch in garden setting. (10%)

New restaurants are added frequently, and occasionally restaurants drop out of the program with 60 days notice. Ask for the bi-monthly restaurant club newsletter at authorized outlets for detailed information on restaurants and the current list of participants. All participating restaurants are under contract with the San Miguel Restaurant Club to provide the same fine service as they would to patrons who walk in off the street. Discounts are waived during happy hours, 2X1 specials or other special events in which the restaurant is offering discounts to the public at large.

Notice: Certain Restaurants and Businesses may have restrictions that do not appear on this website. Please contact The Restaurant Club directly for a complete list of participating businesses and restrictions.

Las Posadas

Zacatlán de las Manzanas, Mexico

Late that first afternoon I joined the Posadas at Hospital San José where children, warmly dressed in well-worn jackets and jeans, had gathered in the chapel. They looked as if they could be the children of the shepherds that were present at the first Christmas.

The tourist office, under the archways in the main plaza, was open when I arrived in the small colonial town of Zacatlán de las Manzanas, two hours east of Mexico City. The plaza, anchored by the 16th century ex Convento de San Franciso, was aglow in silvery fog that foreshadowed the magical time I was to spend. I had been told that Zacatlán celebrated traditional Mexican Christmas Posadas, the symbolic journey of the Holy Family from Nazareth to Bethlehem seeking shelter, and I wanted to join in this nine-day festival.

The plaza, anchored by the 16th century ex Convento de San Franciso, was aglow in silvery fog that foreshadowed the magical time I was to spend.

The Posada (literally inn) tradition began in Mexico in 1587 when an Augustine order requested permission of Pope Sixto V to authorize a Novena, a nine-day Christmas celebration. The Augustinians, who used theater, drama and song in the process of conversion, not only wished to tell the story leading to Christ's birth, but wanted to supercede the Aztecs' twenty-day annual December festival dedicated to Huitzilopochtli, their war god.

Bethlehem Stars

Today Posadas are often reduced to a single evening but historically it is a Novena celebrated daily from December 16th to the 24th, which of course is then followed by Christmas on the 25th. I came to Zacatlán to experience the Posadas as a Novena, the religious ritual in a provincial setting.

Mary Carmen Olvera Trejo, Director of Tourism, was seated behind her desk, wearing a soft, bluish-white, downy sweater, working at her laptop computer, when I entered. She instantly looked up, greeted me, invited me to sit down, and asked, "How can we help you?" I said, "Where should I go for Posadas?" She penciled an outline with directions where I could visit Posadas during the week, in the schools, the churches and also suggested Hospital San José. And in a gesture of good will, knowing that I was alone, she invited me to the Olvera Family Reunion-Posada on Christmas Eve. Zacatlán is a compact colonial town with a huge clock in the central plaza. Red tiled adobe buildings, windows framed with iron grills, and cobblestone streets give the visitor a feeling of history and tradition. I could walk to the Posadas that Mary Carmen suggested.

Hospital San José

Late that first afternoon I joined the Posadas at Hospital San José where children, warmly dressed in well-worn jackets and jeans, had gathered in the chapel. They looked as if they could be the children of the shepherds that were present at the first Christmas.

Passing out treats. San Jose Hospital

In the hospital chapel, I sat in the front pew next to a little girl whose rosy cheeks glowed through her dark skin. She sat quietly while her mottled brown-blue eyes carefully examined my camera.

The church was a cream colored white with purple drapes. The director, a petit nurse-nun dressed in white and wearing wire glasses, introduced me as a guest. She used the opportunity to remind the children to be on their best behavior so as to leave the visitor with a good opinion.

The service began. Children sang the rosary. The chapel was in the center of the hospital with a corridor encircling the chapel. We stood. Four children in the back of the church lifted a plank with an angel, Mary and Joseph on their shoulders. It was decorated with a green pine tree branch and Christmas ornaments. The procession came up the center aisle, turned right and then began a journey around the outer corridor of the inner chapel. The choir and students followed Joseph and Mary and made periodic stops, as did the Biblical Holy Family when looking for a place to rest in Bethlehem. The children continued singing the rosary: Hail Mary's and the Our Father.

At each stop, the Holy Family asked for shelter and was denied. Finally, after a full circuit, in the hospital, the Holy Family found rest, and the nun dressed in white passed out gifts: oranges, sugar cane, jicama, peanuts and other treats.

At each stop, the Holy Family asked for shelter and was denied. Finally, after a full circuit, in the hospital, the Holy Family found rest, and the nun dressed in white passed out gifts: oranges, sugar cane, jicama, peanuts and other treats. Young children marveled at their good fortune. I was surprised to see such pleasure from what I would have deemed modest.

Church of St. Francis

The next day at the Church of St. Francis, the largest in town, I encountered a different expression of the Posada. After we entered the church, the doors were closed. The rosary was not sung but a number of journeys were made around the inside of the church, with young men carrying statues of the Holy Family. We stopped at the various niches as if seeking an inn.

Mary in blue

When the procession rested, a verse of the traditional Posada Song was sung. The Posada Song consists of two alternating choruses. First, the Holy Family requests shelter, then there is a response, "This is no inn. Continue on your way. I will not open. You could be thieves." Back and forth, there is a request and a denial. Then it is revealed, the chorus sings, "The queen of heaven is asking for shelter. It is Joseph and Mary, his beloved spouse, who stand at your doors and seek lodging in your house." The climax follows, "Let the doors be thrown open, let the drapes be drawn, for the Queen of Heaven has come to rest."

School: Juana de Arca, Atexna

But it was on the road to El Refugio, a holistic cabin and campground enclave, where I found the most memorable procession. Here was simplicity, faith and tradition among grammar school children reenacting the Holy Family's journey and their quest for shelter.

Here was simplicity, faith and tradition among grammar school children reenacting the Holy Family's journey and their quest for shelter.

As I turned off the highway onto the rutted dirt road at Atexna, children had just left a solitary church and had just started their trek up the road to their primary school. I quickly parked and asked the teacher, Guillermina Juarez Martinez, if I might join the pilgrims. She was happy to welcome me.

Joseph dressed in green and gold, Mary wore blue, and Jesus' godmother looked angelic in white. Angels, shepherds, wise men, parents and teachers followed the Holy Family. Solemnly they hiked up the hill reenacting the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. I ran ahead and took pictures of the pilgrimage treading on the damp earth road framed with maguey cactus.

The procession arrived at the school. A number of students entered, but the Holy Family, angels and shepherds, stayed outside. I was inside with my camera. The Posada Song was sung with the alternating choruses. The door was opened, the Holy Family entered, and students gathered in front of the manger. Joseph in green and gold stood on the right, and Mary with her light blue cape stood on the left, while the godmother, seated in the center, rocked Baby Jesus.

Mixing of traditions, Santa and angel

Guillermina Juarez Martinez kneeled and kissed the Baby Jesus. Everyone, pupils and teachers followed her example. Then small gifts were distributed and hot punch was served.

I enjoyed the pageantry, the processions, the rituals, and the songs. But what I had not realized was that I was yet to experience the love and the essence of the Christmas message.

Olvera Family Reunion-Posada

Mary Carmen had invited me to the Olvera Family Reunion-Posada. The party was at 7 p. m. Christmas Eve. I said, "Seven or after seven?" I didn't want to be the first to arrive, especially at a family gathering of over 80 relatives. Mary Carmen said, "A partir de las siete." (Any time after 7.)

I meant to arrive about 7:30 but I got lost. In the dark I couldn't find the turnoff to the family homestead, and I knew I was within yards. But in the dark, along the road, the Grand Marquis' headlights made every shrub bristle as if it were the sign of an entryway. Luckily, there was a nearby restaurant getting ready for a Christmas Eve Party and the owner was cordial and told me precisely where to turn.

I arrived at 8 just in time to join the outdoor chorus singing the Posada Song asking for shelter. When the doors opened I entered into a grand multi-generational family reunion and celebration.

Here I found more than the Christmas Posada, the Holy Family pilgrim tradition and a religious service.

Señor Olvera, Mary Carmen's father, 83, and family patriarch, dressed in a suit and tie and wearing a short overcoat and a brown beret, spoke to his family. He embraced his wife Julita, dressed in a red coat, and gave thanksgivings for their blessings, and family prayers for those present and absent. Testimonials were spoken for the family's happiness. One by one adult children hugged their parents. There was a gift exchange, a grand feast (with 8 daughters, food was abundant), toasts (even Viva California!), and dancing to salsa, marimba, rock 'n roll, waltz, fox trot and swing.

We danced together, in a group, in a line, in a circle, in the center of the circle (nudged forward for an impromptu jig, or whirl). There was a call for "Los Calvos", the bald guys, only two of us, the other being Eduardo, a son-in-law from Aguacaliente, where cock fighting is the annual attraction at the San Marcos Fair, so Eduardo and I pantomimed our interpretation of a two strutting cocks to cheers and applause.

Then singing, Mary Carmen led, followed by nearly every guest, some reluctant, needing encouragement, some with good voices like Mary Carmen, some frogs like myself who sang El Rey, but I had to pull Mary Carmen up with me as I was uncertain of all the lyrics, so we ended up a duet.

Husbands brought tears, pure streams of joy to their wives, as they sang love ballads, with words like, "My life would be nothing without you, you are my total love, my source, my reason for being," while directing a fixed gaze, eye to eye with the wife.

There were other songs and recitations, humorous, or just favorites, more toasts, more dancing, a total spectacle of a loving, endearing, supporting, joyful family, whose patriarch's favorite response to, "Como está?" (How are you?) is, "Yo soy agradecido de haber nacido." (I'm grateful for having been born.)

La Piñata and a Funeral

I drove home alert, not tired at 3 a.m. Mary Carmen told me to join the family at noon for the children's Christmas Piñata Fiesta. Afterwards, she said, we would join her nephew, his wife and daughter at La Trucha (The Trout) Restaurant for Christmas dinner.

When I arrived, plans had changed. We would be going to a funeral at 2 p.m. An elderly aunt died Christmas Eve and in Mexico burial is the next day. It seemed ironic. During Day of the Dead in San Miguel de Allende, I witnessed a wedding, and here in Zacatlán, on Christmas Day, I would be present at a funeral.

At noon, the children took turns, blindfolded (a symbol that the only guide is faith), and smacked the piñata. It was a clay pot covered with a 7-pointed star decorated in brilliant red, blue, orange, green, gold, silver, purple and white with paper streamers, which symbolized the Seven Deadly Sins. When it broke, treats gushed out. Children gathered up the traditional gifts: sweet potatoes, jicama, sugar cane, peanuts, oranges, a few small toys, balls and Spiderman figures, caramels and hard candy.

After the piñata, the festivities quieted. We still had a funeral and Christmas dinner to attend.

The sun was out. I was now part of Mary Carmen's family and we walked up the hill to the original homestead, which was being used for storage. I no longer thought of the fog. Here on a hill outside Zacatlán the weather was warm and the sky crystal blue. Children were taking turns on a swing. The homestead was built L shaped and I photographed the flowers. I took nine photos, all different.

We traveled back to Zacatlán for the 2 p.m. funeral. I dropped Mary Carmen and her nephew, wife and child in front of the church, and then continued, looking for a parking place.

The funeral was short. But the church overflowed. In a small town, everyone is related. The casket, carried by 6 men, was placed in a funeral limousine and an entourage followed the slow-moving hearse to the cemetery. It was only a few blocks distant. The aunt was laid to rest on Christmas Day.

Christmas Dinner

We backtracked past the Olvera homestead, drove to Jicolapa, a small village outside Zacatlán, and then into the quiet green pine forest and onto a dirt road that lead to mountain streams, a trout farm and a restaurant. We had been delayed. We were the last guests to arrive at La Trucha.

I felt as if I had returned home to northern Colorado and had just driven up the Poudre Valley River Canyon.

We selected our trout direct from the pond. Shortly, dinner, wrapped and baked in tinfoil with herbs, was served. We toasted, clinking bottles of cold beer. We were in a simple wood-framed building in the pine forest next to a stream with turkeys wandering about.

Our dining room was more like a giant tree house than a restaurant. It was modest, rustic, and appropriate for Christmas. Christ had been born in a manger.

-- Dick Davis

Dick Davis travels frequently and contributes articles to www.ourmexico.com. This story is from their RSS feed of publically accessible articles. Dick has taught in both Mexico and Spain and is happy to share his experiences. A resolute companion in his Mexican travels is his Grand Marquis. He can be contacted at: dickdavis40@hotmail.com

From the Vip Club Newsletter for San Miguel de Allende with information on discounts available for club members who have purchased the VIP Club Discount Card
  • Accounting Services: Juan Manuel Orta,
    044-415-101-1805, free consultation for first-timers


  • Aqua Bell, purified water, call 120-3500, 19 liter jugs, home delivered, no deposit charge, 12-pesos, 20% discount


  • Art Print, San Francisco 11, upstairs, (quality full-color digital printing, 10% minimum $400 pesos)


  • BBQ Bob's, Salida de Celaya #6 organic produce, (10%, 100 peso minimum)


  • Beatriz's Vacation Rental Apartments - 10% discount off rentals apartments.


  • "Best of San Miguel" published by Joseph Harmes, (10%), order by e-mail:
    escritorsma@cybermatsa.com.mx


  • Black & White Shop - "Tonina" - now located Loreto 28A, 20% off


  • Camar Printing - 10% off all printing services, minimum $500 pesos.


  • Casa del Inquisidor, Aldama No. 1. Members may take 10% off marked goods. Casa del Inquisidor furniture & décor store, furniture, upholstery, rugs and hardware, in addition to Casa del Inquisidor's professional interior design.


  • Casa Linda, Luxury Hotel - 15% off for cash, 5% when using credit card.


  • Casa Montana Hotel in Pozos - 20%.


  • Chelo's Farmacia - 20% drugs, 15% off retail products except those already marked down, $50 pesos minimum.


  • Classes un LTD - VIP Club members may take 10% off continuous education classes. For additional info visit their website, www.classesunlimited.com, or call: 152-2483.


  • Clinica Izuinapan Pet Care and Spa. Veterinario Dr. Rodrigo Garibay offers 10% off pet needs including spaying, neutering, grooming and SPA services. La Clinica secializes in alternative and preventive medical treatment & Professional Grooming for pets
    Relampago #22 Col. La Lejona 2da. Seccion,
    Cell: 044 415 151 9325.


  • Darla's Jewelry, corner of Correo and Recreo, (15%)


  • Dryclean USA, Salida A Celaya No.14, 185-8200,
    Dry clean and laundry services, pick up and
    delivery, 15% discount, 100 peso minimum.


  • DuPont Paints, 152-39-87, (10%) off
    Two locations Salida de Celaya #26 and, Libramiento a Dolores Hidalgo #46, 044-415-100-6552


  • Elite Nails, waxing etc. Zacateros #29 (15%) 100 peso minimum


  • ERA Gift Shop, Zacateros #39, (10%)


  • Georgia Dering Massage Therapy, 044-415-103-3364 (10%)


  • Goldie Designs, Canal #9, (10%)


  • Helena Moreno Fine Arts Gallery, Jesus #18, (10% off marked items)


  • Hotel Casa Cafe on Hidalgo, (10%) coffee by the kilo, whole bean or ground


  • Intercam Casa de Cambio - (premium rate slightly above posted rate when cashing in dollars).


  • Joyous Heart represents, Shaklee, Mexico, Zamora Rios #9, Colonia Allende, 152 1213. Deep discounts to VIP Club Members.

  • La Morada Hotel - 20% off rooms and suites (some black out dates apply).


  • Lavamagico laundry service (home delivery), Pila Seca #5, 152-0899. (10)%


  • Noel Propane Gas, home delivery, (6%) off retail price 154-8383 Special Instructions, must call in for cylinders or tanks beforehand give card # and date of expiration. If encountering truck on the street must call in when in house. laundry service (home delivery), Pila Seca #5, 152-0899. (10)%


  • The Leather Shop - Umarán #1, (10%)


  • Moyshen Art Gallery Hidalgo #4, (10% off marked art)


  • McDonalds Mail Box Service to US (10% discount for year payment)


  • Patricia's facial & body treatments, Ladrillera #1, 154-8104. (10%)


  • Ren Ellis Leather Goods, Recreo 8A (10%)


  • San Miguel Health and Fitness Center - 20% off first month's membership.


  • Satellite Mexico TV - Welcome, SATELLITE MEXICO, VIP Club members can take 10% off services, including installation. Contact Chuck for info: satellitemexico@yahoo.com


  • 3 Señores - Camping and horseback riding. For reservations call:
    044-415-101-4976. 25% discount of regular rates.


  • San Miguel Designs; (www.sanmigueldesigns.com). (15%).


  • Satellite Mexico TV (10%) off services, including installation


  • Seventh Heaven Boutique - Sollano #13, Various discounts to members.


  • Stilo Lamps and Furniture, Casada Aurora, (10% off marked goods)


  • Vista Real Hotel and Vista Real Hotel's Restaurant - (20%) Blackout periods apply


Notice: Certain Restaurants and Businesses may have restrictions that do not appear on this website. Please contact The Restaurant Club directly for a complete list of participating businesses and restrictions.

Web site Questions/Corrections, contact web@vipsanmiguel.com and Lou Christine

VIP Questions, contact vipsma@cybermatsa.com.mx for the VIP CLUB

Another interesting perspective from Mexonline

Located 60 kilometers north of Queretaro, the colonial gem of San Miguel de Allende, population 80,000, is situated on a hillside facing the Laja River and the distant Guanajuato Mountains. Declared a national monument in 1926, San Miguel is a picturesque city of arched colonial mansions, flower-filled patios, and winding, terraced cobblestone streets. It is particularly beautiful in March, when flowering jacaranda trees are in bloom. Roof top views and gardens of this colonial city It is Mexico's most celebrated artists' community, and has been luring artistically-inclined Mexicans and foreigners (about 3,500 Americans and Canadians) for decades.

Instituto Allende, founded in 1951, is an intellectual center and arts academy of renown. There are also many other institutes focusing on arts, literature, and language. Despite this Anglo invasion, San Miguel is very Mexican village. The city boasts a thriving cultural and entertainment scene. Many events (plays, lectures, art classes) are in English.

The renowned San Miguel Music Festival (featuring Mexican and international artists) happens each December. A city with six patron saints and dozens of churches, San Miguel hosts a full calendar of religious festivals throughout the year. The town's biggest bash is San Miguel Arcángel, a celebration honoring the town's chief patron saint. The event includes a running of bulls through city streets, traditional dancers, and lots of merriment. It is held each September 29th.

El Jardin, the city's main plaza (zocalo) is a great starting spot. You can't miss the city's landmark, La Parroquia, the pink, gothic church on the main plaza. La Parroquia on the main plaza is as recognizable an icon for San Miguel as the Eiffel Tower is for Paris. It is one of a few features that distinguish San Miguel from the state's other colonial city attraction, Guanajuato.

For shopping, the city boasts some of Mexico's best craft shops and fine art boutiques. Variety of merchandise is exceptional, as is the workmanship. Its dining scene is top notch. Nouvelle Mexican cuisine, plus a diverse assortment of international dining options have given San Miguel a reputation for having the best "small town" dining in Mexico.

Most of San Miguel's sightseeing highlights are clustered around the compact downtown area. This is a wonderful city for aimless wandering along its narrow cobbled lanes. One of the best city views is from the town's Mirador, located on a hill to the southeast of the city center. At the foot of the hill is El Chorro, which spouts a natural spring where the city's women come to do laundry. Further along is Parque Juárez, a shady green belt with ponds, fountains, and benches. If you are looking for an authentic Mexican town with international flair, centuries old history, and a relaxing almost peaceful feeling, San Miguel de Allende is the vacation (or retirement spot) for you.
From the Vip Club Newsletter for San Miguel de Allende with information on discounts available for club members who have purchased the VIP Club Discount Card

November 30, 2006

Greetings:

VIP Club participating bar, EL PETITE, Hernandez Macias #95, reopens with an inauguration gala, tonight, November 30, with a special reception and live music from 6-8pm. The attached Market Bistro Restaurant will reopen sometime in December. Good luck Daniel.

BTW: Right next door in Romanos, they have a dinner show in the back patio every Thursday night, with Parker and Young playing from 8-10pm. Also, on Wednesdays, Frederico plays Latin folk from 8-10pm.

Also, entertainment wise, VIP participating restaurant La Frugua wants member to know about their weekly line up of entertainment:

  • Tuesdays; 8pm, Tango Nights, with "Rio Negro,"
  • Wednesdays; 8pm, Blues with "Robert Kaplan and & Joe,"
  • Thursdays; 9:30pm, Pop, Salsa, Cumbia etc, with "Rossalba,"
  • Fridays & Saturdays; 10:30pm, "Maria,"
  • Saturdays; 3pm, Mexican Trio Music, with "Los Padrinos,"
  • Sundays; 8pm, Bohemia with "Pepe Cordoba."

Card Member Keith Thompson is no longer at Finnegans but has opened the Long Horn Texas BBQ, behind La Palapa. Because of the price structure, the card does not apply but consider giving Keith's new place a try.

Card Member, Donna Drinnon, of the Drinnon Art Gallery, Sto. Domingo 42B, is having a mixed media show on Saturday & Sunday, December 2-3, from 12-5pm, featuring wall art of women and children

Card Member Beatriz Orvananos is moving her VIP Club participating Ritmos Latinos dance lesson studio from Zacateros to La Carpa. Classes will resume January 8, 2007. Contact La Carpa for the new schedule.

Club members Mort and Norma Erlick are having a garage sale, at their home, Cuesta de San Jose #29, on Saturday, December 16, 9am-1pm. They will be selling off Mexican antiques-Santos', Textiles, Folk Art, Oriental Rugs and many one of a kind items. Club members can come a week early if they call first at 152-8180.

It was brought to our attention that a notice was posted on the "not-so-cool" list, a good idea gone bad where there is mostly whining, griping and back biting, and someone was braying the propane gas company does not show when called. I had a casual conversation with Jesus from Noel Gas and asked him if there was a problem. Do know, especially if it a large tank delivery, that if the trucks can't find a parking spot they cannot deliver. They do try coming back often during the course of the day but if they can't park they can't deliver.

We would like to remind members that the VIP card does not apply to cover charges for entertainment. We post this information in our brochures and on our webpage but some members overlook the rule and occasionally they give door men a hard times. Stop it! The Club rules are but few but each member should know them. Restaurant wise the card is valid for food and drink off the menu; tobacco products, t-shirts etc. are never included as part of the discount.

A member called our office and all the girls could make out is them saying they lost their card. They could not understand who they were because they were sneezing and coughing the whole time. But do know, if you misplaced or lost your card, contact us here for immediate replacement, no questions asked.

BTW: with flu season upon us, know that VIP Club Members get a 20% discount at Chelos Faracia , off of pharmaceuticals and 15% off their retail products.

Many members have written in for updates about member Arden O'Rourke who was in a bad accident up near the border. Seems our prayers and good wishes were answered. She is out of trouble, has come out of the coma, and has been taken off the respirator at a hospital in San Antonio, Texas. She has a long way to go to be her old self but she is doing better everyday. Arden and her family thank you all for your concern and prayers.

The holidays are coming: Be nice to one another.

Thank you for your continuous and loyal support.

Your San Miguel VIP Club