22 Best Hotels in San Miguel de Allende and the Heartland, Mexico

The appealing Casa Encantada is a magnificent hotel built into a 17th-century mansion just off Pátzcuaro's main plaza. Rooms and suites—all with different configurations and appealing decor and furnishings—surround a courtyard with a garden and fountain. Though rented by the night, they're more like apartments than hotel rooms; most have kitchens and/or dining areas; a couple have fireplaces, and four have bathtubs.

A stately 1756 mansion has been converted into a handsome hotel in Querétaro's center, with each of the spacious guest rooms decorated with fine antiques, tasteful art, parquet floors, and area rugs. The popular restaurant serves both international and Mexican cuisine. A pianist often entertains guests during breakfast. 

This is one of the world's more curious hotels: it's built around Mexico's first plaza de toros (bullring), which is the second-oldest in the Western Hemisphere. Pastel fabrics complement dark, traditional furniture in the large, bright, and plush rooms. Some of the former bull pens are part of the bar, which is a great place to unwind; candles supply the lighting, and there are cozy corners. Two levels of the spectator area make up an outdoor café. The formal restaurant ($$$) offers Mexican and international cuisine and, from the upper level, an awesome view of the bullring and the aqueduct beyond.

This luxurious, three-story palace of graceful limestone arches and beautiful, locally crafted furnishings opened in 2011 and is especially popular with wedding parties. The vast majority (80%) of the clientele is Mexican, though the rooftop bar draws an international mix. Luxurious rooms and suites have fireplaces, ample bathtubs, and sumptuous beds and bedding. Tasteful furnishings include wool rugs from Guadalajara, velveteen couches, and plump leather armchairs. Amenities include a large gym and full-service—albeit pricey—spa; a beautiful pool area with cabanas and exquisite landscaping; and a kids' club.

Built in 1580 as the archbishop of Guanajuato's residence, this elegant country-style inn still attracts ambassadors, diplomats, film stars, and other luminaries. Rooms are distributed throughout a series of small mansions. Lace curtains, handwoven rugs, and chandeliers adorn some of them; fireplaces, cozy terraces, and skylights enhance others. The hotel runs the separate Casa del Parque, an exquisitely restored 18th-century hacienda with five guest rooms a few minutes' walk away, on the Parque Benito Juárez; its restaurant serves refined versions of traditional Mexican dishes and has a popular Sunday buffet brunch.

The theme of this three-story hotel across from La Compania church and just down the street from the University of Guanajuato is clearly maritime, with a light-blue color scheme and blue glass floor tiles in the downstairs lobby. Rooms have a tranquil blue-gray–and-cream color scheme, high ceilings, pleasingly modern wood furnishings, and comfortable beds. Those facing outward have balconies, some with excellent views. Its location just behind Jardín de la Unión puts you right within access of the square's vibrancy, but without the all the noise.

Near the Diego Rivera Museum and other downtown sights, the four-story "Inn of the Poets" offers comfortable lodgings at a moderate price, which is all too rare in downtown Guanajuato. Each room and suite is named after a different poet and has unique layout and furnishings; those on the upper floors have the most natural light and best views, but bear in mind you must walk up.

For an authentic Zacatecano hotel, consider this clean, quiet place. The spacious brown-carpeted suites have dark antiques; some are equipped with a small kitchen (but no cookware). Sprawling plants and singing birds—Pepe the parrot leads the choir—enliven the two-story interior courtyard. There's also a breakfast room.

With a sleek modern design and a terrific location within walking distance of Plaza de Armas and the restaurants and nightlife of the La Cruz district, the reasonably priced Hotel Criol has a peaceful courtyard and pool, a library, a small restaurant for guests to relax in, and compact but smartly furnished rooms.

Short of camping along the trail, you can't get a whole lot closer to the famed Peña de Bernal monolith than staying in this imaginatively designed boutique inn constructed of local stone and offering a very nice restaurant and wine cellar bar, plus a terrace, pool, and hot tub with great views of the countryside. The one drawback of being so close to the mountain is that the location is a bit outside the charming town center of Bernal. But for exploring the area, including the many wineries nearby, it's a great choice.

The 18th-century pink-stone facade of this lovely old colonial building faces the Plaza de Armas and the cathedral. During festival season, rooms looking onto the plaza are within earshot of late-night and early-morning tamborazo music. That said, you'll get a great view of the festivities from your small balcony. It offers lots of services, such as parking, babysitting, a bar-restaurant, business center, and a small gym.

A private mansion built in the 17th century is now an alluring hotel less than two blocks from the Plaza de Armas. In the original section, rooms surround an elegant patio with a large fountain and massive bougainvillea. Rooms have been upgraded and feature flat-screen TVs, tile floors and Persian-style rugs, goose-down pillows, and 400-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets.

Rooms in this basic, budget-priced, 19th-century inn are simply furnished in a colonial style; they're nothing fancy, but this is a good option for travelers on a budget. Several in the old wing are uncomfortably dark and cramped, but others are more open and have fireplaces. Head up to the rooftop public terrace for city views; the building is near the hulking dome of the Iglesia de la Concepción. There's a communal TV in the lobby, which looks like a formal Mexican living room.

This colonial-style inn at the Jardín de la Unión—the best location in town for being in the thick of things—has been in operation since 1862. Large historical paintings by local artist Don Manuel Leal hang in the wood-paneled lobby. Rooms are rather drab, with barely adequate bathrooms. Rooms facing the plaza can be noisy, but have the best views; quieter rooms face narrow alleyways, and some look onto Guanajuato's twisting roads. The hotel's restaurant is great for people-watching and late-night snacks.

This shiny, modern hotel, with its prime location on Avenida Hidalgo, has taken the city by storm. A marble staircase leads up to the first floor, past gleaming glass structures. Rooms are top-of-the-line, simple and sleek, with dark-wood floors, lovely bathrooms, and, in some cases, terraces that open onto terrific views of the city. The restaurant isn't as exciting.

Built in 1565 for a Spanish nobleman, this downtown hotel radiates the aura of a bygone era. A massive stained-glass skylight casts a warm glow over an elegant lobby lounge fitted with an enormous stone fireplace and stiff-looking but surprisingly comfy couches. Guest rooms have dark colonial-style furnishings, lace curtains, soaring ceilings, creaking hardwood floors, and bathrooms with porcelain tubs. You can mingle with the locals at the popular sidewalk tables over a coffee, cocktail, or a meal. Make sure to get a room with a window facing outdoors, as some face only the lobby.

Stone archways ring plant-filled courtyards in this 17th-century mansion. Rooms, with large wood-and-glass doors, are partially carpeted. The owners are an excellent source of information regarding Pátzcuaro and the surrounding areas. Be sure to check out the restaurant, Doña Paca, and its tasty coffee drinks.

Once an early-19th-century apartment building, this hotel is absolutely sprawling, with courtyard upon courtyard giving way to more rooms than you imagined could exist here. There are two levels of guest rooms, all of which are done in tasteful, if somewhat bland, furnishings. The Mesón's placement on a little plaza set back from and above the street enhances its tranquil quality.

Although nothing to write home about, Hotel Posada de la Aldea has some qualities that make it worth considering if you are a bargain shopper. Rooms are spacious, though the furnishings are a bit tired, and there's ample free parking, a restaurant-bar, heated swimming pool (rare in budget San Miguel hotels), and an excellent location not far from all the downtown sights. It's also near many more good restaurants on Calle Ancha de San Antonio. Better prices are often available during nonpeak seasons.

When he wasn't living in his jungle hut, Edward James stayed in town (a 10-minute drive away) in a whimsical house that feels like an extension of the garden structures at Las Pozas—except that it has walls. The house, El Castillo (the Castle), is now a quirky inn run by the granddaughter of James's boon companion and chief designer-builder, Plutarco Gastelum. Rooms are adorned with simple wooden furnishings; the best rooms have huge Gothic windows and panoramic mountain views. You can arrange to have meals here, although there are lately more dining options in Xilitla, which has grown to 15,000 souls, than in previous years.

With excellent views of Guanajuato, suites at this renovated 19th-century property, a Mexico Boutique Hotel member, are handsomely decorated with period European or Mexican furnishings. It's an utterly relaxing place, with a pretty restaurant and newly renovated bar specializing in artisanal mezcals. Take a stroll along Paseo de la Presa to admire the early-20th-century homes built by mining execs imported from Europe. Walk into town (take a cab back, it's uphill), to the de la Olla Dam, or just stretch your legs in the newly renovated Florencio Antillón park, almost across the street from the hotel.

French count Philippe de Reiset fitted this villa with all the trappings of an informal Mexican estate. High above Morelia in the Santa María hills, its five impeccably groomed acres are studded with stone sculptures, although the rooms themselves are less impressive. Each unit has at least one piece of antique furniture, and most have a fireplace and private patio, but the furnishings are rather clunky and plain. The hotel's restaurant serves North American, French, and Mexican cuisine (but these don't get rave reviews); from its huge windows you'll have a marvelous view of Morelia, especially at night.