Section I · The Ranked Twelve
From best to twelfth.
Sorted by what each casona actually does well at its price point, on a peak holiday week.
No. I
Centro casona by the Parroquia.
Bedrooms: 6. Sleeps: 12. Neighborhood: the historic Centro, a few blocks from the Parroquia and the Jardín. Character: a restored colonial courtyard mansion with a rooftop terrace over the town. Peak weekly rate: $38,000 to $55,000 / wk peak holiday week, listed through Villas of Distinction and Plum Guide. Included: full staff (housekeeper, cook, often a houseman), private pool or plunge pool, the rooftop terrace, concierge. Not included: a large garden plot, parking for several cars, a sea or open view.
Why it ranks here: the definitive San Miguel booking. A restored casona within walking distance of the Parroquia, with full staff and a rooftop that frames the church at sunset, is exactly what the town is for, and a six-bedroom here gives a group of 12 the walkable center and the colonial house in one.
What we would change: the Centro casonas sit on cobblestone streets with little parking, so the cars stay at a lot and the group walks. The location is the draw, the parking and the street noise on a fiesta night are the trade.
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No. II
Los Balcones panoramic view villa.
Bedrooms: 6. Sleeps: 12. Neighborhood: Los Balcones, the hillside above the Centro. Character: a modern or contemporary-colonial villa with a panoramic view over the town and the Parroquia. Peak weekly rate: $34,000 to $50,000 / wk peak holiday week, listed through Plum Guide and Villas of Distinction. Included: full staff or housekeeping and cook, private pool, the panoramic terrace, concierge. Not included: the walk to the Parroquia (this is a drive or a steep climb), a large flat garden, parking constraints aside.
Why it ranks here: the best-view pick. Los Balcones sits on the slope above the town with the widest view of the Parroquia and the highland sunset, so a six-bedroom here gives a group of 12 the photograph everyone wants from the terrace, with the Centro a short drive below.
What we would change: the hillside puts the Centro a drive or a hard uphill walk away, so the walkability of the in-town casonas is lost. The view is the draw, the climb back from town is the trade.
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No. III
Atascadero leafy villa, six-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 6. Sleeps: 12. Neighborhood: Atascadero, the leafy area east of the Centro near the Instituto Allende. Character: a garden villa with mature trees and a larger plot than the Centro allows. Peak weekly rate: $30,000 to $46,000 / wk peak holiday week, listed through Villas of Distinction and Plum Guide. Included: full staff or housekeeping and cook, private pool, the garden, concierge. Not included: the walk-out-the-door Parroquia, a hilltop view, the cobblestone-center character.
Why it ranks here: the garden-and-space pick close to town. Atascadero runs bigger, greener plots than the Centro, a short walk or drive from the Parroquia, so a six-bedroom here gives a group of 12 a real garden and pool with the center still within reach. The leafy calm is the draw.
What we would change: Atascadero is a walk of 15 to 20 minutes from the Jardín, uphill on the way back, so it is close but not center. The garden is the draw, the walk is the trade.
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No. IV
Guadiana garden casa, six-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 6. Sleeps: 12. Neighborhood: Guadiana, the leafy central pocket near Parque Juárez. Character: a colonial casa with a garden, close to the park and a short walk to the Centro. Peak weekly rate: $28,000 to $44,000 / wk peak holiday week, listed through Plum Guide and Villas of Distinction. Included: full staff or housekeeping and cook, private pool, the garden, concierge. Not included: a hilltop view, the cobblestone-center setting, ample car parking.
Why it ranks here: the best walk-to-center garden pick. Guadiana is the leafy, quiet pocket beside Parque Juárez, the shortest comfortable walk to the Centro of the garden neighborhoods, so a six-bedroom here gives a group of 12 the green calm and the close walk in one.
What we would change: Guadiana is a desirable, settled neighborhood, so the casonas here are tightly held and the best ones book early. The walk-and-garden balance is the draw, the limited inventory is the trade.
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No. V
San Antonio artist-quarter casa, five-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 5. Sleeps: 10. Neighborhood: San Antonio, the artist quarter south of the Centro. Character: a colorful casa in the galleries-and-studios district, walkable to the Fabrica La Aurora. Peak weekly rate: $24,000 to $40,000 / wk peak holiday week, listed through Villas of Distinction and Plum Guide. Included: staff or housekeeping and cook, private pool or plunge pool, the gallery district, concierge. Not included: the immediate Parroquia walk, a hilltop view, a large plot.
Why it ranks here: the creative-district pick. San Antonio holds the galleries, the studios, and the Fabrica La Aurora arts center, with a younger, more local feel than the Centro, so a five-bedroom here suits a group of 10 that wants the art scene and the lower rate, a 15-minute walk from the Jardín.
What we would change: San Antonio is up the hill south of the center, so the walk back from town climbs. The arts district and the rate are the draw, the climb is the trade.
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No. VI
Los Frailes golf villa, five-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 5. Sleeps: 10. Neighborhood: Los Frailes, the golf community south of town. Character: a fairway or country-club villa with a larger pool and grounds. Peak weekly rate: $22,000 to $38,000 / wk peak holiday week, listed through Plum Guide and Villas of Distinction. Included: private pool, housekeeping and cook, golf and club access by arrangement, concierge. Not included: the walk to the Centro, the cobblestone character, a hilltop town view.
Why it ranks here: the golf-and-space pick. Los Frailes pairs the golf and the larger gated plots with a quieter pace, so a five-bedroom here gives a group of 10 the pool, the grounds, and the course, with the Centro a short drive.
What we would change: the golf community is a 10-to-15-minute drive from town, so the walkable center is gone and a car is essential. The golf and the space are the draw, the distance from the Centro is the cost.
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No. VII
El Obraje central casa, five-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 5. Sleeps: 10. Neighborhood: El Obraje, the central pocket northeast of the Jardín. Character: a colonial casa a short walk from the center, with a courtyard and rooftop. Peak weekly rate: $20,000 to $36,000 / wk peak holiday week, listed through Villas of Distinction and Plum Guide. Included: housekeeping and cook, private pool or plunge pool, the rooftop, concierge. Not included: a large garden, a hilltop view, ample parking.
Why it ranks here: the central value pick. El Obraje sits a short, mostly level walk from the Jardín, so a five-bedroom casa here gives a group of 10 the close walk and the rooftop at a rate below the prime Centro blocks.
What we would change: El Obraje is central but plainer than the prime Centro streets, so the storybook-cobblestone setting is thinner. The rate and the walk are the draw, the setting is the trade.
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No. VIII
Las Ventanas hillside villa, five-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 5. Sleeps: 10. Neighborhood: Las Ventanas, the newer hillside development east of town. Character: a modern villa with a view terrace and a contemporary pool. Peak weekly rate: $20,000 to $34,000 / wk peak holiday week, listed through Plum Guide and Villas of Distinction. Included: private pool, housekeeping and cook, the view terrace, concierge. Not included: the walk to the Centro, the colonial character, a flat garden.
Why it ranks here: the modern-view value pick. Las Ventanas holds the newer contemporary builds with view terraces at a rate below Los Balcones, so a five-bedroom here gives a group of 10 the modern house and the highland view without the prime-hillside premium.
What we would change: Las Ventanas is a drive from the center and still filling in, so some plots sit beside active building sites. The view and the modern house are the draw, the construction risk is the trade.
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No. IX
Atotonilco countryside hacienda, six-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 6. Sleeps: 12. Neighborhood: the countryside toward Atotonilco, north of town near the sanctuary. Character: a hacienda-style property with grounds, often near the vineyards. Peak weekly rate: $24,000 to $42,000 / wk peak holiday week, listed through Villas of Distinction and Plum Guide. Included: private pool, full staff or housekeeping and cook, the grounds and the country quiet, concierge. Not included: the walkable town, restaurants on foot, a town view.
Why it ranks here: the country-estate pick. The Atotonilco countryside holds the haciendas, the Sanctuary of Atotonilco, and the San Miguel vineyards, so a six-bedroom here gives a group of 12 the rural grounds and the wine country, with the town a 15-to-20-minute drive.
What we would change: the countryside means every meal in town is a drive, and a car or driver for the group is essential. The grounds and the vineyards are the draw, the distance from the town is the cost.
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No. X
La Lejona residential villa, four-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 4. Sleeps: 8. Neighborhood: La Lejona, the residential area northwest of the Centro. Character: a comfortable family villa with a pool and a yard. Peak weekly rate: $16,000 to $28,000 / wk peak holiday week, listed through Plum Guide and Villas of Distinction. Included: private pool, housekeeping and cook, the yard, concierge. Not included: the walkable center, the colonial character, a town view.
Why it ranks here: the residential-value pick. La Lejona is a settled residential neighborhood with practical family villas at lower rates, so a four-bedroom here suits a group of eight that wants a pool and a yard near town without the Centro premium.
What we would change: La Lejona is residential and plain, a drive from the center with little character of its own. The rate and the space are the draw, the setting is the trade.
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No. XI
Cieneguita riverside villa, four-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 4. Sleeps: 8. Neighborhood: Cieneguita, the riverside area below the Centro. Character: a casa near the river and the botanical garden trails. Peak weekly rate: $14,000 to $26,000 / wk peak holiday week, listed through Villas of Distinction and Plum Guide. Included: private pool, housekeeping and cook, the riverside quiet, concierge. Not included: the walk-out-the-door center, a hilltop view, a large plot.
Why it ranks here: the quiet-edge value pick. Cieneguita sits below the town near the river and the Charco del Ingenio trails, quieter and cheaper than the center, so a four-bedroom here gives a group of eight the calm and the lower rate, a short drive from the Jardín.
What we would change: Cieneguita is mixed in character and a drive from the center, so it leans on the car. The quiet and the rate are the draw, the walkability is the trade.
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No. XII
Centro-edge casa, four-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 4. Sleeps: 8. Neighborhood: the edge of the Centro, a short walk from the Jardín. Character: a compact colonial casa with a courtyard and a rooftop. Peak weekly rate: $10,000 to $22,000 / wk peak holiday week, the floor of this list, listed through Plum Guide and Villas of Distinction. Included: housekeeping and cook, plunge pool or courtyard, the rooftop, concierge. Not included: a full pool, a large plot, parking.
Why it ranks here: the entry to a walkable Centro casa at the floor of the band. A four-bedroom on the center’s edge lets a group of eight walk to the Parroquia and the restaurants at the lowest rate on this list, with the rooftop and the courtyard intact.
What we would change: at this rate the pool is often a plunge and the rooms are compact, with the cobblestone-street parking constraint of any Centro casa. The walkable rate is the draw, the small footprint is the trade.
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