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"Casita Animas"
(San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, MX)
Located near the Mercado Ignacio Ramirez (the
artisans' market)
and a leisurely 10 minute walk from the Jardin, this small house ("casita") is well-appointed and close to most major attractions in San Miguel de Allende.
When we first started looking for houses in this area, we found the
designation "Centro" to be misleading, as it encompasses a large area
that ranges from relatively level in the north to very hilly in the south. Many of the houses
listed in the Centro are in fact located at the very bottom of the
rectangular-shaped Centro area on the map, including the Parque Juarez and Guidiana.
These represent a lengthy, uphill walk to the town center--not a pleasant
prospect when the rain hits and the water cascades down the street! In
contrast, Casita Animas is much nearer to the action, and it is on level
terrain. Located on a relatively quiet street, most of the
surrounding dwellings are owned by an extended Mexican family, including the bakery
and barber shop next door. Sandwiched between a bakery and the garage of the
adjacent house, there is no noise from the adjacent buildings.
Entrance
to Casita Animas is at street level, through the green mesquite double doors
shown in the photo at the top of the page. These doors open onto a small entryway: The first thing
you see is the coat rack and a wrought-iron divider separating this area from the living room (photo to
the left). The living room features a built-in banquette and chair arrangement
that is surprisingly comfortable. The seat cushions and pillows
feature "Provencale" colors that
complement the painted plates that hand above the couch. The plates are from
nearby Dolores Hidalgo ("the" ceramics center, a short drive from San Miguel). We
had the green tiled and wrought-iron table (shown in the photo to the right)
made up
during
our stay (our first!) in the house July 2005. There is a phone and CD
player in
the living area, and the wireless internet is accessible from this room. The
facing wall consists of two large arches (typical of Mexican architecture); the
one closest to the door features a large brass candle box, while the one nearest
the dining area is mirrored and houses a vase with dried silk flowers. Track
lighting accentuates these decorative features. The shelves below the arches
contain local figurines and reading material. The room is finished with textured masonry and
hewn beams, and the two mirrors afford the room a spacious feel.
Passing through the archway at the far end of the living room brings you to the
dining area. The square room features a wrought-iron dining table with four
padded chairs and a hutch for extra dishes. The room is brightly lit by a
copper chandelier, and the opposing walls feature a second copper-framed mirror, along
with an embroidered textile from the Ignacio Ramirez market. The wall under the textile is
houses a gas heater, a handy feature with the onset of chilly weather.
This room, too, features hewed beam ceilings.
The
dining room opens to
the kitchen through another large main archway. The
kitchen is large and well-appointed, having both the space and the accoutrements
to whip up wonderful dinners. We speak from experience, as we cooked many
memorable
meals there when time allows us to visit San Miguel. It was important to us that
people would have a positive cooking experience here,
and so we are happy to provide new, heavy-duty cookware, along with possibly the
only pot-holders in Mexico that Work! There is a
standard-sized sink next to a new six-burner stove with oven. The counter space
is ample for food preparation, and there is plenty of storage
space. Solid
wood cabinets above and below the counter space (and a free-standing set of shelves opposite the sink) contain everything you'll need:
heavy all-purpose flatware, plenty of knives, plates, bowls, mixing bowls, mugs,
cups & saucers, glasses and a complete set of quality cookware. The kitchen is
equally well-stocked in terms of appliances, with a blender, a juicer, a
toaster, a toaster oven, a tea kettle and coffee maker. A full-size refrigerator
and microwave and bottled water dispenser round out the kitchen equipment. The
kitchen embraces the "pollo"
(chicken) theme, with a colorful tiled "splash" wall and terracotta birds.
Behind
the kitchen and through the double glass doors is an anteroom that houses an
attractive
powder room and the spiral wrought iron staircase that leads to the upper rooms
and roof top terrace. The half bath is comprised of a free standing wrought
iron sink with a colorful Mexican-tiled washbasin in the corner of the room
(photo to the right), and
the enclosed toilet area adjacent. The small bathroom has a wrought iron door
with a frosted glass window (photo bottom left). Above the powder room is a flat surface which
we found useful for to storing our
luggage. This last downstairs room opens above to an atrium that extends two floors to the
roof; therefore, it receives a great deal of sunlight. The walls are decorated with
terracotta figures. The
photo
at the upper left gives an overview of this area, and
was shot from the sun room above. It shows the location of the wash basin (also
featured in the photo to the right) the open door leading to the toilet, as well
as the two and one half story spiral staircase that leads to the next two
levels.
Proceeding up the spiral staircase brings you to the sun room, a loft.
It receives plenty of sunlight from the
skylight above while its configuration also allows light to pass through to the
lower level of the house. This room makes a great reading room as well as an
excellent studio area for an artist. The rectangular room has a raised platform on
one side (where the enclosed hot water heater is mounted) flanked by
shelves
containing a potted palm, a large Dolores Hidalgo vase and a painted hand-woven basket.
The space above the flowering plant is a beautiful wrought iron candle holder, a
functional as well as decorative touch! On the
floor is a hand-woven rug designed to keep your feet warm on a cool morning. The
sunroom
is an essentially open room, with two leather
and wooden chairs
and a coffee table in
the corner. On the wall is a single picture frame,
featuring shots from in and around San Miguel de Allende. The room is lit by twin
brass lamps, hanging above the hallway that leads to the bathroom and then the
bedroom. The full story of open air above gives this room a
spaciousness that belies its size, and it is a wonderful place to read, visit,
or paint.
The sun room
opens to the second floor hallway which is decorated with a colorful runner and
a hand-carved/painted half-table. Opposite this is the upstairs bathroom, which is decorated in maroon tiles
extending from the sink to the bathtub. The shower itself is finished in a light
beige tiling with seashell motif. There is a basin and cupboard in the center of
the room, flanked by shelves (with lots of towels/washcloths & linens) on one
side and the commode on the other. On the far end of the room is a 3/4 tub with
shower. There is excellent lighting for the
mirror. The casita has a U.S.-sized hot water heater, guaranteed to provide
enough water for the dishes and enough left over for a hot bath!
At
the end of the hall is the bedroom, which features a double bed. It is "muy'
comfortable -- just firm enough to be supportive, but not "hard." Next to this
is a small balcony which overlooks Animas and has a lovely view of bright
foliage of indigenous trees and (usually!) blue sky behind it. The room has good
storage, with a large hand-carved armoire (hanging closet w/ 2 drawers) and a
3-drawer dresser next to the bed. On the other side of the bed is a night
stand with a phone; both the dresser and the night stand have ceramic lamps, and
the dresser is draped with a bright runner. Two accents found in the bedroom are
the frosted glass and wrought
iron skylight (making the room bright, even when the curtains are closed) and
the
large mirrored arch at the foot of the bed, which contributes to a more spacious
feeling in the room. Further illumination is provided by a (bright!) ceiling
light. Ventilation is provided by a ceiling fan with more light. There is a green
hand-woven rug on the floor. A hand-carved chair which matches the hall table
rounds out
the furnishings. The bedroom is equipped with a cable television that
features CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, and several English-speaking movie channels.
We counted in the area of 15 English-speaking stations at any given time. There
is also a DVD player for watching videos (there is a video rental store four blocks away) and listening to CD's. By the way, if you have a way to burn
your MP3's onto CD's, go ahead and do it -- both players in the house will play
CD-R's with MP3's. Alternately, just bring your favorite CD's.
One level up the spiral staircase (from the sun room) is a roof top terrace. It is rectangular, surprisingly roomy, and features both an electric light and two electrical outlets, as well as a spigot and hose. The terrace offers views of the nearby hills and the surrounding buildings and trees, along with the spires of some of San Miguel's churches. The roof top has a mosaic and wrought iron table with two matching chairs. The ledges are lined with local desert plants. It is a wonderful place to enjoy a drink in the evening, or to watch the (very!) low-lying clouds as a storm approaches.
If you are interested in staying at Casita Animas, please visit the following web site
http://www.san-miguel-house-rentals.com or contact them at : annie1@san-miguel-house-rentals.com
A Virtual Tour of Casita Animas
This virtual tour is a series of interlocking 360-degree panoramas of each of the areas of the house. Here is how to operate it:
If you don't see anything, look at the top of the screen for this message: "To help protect your security, Internet Explorer has restricted this web page from running scripts or ActiveX controls that could access your computer. Click here for options..."
Click on that space, and select the option "Allow Blocked Content"
When a dialogue box appears asking if you are sure, Click "Yes" (there is nothing here that will invade your privacy)
Alternately, use Firefox, which has none of these issues.
If the panorama appears, put your cursor in the window and click. The little hand will turn back into the cursor arrow. Keep the cursor in the window, and little red boxes or "hotspots" will pop up to guide you from room to room. That's about it--Enjoy the Virtual Tour!
Views of San Miguel de Allende
It is hard to take a bad picture in San Miguel. Here are a few snapshots to whet your appetite!
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Looking Down Mesones |
Clock Tower Near Parque Juarez |
Plaza near Parque Juarez |
View of the Parroquia from the Jardin |
Calle de Jesus |
Templo de San Francisco |
Cowboys at the bench near Soledad |
