San Miguel de Allende is far from an “under the radar” destination in Mexico. Indeed, the city has garnered accolades among expatriates, art lovers, and foodies the world over as “the place to be” when traveling inland in the country. The city of about 175,000 sees more than 400,000 annual visitors, and this has led major hotel operators and boutique accommodations alike to open properties catering to them. None better represents the vision and vibe of San Miguel than Numu Boutique Hotel, part of Hyatt’s The Unbound Collection that opened in February 2023. On a recent trip to the city, I visited the property to partake in cocktails, a cooking class, and to experience what I’d heard would be the best hospitality in the city – and the hotel lives up to the hype. A stay, a meal, or even just a cooking class from Executive Chef Omar Tovar should be on your list for a trip to San Miguel de Allende.
This Boutique Hotel Showcases the Cuisine, Culture, and Class of San Miguel de Allende
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Numu’s cooking class is a hands-on deep dive into the cuisine of San Miguel de Allende
No hotel in San Miguel de Allende is better at connecting guests to cultural and culinary experiences. I arrived with a multi-generational party of three at the hotel’s rooftop restaurant, NOIA, for a cooking class.a high-end spot with a stunning view overlooking the city’s main cathedral, Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, from just south of the central plaza. We began by squashing garlic, onions, peppers, and more in a molcajete – a traditional mortar and pestle – to make a salsa. guided us through the proper process of grinding the ingredients, adding spice and salt to taste, and finishing with a salsa that looked almost as though it had gone through a blender. It tasted as good as it looked. My mouth burned from the habanero and jalapeno, the dominant flavors atop crisp fried corn tortillas.
After finishing our salsas, Chef Tovar brought out a whole sea bass and began fileting it into serving-size portions. He explained that we’d now be making a ceviche, again each to our own taste. After the fish was properly divvied, we each began by adding salt to the fish on our stations. Then we added lime juice, its acidity “cooking” the fish and turning it white. Cilantro, tomatoes, onion, and, of course, more peppers were added to taste. Sitting down to eat our creations, Chef Tovar explained NOIA’s Mediterranean-fused menu. The dishes, he said, were meant to showcase the global status of San Miguel de Allende while honoring local cooking traditions and ingredients. The restaurant is open to the public, as are the cooking classes, which take place each Thursday. I am by no means a chef, but I left the class gaining an understanding of two dishes very important to the region – and am eager to cook them at home for friends.
Beyond the weekly cooking class, NUMU offers mixology classes focused on traditional Mexican spirits like mezcal and tequila. Yoga and meditation classes happen Friday to Sunday onsite, and the hotel’s onsite restaurant Enrique offers breakfast late – until 2 PM – so guests and neighbors can get in on the famed chilaquiles even if they’ve stayed out a bit too late the night before.
Numu Boutique Hotel embraces the best of San Miguel’s ambiance and hospitality
Photo courtesy Numu Booutique Hotel
Rooms at Numu Boutique Hotel aren’t cheap – they start at around $400 per night. But if you’ve come to San Miguel de Allende to indulge in mindful, artistic resonance, you won’t find a better place to do it. It’s among a trifecta of high-end boutiques south of Centro that capture the elegance and beauty of Guanajuato’s high country – from its outdoorsy, artistic spirit to its spiced-up cuisine – and present it perfectly packaged to guests seeking to escape whatever it is they’ve left behind north, east, west, or south of the border. You can choose a room with a terrace overlooking the hotel’s interior courtyard, but this is San Miguel, so for the best experience choose one overlooking the city’s cobblestoned streets. Rooms are accessed via an outdoor walkway terrace that peeks into the city below, and this is a city that lives on the streets. There’s always something going on, be it a parade, a cultural or religious festival, or a musical performance at Parque Benito Juarez just up the road. You’ll want to feel as connected to all of this as possible.
The rooms themselves are airy and spacious. White marble soaking tubs highlight a bathroom experience built to be a spa in and of itself. Even the smallest rooms are suite-esque, with sitting areas and views of the city and surrounding hills. Rooms feature furniture designed and built by local designers, and local art and design elements are present throughout the hotel.
Photo courtesy Numu Boutique Hotel
Then there’s the rooftop infinity pool. Perhaps nowhere else in San Miguel de Allende offers a better view of the cathedral or city center, or the hillsides flanking the city lined with colorful homes. Among the best aspects of Numu Boutique Hotel is simply walking the property – strolling the outdoor garden, sneaking away for a mezcal cocktail at the lobby bar, and relaxing over a book in the courtyard.
I noted to one of my travel partners while at Numu Boutique Hotel that San Miguel de Allende is where I wish I were when I visit somewhere like Santa Fe, New Mexico, for its bent towards progressive art, design, and comfort. This is what I appreciated most about Numu – it encapsulates each of these elements. Over two visits to the city I’ve yet to feel as “welcomed” as I did here. Now the problem is figuring out how to make it back. 