Customer Reviews

The insider's guide to San Miguel

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you are looking for a slick, glossy paged guide with pretty pictures, professional layout, and flowery descriptions, then this book is *not* for you. What you will get is a directory of hotels, B&Bs, museums, galleries, stores, restaurants, schools, etc. with notes from the author on each item. Some things, such as hotels, are grouped by cost and rating, others are not. It makes a good reference book.

This is without a doubt one of the finest, most thorough and reliable city guides we've ever had the pleasure of using. And, believe me, we've relied upon quite a few. Some of them made us wonder if the writer had ever eaten in the restaurant he recommended, others were adequate, and many quite good. The Insider's Guide To San Miguel is tops!

Archie Dean, a resident of San Miguel, knows his city like the palm of his hand, the sights, sounds, comfortable lodgings, and where to find the most fabulous food. It's guide for those staying a few days, a few weeks or a few months as it covers every requirement from apartments to doctors to supermarkets to galleries to Spanish schools.

Thoughtfully arranged so your need or interest is easy to find, each listing is succinctly and clearly described. Also included is a can't-get-around- San Miguel- without-it map that is indispensable. Plus sections are devoted to nearby Dolores Hidalgo and Guanajuato.

We heartily recommend a visit to San Miguel as it is a charming community filled with beautiful architecture and friendly people. But, don't go without The Insider's Guide!

- Gail Cooke

Well written, well organized and several people I know who live in Sam Miguel think it is the best of the guides. So far I agree.

This is a terrific little guide. I was in San Miguel for a week and used it every day. One day, just before noon, I was sitting on a wall by a church, looking for a place for lunch and Archie Dean came by. He gave me a personal recommendation and the lunch was great. Later I needed a large carton to ship my purchases home and bu using this book found a small shop selling just what I needed. You can rely on all the stores and vendors recommended by Dean.

I spent a month in SMA in 2004 and used this guidebook all the time. It's full of information on everything you need to know about all the sites you want to see, as well as all the everyday tips you need if you are going to be staying in town for more than a few days.

THIS BOOK COVERS EVERYTHING FROM SOUP TO NUTS ON SAN MIGUEL. LIKE THE OTHER
REVIEWS ABOVE , THIS BOOK IS WHAT EVERYONE NEEDS FOR THEIR TRIP. I'VE NEVER FOUND
A BETTER BOOK OR REVIEW ON SAN MIGUEL. I KNOW THIS BOOK IS OUT OF PRINT, AND REFERS
TO SEVERAL THINGS DATING TO 2001, IT IS STILL RELATIVE IN 2008. HAVING JUST BEEN
THERE I FOUND THIS BOOK INVALUABLE. GET A COPY WHILE YOU STILL CAN IT WILL REALLY
ENHANCE YOUR TRIP, FROM WHICH BANK NOT TO GO TO (TO MANY COMPLAINTS OF OVER-
CHARGING) TO BEST RESTAURANTS (CHAMOMIX IS A LOVELY HIDDEN JEM), BARS(YOU HAVE TO GO TO HARRY'S),
WINE SHOPS, CHURCHES WITH ENGLISH SERVICE. SERRO BLANCO JEWELRY(IN THE STATES
IT'S CARRIED AT BLOOMINGDALES, BARNEYS, GET THE BETTER PRICE HERE).
I'M TELLING YOU THIS IS THE ONE!

I recently returned from visiting the charming Mexican town of San Miguel de Allende. My trip was so successful that I want to share my enthusiasm for the wonderful Insider's Guide. The accurate little map, so handily ensconced in the center of the book, was my constant companion. I was able to reach my daily destination by consulting it often. I used several of the restaurants mentioned in the book and ALWAYS enjoyed my meal. The taxi and van services printed in the Guide were reasonable and on time, greeting me cheerfully at the Leon airport with my name on a sign.

Lucky for me also that I had the Insider's Guide because it offers the names of local doctors and suggests what to expect. This advice came in handy when my travelling companion needed medical attention for an unexpected ailment.

When I mentioned the Insider's Guide to the owners of the casa that I rented, they said they always keep a copy in their home. In fact, they said that this was the one guide recommended by the many American and Canadian citizens who live part or full time in San Miguel.

To those who, like me, want to know as much about a new destination as possible in advance of a trip, I urge you to take the Insider's Guide with you. It's like having a friend who knows where all the best spots are. Kudos to this wonderful little book!

The "Insider's Guide To San Miguel" (2011 edition) is superb -- it's indispensable in covering the businesses and services a person is likely to need when living or staying for an extended period in SMA. For example, this afternoon my wife's watch battery died. Looking at "Watch Repair" in the Table Of Contents, we quickly found three different shops and walked to a nearby one, a hole in the wall that we never would have found on our own. The proprietor took about two minutes to insert the new battery, and the price was perfectly reasonable.

We've found similarly useful references in "Insider's Guide" to just about any business or service one could want in SMA. In separate sections in the back, the book also covers Dolores Hidalgo and Guanajuato. Each listing has the business name, address, phone number, name of the proprietor, e-mail address, and other helpful information, such as whether credit cards are taken.

Note that the "Insider's Guide" is a directory and is not intended as a guide for tourists passing through SMA who want to know the history or sights to see. The Guide has no photographs of pretty sites, but that's not its purpose.

Having been to San Miguel 9 or 10 times already, I didn't think there was much left to discover. However, I purchased the book because I am considering spending several months there in the future and thought that I might get some "insider" tips.
The author leaves no "cobblestone" unturned. He combines historical fact with a wealth of personal experience to provide a well-organized, insightful, easy reading book! I highly recommend it to anyone going to SMA, even for a daytrip.

I bought this book for a trip to San Miguel, and it is the worst travel guide I've ever purchased. It is so poorly organized that it is very hard to use. The descriptions are lame and aren't helpful. The maps and directions are pathetic. You can get a great free map at the tourist information kiosk here that is much better than anything in this book. You'd be better off buying a good Mexico guidebook that has a section on San Miguel. This author should have looked at a couple travel guides before he put together this amateurish work.