48 Hours at Hotel Matilda, San Miguel de Allende
Being on a trip to discover the “raw” Mexico, San Miguel de Allende - voted the best city in the world a few times in a row- was obviously on my list as well. While there are actually a few fantastic luxury hotels, I was most interested in Hotel Matilda, which was due to the unique layout and modern design. Situated in a posh area of San Miguel, the staff gave a quick brief that the entire town would be absolutely safe even at night. Being a bit adventurous, I did the test and walked alone in empty streets at night. Should you also prefer to have a transfer from Mexico City instead of opting for a rental car, then make sure to go for BaijoGo. They dropped me off in front of the hotel and basically offered door-to-door service that worked flawlessly. Once I arrived at Hotel Matilda, I was checked in and shown the way to the room. Most of the rooms are facing a courtyard or the gardens, and only a handful offer a fantastic view of the city, so make sure to check that before staying here.
I received suite C18, which was an incredibly beautiful room with a vast terrace overlooking the hills and posh quarter of San Miguel de Allende. The suite had a large entree with a kitchenette that featured a minibar with soft drinks, wine and a bottle of Casa Dragones Tequila. After checking the prices online, I found that this would be the ideal souvenir to bring home from what the world’s most recognised magazines call “the best city in the world”. Back to my suite, I continued the tour and was welcomed by a spacious and light filled open plan living-/bedroom with a sofa, armchair, writing desk as well as a huge king size bed. All the colours were perfectly matching the town and scenery and the white marble floor a refreshing contrast to the elegant furniture. On the other side of the room was the vast bathroom with free-standing bathtub, walk-in shower, semi-separated toilet as well as double vanities opposite the spacious wardrobe. Besides the surprising fact that their guest amenities were branded by Molton Brown (toothbrushes and shaving kit), all the toiletries were by US brand Malin + Goetz, another favourite of mine. What’s better than ending off your day with a good dose of their signature Rum Body Wash...
Housekeeping was very attentive, and during their two services, they replenished towels and folded all the clothes lying around. I found the blanket of the bed extremely heavenly though didn’t quite manage to use it right, I guess. Generally, the setup of the bed was a bit complicated as the entire light switches were. At one point I didn’t manage to turn on one light in the bedroom, so I needed to call the guy from the front desk. He arrived within one minute, so that wasn’t an issue and his colleague could fix the problem a few minutes later. As a general thing in Mexico City and the cities around, the hotel provides water bottles free of charge for brushing your teeth and courtesy for turndown service. With this in mind, I used two water bottles and was charged for them after the stay, which I find a bit weird, to be honest as hotels usually always provide a free water bottle for turndown service at least. Good to know, however that the plastic water bottles next to the coffee machine were actually kind of free as I didn’t pay for them. Other than that, there is nothing I can complain about, and I would like to highlight further of the amenities I had at my suite. For example, I really appreciated the Bose Bluetooth speaker to use with your iPhone. After all, I didn’t mention the fabulous terrace which had a dining chair for four and two sun beds with an umbrella.
Breakfast is served in the beautiful Moxi restaurant, also known as the heart of the hotel as it is located on the main piazza right next to the lovely outdoor pool. While all rates include a complimentary Continental breakfast, you can still order a la carte dishes at an additional charge. The last day I was quite happy with the Continental option coming with a coffee, basket of toast, butter and jam, granola and yoghurt as well as a bowl of fresh fruits. While I was still cautious with the latter one (having had the words “cook it, peel it or leave it” in mind), all the rest was absolutely sufficient for a good basic breakfast. Service was attentive and kind for Mexican standards. Generally, I loved the ambience sitting outside on the terrace hearing the water in the pool and enjoying the first rays of the sun. Actually I used the pool two times during the stay. It’s a beautiful tranquil place to recharge batteries after a tough day of sightseeing in San Miguel de Allende. They even provide sunscreen and other products to use free of charge should you have forgotten your sunblock at home in all the stress of packing.
Due to the fact that I was super tired the first day, I decided to have dinner at the Moxi restaurant. The service was very attentive, and the servers were amiable. As recommended by the head waiter, I went for the full Degustation menu with wine pairing. Whenever we dine at a restaurant, we try to go for the degustation menu to see the chef’s creativity with seasonal products instead of sampling a few of the chef’s signature dishes which are always available. Having had tacos and the classic Mexican dishes all the nights before in Mexico City, I was expecting something more light. While the first dish - a burrata with green sauce and fried tacos - was very refreshing, the two following courses were a bit heavy for my taste. The fish dish and main course though were genuinely excellent and met my high expectations. Finally, I really liked the strawberry sorbet as well as the dessert. Overall, the dinner was an exciting experience, and I felt like I was sampling the best of the Mexican cuisine once more. What I found cool was the wine pairing, which was a mix of cocktails, Spanish and also Mexican wines. Latter ones truly have the potential to become more famous in the next years.
Overall my stay at Hotel Matilda was excellent, with my expectations being exceeded in terms of room, design and ambience. I can highly recommend to visit San Miguel de Allende soon before the big tourist stream is arriving - now it’s still very densely visited by foreigners and I was the only European staying at Hotel Matilda which was a true pleasure given the fact that it is, without doubt, the most personal luxury hotel in this pretty town plus the design is just on point. Yes, it might not be a steal but compared that you get to stay at a world-class hotel in a town that was recognised as the prettiest in the world a few times in a row, I would say the value for money is definitely another reason to consider a trip.
Disclaimer: During my stay in San Miguel de Allende, I was guest of the Hotel Matilda for editorial purposes. Opinions are our own as usual and have not been influenced. Luxury Executive is a blog published by tourism experts and all reviews purely focus on the hotel and destination.
