• Rating: 4/10
• Rooms at Our Habitas San Miguel start from $328 (£259) per night
• Check current rates and availability
For my third trip to Mexico, I mostly based myself in the Central Highlands, near the town of San Miguel de Allende, around four hours north of Mexico City. I’d come to this area to stay in Casa Etérea, a mirrored house nestled on the slopes of an extinct volcano, where I happily spent lazy summer days immersed in nature. After such a joyous experience I worried other places wouldn’t be able to live up to the beautiful experience I’d had at Casa Etérea. It turns out I was right…
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| My room (number 30) at Our Habitas San Miguel |
Our Habitas is a growing global chain with outposts in Mexico, Chile, Morocco, and the Middle East and after visiting just one of their properties I believe that they should tend to the problems in their current properties before expanding any further. I can see what they are trying to achieve with their ‘global home’ ethos (think friendship bracelets on arrival and free wellness classes), but it falls flat. The result is an overpriced hotel that’s trying to be alternative and free-spirited, but failing miserably.
Where is Our Habitas San Miguel de Allende?
This outpost of Our Habitas is around a ten-minute drive to the town center of San Miguel de Allende. The hotel is set in an enclosed space that you physically can’t escape from since there’s a barbed wire fence around the entire circumference. The location is quite frankly bizarre and seems to be a huge privatized area of land for hotel chains. I love being immersed in nature and can happily spend my days walking alone but at Our Habitas I couldn’t escape. One day I walked to an entranceway eager to check out the neighborhood just beyond the fence but the gate was padlocked shut. Another day I left via the main gate and hot-footed it to a low-key taqueria, but there’s not a great deal to see in the imminent area so guests are encouraged to take a cab to San Miguel de Allende. The hotel provides one free cab per room per day to San Miguel, dropping off and picking up in a designated zone. Staying on site all day wouldn’t have been such a problem had there been a swimming pool at Our Habitas but there currently isn’t one. There is however an open-air pool about ten minutes drive away. The hotel has an agreement in place whereby residents of Our Habitas can use this pool, but with insanely loud music pumping out all day long it wasn’t my vibe, and not in keeping with the ethos of Our Habitas. Luckily I’d previously spent a week in the town of San Miguel de Allende and would highly recommend this option to anyone contemplating booking into Our Habitas.
What’s the vibe at Our Habitas San Miguel de Allende?
To me, it feels like Our Habitas is made for Instagram, for people with money who want to appear alternative. There are nice elements, the landscaping, for example, is beautiful, and the bedrooms are quite spacious and come with a deck.
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| The hotel's landscaping includes lots of Fountain Grass and pretty walkways |
Communal spaces have also been well-designed and most of the staff are very friendly. The wellness aspect of the hotel is perhaps the most impressive but was down to an incredible psychotherapist being in residence for the six days I was there. I attended brilliant kundalini and intimacy workshops that turned out to be the highlights of my entire stay. Due to the barbed wire fence at times, I felt like I was in an asylum or retirement home—I wouldn’t recommend it for a solo stay.
How are the rooms?
I stayed in room number 30 which was just beyond the restaurant away from the reception area. Surrounded by gorgeous fountain grass and cacti, my terracotta self-contained structure contained a bedroom area, a large wooden deck with a beanbag to lounge on, and a concealed bathroom area with a toilet cubicle to the right and shower to the left. The walls inside were also painted in a terracotta hue and whilst art was lacking on the walls, there were a few pops of color thanks to a woven rug on the floor and cushions on the bed. The bathroom was big enough for two and had shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel in the shower cubicle. A circular mirror sat above the large stone sink in the bathroom, and bedside lamps provided low-level lighting. I visited in November and my room was very cold despite outside daily temperatures reaching 28°C. One day my toilet wouldn’t flush yet it took over four hours for someone to come and fix it, and most days my room wasn’t cleaned until after 5pm—for a four-star hotel charging upwards of $300 (£235) per night this isn’t up to standard.
What is there to eat and drink at Our Habitas San Miguel de Allende?
After discovering some of the best places to eat like a local in Mexico City the food at Our Habitas was not only disappointing but incredibly expensive. I’d advise against dining at Our Habitas altogether and heading to one of the best restaurants in San Miguel de Allende instead where delightful tacos, fiery margaritas, and brilliant lunches await. Breakfast was included in the price of my room so I was able to pick from a range of dishes each day, I tried almost every option, from eggs with tomatoes and avocado, to the hojaldre sandwich—a puff pastry roll filled with spinach, cheese, avocado, and egg. Each breakfast dish came with a coffee and either a juice or a plate of fruit.
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| Our Habitas' breakfast hojaldre sandwich |
I had one evening meal at the hotel before deciding that heading back to San Miguel every night was a more satisfactory option. The meal I did have at Our Habitas was the aged fillet steak. It arrived already cut in half and cold. The portion was tiny and it was accompanied by two pieces of baby corn, three pieces of broccoli, and some cold cauliflower puree. I was still hungry when I finished making parting with $30 (£24) for this one dish even harder. And my wine pairing was similarly lackluster.
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| In-room drinking water |
Each bedroom features a minibar filled with local beers, mezcal, and soft drinks, as well as cacao and a few jars of nuts. Glass water bottles are refilled every day with drinking water.
Any highlights?
Everything at Our Habitas was just a little bit lacking—I can safely say I won't return and most certainly wouldn’t recommend booking a stay. The only highlight for me was the complimentary wellness classes put on by a German psychotherapist but she was only in residence for one week and has no plans to return to the hotel either.
Any improvements?
Many! Rooms could be warmer. The food is overpriced and very disappointing. Service is slow. Some nights they played crazy loud music even though there was no one in the communal areas. The staff took a long time to sort out any problems. There’s no pool. It’s too far from the town.
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