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We felt that we had hit the jackpot when we climbed the stairs and opened the door onto the deck of the “penthouse” at Casa Noble in SMA. The view was just stunning. You would be hard pressed to find a better view anywhere in the city. I’m writing this on the deck, overlooking this beautiful panarama.

And I’m including this link because their photos are better than mine (though the table and chairs are gone now).

 

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p194170w

 

The apartment is lovely as well. A full kitchen, a small sitting area with a 2 person sofa and a recliner, tv and dvd player, free wifi, a bedroom with a king sized bed, a big modern barbeque and a nice large bath with shower and skylight.

It’s about a 20 minute walk (walking speeds vary) to the historic center (El Jardin), and all but the last part is flat. Well, the street is flat, the sidewalks aren’t. Or it’s a 5 minute $25/peso taxi ride. We walk the main streets in the morning, and come back a different way each afternoon or evening. If it’s dark, you might want to take a cab. It’s safe here, but you’ll feel better. And it’s only $2.

There are restaurants within a 5 or 10 minute walk, little stores for staples and MEGA, a really big grocery store, is a 15 minute walk in the opposite direction from El Jardin.

We’ve met the manager once, and she graciously agreed to let the cab that’s going to pick us up at 6 a.m. call her on her cell phone (ours is a U.S. number). We haven’t needed anything, but were comfortable that if we did, she’d be there.

All in all, a lovely place to stay. We paid $400 for the week (Feb 2009). It’s not without its faults, but the value far outweighs these minor things. One: it gets cold here at night. Not cool - cold. Low 40s. Now, I know that where I’m from (N.C.) that the average HIGH temperature is mid 40’s is February, but we have heat. A lot of places here don’t. It warms up quickly, to the mid 70’s by noon, but nights….. Casa Noble does have a gas space heater, which works well. BUT… there are walls and walls of glass (see photos) and the glass has lots and lots of gaps, between, under, all around. And we only turn the gas on in the evening when it starts to get cold, and turn it off when we go to sleep, so the house is cold in the morning when we turn it back on. Not unbearably cold, but chilly.

Two: The bath. It’s pretty cool looking. All stone, and fairly large. The shower head comes out directly from the wall, meaning that there’s no shower “enclosure”. So when you take a shower, the whole bathroom floor gets wet and stays wet. So unless you take the shower just before you go to bed, or just before you leave for the day, you track water through the house every time you go in there. We put a towel down to use as a rug. No big deal. AND there isn’t much water pressure. Either that or the calcium or whatever has plugged up the line or showerhead or something. So you have this huge, modern, lovely shower head and a trickle of water. Enough to take a shower, but not enough for it to be an Ahhhhhh! moment. Still no big deal.

 

Do I recommend Casa Noble? Without hesitation. It’s lovely, it’s in an interesting neighborhood, it’s comfortable. If you don’t like to walk and don’t want to take a cab either, maybe it’s not for you. Otherwise, it’s great. Our only regret that February is so chilly here in the evenings, that although we would liked to have thrown a party for our new Spanish Immersion School friends, it was just to cold to really make use of the deck. Que lastima!

 

 

Tags:   Casa Noble Penthouse · San Miguel de AllendeNo Comments