COMMENTS FROM PREVIOUS GUESTS ...

Look up to enjoy Casa Feliz's stunning architecture

Kenny,

I apologize for not having written sooner to report on our visit to Casa Feliz. What a beautiful house! We had a delightful time, enhanced, of course, by Magdalena's presence and her cooking. She was helpful in pointing us towards those places we wanted to visit. My wife and daughters came home with several of her recipes. We are in unanimous agreement -- something rare in our family -- about returning next year.

We took time to meet Peggy at the management company. She regaled us with her experiences in SMDA. We also took time to meet Max at Tio Luca's; we had dinner there our last night in town.

Do not hesitate to give my name to anyone who might want references about the house and the city.

Arnie Turrentine
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Dear Kenny,

We 4 women had a wonderful week in San Miguel. The MOST special thing about the trip was staying at Casa Feliz !!!!! I could not believe my sheer luck, in all the houses I looked at on the internet, that I chose THIS ONE. The location is fantastic !!!! We walked anywhere and everywhere. The only taxi we hired was to go to the Botanical Gardens, although we did hire Mario to take us to Guanajuato for a day.

Casa Feliz is a beautiful home, and we felt very at home there all week. The furnishings are exquisite, each day I found something wonderful, I had not seen before. Also anything and everything we needed or wanted was there. We spent a lot of time on the lovely terraces, enjoying all the wonderful plants and flowers. Magdalena was wonderful. She kept everything in tip top shape and even ironed our sheets, which I loved. She cooked breakfast for us, and served it beautifully. I know she was fairly new, but you could not have found anyone better than she was. It helped so much that she spoke English too !!!! She is a "gem".

Your recommendation of Mario was super. They were at the airport waiting for us, and "Johnny On The Spot" when it was time to leave. They took all the suitcases upstairs, and would have brought them down, except we had already taken care of that. Our day trip to Guanajuato was wonderful, the driver was so knowledgeable and friendly. We also appreciated him taking a different route back, through the mountains.

I must also mention Peggy Blocker. I know she is also new, as your manager. I contacted her a couple of times before we left to ask about things we wanted to do, and see. First was The Tour Of Homes on Sunday, which she responded, as to the price, where to be and the time to be there. I had ask for recommendations of places to eat, and she gave great details of the food served, prices, etc. for numerous restaurants. I feel you also have another "gem" with her as manager.

Since I have returned, I have shared with so many friends about San Miguel. But, each time I've told them what made it so special was Casa Feliz. I truly hope to return someday. I like so many others, fell in love with San Miguel, but if/and/or when I do return, I will only go if I can stay in "My House", Casa Feliz !!!!

I know this is long, but even after almost a month, I am still on a "high" about the trip. I just wanted you to know how much I (we) appreciated you having the house, and giving us the privilege of staying there.

Regards, Charlene Patterson
cmpatterson@cox.net
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Hola Señora Mann,

See what a week in San Miguel does to me! My family and I enjoyed your house. Everything worked out perfect for our holiday. Peggy, agnadalena, and Marcelo helped create a wonderful stay. We look forward to returning next year.

Thank you, Charles Gray
charlie@ktc.com
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…Just a note to let you know how much we enjoyed our stay at SMA and Casa Feliz! Our whole trip went without a hitch. Elena's cooking was great and I know she really enjoyed us because we spoke Spanish. Three of us got massages, Maria was great. We did make one collect call to the States (our cell phone didn't work) and a couple of local calls to set up transportation and a tour.

Thanks so much. Steve Espinosa
sespi777@earthlink.net
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…We had a most wonderful family get together last week. Your house was perfect -- we loved the open layout of the first floor with areas for simultaneous activities (TV in one corner, a scrabble game in the other, and artwork at the dining room table). The house was charming with all the art and collectibles but we were so busy we didn't even spend much time at home.

The location right in the heart of downtown was perfect -- we spent almost every evening listening to music - either at Tio Lucas, Agave, Mama Mias, or at the Teatro Santa Ana or Teatro Angela Peralta. All so close by!!

It was a wonderful memorable week. It was my sister's family's first visit to San Miguel and they loved it just as we do. David, my brother-in-law is a professional musician. He bought a guitar made in Parecho from the music store across of Mama Mia's. We took jewelry making lessons from Enrique Lopez Larea, who Peggy knows well; went on an excursion to Pozos, and shopped TOO MUCH. Played alot of family games. Thanks for the roses throughout the house that welcomed us and for such a nice place. Thank you again, and you can post whatever parts of my email you wish on your website.

(By the way, your website is very effective and made me want to rent the place immediately.)

-- Ginnie and Family!
ginnielo@hotmail.com
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…My daughter, Lisa, and I had a perfect time! Your house is so attractive, and the location is unbeatable! Elena was a delight! She is a sweet caring person and a wonderful cook. We miss her Chile Reyonos, guacamole, and flan. The weather was clear, cool with low humidity, and perfect for beating the streets, looking (and finding) all sorts of goodies! We were able to follow the news on CNN, NBC, ABC. and CBS in English during the war. On our first Sunday we took the Home & Garden tour and loved it. All the Americans that live there were very friendly and helpful. When we weren't eating at "home," we enjoyed the many beautiful restaurants.

Thank you,
Carolyn Ginther and Lisa deMontaigu
Sassyami60@aol.com
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…I just wanted to write and tell you what a wonderful time we had in your house in San Miguel. Elena is a jewel; her meals were fantastic. Thanks, too, for the prompt attention to the water problem. After it was fixed, the water pressure and water temperature increased dramatically throughout the house, so it benefited the entire plumbing system. We had a great time, and appreciate your making it possible.
judy@judyosborn.com
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What a nice thought to have a "Welcome Home" from you. The four of us are happy that we were able to meet you and your house guests. As we mentioned Casa Feliz fit all our needs and was a wonderful first vacation house rental experience. All of us had always stayed in hotels and an occasional B&B but from now on we will always plan on a house rental since it worked out so well for our privacy and individual needs. Elena seemed to know our needs and requests even though we thought we weren't communicating. David came over and repaired the shower head promptly when we called. Thanks Cory for a delightful and wonderful experience. Glad we found you on the internet.
Harold Padula,
harold@mail.usa.com
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…Our thanks for opening your home to we travelers. Casa Feliz was even better than imagined! When we walked in, the spaciousness and sights were literally breath-taking. Surely our "Oooooh" and "Aaaaah" don't need a translation.
As you know, there were five of us and the lay-out was perfect for privacy all 'round. One of your previous visitors gushed about the location and it truly could not have been more perfect. We could walk to most anywhere and everywhere we wanted and we just far enough off of the plaza to have quiet. Everything about Casa Feliz exceeded our expectations.
The biggest surprise of the trip was the weather -exceptionally cold for this time of year. The shorts we packed went unworn and we were quite thankful for the electric blankets and space heaters you provided.
SMA was quite a treat! I (Sarah) have been visiting Mexico since I first vacationed there as a kid in 1967. San Miguel is picture-perfect. The colonial architecture is lovely, the people are friendly, the streets amazingly clean, and the shopping was superb. Though the American population is large and present, it is not intrusive and does not steal any of the Mexican flavors from the city.
We flew in to Guadalajara specifically to visit Tonala and Tlaquepaque (sp?) and the see the wonderful arts rumored to be in those villages. We walked away empty handed but in SMA could not resist the beautiful arts from all over Mexico. One day we took the bus to Guanajuato which was positively enchanting. There's quite a medieval feel to the architecture and a European attitude to the inhabitants.
Muchas Gracias,

Sarah Smith & Scott Hartman
sarahstravels@yahoo.com

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…What a long trip home. The weather was bad in Denver and our connecting flight was delayed 6 hours. We sat in the airport lounge and reminisced about our wonderful vacation. Your house was warm and very comfortable you have certainly designed it to the needs and joy of your guests. The restaurants you recommended were great but we especially enjoyed eating Elena's fine meals. She took excellent care of us in spite of our minimal Spanish: She must have "read our minds". It was fun and a challenge communicating. Some of us plan to "get serious" with our Spanish lessons. Thanks a million for sharing your lovely home with us; we look forward to a return trip and stay at Hernandez Macias #44.

Kelly, Fred and crew
kellybethboo@earthlink.net

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It was Wonderful! Even better than expected, if possible!!! We did leave you notes in your guest book, which you won't see for a while, I guess. But basically, the house is so welcoming, comfortable, artful and art filled (I'm an art curator, so very appreciative of all your talents, personal and as a collector,) The maid was so amiable (and her food was good too).

We loved the town and all it had to offer-- we did a combination of Mexican and Americano things including, the House and Garden Tour, Ballet Folklorico de Guanajuato, Dolores Hidalgo, Atonotitlan (the hurch not to be missed by anyone,) saw a Brect on Brecht play, went to art openings, participated in Shakespeare Play Reading at a private home, and Cyril even went to a gathering of Healers and Shamans (he has a bad knee and needs knee replacement surgery imminently.) And all in 9 days!!!

Thank you for sharing your home with us. We definitely want to come back!!!
Kindest regards,
Roslyn Tunis
Rozcy@aol.com

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Thanks so much for the welcome home note. We indeed had a great time in San Miguel. The house was perfect for our family, giving us plenty of room and a more relaxed feel than staying in a hotel or B&B. My daughter just loved her penthouse suite, complete with her own garden. We spent 2 days touring with and even managed to make it into Leon to visit my son's Mexican family there. We also visited Guanajuato, where we first thought we might have liked to have stayed, but are very glad that we chose SMA instead - so much cleaner and easier to navigate.
SMA had outstanding restaurants and wonderful wait staff, always willing to accommodate a rather picky 11-year old's appetite. I think our favorite was El Pegaso - not much on atmosphere, but the food was outstanding. Also enjoyed Bugambilla (my son says the best sopa Azteca in the city and he tried it everywhere he went), Tio Lucas (the caramel crepes are to die for),

Ole Ole (steak fajitas) and El Market Bistro (for a very romantic and tasty dinner). During the day we lived on leftovers and baked goods from one of the many great bakeries. No lack of places to sit and have a cafe and cookie!

I think we took advantage of everything that was offered for gringos while we were in SMA. My husband used the Internet service at the Bibliotecca and we also went to the movies there one night. We would have liked to have gone to a concert at the Angela Peralta or taken a class at the Belles Artes, but they were either closed or didn't fit into our schedule. We all thoroughly enjoyed the Sunday House and Garden Tour - nice to see how the other half lives. Now my son is working on his AP Spanish project - a video and 10 minute talk (in Spanish) on the history of SMA. Aside from finding out about the town and its history through our own exploring, we also went on a tour done by the local Mexican tourist guides and one given by Americans. Let you know how that comes out (as I write he is upstairs editing his film).

Guess you can see that we are still overflowing with our recent visit and could keep going on, but really should close for now. Thanks again for Casa Feliz - I would recommend staying there to anyone going down there rather than staying in a hotel.

Nancy Hurwitz, Ken, Robert and Jordanna Rose
"Ken Rose & Nancy Hurwitz"
krose1@san.rr.com