A cluster of historic buildings at the centre of the city, Casa de Sierra Nevada is a charming luxury hotel. Cool, leafy gardens, stone arches and traditional wooden doors surround pretty courtyards lit by lanterns as night falls. Peaceful though this is - especially when within the tranquil Laja Spa - just step outside and you are surrounded by San Miguel de Allende’s many colors, scents and sounds. Casa de Sierra Nevada also has its own cooking school, Sazon, where you can learn to create traditional Mexican treats.