"This incredibly pretty pueblo is Mexico’s artistic epicenter. But UNESCO-protected San Miguel, two-and-a-half hours northwest of the capital, had been resting on its Crayola-colored laurels, overlooking the trends of its creative counterparts around the globe. Enter first-time hoteliers Mariana Barran de Goodall and Taylor Goodall. After getting married here four years ago, they bought a 300-year-old former mayor’s residence in the cobblestoned center and transformed it into a guesthouse with cheerful touches to appeal to cool-hunting travelers. A lovely courtyard filled with bougainvillea, towering palms, and a cobalt-blue-tiled fireplace opens up to a salon with a mezcal bar and a café. Four stately ground-floor rooms have bronze four-poster beds decorated with Oaxacan textiles, paintings from the couple’s private art collection, and vintage furniture sourced from Europe. Upstairs is the fifth room, with a mural by Argentine artist Lucas Rise, steps from the rooftop restaurant Bar Margaret, which serves Latin-Southern small plates such as shrimp and grits topped with pico de gallo and a curated wine list heavy on labels from nearby natural wineries. Hotel Amparo knows exactly how to honor the history and artistry that have been the calling cards of San Miguel for decades, while making it modern. FLASH POINT Locanda will open in a parlor off the entrance by midsummer, with a rotating menu of handmade pastas and Sicilian wines. +52 1-415-152-0819; hotelamparo.com. Doubles from about $200." - CNT Editors
