On the road from Guanajuato to San Miguel de Allende the land undulates with cattle ranches and small villages. Cactus, some budding with fruit, was plentiful. I had a strong urge to get out and wander and explore. I imagined picking the fruit from the cacti just as I picked apples this summer from our apple tree.
So enough with stumping the cobblestone streets of colonial towns! We decided we needed something different. (Well, at least for a day, you know.) Something different turned out to be both El Charco de Genio and La Gruta Spa. El Charco de Genio is a botanical garden just outside of San Miguel. The Gruta Spa, is a beautiful setting for thermal waters and hot springs.
El Charco de Genio
So, the day after arriving to San Miguel, we hailed a taxi and took off for the hills above San Miguel. We were in route to El Charco del Genio http://www.elcharco.org.mx/. The front desk of this botanical garden told us it would take us an hour and a half to cover the paths. We were there a lot longer! It is not only a garden but a nature preserve, consequently there is much in the surroundings to take in. And we were enjoying this adventure too much to rush it. We ended up spending a long morning there.
View to the Valley and San Miguel
There is a long winding and open trek through the hills and by a large lake. Scenic outlooks over the canyon face the city of San Miguel. It was a great morning. Although we spent hours, it was different then the intense walks in the city. We were lucky to be practically alone there. Because of that, exploring the landscape of this area of Mexico took on a different intensity.
La Gruta Spa
Later that day we headed for La Gruta Spa http://lagruta-spa.com.mx/. San Miguel is surrounded by areas of thermal waters and hot springs. I looked forward to soaking my body and to the treat of real relaxation. It was someone’s opinion that there are better hot baths and spa treatments in the city proper. If you don’t want to leave town, this might be true. I actually did want to explore out of town. And I was also told that La Gruta was one of the favorites among the local population. That was for us!
What a beautiful place it turned out to be! The grounds are quite large and meandering between pools and shaded with tables and umbrellas. There are private rooms for changing and lockers, too. Just don’t forget to take a towel with you. (I had to buy one when we got there).
The grounds at La Gruta Spa are quite extensive and there is more than one place to swim or soak.
Maybe it was the off season, maybe it was the overcast day, but the pools were not at all crowded. I most wanted to see the grotto for which the property is named. It is connected to another inner pool by a covered very white Greek-like tunnel. The interior is covered by a high bowed ceiling made with more of the same white rocks. You can look down the tunnel and see the sunlight streaming in from outside, touching the white walls and blue water. Notice the man in the photo below . He is headed to the entrance to the covered pool.
We didn’t hurry when we were ready to go. At the entrance they called a taxi for us to return to San Miguel and we waited on a rock overlooking the gardens. So relaxing, so beautiful.
And yes, we did actually explore the town of San Miguel de Allende. We did a lot of walking, of course, and visited in town and outer neighborhoods. You can read about beautiful San Miguel here: https://roadtosuchness.comsan-miguel-de-allende/
