La Gran Casa del Parque

Nestled on a quiet bus-free and no-parking street in historic San Miguel de Allende’s Centro half a block from Parque Juarez and the Rosewood Hotel and only an eight-minute stroll to the Jardin, the internationally-published La Gran Casa del Parque proves a designer’s dream! Only 21 years old, this Alan Wilkerson-designed mansion—with turnkey-inclusive interiors from Marsha Brown—faithfully recreates every conceivable Spanish Colonial detail with modern conveniences, from whole-house sound to full-house filtration and water softener. The 14 custom-carved cantera stone fireplaces throughout the home prove a bonus!

Hosting six bedrooms in the main home—one of them a ground-level pool-view primary bedroom with large ante-room—this estate also boasts a separate-entrance two-story full casita with two entrances—one outside the home—and two sleeping bedrooms. The grand foyer ushers visitors into a massive central courtyard anchored by a large cantera fountain, lush mature landscaping, outdoor dining and salon fronting a massive wood-burning fireplace for year-round outdoor entertaining. The Spanish-tile eat-in kitchen—opening directly into the oversized garage, laundry and storage area—hosts entertaining for dozens and the current dining room seating ten can easily accommodate more. Two oversized primary morning-sun suites boast ante-rooms with additional fireplaces and TV areas—one with a wet bar—while a 3^rd primary suite also boasts pool views and north/south sun.  The large sit-down wine-tasting room/cellar proves a delightful addition, ready for your vintage stock and wine antiques.

Indoor-outdoor living is maximized in this estate, with most bedrooms hosting at least two sets of French doors to the exterior, the living room hosting five sets. Solar orientation proves ideal—I’m an architect, the passive solar is amazing!—keeping the home toasty in winter, cool in summer. When not entertaining in the courtyard salon, the large southern poolside terrace hosts an inviting sun-dappled ambience for both dining and sunbathing, boasted by the lion-fountain-fed swimming pool with cantera stone coping and surround. Pool equipment is hidden behind soundproofed walls, ensuring a quiet pool environment.

Considering a hospitality / hotel investment? This 7-key estate can accommodate five more keys, and the massive but currently-underutilized roof terrace could host a large protected-Parroquia-view restaurant and dining terrace, with a large service/kitchen terrace in the back. Within a 60-second stroll find top-rated hotels like the Rosewood, Hyatt’s Numu Hotel, Hotel Matilda, and Casa Feliciana, only steps further are Villa Santa Monica, Hotel Apapacho, and soon-to-open Waldorf Astoria.

While Once Upon a Time in Mexico may be San Miguel de Allende’s most famous movie, it can also describe your new fairytale lifestyle in Conde Nast Traveler’s #1 Ranked City in the World, an affordable and cultural lifestyle unsurpassed anywhere globally. Bring your best Johnny Depp / Salma Hayak flair and tour this estate with me, I‘ll host the margaritas and mariachi music, you’ll be enchanted by the pursuit of that Mexican lifestyle dream you’ve always envisioned!