San Miguel de Allende is by far the most popular destination for renting in Mexico

A vacation rental in Mexico is one of the best ways to “try out” this varied country. Renting in Mexico allows you live like a local for a week or a month and can be less expensive than a hotel stay.

One of the most popular places for vacation rentals is Mexico’s Colonial Highlands. And no wonder. This area offers rich history, dramatic scenery and architecture, plenty of culture and activities…and a climate that is relatively temperate.

You can find furnished vacation rentals in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato and other colonial cities. Interested in staying longer? No problem. Longer-term rentals are also available. In fact, you can often negotiate longer stays at properties listed as vacation rentals.

Where to look for vacation and long-term rentals?

San Miguel de Allende is by far the most popular destination, followed by Guanajuato, capital of the state. These cities are beautiful, sophisticated and offer plenty of museums, restaurants, galleries and other amenities for whiling away your time. Their city centers are also walkable, making them excellent destinations if you don’t have a car.

If you do have a car and prefer to be based in a smaller or less well known city, consider Mineral de Pozos or Dolores Hidalgo, both small and friendly, or Querétaro. This last is a large metropolis—but it has one of the most beautiful historic centers around.

San Miguel and Guanajuato will have more rental properties available by far than other destinations in this part of Mexico. And it will be easy to find the listings—a simple Google search will turn up dozens of options.

In the case of San Miguel, these range from sites dedicated to a single property to tourism websites that list rentals in addition to other services such as hotels, restaurants and tour guides. (San Miguel Guide, for instance—a tourism site for the city—provides a link to vacation rentals right on its home page.)

For Guanajuato, a Google search will turn up individual properties as well as rental management sites.

Keep in mind that most of these search results will turn up gringo-owned homes whose rental rates tend to be pricey. But there are also advantages. For one, you’ll be dealing with English speakers (important if you don’t speak Spanish).

And an expat-owned home has generally been renovated with gringo tastes in mind, from room size and furnishings to high-speed Internet…right down to kitchen accoutrements and margarita glasses.

If you’re on a short trip and want to immerse yourself in colonial romance, you may be happy to pay top dollar. But if you’re staying longer, or you need to watch your budget, you’re probably willing to do more research.

Here are a few tips to help you ferret out the best deals—and to find the property that best suits your needs.

1. Look beyond the simple Internet search

In a simple Internet search you’re more likely to find listings from agencies and from owners who have a serious rental business. But what about owners who have a single property for rent?

You may find them using other websites to list their property. Two worth checking out are Vacation Rental By Owner and Craigslist. Both allow you to search by city or region to scan listings. With Craigslist, also check the Craigslist Mexico site (www.craigslist.com.mx).

Also check online chat groups for an area or city that interests you. And check to see whether there is an expat community there; you may find online discussion or even a bulletin board, where you can post queries about rentals.

2. Be flexible

You’ll pay more, obviously, for larger properties and for those in city centers. But if you want to be “within walking distance of centro,” does that mean 10 minutes? Or can it be 30? Taking that extra 20 minutes’ walk may drop your rental price a lot.

In addition, consider what else you plan to do during your stay. If you plan to rent a car, remember that driving and parking can be difficult in central San Miguel or Guanajuato. Forego the car—or plan to stay farther out where you can park it…and take advantage of having wheels to tour the area.

Also, some times of year are more popular than others—and rental rates are higher then, too. Guanajuato’s Cervantes Festival, in October/November every year, is one of those times. So is the winter snowbird season and major holidays like Christmas, New Year’s and Easter. Decide if it’s worth paying more to visit then (and if it is, just budget accordingly).

3. Don’t be afraid to negotiate on price

Tourism to Mexico is returning to its pre-recession levels, so bargain rates are becoming scarcer. But it never hurts to ask. An owner is not likely to volunteer a discount…but he may be open to one. If business is slow that month…if you can guarantee a long stay…if you can pay in cash… As the saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

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