International Tour: Mexican Jewelry experience and more
(San Miguel de Allende)
International Tour: Mexican Jewelry experience and more
(San Miguel de Allende)
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to immerse yourself into the Mexican culture. The Tour will be focused on seeing the cities of San Miguel De Allende, Guanajuato, Dolores Hidalgo, and much more. Also the trip includes a 2 hour workshop of Matthew’s innovative techniques for jewelry design. Whether you are looking to take your jewelry making to the next level or just try something new, Matthew will be your personal guide through the sketching, designing, and creating process. With many years of knowledge and experience, Matthew will show you how to incorporate the beauty of your surroundings, whether it is the local plant life, or architecture to inspire you. The first trip February 2023 was an amazing success! The dates of the 2024 tours are February 11 to February 18 or February 25 to March 3.
All the details, cost, and Airbnb information are at the bottom of this page.
February 2023 Itinerary:
Sunday February 12 / Day 1: We leave Detroit at 6:30a and fly to Mexico where we arrive at 1p. Eduardo, our private driver, will pick up everyone from any of three local airports. We will meet in the center of town in the evening at El Jardin (the Garden) and have dinner at one of its courtyard garden restaurants. After dinner, we will take a stroll around the historic city and enjoy the sounds of Mariachi bands.
Monday February 13 / Day 2: We will meet at El Jardin for Breakfast. We will start the day with a 4-hour walking tour and lunch of historical downtown San Miguel De Allende with our private tour guide Horacio. The sidewalks and streets are cobblestone, so please bring good walking shoes and a walking stick. After the tour, we will take a siesta because we are all old. Then we will meet at El Jardin and have dinner.
Tuesday February 14 / Day 3: We will meet at El Jardin for breakfast. Then, we will walk to the Galleria San Francisco and meet Rhoda Draws (yes, that is her real legal name.) She will give us a lesson on urban street drawing and take us to inspiring places to draw the amazing architecture of San Miguel. We will stop for lunch at a local restaurant, and then it is siesta time! After our siesta, I will give a hands on workshop on how I design inspiring jewelry. Then we will all meet for dinner at an amazing restaurant. After dinner we are on our own to explore the sights.
Wednesday February 15 / Day 4: Breakfast is on your own this morning, I recommend walking down to the market for fresh fruit, coffee, and some of the local delicious Arroz Con Leche (mexican rice oatmeal.) At 9:00 am we will meet at El Jardin and head out with Horacio our tour guide to Cañada de la Virgen the Pyramid Temples in San Miguel De Allende to explore the ruins and learn about the history of the area. We will arrive back at 1:00 and you are on you for lunch and you siesta time, The we will meet at 5:00 at the Teatro Santa Ana to listen and watch an amazing Classical Guitar player named Miguel. After the show we will meet at El Jardin and have Dinner.
Friday February 17 / Day 6: In the morning, we will meet at El Jardin for breakfast followed by a walking tour of the local jewelers and the Arte Instituto. Then we will make our way to a local Jewelers home where we will have traditional Mexican lunch and learn how he makes classic Mexican braided leather bracelets that you will take home. Then it is siesta time again! At 6:00 we will go to the home of Bill and Howard for a before dinner party. Bill and Howard moved to San Miguel De Allende after they retired in the US. Their home is like a museum and they love to give tours of the property. They are both amazing individuals who have given so much to the people of San Miguel. After Bill and Howards we will go to dinner at an amazing restaurant in the center of town. It will be a terrific evening.
Saturday February 18 / Day 7: We are meeting at El Jardin for breakfast. Then the group will disband so you can explore, shop, and have lunch on your own. Then we will meet again at El Jardin for dinner. After dinner, we will have a few drinks and sing with the Mariachi bands- a great ending to our fabulous journey.
Sunday February 18 / Day 8: Eduardo
will drive everyone to the airport and
then we will fly home.
The tour will not include Airfare. The two major airports are Leon Guanajuato (BJX) , and Querétaro Intercontinental Airport (QRO). The airfare cost is typically $700 USD from most cities in the United States. Dallas, Texas is the exception because most flights stop in Dallas and then go directly to one of the two airports close to San Miguel. The tour will not include the hotel or Airbnb. A list of local Airbnb's that I recommend based on your needs will be available as we get closer to the tour date. The cost of the Airbnb's are from $35 USD to $175 USD per night. The tour will not include travel insurance so when you buy your Airfare ticket check YES when asked "do you want to buy insurance". If you have an accident in Mexico your health insurance in the United State of America will probably not pay for those services. Not all the meals are included with the tour. The meals that we have as a group will be included on designated days so we are not struggling to divide a bill by 12 people :).
The cost of the trip will include Ground transportation to and from the airport, the daily tours, transportations for the tours, admission to the museums, the group classes, and one week of sunshine!
What is included:
Sunday: Pickup from QRO airport to your Airbnb and Dinner
Monday: Breakfast, Walking tour of San Miguel, Lunch and Dinner
Tuesday: Breakfast, Rhoda Drawing class, Lunch and Dinner
Wednesday: Pyramid tour and transportation, Guitar concert and Dinner
Thursday: Guanajuato and transportation, Mummies Museum, Lunch and Flamenco Show
Friday: Breakfast, Behind the scenes jewelry tour and class, Lunch and Dinner
Saturday: Breakfast, Shopping tour, and Dinner
Sunday: Ride to QRO airport from your Airbnb
$1,230.00 per person before December 31, 2023 / $1,430.00 after January 1, 2024
The order many change depending if you choose
February 11 to February 18 or February 25 to March 3
but all will be included.