During our two summers of traveling through the cool and refreshing Mexican Highlands, we have spent a fair amount of time in Mexico City.  As much as I love the energy of the city, I had to wonder where the more the residents go to get away from it all.

So I got out my trusty guide-books, put Google to use, and found some answers. It appeared that a municipality called Valle de Bravo, about a two-hour drive from the city, was highly rated as a vacation hot-spot for affluent nationals.  AND…in 2005 it was gained the distinction of the title Pueblo Magico. BAM!! I made a reservation for four nights, to experience this little gem for  myself.

Avandaro Lake

The drive from Malinalco was fine, but not as dramatic as some of the other scenery we have experienced in Mexico. Once we got into town we were backed up in traffic while inching our way to the little hotel we reserved. What was just wide enough for a medium car was actually a two-way street, making for a confusing initial navigation. Finally we found a parking spot, and held up traffic for five minutes trying to wrestle the car safely out of the way. After unpacking our car, we set out on foot to explore.

Cathedral

For a town with around 53,000 residents, Valle has a plethora of good restaurants, art galleries and high-end shops. The economy here is based on tourism- all those upper class shoppers coming from the Capital. But I didn’t spot any particularly wealthy-looking homes. The majority of buildings  in Valle proper are white with red-tiled roofs. Again, as with most of the towns we have visited on this trip, we were the only gringos around. At least I didn’t see others.  It was around this time in our trip that we realized we should have put our Spanish School classes closer to the beginning of our journey.

Cascada Velo de Novia

We hiked past the lake, through dusty streets and a busy section of highway to Cascads Velo de Novia (Bridal Veil Falls).. It was flowing with force thanks to recent rains. Since it was roped off,  we didn’t try to hike  up. Instead we had some ice cream at the nearby tienda before heading back to town.

Most of the building fronts look like this.

Three days into exploring the town, neither Jeff or I “got” the draw of tourists to this place. I mean, yes, it lies on the shore of the large Lake Avándaro, and is surrounded by green rolling hills and mountains. But the town itself seemed to me nothing to write home about.

On our last full day, we hiked across town and up the fairly short trail to the Mirador La Pena. As we crawled between boulders, we passed a local family on their way down. The only other person we saw was an hombre clearing the trail with a machete. He greeted us with a hint of curiosity. I doubt he sees many gringos up that way.

A view from the top

The views from the top allowed us a completely different perspective of Valle. Far below was the part of town that we were unaware of. This was where the wealthy had their vacation homes, with precisely landscaped and hardscaped yards, swimming pools and balconies with impressive views of the centerpiece of town- the lake.  We sat on an outcropping and soaked up the view as birds soared overhead and boats parted the water below.

A view of Valle de Bravo from the top

Another view of the wealth that lies below

The next morning, as we drove past the lake on our way to our next destination, our perspective had changed. Valle was, indeed, a unique and lovely destination-especially if you are one of the fortunate ones enjoying what others only heard about.

Next up… maybe my favorite Mexican city so far. Queretaro.