I will be in Mexico City starting Nov. 18th for a few days and am thinking of taking a side trip to Puebla or San miguel for 2-3 days. I will be traveling with wife and 16 yrs old child who loves architecture, colonial buildings. Any recommendation on which one to go for. Any suggestions on things to do, hotel to stay in.

Do you recommmend any hotel booking engine, as expedia was showing mostly places over $100 a night, and hotel.com has nothing in these locations.

Thanks.

I would go to Puebla - much larger, with more things to see, and much much more Mexican. San Miguel is also nice, but the town is much smaller, and has a significant US retiree population.

Puebla is very impressive. Very colonial, very European. An incredible number of churches and other architectural sites. Local food is very good also. I was there in August and found prices to be reasonable. I stayed at the "Holiday Inn Centro Historico". Public areas of the building are impressive, although rooms are small and cramped. But, for $62 a night, no complaints. Besides, it encouraged me to be out and about more. Obviously, take a sweater / coat and an umbrella. Bus transportation from Mexico City is convenient and direct (I found the best option to be going to MEX airport and taking the express bus from there... $15 I think). Hope you enjoy.

PS -- I booked at the Holiday Inn website (www.6c.com (http://www.6c.com)) ... currently showing about $90 a night.

I have only been in San Miguel. It's a nice little town. We rented a car and drove there from MEX. The hotels are a little expensive.

Founded in 1542 by Fray Juan de San Miguel, a Franciscan monk, San Miguel de Allende retains a rich colonial charm with its cobblestone streets and beautiful Spanish colonial mansions, many of which have been restored to their former splendor. It's a protected national monument; all new construction must conform to the colonial archictecture.

Nearby is Guanajuato
...Guanajuato is a city of incredible charm, as is almost immediately obvious on entering it by way of its subterranean main street. The street (right and below, left) follows the original course of the Guanajuato River, running beneath the city for almost 3 kilometers...