Your description of the house had me both laughing and intrigued! It’s amazing how travel can lead to such unexpected and delightful surprises. Looking forward to hearing more about your adventures in this spacious abode!
Hi Brent and Michael, Enjoy the experience. We now have two owners in Waikoloa beach Hawaii for rental of 2BR/2Bath condos without vrbo & airbnb. We secured a six moth agreement for 2026 owner happy for same tenant during their absence. Requested annual pass from dive shop. Ten years retired we keep learning and enjoying travel. Keep SMiling
It's gorgeous! And what lovely friends you have! (Or former friends if they didn't get a kick out of this, like I did.) You bring to life your experiences in Mexico in such a unique way. Keep it coming, please. And enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
I'm sure you're hardly the first friends they've heard jokes about the size of the space from, Brett.
It reminds me of what happened when my former wife's first (and best) assistant was recovering from bone cancer surgery, and her relatives let her stay in their *pied-à-terre* in on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It was in a pre-war doorman building, and the four-bedroom, two-story house my parents bought when Dad retired from the Army had less space than it did!
It was expensive then, too! That's when we found out my wife's assistant came from money—ironically, she was living with her boyfriend and two other people in a two-bedroom apartment in the far reaches of Brooklyn....
I know I am going to sound harsh, but I read all 51 comments below and there isn't a single one that mentions the economic disparity Brent wrote about. I know that it is not an easy subject, I know that (some) people try to help the best they know, but surely it is not "throwing" money at the locals. Buying the chicken and the pudding - and other things - is the best way (whether you eat it or not).
Please, don't overtip, don't pay more money than you are asked (which often comes already with the "tourist tax", but here in Portugal, final prices must be posted - be suspicious when they aren't).
These options just make it harder for the locals.
If money helps (it sure does) make wise donations, finance some projects, be discrete and secretive about it.
[Here in Portugal, with the American tipping culture, locals are getting bad service, when - before the US silly tippers came - service was equal. And, unfortunately, since foreigners can pay much more than the locals for housing - and find it cheap -, we can't afford it anymore.]
Thank you Brent and Michael for mentioning this, and being wise and considerate about this subject.
Thank you! And you're right, we'll keep banging the drum. In fairness, this is a humor piece. Usually, there are more relevant discussions. We have thoughtful readers! But you can never remind people too much to be conscientious travelers!
Love it. We are moving back in September and will be renting/buying:) Houses can be huge inside and never look it from outside. Wondering if you are in San Antonio area.
I have 2 gay friends (married couple). Really nice guys. One own a gallery and other is a realtor in San Miguel. You should connect with them. They are very social.
Dear home owners/blog subscribers: I just retired and I am a WONDERFUL house sitter. I can provide more references than you could EVER need and I promise not to venture into the west wing or disturb the furniture, err...staff! Brent has my email. Hopefully waiting in Washington DC. BTW, if I pleed political asylum would that help???
Wow, the house! Totally amazing! Have you stumbled onto a cool store called "Abrazos" yet? It's primarily fabrics but it's owned by a neat woman from Bay Area named Patrice who owned a bookstore in Berkeley before the Amazon - Barnes & Noble purges. The shop looks amazing.
Unfortunately, I think you will have moved on when I arrive in October for a long, big house sit on Allende. I am beginning to wonder if we will ever cross paths in person? I'm off to Bath, then the South of France before heading to SMA. It will be fun to return to where I called home for 5 years and see the changes I know have taken place. If your friends need a housesitter over the holidays, tell them I'm available! I have a Mexican residency, so I can stay as long as I choose, which will be nice after doing the Schengen Shuffle for almost a year.
The expat community is wonderful. They make everyone feel welcome. Sunsets from a rooftop are always amazing. Enjoy! I'm in the land of pubs, fish 'n chips, and Guinness for a few more weeks.
I advise that you thoroughly enjoy your stay in that beautiful, spacious house! (We are in a charming beach small town in the Côte d’Azur so can’t really complain—but, we are in a tiny place with a frustrating kitchen and no bathroom door😳!) Just be careful on those stairs!
I loved Death Becomes Her and for some strange reason it has popped up in my world at least three times in just as many months. I feel like I need to revisit this movie since the universe is practically imploring me to. 😂
::Problem is, every time I come down the grand stairway to the ground floor, I’m reminded of that massive Beverly Hills mansion in the cult classic movie Death Becomes Her::
Not Norma Desmond in SUNSET BOULEVARD?
"I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille...."
::All this said, I’m still not eating the flan.::
There's really no polite way to ask, "Do you use purified water in your flan?", is there?
I see those pictures and I just drool, thinking "Why, I could invite a few actor friends down and we could make a movie here! They could stay in the rooms we're not using!"
I remember first seeing it as part of the "Benson & Hedges 100 Greatest Films of All Time" (sadly, they never got past twenty) back when I was in college, and its mix of gothic and hard-boiled ("A man in Hollywood can live without his honor, but not his car"), and the shock of seeing Jack Webb(!) play a normal kind of nice guy(!!!), still sticks with me.
I remember reading about SUNSET BOULEVARD, and how Gloria Swanson refused to let Billy Wilder make her up to look older than 49 (which was how old she was when she made the movie!). When Wilder asked what she wanted him to do, she said, "Make Bill Holden younger!" 😂
No, Gloria Swanson's generation of film stars didn't NEED words—they had FACES!
EDIT: Do I misremember, or did Carol Burnett play Norma Desmond—who, after she killed Lyle Waggoner, stepped over his body while she swanned down the stairs saying, "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille!"
Your description of the house had me both laughing and intrigued! It’s amazing how travel can lead to such unexpected and delightful surprises. Looking forward to hearing more about your adventures in this spacious abode!
hehe thank you!
Fabulous! You guys deserve pampering every now and then.
Haha, you're right!
Hi Brent and Michael, Enjoy the experience. We now have two owners in Waikoloa beach Hawaii for rental of 2BR/2Bath condos without vrbo & airbnb. We secured a six moth agreement for 2026 owner happy for same tenant during their absence. Requested annual pass from dive shop. Ten years retired we keep learning and enjoying travel. Keep SMiling
Wonderful! Living the life..🙂😍
It's gorgeous! And what lovely friends you have! (Or former friends if they didn't get a kick out of this, like I did.) You bring to life your experiences in Mexico in such a unique way. Keep it coming, please. And enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
❤️❤️❤️❤️
I'm sure you're hardly the first friends they've heard jokes about the size of the space from, Brett.
It reminds me of what happened when my former wife's first (and best) assistant was recovering from bone cancer surgery, and her relatives let her stay in their *pied-à-terre* in on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It was in a pre-war doorman building, and the four-bedroom, two-story house my parents bought when Dad retired from the Army had less space than it did!
Whoa. Bet that's expensive now!
It was expensive then, too! That's when we found out my wife's assistant came from money—ironically, she was living with her boyfriend and two other people in a two-bedroom apartment in the far reaches of Brooklyn....
I know I am going to sound harsh, but I read all 51 comments below and there isn't a single one that mentions the economic disparity Brent wrote about. I know that it is not an easy subject, I know that (some) people try to help the best they know, but surely it is not "throwing" money at the locals. Buying the chicken and the pudding - and other things - is the best way (whether you eat it or not).
Please, don't overtip, don't pay more money than you are asked (which often comes already with the "tourist tax", but here in Portugal, final prices must be posted - be suspicious when they aren't).
These options just make it harder for the locals.
If money helps (it sure does) make wise donations, finance some projects, be discrete and secretive about it.
[Here in Portugal, with the American tipping culture, locals are getting bad service, when - before the US silly tippers came - service was equal. And, unfortunately, since foreigners can pay much more than the locals for housing - and find it cheap -, we can't afford it anymore.]
Thank you Brent and Michael for mentioning this, and being wise and considerate about this subject.
Thank you! And you're right, we'll keep banging the drum. In fairness, this is a humor piece. Usually, there are more relevant discussions. We have thoughtful readers! But you can never remind people too much to be conscientious travelers!
Very cool digs! At least you have lots of space to store all the unopened/uneaten flans?
Yes and the maid can dispose of it during her next visit. 🤔😳. See how insidious it is!!
It's a slippery slope!
🤣🤣🤣
Love it. We are moving back in September and will be renting/buying:) Houses can be huge inside and never look it from outside. Wondering if you are in San Antonio area.
We are in Guadalupe. And yes, it's INCREDIBLE how big some of these houses are, but totally non-descript on the outside. LOL
I have 2 gay friends (married couple). Really nice guys. One own a gallery and other is a realtor in San Miguel. You should connect with them. They are very social.
https://www.facebook.com/share/16Deg5rNpM/?mibextid=wwXIfr
They sound lovely!
Dear home owners/blog subscribers: I just retired and I am a WONDERFUL house sitter. I can provide more references than you could EVER need and I promise not to venture into the west wing or disturb the furniture, err...staff! Brent has my email. Hopefully waiting in Washington DC. BTW, if I pleed political asylum would that help???
😂😂😂 nice try!
Enjoy!
Thank you 😍
What a gorgeous spot!
As someone who travels and thinks about the complexities of iniquity and tourism and ex-pat-ness a lot, I appreciate your reflections. 😊
Thank you. 🙂😍
Just wait!
Wow, the house! Totally amazing! Have you stumbled onto a cool store called "Abrazos" yet? It's primarily fabrics but it's owned by a neat woman from Bay Area named Patrice who owned a bookstore in Berkeley before the Amazon - Barnes & Noble purges. The shop looks amazing.
I think we have walked by! It does look amazing. 🙂
I’ve never seen it in person but looks really neat. Great materials and neat handmade stuff.
Unfortunately, I think you will have moved on when I arrive in October for a long, big house sit on Allende. I am beginning to wonder if we will ever cross paths in person? I'm off to Bath, then the South of France before heading to SMA. It will be fun to return to where I called home for 5 years and see the changes I know have taken place. If your friends need a housesitter over the holidays, tell them I'm available! I have a Mexican residency, so I can stay as long as I choose, which will be nice after doing the Schengen Shuffle for almost a year.
Haha it is ironic, isn't it? I wonder what you'll think... We're really loving it -- the people are soooo nice.
The expat community is wonderful. They make everyone feel welcome. Sunsets from a rooftop are always amazing. Enjoy! I'm in the land of pubs, fish 'n chips, and Guinness for a few more weeks.
We saw one of those great rooftop sunsets last night. And the night before!
I advise that you thoroughly enjoy your stay in that beautiful, spacious house! (We are in a charming beach small town in the Côte d’Azur so can’t really complain—but, we are in a tiny place with a frustrating kitchen and no bathroom door😳!) Just be careful on those stairs!
Haha, those stairs will be the death of me, I am sure.
WHAT IS WITH NO BATHROOM DOORS? I don't ever want that kind of non-privacy. But enjoy the beach!
I second that! But this is truly a gorgeous area!
I loved Death Becomes Her and for some strange reason it has popped up in my world at least three times in just as many months. I feel like I need to revisit this movie since the universe is practically imploring me to. 😂
😂😂😂
I'm glad I could help the universe!
::Problem is, every time I come down the grand stairway to the ground floor, I’m reminded of that massive Beverly Hills mansion in the cult classic movie Death Becomes Her::
Not Norma Desmond in SUNSET BOULEVARD?
"I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille...."
::All this said, I’m still not eating the flan.::
There's really no polite way to ask, "Do you use purified water in your flan?", is there?
I see those pictures and I just drool, thinking "Why, I could invite a few actor friends down and we could make a movie here! They could stay in the rooms we're not using!"
Hahaha I should've thought of Sunset Blvd!
This would be a great place to film a movie but I'm not sure the hosts would be thrilled..😂😂
It couldn't be the first time somebody asked to do that....
Incidentally, Sunset Boulevard would be in my Top Five movies of all time. I wrote a whole book about it once!
It's quite the movie, isn't it?
I remember first seeing it as part of the "Benson & Hedges 100 Greatest Films of All Time" (sadly, they never got past twenty) back when I was in college, and its mix of gothic and hard-boiled ("A man in Hollywood can live without his honor, but not his car"), and the shock of seeing Jack Webb(!) play a normal kind of nice guy(!!!), still sticks with me.
It's absolutely wonderful! It's been parodied so much that people forget how perfect it is
Oh and the "old hag," Norma Desmond? She was -- what? 50? Meanwhile, Cecil B DeMille is still working (in the movie) at age 67!
I remember reading about SUNSET BOULEVARD, and how Gloria Swanson refused to let Billy Wilder make her up to look older than 49 (which was how old she was when she made the movie!). When Wilder asked what she wanted him to do, she said, "Make Bill Holden younger!" 😂
No, Gloria Swanson's generation of film stars didn't NEED words—they had FACES!
EDIT: Do I misremember, or did Carol Burnett play Norma Desmond—who, after she killed Lyle Waggoner, stepped over his body while she swanned down the stairs saying, "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille!"
In fairness, I did cite THREE OTHER MOVIES in my article! hehehe. (I am a movie DORK.)
Yeah, so am I—and I think I'm a decade older than you and Mike.
Now that I've cut the cord on cable, I desperately wish TCM would offer a streaming-only option....