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Queretaro Reminds Us of Rome
Why go to Europe when you can come to the 500 year old historic Spanish colonial city of Queretaro, Mexico?  Queretaro is a safe, beautiful and very clean in the heart of Mexico.  It is a walking town complete with cantera stone walkways, museums, shops, restaurants and several tree-filled plazas with central fountains.  The historic center is filled with colorful colonial buildings, some several hundred years old.  The Mexican constitution was signed in Queretaro’s own Teatro Republico.

Queretaro was named an international treasure by UNESCO in 1996.

Queretaro Airport
In 2005, the international airport QRO opened.  Direct flights are available from Houston and other cities.  The airport is 20 minutes by taxi to Quinta Zoe at a cost of about $20 USD.

Mexico City Airport
The Mexico City airport (Juarez International, abbreviation MEX) is on the west side of Mexico City and so is convenient to Queretaro which is about 2 1/2 hours northwest by bus. This means that leaving the airport, you will not have to endure heavy Mexico City traffic. The bus line to Queretaro is Primera Plus, a  first class bus that leaves every hour to hour-and-a-half directly from the MEX airport. This means convenience and safety.

The $20 ticket includes a roomy seat that reclines, a leg rest plus a sandwich, drink and a movie, sometimes English, sometimes Spanish. You can sit back and enjoy a very comfortable and scenic drive which will take you directly to the Queretaro bus station. From the bus station, you can buy a taxi ticket for about $3 US at the taxi booth which means taxis are registered and very safe. Quinta Zoe is about a 6 minute taxi ride from bus station.

Your Personal Safety in Queretaro
Queretaro is one of the safest cities in all of Mexico, not to mention one of the cleanest. Residents agree that one can walk in the downtown area at any time of day or night without incident. But of course, when traveling, it is always best to use common sense and the usual precautions.
 
Another word about safety...In the US, when we watch the news about trouble in Mexico, consider that Mexico is a huge country and varies widely from place to place. Queretaro is, first of all, a family city with many generations here.  People from all over Mexico love to visit and live in Queretaro not only because of its ideal climate, beautiful old buildings and plazas, but because they want to feel safe, too.  Personally, we have never felt more secure.

When is the best time to come to Queretaro?
Just about any time of year. At 6200 feet in altitude, Queretaro has an ideal climate with pleasant breezes throughout the day and temperatures that hover around 72 degrees.  During certain months, though, special clothing may be needed.

January can be cold enough for a medium-weight jacket and scarf from the cool mountain breezes. April and May and the first part of June are the hottest months, especially in the afternoons when temperatures can reach into the high 80's. Then, beginning in late June and through October is the rainy season, our favorite time of the year. The sun usually shines mornings and afternoons and, if there is rain, it begins late afternoon sometimes with stunning thunderstorms which we often watch from our roof-top terrace. We say it is like someone switches on the rain about 4:30 in the afternoon and we get to sit back and enjoy the show.

Generally speaking, casual clothes are the mainstay throughout the year with a sweater for evenings. Chapstick is always helpful but available in the many drugstores near Quinta Zoe. Scissors are also widely available. Be sure to drink plenty of water because the climate tends toward dry and it is easy to become dehydrated.  Cool or hot bottled water is continuously available at our water cooler with refrigerator in the main Courtyard. Pitchers and glasses are provided for each room.  We can also provide slices of lime for your water to assist you with hydration if needed.

Months with special needs:
April, May to mid-June - lightweight clothing, a light sweater for cool nights
Mid-June-October - an umbrella, an older pair of shoes that you don't mind getting wet, a light sweater, some mosquito spray (can be bought here)
November-January - medium jacket such as fleece, a scarf, slippers and robe for cool mornings
Special Note: There are many concerts and activities throughout the year. You may want some nicer clothing for concerts or dinners out. The historic center with its several beautiful churches is a conservative, mostly Catholic "town within a city". Short-shorts or revealing clothing would not be appropriate. 

Other things to bring
Certain items may be either hard to find or more expensive in Mexico such as books in English, good chocolates, some medicines and sundries like semi-permeable contact lense solution.  We don’t have half-and-half or the variety of low-fat milk as in the states.  We do have light milk. 

Your Passport and Visa
The consulate in San Miguel de Allende advises that travelers take special care not to carry their passports when sight-seeing.  If you want proof of your citizenship and visa, take a copy along with you.  They tell us that passports are very difficult to replace while in Mexico. This is why Quinta Zoe provides safes in each room.

We thought we would pass these guidelines along to you before you make your trip to Mexico.  We want you to not only stay well after you arrive at Quinta Zoe but to arrive well so you may enjoy our beautiful house and city.  Here’s what our 2½ years of experience taught us. 

1) Do not drink or brush your teeth in the tap water.  Use only bottled water even in Queretaro where the water is some of the best in Mexico.  We provide chilled (unusual in Mexico), purified water 24 hours from our bottled water cooler.  Our tap water has a filter which makes it safer to shower or bathe in.
2) To ensure the purity of what you drink, we suggest drinking only bottled drinks while in Mexico.  Be sure to drink plenty of bottled water especially in our high dry climate.
3) Wash your hands whenever you come into your room and after handling money and every time you think of it.  Handling money is generally agreed to be most likely to cause illness. 
4) Check out the restroom of any eatery.  If there is no soap, most likely employees are not washing their hands with soap.   
5) Look for refrigeration at any eatery.  Avoid food clearly left out of refrigeration.
6) Avoid places where food and money are handled by the same person. 
7) If in view, observe how dishes are washed and rinsed.
8) You might want to pass on the bread basket if the bread is in assorted pieces.  Here as in the US, bread from other tables are often re-served at your table.    
9) This may be the toughest guideline of all - pass up the street food.  It is hard to know how it was stored.  Your stomach is most likely not used to the bacteria here.  Even Mexicans have lots of stomach problems.  The doctors here are known-experts in stomach ailments.
10) Avoid drinking or eating from another’s cup or plate – food poisoning is bacterial and, therefore, contagious. 
11) Vendors give freely of sample foods especially in the markets.  Avoid this temptation altogether.
12) Avoid dairy, salads and raw fruit (we provide a list of recommended restaurants where you may eat anything on the menu).  Raw fruits and vegetables must be carefully washed and sanitized.  Sometimes dairy products are not pasteurized.

In the US these rules often do not apply but here in Mexico, the level of hygiene is not what it is in the states so it pays to be more alert.  We have followed these guidelines for nearly two years and we have been well during that time so you, too, can enjoy the food of Mexico and stay well.