Contact
Thanks for your interest! While our houses are listed on some booking services, we prefer to book directly to save you and us a lot of fees! Email us and let us know when you’d like to book (check out availability under FAQs/Rates) and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
About us
Laura Fraser at Salon Oaxaca on Insurgentes
Laura
Laura Fraser first came to San Miguel de Allende for a summer when she was 10 and thought it was magical. She returned in 2018, and still enchanted, bought a narrow lot in the Centro on impulse (everyone thought she was crazy) and built Casita Laurita. When the house next door became available, she and her husband bought it and turned it over to Jaime Shelley to renovate during the pandemic, with finishing details from the talented designer and wedding flower arranger Valeria Cordova Tamayo.
Laura is a writer, and her second memoir, All Over the Map, includes a part about visiting SMA and building Casita Laurita. She is addicted to Cuban salsa dancing.
Peter Eckart enjoying a margarita.
Peter
Peter first came to San Miguel de Allende about 10 years ago when he realized (que suerte!) that the woman he was dating had a whole other world down here. Peter and Laura, who originally met in college 30 years before, are now married, and Peter is working on his Spanish, though salsa dancing is probably never going to happen.
When he’s not playing jazz guitar, he oversees design and construction details for the houses. When they’re not in SMA, Peter and Laura live in San Francisco.
Anja
Anja Fauske Lorenzo, a San Miguel de Allende native, is an architect who built Casita Laurita. When she saw the small abandoned lot, she said, “We’re going to build a jewelbox,” which is what she did. Laura and Anja had a lot of fun collaborating, and though Anja has moved to Norway, they remain amigas.
Management team
Martha and Belem will greet you and help you with any questions and issues during your stay. Both speak excellent English in case your Spanish is rusty. They can also help you out with transportation, where to park, a private chef, a massage, or whatever else you might like to do while you’re in town (fees may apply for extra services).
Paula
Paula has been taking care of Casita Laurita for over 10 years and will be making sure that the Bird House is just as sparkling clean. She speaks Spanish (no English), but her smile is universal.
Valeria
Valeria Cordova Tamayo is a designer who does everything from organic flowers for weddings and children’s furniture to staging and details for properties. She finished the final details of the Bird House. Her family owns Garambullo Fondo Gourmet, nearby on Animas, for a wonderful breakfast or lunch. She and her mother Maye do catering, weddings, ceramics, and just about anything creative.
Alberto
Alberto Juarez can fix just about anything. He has been keeping Casita Laurita in shape for many years, and he helped with the demolition and construction of the Bird House. He’s also a great salsa dance teacher and runs a terrific little cafe in the San Antonio neighborhood called El Buen Cafe. He can also cater a meal.