My dog Poppy has nearly 200 flights under her collar and has stayed at luxury hotels around the world. She knows room service, turndown service and exactly how quickly hotel staff can be persuaded to bring her treats. But her latest trip to Mexico introduced her to something new: a professional massage.
Not every hotel that calls itself “dog-friendly” actually rolls out the red carpet for its four-legged guests. Sometimes it means genuine hospitality. Other times, it means a water bowl, a laminated list of restrictions and a pet fee high enough to make me wonder whether she’s been ordering top-shelf tequila from the minibar while I’m at the pool.
At the new Pueblo Bonito Vantage San Miguel de Allende, Poppy had her own restaurant menu, guided walks, picnic experiences and a massage that cost less than many human spa treatments. It was full-on poochmaxxing — applying the same appetite for wellness, experiences and indulgence to your dog that plenty of us already apply to ourselves — and Poppy seemed entirely comfortable with the upgrade.
This luxury Mexico resort gives dogs professional massages
Poppy’s massage was the first thing that made me realize Pueblo Bonito Vantage San Miguel de Allende was doing something different with its pet program. It cost about $15 plus a 15% service charge during our stay and lasted long enough for her to stop looking suspicious of the entire situation and settle in.
The massage is part of the resort’s Welcome Wags program, which extends well beyond the usual dog bed and water bowl. There were no pet fees during our stay, and Poppy could join me in the outdoor dining areas. Dogs can also book guided walks, picnic experiences and other pet-focused activities.
They have their own food menu, too, with five dishes available through room service or while dining outside. The Guardian Dog combines lean beef and chicken liver, while another option pairs fresh salmon with rosemary purée.
Poppy has eaten from plenty of hotel dog menus before, so that part wasn’t especially novel. Getting a professional massage at a luxury resort was.
By the end of it, she was stretched out on the table looking considerably more relaxed than when she arrived.
The humans get spoiled at Pueblo Bonito Vantage, too
The pool terrace at Pueblo Bonito Vantage San Miguel de Allende, which caters to humans as well as dogs.
(Victor Elias)
Pueblo Bonito Vantage opened in the pedestrian-friendly Distrito Corazón, across from Zeferino Gutiérrez Park and close enough to San Miguel’s historic center to make exploring easy.
The 111 rooms and suites are contemporary rather than faux-colonial, with rich textiles, handcrafted furniture and patterned rugs alongside Bose sound systems and modern lighting. My room also came with a pillow menu, plush robes and L’Occitane bath products.
One of the hotel’s best design moments comes before you even reach the room. From the entry, a series of wooden gates and open spaces draws your eye straight through the property toward the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel. Its pink spires rise above the rooftops in the distance, an immediate reminder that you haven’t come to San Miguel to spend the entire trip inside a resort.
That location matters. San Miguel, which Travel + Leisure readers recently named the No. 1 city in the world in the magazine’s 2026 World’s Best Awards , is best explored on foot. Around El Jardín, the central plaza, centuries-old facades hide galleries, shops, restaurants and courtyards, while rooftops turn into some of the city’s best gathering spots as the sun goes down.
Dinner comes with a view
Pueblo Bonito Vantage has several places to eat, ranging from poolside pizza and margaritas to a small top-floor restaurant worth making a reservation for.
Casa Bistro handles breakfast and all-day dining, while Tapas Pool & Lounge serves wood-fired pizzas and small plates beside the pool.
LaFrida is the one I’d plan ahead for. The 28-seat restaurant sits on the top floor, where indigo and raspberry walls, antique Venetian mirrors and a terrace overlooking San Miguel create a more intimate setting than you normally find in a large resort.
Book a terrace table around sunset if one is available. The menu takes a more refined approach to Mexican cooking and includes a regional wine program, while the view stretches across San Miguel’s low rooftops toward the Parroquia.
After dinner, V Rooftop Bar offers another excuse to stay upstairs. San Miguel’s skyline is particularly good from this height because there are few modern towers competing with the church domes and historic buildings below.
Poppy’s spa has some competition
Aromatika Spa & Wellness makes a convincing argument that humans deserve a little pampering, too.
The spa has a hydrothermal circuit with a whirlpool, polar plunge, sauna, steam room and contrast showers, so it is worth arriving well before a treatment instead of racing in five minutes beforehand.
Some therapies draw on Mexico’s wine industry, incorporating grape-derived ingredients into baths and body treatments. More unusual are workshops tied to the resort’s organic garden, where guests can pick herbs and use them to create body scrubs and essential-oil spritzers.
It was the sort of spa where I could easily disappear for an afternoon.
Unfortunately, I was traveling with someone who had recently discovered professional massage and had standards to maintain.
Why San Miguel de Allende is worth visiting with your dog
San Miguel was established in the 16th century and flourished in the 18th, when many of the religious and civic buildings that still shape the historic center were constructed. UNESCO added the Protective Town of San Miguel and the nearby Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco to its World Heritage List in 2008.
Today, those old streets are filled with a very modern mix of restaurants, galleries, rooftop bars and boutiques. Heavy wooden doors open into hidden courtyards. Bougainvillea tumbles down ochre walls. The Parroquia appears unexpectedly at the end of steep streets, somehow looking even pinker as the afternoon light changes.
For me, Pueblo Bonito Vantage worked because I could spend the day walking those streets and still come back to a full-service resort — without having to compromise because I was traveling with a dog.
Although “compromise” may no longer be a word Poppy recognizes.
She returned from Mexico with restaurant dining, a spa treatment and further evidence supporting her long-held belief that Chihuahua is not so much a dog breed as a hereditary title.
Traveling to Mexico with your dog? New screwworm requirements you need to know
Planning a trip to Mexico with your dog now requires a little more paperwork than it used to. New World screwworm, a parasitic fly whose larvae can infest wounds in animals, has prompted new veterinary inspection requirements for dogs traveling between the United States and Mexico.
As of August 3, 2026, Mexico requires dogs arriving from the United States to have a screwworm inspection certificate issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian no more than five days before arrival. The certificate does not require USDA endorsement, but you’ll need to present it when entering Mexico.
The return trip requires another veterinary appointment. Because Mexico is considered a screwworm-affected country, dogs returning to the United States must be examined within five days before departure and have documentation confirming they are free of screwworm. The certificate must be issued by a veterinarian authorized to perform the inspection in Mexico.
You’ll also still need to complete the CDC Dog Import Form before returning to the United States. For dogs that have only visited countries considered low-risk for rabies, such as Mexico, the CDC form is generally the only CDC document required. However, it does not replace the separate USDA screwworm certification requirement.
For Poppy’s return flight, I booked an appointment at Vet Shop in San Miguel de Allende using WhatsApp. The veterinarian spoke excellent English, and the screwworm inspection and certificate cost $75 during our visit. The clinic was about a 15-minute Uber ride from Pueblo Bonito Vantage, and the car cost less than $20 each way.
You can contact Vet Shop at +52 415 154 5766 on WhatsApp to arrange an appointment. The clinic is located at 5 de Mayo 18 in the Guadiana neighborhood. I’d recommend scheduling your dog’s return inspection before leaving for Mexico, particularly if you’re planning a short trip.
For the latest requirements, check the USDA’s official Mexico pet travel page and its dog import requirements for returning to the United States .
Even a poochmaxxing Chihuahua has to clear customs.
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