One Year Later. One Love. Three Houses. 400 Friends.

It's been a year and I have no regrets.

Last September I made the best decision of my life. I left the U.S. with two suitcases to move to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, fulfilling a 30-year promise to myself.

My beautiful, wild ride and good fortune have led me to create Casa Avra. If you're new to my stories, welcome. I'm Audrey, and Casa Avra is now a growing collection of homes in San Miguel where I invite you to stay and explore whether this magical city should become part of your story too.

I haven't written for two months because I threw myself into building Love in San Miguel.

Love & Community

My entire life has been about community. See a need, fill a need. And the need I kept seeing here was loneliness.

Not because San Miguel is boring. The opposite. There is almost too much to do here. Concerts. Art openings. Classes. Hikes. Theater. Dinner parties. Live music. Retreats. Festivals. Lectures. Restaurants.

The problem isn't finding something to do. It's finding someone to do it with you.

The social group I started, “Love in San Miguel” started with singles. More than 400 people signed up in two months. Then couples started saying, "What about us?"

So now we're expanding to events for couples too.

My co-founder Araceli Kopiloff (of Uruguay) and I are just starting and designing as we go. We’re planning private dinners in gorgeous homes with private chefs, where we select guests around shared interests. Newcomers. Longtime residents. Mexicans. Immigrants. Community leaders. Completely bilingual and bicultural.

We also host larger gatherings, all designed to help people find the people to do the things they love with. We’re also partnering with some of San Miguel’s most exciting experience designers and special events.

Our goal? To make it fun to find your friends.

Read the story about Love in San Miguel in The Eye Magazine

A 73-Year-Old Man from Colorado Googled Where to Live to Find Love Abroad

I've come to adore Richard Byrne, a successful 73-year-old single man from Colorado who messaged me because he's ready to leave the U.S. His priority on relocation?

Finding love.

He said, "I Googled where a 70-year-old man could date as an expat, and San Miguel was number one."

So I tried an experiment. With his permission, I posted his photo and story in the Love in San Miguel Facebook group, inviting women to show him around and help him feel at home.

More than 30 women emailed him.

Now he's scheduled to stay at Casa Avra for 10 days and has a very full social calendar. He's so excited.

Richard helped me realize that what I'm creating with Love in San Miguel can completely change how people experience Casa Avra too.

Now You Have a Friend in San Miguel

Most people want to visit San Miguel if they know someone who will make them feel at home.

Now you do.

Casa Avra has grown beyond my casita in San Antonio. Some of my friends have stunning homes and elegant casitas they don't rent and have allowed me to share them with my guests.

Today you can stay in three very different Casa Avra homes:

Casa Avra | San Antonio - Two cozy, art-filled one-bedroom homes, each with its own private terrace, plus a shared rooftop with stunning views of San Miguel's historic churches.

Casa Árbol de la Vida | Guadiana - A remarkable three-bedroom home filled with Mexican folk art, plus a separate one-bedroom colonial casita with a fabulous patio and lush gardens.

Casa Santuario | Los Balcones - A completely private three-bedroom retreat high above San Miguel with sweeping city and mountain views, landscaped gardens, a beautiful terrace and its own yoga studio.

All are about a 14-minute walk to the center of town.

Whichever home you choose, you're independent, but you're not alone. I'm five minutes away. If something goes wrong, you get sick, you're locked out, or you simply don't know what to do, you call me.

And my partner Jorge and I offer a homemade welcome dinner when you arrive. We'll answer your questions and help you find your way into San Miguel.

Come Try On Another Life

Most of my guests now come for two weeks to a month because they're seriously exploring whether San Miguel could become home.

In the past two months, two guests decided on homes here and another looked at land to build. Jorge and I are not realtors, so we made the introductions and walked alongside them through the process.

But what guests have appreciated is helping them find future friends. I've organized dinner parties around guests I thought should meet each other. I've brought guests along to parties, dinners and events with my friends.

Carol and Marvin from Boca Raton, Florida, said after their month here, "Audrey and Jorge did for us in four weeks what would have taken us four years to figure out."

I don't want to convince you to move here. I want to help you experience what your life here could feel like before you decide.

Why figure everything out alone?

Come for Día de Muertos

Celebrating Día de Muertos in Mexico with friends was always on my bucket list. So much so that last year I rented the boutique hotel Casa Delphine, invited my friends and designed an amazing experience around it.

Now you can do it too.

I have two gorgeous three-bedroom Casa Avra homes available October 29 through November 3, one of the most magical times of the year in San Miguel.

Casa Árbol de la Vida | Guadiana - Mexican folk art. Lush gardens. Flat walk to Centro.

Casa Santuario | Los Balcones - Private luxury. Spectacular views. Gardens. Private yoga studio.

Bring your friends and make a trip out of it. Jorge and I will give you the inside story on the events and celebrations only locals know about.

Reply to this email if you're curious.

The Best Time to Visit Is Now

I fell in love with San Miguel this time last year.

September brings Mexican Independence Day. Then Día de Muertos. Then Thanksgiving, Christmas and the holidays. The weather is gorgeous and the social season comes alive.

Jorge and I are invited to incredible private dinners, concerts, parties and celebrations that aren't advertised anywhere. If you're our guest, we'll invite you to join us.

We have a open house. My Hebrew name is Avrahama (where Casa Avra comes from) based on the biblical Abraham whose tent was open on all sides to guests.

This week to celebrate my one year anniversary we’re hosting 70 people for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, at our home.

A year ago, I arrived with two suitcases and no plan. Today I'm in love with an amazing Mexican man, my three grown sons are thriving, I have an extraordinary community in San Miguel, and the work I'm creating brings together what I've spent my whole life doing: creating experiences, making introductions and helping people find their people.

I'm very glad I listened to that voice that told me it was time to go to San MIguel.

Maybe you're starting to hear it too.

Thinking about coming to San Miguel? Message me at Audrey@CasaAvra.com with your dates. I'll tell you what's available.

Can’t wait to welcome you here!