Kiwi chameleon Francesca (Fran) Fisher knew there was something special about Mexicos San Miguel de Allende recently named the best city in the world when she stumbled upon a scene straight out of a Fellini film shortly after her arrival.

Wandering up a cobblestone street lined with ochre- and rose-coloured buildings, the gossip columnist turned filmmaker rounded a corner to find herself face to face with a circus troupe complete with elephants in headdresses and performing acrobats.

It was a defining moment, Fisher, who now calls the high desert community home, said. San Miguel was exciting, unpredictable, wonderfully visual and exotic the perfect environment for a filmmaker.

I found my peeps as, at that time in the eighties, the town was full of artists, poets, writers and musicians from around the world, and I felt welcome from the day I arrived.

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Fisher had been on the festival circuit in the United States for a documentary she had produced on tuna fishermen when she and a girlfriend headed south of the border for some cheap fun in the sun.

The first Indiana Jones movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, had just come out, and cast a spell that brought the pre-Hispanic sites she visited and had studied at university vividly to life.

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Fran Fisher described living in San Miguel as a cross between a Fellini film and a Buddhist retreat.

Inspired to start writing screenplays, she rented an apartment in San Miguel after a contact suggested she visit, and soon found herself spinning yarns just a short distance from where legendary painter Frida Kahlo hosted some of her famous salons and Beats poets Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac caught up over drinks at Bar La Cucaracha.

Fisher was so captivated by the physical beauty of the town, whose Spanish-style buildings hug a pink neo-gothic cathedral that reminded her of the Disneyland castle, and the creative community there that she decided to stay longer than her planned three weeks. Thirty-eight years later, shes still there.

Lets say I met my muse here, she said.

Conde Nast Traveler named San Miguel de Allende the best city in the world in its 2022 Readers Choice Awards, praising the rich history that saw UNESCO declare it a World Heritage site in 2008.

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Fran said one of her greatest passions is working with colleagues on a social programme which mentors at-risk youths through the arts and entertainment.

A low crime rate, thriving cultural scene and endless culinary possibilities are all contributing factors, plus some fabulous places to bed down including Rosewood San Miguel de Allende and Hotel Mansion San Miguel by Concordia, the US-based publication said.

Travel + Leisure has also waxed lyrical about San Miguel, describing it as possibly the most charming small town in Mexico with a vibrant wine scene, markets and artisans galore, and one of the best food scenes in the country.

For Fisher, the near-perfect climate (the town experiences more than 320 days of sunshine a year with average highs ranging between 23 and 31 degrees), deeply layered culture, and the warmth, spontaneity and innovative nature of the people are among the things that make it an outstanding place to both live and visit.

And I always love the street life in the evenings the fragrances, music, the flavours The randomness of a Range Rover full of young uber-wealthy Mexican 30-year-olds politely giving way to a middle-aged cowboy riding into town on his horse, with mama dressed to the nines perched on the back, cradling her infant grandson.

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San Miguels historic centre is a maze of cobblestone streets lined with Spanish-style buildings.

Now running a sustainable lifestyle community and wellness resort on the outskirts of town, Fisher described her quality of life as pretty damn exceptional.

I live in a gorgeous valley fed by thermal springs and surrounded by vineyards and high desert landscapes just a few minutes drive from the urban centre of San Miguel. The lifestyle community where I live has a great mix of Mexicans and foreign expats, many of whom are involved in creative fields.

She bought the 250-acre property upon which the community, known as Valle de Los Senderos, now sits from a charro (horseman) whod appeared in iconic American and Mexican westerns, bonding with him over their shared love of film.

While he was initially reluctant to sell, she said on the communitys website that hours of mutual storytelling over a few rounds of tequila helped seal the deal. Living and working in San Miguel, she wrote, is like combining a Fellini film with a Buddhist retreat.

Fisher said that while San Miguel, which has become a magnet for American expats, is expensive compared with other parts of Mexico, it is possible to live and visit there on the cheap.

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Fran Fisher lives in a sustainable lifestyle community on the outskirts on San Miguel.

There are definitely two economies, she said. You can rent a cheap apartment or house for under $300 a month and eat delicious local street food for a couple of bucks. Or you can buy a luxury three-bedroom home with gorgeous gardens, patios and a pool for under $800,000, and dine at a gourmet Michelin restaurant for around $75 per person.

While a few luxury boutique hotels charge more than $1000 a night, a three- to four-star hotel would set visitors back about $75 a night, she said.

A cultural hub, San Miguel has plenty to keep visitors entertained, including multiple museums, galleries and boutiques, and regular festivities.

I can attend world-class concerts on a regular basis, get a great massage for $60, shop at high-end boutiques, and dance the night away with friends under a balmy sky, Fisher said. Or stay at home and watch Netflix, like anyone in the world.

We have upscale shopping malls and lots of cheap street markets. My internet streams well with fibre optics, but best of all - its easy to make friends with similar interests and there are always wonderful experiences to be had, at whatever pace or frequency you want, or dont.

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Fran said it was very, very easy to get to know people and make friends in San Miguel.

Walkable as well as welcoming, Fisher said the city is well set up for singles, who typically dont bat an eyelid at rocking up to bars, restaurants, food and wine tastings, lectures, art and writing classes, and sports and other activities on their own. Another way to meet people, she said, is simply to hang out in the town square.

If youre in a relationship, youre also in luck Its one of the most romantic towns on Earth for couples.

Other upsides to living in San Miguel include the affordable high-quality healthcare, and budget-friendly domestic help, she said.

The crime rate, she noted, is relatively low, but you occasionally hear about a shooting usually between gangs in poor neighbourhoods. Its best to stick to growing your own pot if you must, and not go anywhere near drug dealers. Just sayin.

For Fisher, the toughest thing about life there is that corruption in business and politics is widely accepted as normal. Her refusal to succumb to it has, she said, occasionally held her back in business, and prevented her from giving back as freely as she would have liked.

Asked whether there is anything she thinks New Zealand could learn from San Miguel or wider Mexico, Fisher mentioned the warmth, politeness and tolerance of the people, along with their tendency to embrace lifes simple pleasures without feeling a need to keep up appearances.

Theres such genuine affection between people when they greet one another, and a degree of sensuality that I think can get smothered, or even lost, in such a regulated and slightly sanitised environment as New Zealand and other Anglo societies.

But it goes the other way too. Sometimes I miss the pristine freshness of many parts of New Zealand. The predictability of orderliness in itself can be relaxing, even if a bit boring and uninspiring.

Fisher feels so happy and fulfilled in San Miguel, she has no plans to relocate to Aotearoa, or anywhere else for that matter.

That said, I cherish my yearly visits back to New Zealand to see family and old friends, and recharge the batteries with a walk on a wild ocean beach or through a fresh forest. I can get that kind of nature hit here too, but the travel time is greater, so it takes more planning.

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'Like combining a Fellini film and Buddhist retreat': The truth about life in the 'best city in the world' - Stuff