The weekend of August 19 and 20 was magical in this peaceful pretty pueblo an hour and a half from Puerto Vallarta, the Jalisco Philharmonic performing in the town's charming pastel-colored church Saturday and Sunday. And it seemed that almost everybody who is anybody in Vallarta was there, soaking up this very special cultural event and the much cooler mountain temperatures. With the recent completion of the new road and bridge, getting to this atmospheric former silver mining town with its spotless cobblestone streets is much faster and easier than it used to be.

So San Sebastian is rapidly gaining popularity as a weekend getaway from Vallarta, its lush vegetation, fresh mountain air, comfortable but inexpensive accommodations, some really nice restaurants and typical small-town Mexico feel among its lures. San Sebastian Music Festival organizer Robert Roessel, who worked with Jalisco's secretary of culture and the orchestra to make this event a reality, says some 175 visitors and townsfolk were enraptured by the four-piece string quartet Saturday night, which played pieces by Vivaldi, Handel, Bach, Brahms and more.

And many of them enjoyed a fabulous Italian dinner at the town's newest restaurant, Real y Minas, or at the popular El Fortin after, making for a really wonderful evening. And on Sunday afternoon, a full orchestra played to about 250, many of whom drove up just for the day to hear Mozart, Strauss and other beloved master composers. To learn more about the town, see www.sansebastiandeloeste.com.mx.