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A guest ranch in Wyoming, a boutique hotel in Argentina’s wine country, a revamped beachside motel in New York: Here’s where to go if you want to ditch big-city crowds.
Mendoza, Argentina
SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites
SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites, a boutique wine hotel nestled between the Andes and the city of Mendoza in Argentina, has just seven suites. SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites
While it’s summer in the United States, it’s winter in Argentina, when there are typically fewer crowds. Yet no matter the season, you’ll most likely find some tranquillity at this boutique wine hotel opened by Susana Balbo, a well-regarded winemaker (and the first woman in Argentina to graduate with a degree in oenology), along with her daughter.
Located in a suburb of Mendoza, the hotel is nestled between the Andes and the city of Mendoza, and has just seven suites. The spa suites have private gardens with outdoor fire pits and heated loungers, steam rooms, “sensations showers” that allow for various combinations of water pressures and temperatures, massage tables and locally made bath products. Each suite also has a living room, a terrace and a wine fridge (some also have dry saunas).
All of the suites surround a house and an outdoor pool, a setup meant to cultivate the feeling that you’re staying at a friend’s estate — only this friend has a “wellness butler” to prepare a bath of local salts and herbs in your in-suite tub, and a restaurant called La VidA that serves traditional Argentine cuisine.
There are wine tastings, of course, as well as blending classes where you can combine different varietals to create your own wine. And for those who want to taste and tour, there are “wine safaris” by seaplane to destinations like Patagonia and the Andes.
Here, wine isn’t just for drinking: You can try a spa treatment like the body hydration wrap with red wine cream and raisins. Around the property, you’ll see works by Argentine and Brazilian artists. And if you want to work up a sweat, there are exercise kits with elastic bands, kettlebells, dumbbells, a yoga mat and a jump rope. Prices from $780 a night (through September) based on double occupancy, including breakfast. Note: The hotel is for ages 15 and older.
