We’re getting ready to kick off a new real estate investing section of Luxury Latin America. We’ve got an advance taste of things to come here with an interview on farm and vineyard investing in Argentina.

It’s an interview with David English, who lives in Mendoza - the main wine-producing area of Argentina. David advises people on investing in land so they do not lose their shirts and then will be their eyes and ears on the ground to ensure things run smoothly. He is not a real estate agent who makes a sale and then pockets a commission. He works with buyers on a retainer basis to help them make the right choices.

So for all you wine business dreamers out there, how does a vineyard in Mendoza rate as an investment? How long until you start rolling in the cash?

“There is not standard length of time, since each investment is unique, ” David says. “What one has to keep in mind is that the wine industry in particular is quite capital intensive. Returns are low or nil for a number of years, as capital is tied up in wine, barrels, supplies, etc. while the wine is aging, being sold and being developed into a successful brand. All this takes time, and time truly is money. Also, economy of scale is critical with agricultural ventures. Whether one owns a grape farm or a peach farm, the larger the piece of land over which fixed costs can be spread, the better.”

We’ve pulled the winners out of a hat for the Argentina Boutique Hotels contest we were running with N | A Town & Country Hotels in Buenos Aires. We had about 150 entries from 9 countries. Thanks to everyone who entered! If you’re on this list, expect a package in the mail this month.

Grand Prize - 6 Boutique Hotel Nights in Buenos Aires
from New Age Town & Country Hotels

Ralph Blessing of Washington, D.C.
USA

First Prize - A copy of Moon Handbooks Argentina

Maria Verdaguer
Fairfax Station, VA
USA

Charles Weaver
Birmingham, AL
USA

Sydney Freas
Santiago
Chile

Second Prize - A copy of Tango Around the World
from Putumayo Music

Avril Nunez
Brooklyn, NY
USA

Thomas Andrillon
La roche sur foron
France

Catherine de Vries
Toronto, Ontario
Canada

Kara Dodson
Whangarei, Northand
New Zealand

David Wiggins
Boulder, CO
USA

Wayne Bernardson, the Argentina guidebook writer who runs the Southern Cone Travel blog, tipped us off last week that actor Robert Duvall and his wife have sold the House of Jasmines ranch hotel in Salta, Argentina. We had trouble confirming the news, but it appears to be a done deal: there was a report in the L.A. Times and it looks from the website like the new owners are the same ones running the El Colibri estancia in Cordoba (which we’ll have a review of soon).

It’s kind of hard to imagine this inn without its old owner, since there was a giant movie photo of him over the mantle in the main lounge and mementos of his were all over the house, like whips and cowboy hats. I can’t imagine that he needed the money, but maybe the chance to sell the 300 acres and hotel at at 400% profit (or more, we would guess) was too much to pass up. Or perhaps he just got tired of the hassle of maintaining three pieces of real estate. If you want to clear this up Mr. Duvall, please have your people call our people and let’s do lunch.

With the help of New Age Town & Country Hotels in Argentina, Luxury Latin America is giving away six nights of hotel stays in Buenos Aires or in the countryside. No essays, no photo competitions, just plain old luck to win. We are not Yahoo or TripAdvisor though, will millions of readers, so your odds are pretty good. Go enter the contest.

N/A has plenty of fine hotels in Argentina, including Solar de la Plaza in Salta and Club Tapiz in Mendoza, which we’ll be posting a review of soon. For this contest though, the winner will have their choice of five hotels in and around Buenos Aires. Here are descriptions of the participating hotels.
Even if you don’t come in tops, you can get a copy of Moon Handbook Argentina (our vote for the best guidebook on the country) or a copy of Putumayo’s Tango Around the World collection. See all the details here: Argentina boutique hotel contest.

The Llao Llao Hotel and Resort in Argentina is one of the continent’s most famous and most interesting hotels, with a fantastic location on a hillside facing snowcapped mountains and a beautiful lake. Like many historic lodges around the world, however, there’s just one drawback: small rooms built for a time when people didn’t expect so much space in their sleep quarters.

Before the Llao Llao guests who weren’t price sensitive and wanted to upgrade had to fight over the few suites in the building. That’s all history now as the long-awaited Moreno Lake Wing is officially finished and open. There are 43 new rooms and suites, adding 25 percent to the hotel’s capacity. The whole wing is on a hillside below the main building though, so it doesn’t block anyone’s view.

These 43 new suites increase the Hotel capacity by 25%. They cover 7.000 sq. mts.  in six  3 and 4-storey modules of rooms leaning on the side of the hill  that overlooks Moreno Lake,    since this wing is  below the Hotel level  it does not interfere with the view to and from the lake.

The 23 Deluxe Moreno Lake Studios are spacious single rooms with a terrace. The 17 Deluxe Moreno Lake Suites have two rooms with a total area of at least 645 square feet (60 to 63 square meters), all of them with a terrace.

There are also two Master Suites over 1,000 square feet each, plus a terrace, and the even larger Moreno Lake Royal Suite. All rooms have huge windows that showcase the unique view of Moreno Lake and Mt. Tronador, have a jacuzzi (built for two people in the suites), LCD TV set, Wi-Fi Internet and safe box.

This wing will function like a VIP area or executive level, with an independent access for cars and its own reception area and cozy lounge facing the marina.
Unfortunately, Llao Llao doesn’t seem to understand the importance of image: the only photos available of the new wing’s rooms are these tiny grainy ones we found on a press release.