The Leading Hotels of the World group was founded in 1928 and for it’s 80th birthday it’s doing something special. If you go register for their promotion, at 8 a.m. eastern on October 1 they’ll be selling off a limited number of rooms for $19.28 a night double.

You’ll still pay the taxes of course, but quite a score if you can pull it off. The sale will happen for 80 minutes and you must travel between November 1 and December 15 of this year.

Here are the hotels in Latin America that are part of the promotion, with links to our reviews where applicable.

Argentina
Alvear Palace Hotel (Buenos Aires)

Brazil
Pestana Convento do Carmo Hotel (Salvador)

Ecuador
Royal Palm Hotel Galapagos (Galapagos Islands)
Hotel Oro Verde (Guayaquil)

Venezuela
Gran Meliá Caracas Suites and Conference Center (Caracas)

Mexico
Presidente Intercontinental Cozumel Resort & Spa (Cozumel)
Marquis Los Cabos (Los Cabos)
Hotel Habita (Mexico City)
Grand Velas All Suites & Spa Resort (Nuevo Vallarta)

I got an error message trying to register, so the buggy corporate LHW site may give you trouble. Try back later before October if you get denied.

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.