Two readers’ polls came out within two months of each other, from Condé Nast Traveler and Travel & Leisure. There is a bit of overlap in the results, but not much, which I find quite odd. Considering how similar those two magazines are (I forget which one I’m holding half the time unless I look at the cover), it’s strange that their readers would have such divergent opinions. It is especially pronounced when you look at the best hotels in Mexico, Central America, and South America–an area we know quite well here at Luxury Latin America.

The verdict? The Travel & Leisure one is spot-on. No publication on the newsstand or web has hit as many hotels in the region first-hand as we have and the Travel & Leisure results show that their readers have also been out and about quite a bit. The Condé Nast Traveler one? Well, let’s just say that somebody has figured out how to beat the system or their readers just plain don’t know what they’re talking about. It’s loaded with hotels that rarely rise above average and there are lots of properties known more for their convention facilities than the quality of their rooms or service.

We’re talking curveballs like Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun–listed as #39 in the world–is this a joke?! JW Marriott Cancun the third best resort in Mexico? The regular Cancun Marriott #17 in Mexico? I detect some serious ballot stuffing.

For a more accurate view of the best of the region, here’s the top-20 from Travel & Leisure, with links to our reviews where available.

1. La Casa Que Canta, Zihuatanejo, Mexico (just visited–review coming soon)
2. Four Seasons Hotel, Buenos Aires
3. Esperanza, Los Cabos, Mexico
4. Ritz-Carlton Santiago, Chile
5. One & Only Palmilla, Los Cabos, Mexico
6. Turtle Inn, Placencia, Belize (pictured above)
7. Alvear Palace Hotel, Buenos Aires
8. Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo
9. Las Mañanitas, Cuernavaca, Mexico
10. Royal Hideaway Playacar, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
11. Lapa Rios, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
12. Park Hyatt Mendoza, Argentina
13. Blancaneaux Lodge, Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve, Belize
14. Hotel Villa del Sol, Zihuatanejo, Mexico (review coming soon)
15. Tides Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
16. Maroma Resort & Spa, Riviera Maya, Mexico
17. Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, Mexico
18. The Lodge at Chaa Creek, San Ignacio, Belize
19. Hotel Monasterio, Cuzco, Peru
20. Four Seasons Hotel México D.F., Mexico City
21. Casa Santo Domingo, Antigua, Guatemala
22. Marquis Los Cabos, Mexico
23. Las Ventanas al Paraíso, Los Cabos, Mexico
24. Llao Llao Hotel & Resort, San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina
25. Ritz-Carlton Cancun

I wouldn’t put too much stock in who’s number 5 and who’s number 25 since readers can only rate a place they’ve stayed in and don’t know how one hotel compares to the other. It’s safe to say though that you can’t go wrong with any of these fine hotels.

Just when you think Costa Rica is heading to the visitor breaking point, out comes a rash of new developments showing us that they still plan to bring in planeloads more people every year. As noted in Jaunted, Delta is increasing its weekly flights from 38 to 45 - just from New York.

First up, Mandarin Oriental is coming to Guanacaste. We’re not sure how Oriental and Latin will go together, but Francis Ford Coppola seemed to pull it off okay with Turtle Inn, so we’ll see.

There are new Four Seasons Hotels planned too. This announcement was so big the president showed up for it. There’s already one Four Seasons in Costa Rica, but with Ritz-Carlton supposedly scouting out spots as well, they are probably feeling the (tropical) heat.

Meanwhile, former AOL head Steve Case has announced a huge $800 million project in Guanacaste that would be run by Miraval and One & Only, plus have the requisite condos to bring in more cash. There’s just one problem: the government rejected the plans. Back to the drawing board.

Travel & Leisure’s August ‘07 issue has the results of their annual reader’s poll. It lists the top vote-getting hotels all over the world, including the 25 best hotels from Latin America.

I guess it shows we don’t pick what we cover out of thin air because we have already reviewed 21 of the 25 hotels that made the list. Two of the remaining ones I will be reviewing myself in October, in Zihutanejo, Mexico. This includes the number 1 winner, La Casa Que Canta, nosing out the number 2 one Four Seasons Buenos Aires.

For those keeping score, number 3 was Esperanza in Los Cabos, number 4 was the Ritz-Carlton in Santiago, and number 4 was One & Only Palmilla in Los Cabos.

Take the exact placement of these winners with a giant chunk of rock salt. Few people who travel frequently in that region would put the Ritz-Carlton Santiago above the Park Hyatt in Mendoza (# 12) or the Hotel Monasterio in Cuzco (#19), but hotels in large cities or major resort areas tend to get more votes than the others. The important thing is, we try to present a rounded view of the best places to stay, leaving it up to you to decide which one is right for you, whether the place is #4, #24, or isn’t on the list.

By the way though, two we covered showed up on T&L’s list of Top 15 Hotels $250 or Less. They were Blancaneaux Lodge and Lodge at Chaa Creek, both in Belize.

Two investment companies controlled by some of the planet’s richest guys are buying the world’s top luxury hotel chain. Somehow it all seems appropriate since the buyout numbers bandied around are between three and four billion. The Gates here is Microsoft’s Bill Gates and the Bin Talal is a Saudi Prince. As this Bloomburg article states, ” Alwaleed is bidding through Kingdom Hotels International, and Gates will purchase his stake through Cascade Investment LLC.”

So the guy who makes you curse at your computer and one of the people who sometimes makes you curse at your gas pump will own the hotel chain that’s supposed to take all your cares away. Let’s hope it’s a “hands off” ownership arrangement (especially considering a Saudi woman can’t drive to a hotel on her own, much less stay at one by herself.)

One item buried in much of the coverage was this tasty morsel: “Isadore Sharp, Four Seasons’ CEO, will receive $289 million as part of the transaction.” Is that a payoff or what? Isadore Sharp, pictured here, is the founder of the company though, so it’s not quite as obscene as it sounds–he’s been working on this since 1961.