You don’t hear “luxury hotels” and “Nicaragua” together very often, but there are a scattering of above-average places to lay you head there and we’ve just posted reviews of them. Follow this link for the best hotels in Nicaragua.

Some of them are going to involve a bit of compromise; don’t expect the city hotels to be on par with what you would find in Mexico. The business chain hotels will meet expectations though, especially considering the price, and the hotels in Leon and Granada are in evocative colonial buildings that retain their character.

The real action at the top end of the scale is on the Pacific beaches around San Juan del Sur. There you will find two fine resorts that are on par with what is on offer in nearby Costa Rica, but at a considerably lower rate. These are Palermo Villas Hotel and Resort (pictured above) and the chic eco-lodge Morgan’s Rock.

Check out all the reviews for luxury hotels in Nicaragua.

I got back from Honduras recently and have posted some new reviews of some of the best hotels on Roatan Island and one new one for Copan.

All our Honduras hotels come with a caveat or two I must admit. There is not one hotel in the whole country that is on par with the high-end resorts in Mexico or Argentina, but things are improving all the time as more tourists (and more demanding tourists) join the scuba divers that have been the mainstay there. So don’t expect any of these places to blow you away with their opulence or dazzling amenities, but each is special in its own way. Where would I go back to tomorrow if I could? The Lodge at Pico Bonito. I can’t remember the time I last felt that relaxed and at one with the natural world.

Here are the new Honduras hotel reviews:

Hotel Marina Copán — Copán Ruinas, Honduras

Barefoot Cay — Roatan, Honduras

Infinity Bay Spa & Beach Resort — Roatan, Honduras

Palmetto Bay Plantation — Roatan, Honduras

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

We just posted a review of El Convento Boutique Hotel in Antigua, Guatemala. While Antigua is full of interesting hotels that are full of personality, only a few try to serve upscale travelers who are more concerned about service and pampering than the price. So El Convento, which just opened in February, is a welcome addition to the scene.

Like Antigua’s Lion’s Inn, El Convento was built from scratch rather than being a restoration job in a historic home. The architects and designers have done their best to give the illusion of gravitas though, with a strong attempt to make the structure blend in with the Convent of Las Capuchinas across the street.

On another note, we also just added two hotels in Guatemala City, the Vista Real Hotel and Westin Camino Real. Neither one has any chance of making a “best in the world” list anytime soon, but both are comfortable for anyone stuck in the capital for a night or two, especially if you pay the minimal premium to upgrade to a business class floor or a suite.

Earlier on this blog I posted a video of tour of Casa de Sierra Nevada, the top large hotel in San Miguel de Allende. But we have two other hotels with full reviews on Luxury Latin America: the stunning Dos Casas and the whimsical Casa Linda. Any of these three will make your stay in this picture-perfect city even more special.

There are plenty of other small hotels in San Miguel that have gotten loads of press and made the “hot list” of some magazine or another. We only like to send you to the best, however, so we’ve passed on the others. Oasis, for example, is a favorite because it photographs well (and therefore looks great in a magazine spread). When you take away the stylish decor, however, what you have left is four rooms and a roof deck, with breakfast and sunset cocktails the only things on offer once you leave your room. Plus we stopped by twice to check the place out and neither time was there anyone present who spoke any English. Yes, some of us speak Spanish, but we shouldn’t have to at $300 a night.