The Atacama Desert region of northern Chile has gone from a barely known tourism region to one of the hotspots in South America, especially for upscale adventure travelers. It’s a common stop for people coming overland from Bolivia or Argentina and it’s a stop on many tours that explore the whole skinny country of Chile from top to bottom.

Because of this, the area is blessed with one of the best clusters of top-end hotels in the country, all within a few miles of each other. Alto Atacama feels like it’s all alone in the countryside, but in fact is just a short bike or van ride from the center of San Pedro.

This is the place to come if you want to get the desert experience all the time, not just on excursions. In a narrow valley with rocky cliffs on both sides, rooms and public areas have views that glow in various shades of brown, red, and orange as the sun changes position. With only native plants on site and little to mar the views from the low-slung buildings, it’s like a desert camp with air-con.

While Alto Atacama offers the expected adventure excursions to the usual spots, handled with a high level of service and comfortable transportation, here the guests who are more interested in hanging out than hiking enjoy the facilities. There’s an excellent full-blown spa on site and a series of swimming pools with different temperatures. The warm and cozy lounge with fireplace is an easy place to sink into for hours.

The hotel also gets high marks for its cuisine, which emphasizes locally sourced ingredients when possible. Good Chilean wines accompany meals best described as “Mediterranean meets the Andes” and the chef really shines with dessert selections.

Rooms here are a cut above most others in San Pedro, larger and with a private furnished terrace for each. The biggest ones also have an outdoor shower.

See more photos and our full detailed review of Alto Atacama Hotel and Spa in Chile.

The scene above is what you’ll see if you walk down to the beach from Villa del Palmar in Baja California, Mexico. Sitting on a secluded bay and with dramatic mountains behind it, this resort—opened in 2011—has brought a new level of glamour to sleepy Loreto.

This area is best known for its abundant wildlife and you can see plenty of that using this resort as a base. Loreto Bay is a natural Protected Maritime Park and as long been a favorite with snorkelers and scuba divers. At different times of the year it’s home to killer whales, blue whales, dolphins and sea lions.

It’s easy to relax after a hike or kayak trip though, with six swimming pools on site and a huge spa with 17 treatment rooms. All of the rooms have their own kitchenette, but there are three restaurants for those who want to just kick back and enjoy the local cuisine.

Speaking of suites, it’s well worth the upgrade here as it takes you from a relatively spacious 645 square feet at the lowest rung to 1,300 square feet going one step up to a one-bedroom suite. That also gets you a whirlpool tub and a washer-dryer for your salty beach clothes.

See our full detailed review of Villa del Palmar in Loreto, Mexico.

As I mentioned a while back on a round-up of new hotels in Latin America, Chile has really been coming on strong with new luxury hotels and resorts. It’s a testament to their strong economy and rising tourism numbers.

One of the most impressive developments has been the opening of Tierra Patagonia, sister hotel to the Tierra Atacama one that’s been open a few years. This low-slung resort is modest from a distance and blends into the landscape. Looking out from it to Torres del Paine though, you get a spectacular view.

Our contributor Jill Robinson is an experienced, you might even say jaded travel writer. She’s posted stories and hotel reviews from all over the world. But this place left her speechless.

“Wow…” I’d comment and then trail off.

“Pretty?” he’d ask, with a smirk, knowing what I was thinking. To be honest, that’s about the only vocabulary you need.

There are only 40 rooms in this luxury retreat and prices start at two grand per person for a three-day stay. This is one of those resorts where “luxury” means pampering and spa treatments, but it also means exclusivity and a view you’ll never forget. And naturally you’ll enjoy good Chilean wine with your expertly prepared meals.

See our full review of Tierra Patagonia hotel.

........Maroma Resort & Spa, Riviera Maya........

The June issue of Conde Nast Traveler had their readers poll results on top spa hotels and resorts arount the world. South America was missing in action and the “Mexico and Central America” section had 19 results for Mexico spas, one for Central America.

So first of all, congrats to Four Seasons Costa Rica for being the only resort south of Mexico to get on readers’ radar. They were #8 overall, with a perfect score for their facilities. Having soaked in their pools and gotten a great sports massage after a golf game there, I’ll agree wholeheartedly that it’s a special place for unwinding and relaxing.

Travel + Leisure’s last spa rundown had 5 resorts in Central and South America (including another Costa Rica resort, Tabacon).

These magazine reader polls are subject to lots of ballot-stuffing of course. PR firms and hotel chains buy a lot of staffer subscriptions so they can put in their votes. (That partly explains why you see so many perfect scores of 100 at the top.)

But hey, in a bit of circular cause and effect, the most famous places do have the resources to keep facilities and staffers top-notch and with such a high reputation at stake, they’re going to go out of their way to make you happy. After winning these awards, the great ones tend to stay great.

Here are the top spa resorts in Mexico where we’ve reviewed the hotels in detail. (Some of the others placing high are in non-luxury properties.)

Capella Ixtapa
Capella Pedregal – Cabo San Lucas
Maroma Resort & Spa – Riviera Maya
Rosewood Mayakoba – Riviera Maya

Esperanza – Los Cabos
Fairmont Mayakoba – Riviera Maya
Pueblo Bonita Emerald Bay – Mazatlan

One&Only Palmilla – Los Cabos
Ritz-Carlton Cancun

Four Seasons Punta Mita – Riviera Nayarit

See the full list for all regions of the world at CNTraveler.com and follow this link for all our reviews of the best luxury hotels in Mexico.

I’ve run some blog posts before on the most popular luxury hotel reviews on our site and which tour stories are getting the most action. It varies a lot from month to month depending on what’s getting press elsewhere and when it’s vacation time in a specific place.

February’s a month when a lot of people have getaways on their mind though, so I thought it would be fun to see which articles got the most action last month. It’s a mixed bag for sure – though quite a few of you have Ambergris Caye, Belize on your mind!

11) Luxury real estate in Cancun, Cozumel, and the Riviera Maya

10) Cliffs Preserve review – Chile

9) Getting pampered in the spas of Argentina

8) Trekking lodge to lodge to Machu Picchu in Peru

7) Playa Vik hotel review – Uruguay

6) Azul Resort review – Belize

5) Cayo Espanto review – Belize

4) Exploring the Coffee Triangle of Colombia

3) Mata Chica Beach Resort review – Belize

2) Hotel El Garzon – Uruguay

1) Luxury real estate in Cuenca, Ecuador