Way back in 2008, Luxury Latin America kicked off the real estate coverage with a story on buying a vineyard in Mendoza, Argentina. We interviewed a local expert on the subject, David English, who runs a consulting firm for groups and individuals who want to buy the right way—instead of learning through costly mistakes.

David is back in this new article we just posted, but this time we’ve highlighted some developments that have gone from “grand plan” to reality: Vines of Mendoza and La Morada. Although different in what they offer, both offer the chance to be a part owner of a winery without doing it all on your own. Call it being a gentleman farmer or vacation vintner, but these options give you the chance to produce your own wine, but leaving out the part about buying huge plots and tractors.

The value proposition is still there in Argentina, even though the word has been out for a while. A few million dollars won’t get you much in southern France or Napa Valley, but it still will go a long way in the Mendoza wine growing region.

See the full story here on vineyard real estate in Mendoza, Argentina.

Along with adding reviews of new and notable boutique hotels in Buenos Aires, we’ve been working on some updates as well.

I liked what I saw when I visited the elegant Sofitel in Buenos Aires several years ago, but wasn’t convinced it was in the same company as the other luxury hotels we’ve included in the city. After some reader feedback and some upgrades in the rooms, however, we’ve decided to add it to our reviews of the best hotels in Argentina. Here’s what our reviewer had to say about this converted apartment building near the Recoleta Cemetary:

The Sofitel holds a lot of elegant charm if you are looking to stay in a larger chain hotel that can still manage to maintain a lot of personality. They say that Buenos Aires is the Paris of South America, and a stay at the very French-influenced Sofitel only adds to this feel.

So now you can see the full review of the Sofitel here.

Since our Four Seasons review was a few years old, we just updated that as well. Once again, our reviewer confirmed that this is, in most aspects, the best hotel in Buenos Aires. Some prefer the old-world feel of Alvear Palace, others the hipster vibe of Faena Hotel + Universe, but it’s hard to top the service standard that Four Seasons sets.

See our new review of Four Seasons Buenos Aires.

The annual Travel & Leisure hotel issue is out now, with lots of info on hotel trends and where we’re headed. As usual, the have a top-10 list of hotels for each region, plus some picks for the most notable new hotel openings of the year. I always think these readers’ lists are pretty screwy since only so many people are willing to wade through that long survey—mostly people with plenty of time on their hands instead of a business to run. Plus it’s easy to ballot stuff. But still, since we have reviews of 10 out of the 10, I’m not going to quibble about who should and shouldn’t be on here. These are their top 10 for Central and South America.

Four Seasons Resort Carmelo – Uruguay
Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt – Argentina (pictured above)
Explora Patagonia – Chile
Alvear Palace Hotel – Argentina
Victoria House – Belize
Hotel Monasterio – Peru
Four Seasons Buenos Aires – Argentina
Hotel Oro Verde Guayaquil – Ecuador
Blancaneaux Lodge – Belize
Turtle Inn – Belize

I have a feeling this list will look very different two years from now, with many superior upstart resorts replacing some of the old guard coasting on name recognition. We shall see…

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.”