Is there a definitive answer on which hotels and resorts are viewed as the best in Mexico, Central America, and South America?

Sort of. I’ve said before that there’s a lot of hanky-panky that goes on with “best of” readers polls in magazines. Ballot stuffing is a part of the job when you’ve got a vested interest in who wins and people who are on the clock are much more likely to go through those hour-long surveys. Plus some readers are voting for places they’ve never set foot in, on reputation alone.

But if the two biggest travel magazines get the same results on some hotels, AND they’re featured here in Luxury Latin America, well that starts to look like a real trend. Three hits and you’re solid. Here are the hotels that came out on top in this year’s Conde Nast Travel Best in the World survey, Travel & Leisure’s 500 Best survey, and our picks here (follow the links to detailed reviews).

Mexico Top Resorts and Hotels

La Casa que Canta – Zihuatanejo

Four Seasons Mexico – Mexico City

One & Only Palmilla – San Jose del Cabo

Las Ventanas al Paraiso – San Jose del Cabo

Capella Pedregal – Cabo San Lucas

Esperanza – Cabo San Lucas

Ritz-Carlton Cancun

Banyan Tree Mayakoba – Riviera Maya

Fairmont Mayakoba – Riviera Maya

Grand Velas Riviera Maya

Four Seasons Punta Mita – Riviera Nayarit

St. Regis Punta Mita – Riviera Nayarit

Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit

Central America Top Resorts and Hotels

Lodge at Chaa Creek – Belize

Hotel Casa Santo Domingo – Antigua, Guatemala

Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica – Papagayo Peninsula

Top Hotels and Resorts South America

Llao Llao Hotel & Resort – Bariloche, Argentina

Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt – Buenos Aires, Argentina

Alvear Palace Hotel – Buenos Aires, Argentina

Four Seasons Buenos Aires

Park Hyatt Mendoza – Argentina

Ritz-Carlton Santiago – Chile

Hotel Monasterio – Cusco, Peru

JW Marriott Hotel Lima – Peru

Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel – Peru

Obviously it pays to have a well-known brand name and the hotels that have been around for a decade or more have a clear edge. The big surprise for me is how few matches you see for Chile (where the most impressive resorts have been opening) and for Central America overall. Conde Nast had loads from Costa Rica, but T&L hardly any. Expect that to change in the coming years as more readers get out and about in this region.

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.

You don’t see a whole lot of Bentley cars cruising the streets of Mexico, Peru, Argentina, or Chile. If you stay at a St. Regis or Starwood Luxury Collection hotel in one of those countries though, you could be seeing one—from the inside.

St. Regis and Luxury Collection hotels around the world have been transitioning their fleet of in-house vehicles for guests to luxurious Bentley models, such as The Continental Flying Spur. So for your arranged airport pickup or sightseeing drive, you’ll be surrounded by elegance and the smell of fine leather.

If you dig around and find the right package, or get your travel specialist to, you might get this included in the rate for booking a suite or enough days. If not, how much does it cost? Well you know what they say: if you have to ask…

The photo at the top is from the St. Regis Mexico City. Their other hotel there is in Punta Mita, near Puerto Vallarta.

Luxury Collection hotels are located in Lima, the Sacred Valley, and Paracas in Peru; Santiago and Villarica in Chile, and Buenos Aires in Argentina. They also have five gorgeous hacienda hotels in Mexico, all located around Merida and Campeche in the Yucatan.

Book direct with St. Regis or direct with Starwood Luxury Collection.

When Conde Nast Traveler published their 16th “Hot List” issue in April, they included a feature I loved on what hotel trends have emerged in that time that were loved or hated.

I found myself nodding along a lot and some of the “Terrible 10″ echoed features we’ve complained about plenty in our luxury hotel reviews. So let’s start with some of those. Are there people who actually like these things? I haven’t met them yet.

Hated hotel trends

- The mandatory resort fee: charging extra for things that should just be in the room rate, like gym access.

- The TV hotel channel, which comes on by default when you turn on the TV. Who watches this?

- The wall-less bathroom. Great if you’re 20-something and spending your first weekend with someone maybe…

- Club lighting in your room. Their quote: “Last time I checked, we paid for a room, not a private discotheque.”

- The motion-sensor minibar. Better not move one can to see what’s behind it!

New hotel developments we liked

We’ll say, “yes indeed” and agree with CN Traveler’s cheers for these though:

- The turndown gift

- The pillowtop bed

- The flat-screen TV

- The pool amenity

I’m not so sure I love the paperless check-in. I’d rather have a sufficient front desk staff in place. I’ve also got mixed feelings about the rain shower since it wastes far more water. The celebrity chef restaurant? Maybe, but it depends on the who and where. In Vegas, the trend seems so overdone that none stand out.

A few not mentioned that I love:

- Kiosks to print out your boarding pass

- Free Wi-fi (common in Latin America apart from a few holdouts like the Four Seasons and Marriott)

- A welcome gift for kids (my daughter at the Four Seasons Mexico City pictured here)

- Key fobs that just need to be waved by the door lock to open it

- Make-your-own margarita kit in your room upon arrival (Viceroy, Four Seasons)

See CN Traveler’s full list here: Best and Worst Hotel Trends of Past 16 Years

........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.