San Telmo
This stylish boutique-like hostel was built especially to host backpackers and youthful travelers. Beyond the reception is a cool bar area with a large…
Must-see hotels in South America
Espírito Santo
Set in lovely gardens only 500m from park headquarters, this high-end pousada is one of the region’s oldest. The main brick-and-wood building with Alpine…
Puerto Madero
Located in a renovated storage mill, this Philippe Starck–designed fantasy hotel is more than a place to stay. Traipse through the plush main hallway,…
Cafayate
Cool white elegance is the stock-in-trade of this hospitable family-run hotel with arched arcades. Lower rooms open onto both the front porch and the…
Middle Chile
Owner Sandra has built a mini kingdom of earthly goodness at this sustainably minded hostel. Perks include free yoga on Sundays, a reading library with…
The Amazon
Just across the road from the river and within walking distance of the Fortaleza de São José, Hotel do Forte combines a fine location with excellent…
La Paz
La Paz finally has a world-class design hotel in this Zona Sur stunner. Nearly everything you see – from the specially-commissioned art on the walls to…
Mato Grosso & Mato Grosso do Sul
Tucked away down a quiet street, this classy and welcoming spot abuts the forest, with abundant birdlife. Contemporary art merges seamlessly with…
Quebrada de Humahuaca
One of a handful of charming nests above town, on the main road toward Salinas Grandes, this lodge stands out for its majestic valley views and handsome…
Buenos Aires
This beautiful guesthouse, located in a building that dates from the 1830s, is a peaceful little place in a slightly off-the-beaten-path neighborhood…
Cajón del Maipo
Sleep inside a jumbo-sized wine barrel or aboard a converted carriage at this delightfully quirky rural retreat. All rooms are centered around a flower…
Chocó
The best budget option in town has a number of brightly painted wooden huts dotted around a pleasant garden and cheaper rooms with shared bathrooms on top…
Leticia
Sociable without being a crush-your-beer-can-against-your-forehead party hostel, the 'Little Piranha' features the eponymous fish motif throughout its…
Bariloche & the Lake District
Five kilometers north of the center, off Av San Martín, is one of the best hostels in Argentina. Traveler-run and sitting on 2 hectares of park-like…
The Pampas & the Atlantic Coast
The town’s best stay, this place is built from local stone and recycled wood, right down to the hollow-log bathtubs. It also boasts a gray-water system to…
Palermo
Small but charming, this French-run B&B, set in a house from 1905, offers simple but pleasant rooms with private bathrooms. A highlight is the pretty…
Isla del Sol
Magri Turismo’s delightful adobe cottages are set above pre-Inca terraces facing snowcapped Illampu. They are authentically ecological with solar-powered…
North Coast & Lowlands
The nicest hotel in town has a great sand-floored restaurant and bar, cabins with exposed cane roofs, wood-panel windows and mosquito nets, plus delicious…
Coastal Patagonia
These luxury oceanfront condos bring a dose of Miami to sleepy Pirámides. Eleven condos have private terraces, kitchenettes, TVs and concierges on 24-hour…
Vilcabamba
On a hillside with waterfalls and gardens 2km north of town, Madre Tierra has a strong New Age vibe, replete with candles and healing ions. Rooms are…
Caribbean Coast
This incredible place lives up to its name – it's literally a house in the middle of the water – a wooden holiday home built on an artificial island that…
Gramado
This outstanding choice – call it a 'poshtel' – is an eight-minute stroll from central Gramado on the road to Canela. Dorms are of a craftsmanship…
Pará
Occupying a beautifully restored 19th-century casarão (mansion), rooms here have high ceilings, flat-screen TVs and small but stylish bathrooms; some…
Ilha Grande & Vila do Abraão
It's worth reserving ahead and paying the small surcharge for a front room with balcony and hammock at this French-run beachfront pousada. The ample…
Colonia del Sacramento
Incorporating three spacious upstairs suites and a 'garden house' bungalow out back, this is one of Colonia's most unique lodging options, abounding in…
Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
A spiffing location plus decorative touches make this venture one of Hanga Roa's best retreats. Digs are in cute-as-can-be bungalows perched on a gentle…
Guayaquil
Housed in a lovingly restored home from the 1920s and hidden down a riverside cobblestone street in Las Peñas, the rooms at Mansion del Rio are handsomely…
Puerto Natales
Emanating happy vibes, this hostel has pleasant rooms, with tin-clad cabins around a courtyard with a firepit. Breakfast includes fresh bread, yogurt and…
São Paulo
Designed by Ruy Ohtake, the slice of watermelon–reminiscent Unique is certainly the city’s most architecturally ambitious hotel, as well as a favorite of…
São Luís
Long overdue in the historical center, this bright and well-run hostel is the perfect base for budget travelers. It offers spotless colorful dorms with…
Quebrada de Humahuaca
A cute red adobe building, adorned with flowers, and set up a dirt road from the town center, where the roads seemingly disappear into the hills. Rooms…
Inland Patagonia
Resembling an attractive mountain lodge, this welcoming hostel ups the ante with a Turkish sauna and a fully decked-out kitchen with industrial stoves…
Belo Horizonte
This small and cozy hostel enjoys a dream location on a pedestrianized street in the heart of Savassi. The trio of four- to 10-person dorms (two for women…
Santa Catarina
Siblings Lila and Caio are your hospitality wizard hosts at this eco-forward hostel in the heart of Lagoa. Their childhood home now features solar-heated…
Bogotá
Behind a mauve facade hides La Candelaria's most discerning and upscale choice, an intimate six-room boutique hotel bursting with historic character…
Coastal Patagonia
With a prime location for wildlife watching, this refined inn hosts university marine biologists, student researchers and tourists. Lodging is in a modern…
Lima
With a fairy-tale feel, this lovely five-room Bavarian-style casona has claw-foot tubs, sculpted ironworks, a swimming pool and breathtaking views of the…
Rio de Janeiro State
A welcoming oasis at the edge of Itatiaia town, this combo pousada-campground has pleasant green grounds, a pool, sauna and soccer and basketball…
Ilha Grande & Vila do Abraão
A five-minute boat ride or a 30-minute hike from Abrãao brings you to this idyllic hideaway at the end of Abraãozinho beach. Argentine owners Juan and…
Leticia
Leticia's most charming and stylish option, this hotel comprises six cabañas and four rooms surrounding a gorgeous tropical garden. The cabañas are…
