Hannah D. Cooper

T here’s nothing typical about SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites, its founders, or the guest experience. Named for Susana Balbo, Argentina’s pioneering female oenologist, SB Winemaker’s House is located in the family’s former residence in Chacras de Coria, a short drive from Balbo’s winery and vineyard in Agrelo. This is a spa hotel where every suite is a spa. It doubles as an art hotel, where each piece shares a story relevant to Susana Balbo and her daughter and co-founder, Ana Lovaglio Balbo.

S ome travelers unwind with a beer, others reach for an herbal refreshment. In states where recreational marijuana consumption is legal, cannabis-friendly accommodations are a growing trend. However, just because there’s a dispensary on the block doesn’t mean you can toke up in any hotel or vacation rental – nor can you smoke in parks, beaches, sidewalks, restaurants, and other public areas.

I f there’s ever a hotel where you feel inspired to rush home and redesign your house, it’s this wine hotel in Argentina. SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites is a new hotel in the Mendoza province, one of the world’s most renowned wine regions. SB stands for Susana Balbo, the country’s trailblazing female oenologist.

S ince hearing about the “Wild Coast” of Spain, I felt drawn to the northeastern corner of Catalonia. The Costa Brava is a 140-mile clutch of rocky swimming coves backed by stone pine and fig trees misting over the remnants of medieval watchtowers. Camí de Ronda walking trails skirt the craggy cliffs and crumbling tunnels once patrolled by frontier guards as they rounded up smugglers.