"Drive just 40 minutes northeast of Punta Del Este’s sunny beaches and swank resorts, and you’ll hit this Uruguayan sanctuary: a 12-suite Spanish colonial spread dropped into 4,000 wind-whipped acres of rugged countryside, just a mile from the coast. More than half of the white-walled estancia’s footprint is taken up by interior pockets of outdoor space—gardens, courtyards, walkways. The rest holds its other charms, like individually designed rooms, courtesy of Uruguayan artists: The master suite Vik, for example, is wrapped in rich, dark woods, while the Trujillo suite’s bed is anointed by a massive nude painting. Make a plan to test out the massive indoor barbecue surrounded by tin walls—a nod to the galpons , or sheds, used by gauchos, and hosed in graffiti for one of the hotel’s many art-driven kicks." - Betsy Blumenthal