The Stay: Susana Balbo Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites By Azure Road

An artful spa getaway in Argentina’s most famous wine region

The Azure Road Take

Mother-daughter duo Susana Balbo (Argentina’s first female winemaker) and Ana Lovaglio Balbo open up their home with Argentina’s most exclusive adults-only boutique hotel. Checking in at this seven-suite hideaway feels like you’re visiting a sophisticated friend’s soigné country estate. Argentine and Brazilian artists are celebrated throughout the property. Paintings, sculptures, photographs, and a joyfully intricate paper collage tree of life laden with a kaleidoscope of flora and fauna, welcome guests at the foyer. Wellness and wine have never been so seamlessly intertwined.

Who’s it for?

Food and wine lovers excited to explore the diversity of Mendoza’s wine scene. Couples seeking romance, relaxation, and privacy. Wellness aficionados looking for self-care and a sumptuous spa experience.

Sustainability Chops

North Stars: Gender Equality, Waste Management, Certifications

Deeply rooted in the legacy of strong, visionary women, SB Winemaker’s House not only champions gender equality but actively supports female-driven businesses, projects and collectives including Consuelo Delgado, the architect behind the hotel’s interior design. Perfumer Dolores BA created an exclusive hotel fragrance and artisans like Awanay, Mariana Tripoli, Dominique Homps, and Francesca Roggerone are featured as well.

The hotel holds Silver Certification by the Hoteles Más Verdes program. This rigorous certification initiative from the Asociación de Hoteles de Turismo de la República Argentina (AHT) recognizes hotels and tourism accommodations that demonstrate superior environmental performance and sustainable practices. A robust recycling program includes the donation of used batteries, coffee capsules, recyclable plastic, glass, and cardboard directly to the local recycling plant. The property’s perimeter fence was also constructed with recycled materials. Furthermore, the hotel uses bioethanol as a sustainable energy source, seasonally adjusted automated drip irrigation for its gardens, and efficient laundry practices that minimize water usage.

Location

Mendoza is the largest wine-growing region in Latin America and the heart of Argentina’s wine industry. You probably know the region for Malbec, but there’s a much greater variety of wines here, including excellent white wines and champagne method sparkling wines. Since Argentina is in the Southern Hemisphere, wine harvest takes place in March and April as opposed to September and October.

From the United States, you’ll fly to either Buenos Aires or Santiago, Chile to connect to Mendoza. SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites sits about 40 minutes from the Mendoza airport and the concierge will happily arrange transfers for guests. From the small village of Chacras de Coria you’re well-positioned between the city of Mendoza for cultural exploration, including General San Martin Park, and the vineyards and mountains of the Uco Valley. A visit to Susana Balbo Winery is a must.

Rooms

There are just seven spa suites here, constructed with concrete, marble, leather, wood, and neutral earth tones to reflect the surrounding rugged landscape. Every suite includes a wine fridge stocked with Susana Balbo wines, private garden with a firepit and heated loungers (great spot to enjoy coffee and breakfast in the morning), yoga mat, massage table, heated soaking tub, and sensory steam shower. Four of the seven suites also feature a dry sauna, and it’s worth the upgrade. The spa suites are so comfortable, you’d be forgiven for spending a lazy day relaxing on property.

Food and Drink

Breakfast is included with every stay, including housemade clay-oven baked bread and pastries in the morning served with addictive dulce de leche, fresh seasonal fruit, and your choice of a hot breakfast. Try traditional Argentine mate rather than coffee for an herbal pick-me-up with roughly as much caffeine as coffee.

For lunch, you can enjoy a family-style al fresco asado with grilled meats and vegetables and dinner is a fine dining feast at La Vida. The 14-course tasting is inspired by the tree of life, harkening back to the entryway masterpiece, with delicate flavors and artful plating. Chef Flavia Amad Di Leo sources more than 90% of the ingredients locally from Mendoza and tells a culinary story about her hometown with refined molecular gastronomy techniques and creative reinterpretations of traditional dishes like tomaticán stew. Each course, from thinly shaved lamb tongue with sweet carrot sauce to the chef’s tiramisu-inspired dessert of chocolate barley ice cream, mascarpone anglaise and crunchy carob cake, comes with a keepsake notecard description with beautiful artwork on the back.

Wine pairings are exquisite, showcasing Balbo’s wide range of winemaking talents. If you ever need a break from wine, the house bar’s cocktails are delightfully innovative and delicious, too.

Staff and Service

With such an intimate setting, service is remarkably personalized and by the second day, the team remembers guest preferences for water, coffee and any dietary restrictions. Any activities you’d like to arrange off-property, like horseback riding or wine tasting, can be organized through the well-connected concierge. With so many wineries spread out across Mendoza and the Uco Valley, you’ll want to hire a private guide and driver for the most comfortable experience, and the concierge team can curate a bespoke wine route for you based on your interests, whether that’s historic wineries, green wineries, or rising stars.

Turndown service is a real treat – return in the evening to a warm aromatherapy bath with your choice between a restorative lavender and thyme or purifying lavender and rosemary soak. The concrete tub is inspired by concrete egg-shaped wine tanks popular with natural winemakers, and stays warm for hours. A bath each evening is the best cure after a long day of travel.

Spa and Swim

These are true spa suites, so when you book a spa service, everything takes place in the comfort of your room. Yon-Ka Paris is available for facials and massages, along with locally made Ethicus Laboratory skincare products used in a grape seed exfoliation or thermal mud wrap with the medicinal jarilla plant, which is hailed for its moisturizing and anti-inflammatory properties. For the ultimate indulgence, book the signature three hour “fruits of the vine” ritual which begins with a steam shower, followed by full body grape seed exfoliation, red wine must mud wrap, and 50-minute custom full body massage that will leave you feeling light as a feather with silky soft skin.

The outdoor pool is open year-round and has plenty of loungers, but is only heated during spring and summer months from October through March. In autumn and winter, you can still enjoy wine by the poolside firepit.

Accessibility

The property is entirely set on the ground floor, and one of the suites is wheelchair accessible.