The well-known producer of wine from Argentina, Susanna Balbohas opened its first hotel, SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites, in the famous wine region of Mendoza.
After four decades dedicated to the wine industry and international recognition, Susana Balbo created the custom estate and luxury hotel with her daughter. Ana Lovaglio Balbo.
The hotel features a sense of place as well as the authentic roots of the ladies wine in everything from design, decor and ambience to culinary experiences, art, wellness and nature. It is also about exclusivity.
Guests will feel as if they are staying at a private estate, where Susana and Ana play host to travelers who want to experience their culture and wines. The seven spa suites feature fully integrated in-room spa features and services. La VidA restaurant, a lounge bar, heated pool, local craft shop and tasting room complete the SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites.
The lesser-known region of Mendoza appeals for its dramatic natural setting and gentle adventure. Guests will have an opportunity to explore the region near and far, including Patagonia in the south and Cafayate in the north on the hotel’s private seaplane. Guests can also take advantage of all the additional wine and food experiences at the nearby Bodega Susana Balbo.
Spa Suite
SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites is the only luxury wine hotel in Latin America with fully integrated in-room spa features and services in every suite. Each suite features a steam room, sensation shower and massage table. Four of the seven suites are also equipped with a dry sauna. Guests can enjoy the features at their leisure or take a guided experience with the Wellness Butler. The seven individually designed spa suites also have their own living room, terrace and curated wine fridge. A highlight are the traditional dyed llama wool blankets made by the rural women of Argentina. In-room aromatherapy reject service is prepared in the in-suite bathtub, shaped like the concrete egg wine tanks used in the fermentation process.
Additionally, the glass-walled suites all have a private garden with an outdoor fire pit and heated loungers hidden from other guests by a wall of leaves and volcanic rock. Each guest is treated to a 15-minute massage upon arrival in the warm salons of their suite.
Guided by the in-house Wellness Butler, guests can choose from a variety of wellness rituals using local herbs and other a la carte ingredients. Treatments range from relaxing geothermal therapy massages to a grape seed body scrub. Two multi-sensory wellness rituals, Deluxe SB Detox Ritual and Deluxe SB Frutos De A Vid Ritual, offer a multi-step sequence of various therapies including a steam bath, restorative shower, hydration wraps and massages, among other rituals healing, all lasting. a total of three hours.
A yoga mat and exercise kit are also available. Guests can also contract with a personal trainer and get access and transportation to the best gym in Mendoza.
Food & Beverage
La VidA Restaurant features Argentinian cuisine that exudes bold flavors with high-quality, sustainable and organic ingredients. Guests can choose to dine in the in-house dining room or at the exclusive Chef’s Table for an intimate experience overlooking open flame cooking. The Chef’s Table menu offers a selection of carefully crafted local options, each paired with Susana Balbo or rare prized world wines. La VidA also offers a la carte and a four-course dinner menu, which can be paired with popular wines or popular cocktails from the bar. Highlights of the signature wine cocktail menu include the Plum, made with Crios Rosé de Malbec, Aperol, plum and grapefruit oil, and the Lemon, made with limoncello, ginger, seasonal fermented fruit and Osadía Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs . A cellar contains the best Argentine and international wines.
Exclusive experience and expedition
New expeditions can be organized by the house experience curator, from a afternoon horseback riding or cycling on multi-day trips in an exclusive private amphibious aircraft. Various excursions are offered to emblematic destinations in Argentina, including San Raphael, Cafayate, Esteros del Iberá and Patagonia, on a day tour or a variety of two or three night air safaris. The private 6-person seaplane is fully equipped with high-end technology and maximum comfort. It is the only aircraft of this type in Latin America. Operated by Vision Air VIP, part of the Susana Balbo Family Group, the unique programs offer flexibility to reach remote destinations and create tours not available on commercial routes.
The Experience Curator can also arrange various activities for guests upon request, including rafting, tennis, golf, yoga, horse riding, rappelling and more. Culinary experiences range from cooking and grilling classes of Argentinian favorites, to guided wine tours and tastings, wine pairings and more.
Hotel Art
Inspired by the family history of winemaking, artworks by 20 prominent Argentine and Brazilian artists including renowned photographer Sebastiao Salgado are featured throughout the property and in the spa suites.
On display in the main house and foundation for SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites, Susana commissioned the Tree of Life from Argentinian plastic artist Sergio Roggerone to reflect her life story. Among its endless details, the work has a root that represents the oenological origins of the hostess. The trunk made of papyrus that retains its natural color over time shows growth over the years. Flowers, with their vivid colors that excite at first sight, symbolize strength and femininity, enterprise and empowerment of women. Fruits – plentiful and juicy – indicate the reward for life’s toil and pleasure. Birds are the representation of family and the nourishment of love and companionship that give life and meaning to this mother-daughter project.
The property also features works by Viviana Herrera, Julia Le Parc, Fernando Jereb, Henry Testasecca, Pablo Comadran, Guillermo Rigattierise, Martin Villalonga, Helen Cohelo, among others.
Rates at the SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites start at $780 through September and then $980 for the remainder of the year until high season in April. The hotel is for adults 15 years and older. Prices are for one night for two people, including breakfast.
