12 Best Hotels in Side Trips from Buenos Aires, Argentina

Thick vegetation surrounds the tomato-red 19th-century country house that's the center of the eco-action at Bonanza. The idea behind the establishment is to share the natural wonders of the area with visitors through organized walks, kayak expeditions, and horseback rides. Ten-foot ceilings, rustic furniture, and nothing but green outside the huge windows are among the simple pleasures. Hearty barbecues (meat or a veggie option) and drawn-out mateadas (mate tea and cake) are also highlights. The day package includes two guided activities, lunch and use of the facilities.

Just a few minutes from San Antonio de Areco takes you from town to the vastness of the Pampas ... and this absolute charmer of a boutique estancia. Estancia La Madrugada pulls off a magical balance of rusticity and elegance, the worn reflection of the region and its past and a stylish, comfortable hospitality. An all-inclusive stay will leave you relaxed; the locale, enamored; the expertly prepared food and cocktails, deeply satisfied; and the genuinely warm staff, enchanted. Go for brisk horse ride with the British owner, who's every bit a gaucha, or laze by the enormous swimming pool set within an idyllic landscape. With only three gracefully appointed rooms available, book well in advance.

Not only is this stately hotel in the national park, with views of the smaller falls from the front-side suites, but it also provides the traditional comforts of a colonial-style establishment: large rooms, terraces, vintage furniture, and hammocks. The main building, surrounded by verandas and gardens, is almost 100 years old and is a national historic monument. Although the rooms are comfortable, it's the setting and atmosphere that you pay for—the chance to wander the paths to the falls before and after the hordes of day visitors arrive is priceless. The traditional Brazilian Itaipú restaurant and the Ipê grill near the pool offer all-you-can-eat barbecue and salad buffets.

Six spacious, individually themed cabañas that allow you to unwind at your own pace. Breakfast is served in the main cabin but there's no restaurant here—though water taxi service can be arranged to get to one and back—so guests can bring their own food to prepare meals in their cabin's kitchenette or outdoor grill. Swim or laze in the river or swimming pool, kayaks and canoes are available, and the main building has a foosball and pool table. Everything is connected by boardwalks that wind through the lushly green property.

Dating from the 1830s, the venerable La Bamba de Areco was once an important stop along the road from Buenos Aires to the northern reaches of Argentina. In the heart of the pampas, the rustic ranch has been converted into a luxurious boutique hotel that combines period details like beamed ceiling and shuttered windows with pampering amenities like king-size beds dressed in Egyptian cotton sheets. La Pulperia, the property's oldest building, holds a formal dining room (you can also dine outside under the plane trees), a bar, and a breakfast area. There's also a pool and horseback tours of the property are offered.

Wooden walkways connect the luxurious bungalows—each with a private riverside deck. The highlights of staying here are that you can explore the delta in boats or kayaks, soak up the jungle atmosphere by the lagoon-like pool, take a yoga class, or indulge in a massage. Rooms have hardwood walls, jute rugs, and feather pillows in thick cotton cases as well as mosquito netting on the balconies and reading lights over the bathtubs. As well as a dining room and a grill, nighttime entertainment options include a living-room-style bar serving carefully crafted cocktails. The lodge is out of the way to justify a one-night stay but inquire about the two- and three-day all-inclusive packages.

The falls aren't the only good views in Iguazú: half the rooms of this chic hotel look onto the churning, jungle-framed waters of the Iguazú and Paraná Rivers. Even the pool, set on a large terrace, looks over the river. The view gets seriously panoramic from the top floor, one of the best sundowner spots in town. The view inside the rooms is lovely, too. Gorgeous throws and pillow shams offset the clean lines of the contemporary furnishings. You don't miss out on luxury by booking a standard, as all have king-size beds and flat-screen TVs.

Being in the pampas doesn't mean you have to forget about slick design: this 1910-built town house has been transformed into the coolest hotel around. Crimson sofas add a splash of color to the slate-gray atrium, whose checkered floors, exposed beams, and stained-glass windows hint at the building's past. At night the lights dim and the space becomes a wine bar. Cow-skin rugs bring just the right dose of country to the minimalist rooms, which have huge beds. Some open directly onto the sunny patio, where tables, chairs, and outdoor sofas overlook a tiny pool.

You'll get a warm welcome at this rootsy B&B, which is surrounded by a lush garden. The 10 air-conditioned rooms and two cabañas open onto a shady veranda where you can enjoy your breakfast; from there it's a couple more steps to the pool. Pine paneling gives the simply furnished rooms a country vibe.

Less than an hour south of Puerto Iguazú (35 minutes from the falls), the posada (inn) was built in 1943 to lodge guests to the yerba mate plantation and the new owners, a lovely and helpful couple, reopened it in 2007. The interiors were renovated but retain their charm and remarkable craftsmanship, most notably in the dining room/library. The large rooms are not fancy but very comfortably furnished. Meals for the set two-choice menu are lovingly prepared and may be enjoyed on the veranda. Activities include kayaking on the Paraná River, which borders the property, and a ride along the river to the magical and secluded salto Yasy, a small waterfall and swimming hole (or wading, in dry season), or just lazing by the swimming pool. Staff are very knowledgeable of the area's flora and fauna and, if you're in luck, will call attention to a howler monkey.

A glorious five-bedroom house designed by Alejandro Bustillo is over 200 yards of jungle from the posada, with its own access road, is also available for up to 12 people. Built for the original worldly owners, it's filled with period furniture as well as black and white photographs of family here and in far away places. The includes its own, albeit smaller, swimming pool, and the house staff includes a cook, though guests are free to use the kitchen and outdoor parrilla.

Dense tropical vegetation overhangs the wooden walkway that leads to this tiny guesthouse's three rooms, tucked away in a pale-blue clapboard house. They're no fancy, but the wood and wicker furniture and brightly painted paneling are cheerful and welcoming. So is owner John Fernandes, who's full of information and advice about Iguazú, which he shares with you over high-octane caipirinhas at the nightly cocktail sessions.

That thundering you hear in the distance lets you know how close this hotel is to the falls—the lobby opens right onto the park trails, and half the rooms have big balconies with fabulous falls views. (Be sure to reserve one of these well in advance, as they're the most popular). The rooms are perfectly serviceable, with sleek furnishings and wall-to-wall windows. The spa has a gorgeous hot tub and treatment tents on an outdoor deck. You can see the rising mist over the falls from the beautiful swimming pool, which is surrounded by palm trees and jungle.