If Uruguay hasn’t made it to your bucket list, here’s a great reason to add it: Casa Wirth, a five-bedroom boutique inn, centrally located in the heritage city of Salto. There’s even a romantic tale of true love that surrounds the estate — a Uruguayan landowner who fell in love with an Argentinian ballerina built the mansion. Newly opened this year, the colonial-style mansion is nearly a century old, with 12,000 square feet of streamlined luxury with a vast garden of fruit trees, orchids and roses. Understated sophistication, graceful spaces and details such as lustrous antiques reflect the elegant style of owner Peter Wirth, a member of the family who created some of the world’s most notable hotel properties, including the Hassler Hotel in Rome.

A resident couple that can prepare meals and take care of the running of the house, leaving you free to relax and explore, staffs the casa. Besides Salta’s fascinating historic sites, nearby diversions include boarding a ferry for a meal in nearby Argentina, perusing the works at Museo de Bellas Artes, learning about local wines during a vineyard tour, soaking in the thermal waters at Termas de San Nicanor, or taking an excursion to Estancia Don Pipo, a working ranch where the world of the traditional Gaucho cowboys is alive and well. The route to Casa Wirth begins with arrival in Montevideo or Buenos Aires, followed by private plane, chauffeured car or private rental (approximately a five-hour drive).