Thirty kilometers east of Punta del Este, the tiny hideaway of José Ignacio nestles in the sand dunes along the Atlantic coast of Uruguay. A coastal resort now favoured by those for whom Punta del Este has lost its allure and exclusivity, José Ignacio is overrun by the beautiful people from December to February: the author Martin Amis and the singer Shakira are said to have homes here, while stars of the fashion world Gisele Bündchen, Naomi Cambpell and Mario Testino have all frequented these Uruguayan shores.

Having experienced the beauty of José Ignacio over New Year, I was keen to return under less hectic circumstances and enjoy all that the fishing village had to offer.

If you’re beginning to feel a tad claustrophobic in the bustling streets of Buenos Aires, then by all means strap on a pack and head down to El Bolsón. Take a breather with some small town tranquility and big time mountain climbing.

On a quest to regain the affection of her parents, our author takes the family on a three day drive through the Argentine Andes and the Seven Lakes district of Barlioche.

Every day of the year, Atilio’s home is open to throngs of hikers seeking a warm meal, mate, and a place to the rest their heads. Refugio Cajón del Azul is set against the startling beauty of the Andean Comarca of the 42nd Parallel, a mountainous area west of El Bolsón and Lago Puelo that has become of one Argentina’s most treasured wilderness sanctuaries.

‘Patagonia’s most present characteristic is its endless expanse of nothingness, both an attraction and a lesson in boredom for the overland traveller’, I read as the plane veered its course towards El Calafate.

Having found a direct flight out of Ushuaia for the same price as a 2-day bus/ weather-dependent ferry/bus/overnight stop in ‘wind-pummelled service town’/bus option, I had, happily, forfeited the first leg of the Ruta 40 that starts in Río Gallegos.

Nestled in a river valley with the granite peaks of Cerro Torre and Cerro Fitzroy looming in the distance, the Patagonian village of El Chaltén has quickly become one of the most sought-after spots in the region. Yet despite it’s recent surge in popularity, El Chaltén remains pristine – an idyllic counterpoint to its bustling, more tourist-centred cousins like El Calafate and Bariloche.

In the far northwest of Argentina’s vast territory lies the sparsely populated, seldom visited province of Catamarca. Remote Antofagasta de la Sierra, 500km north of the provincial capital, is about as far from Buenos Aires, literally and figuratively, as you can get.

Nothing whets an architect’s whistle quite like a new style to practice. Over the last few years winery design has boomed, capturing the imagination of A-list architects around the world.