Last week I posted our latest feature to the Luxury Latin America Tours section of the site: Cruising the Galapagos Islands with Angermeyer. Many of our feature stories are done by writers who work with us, but on this one I had the pleasure of taking the trip myself, spending a few days in Quito and the surroundings and about 10 days in the Galapagos.

As anyone who has been there will tell you, it’s an amazing experience. I’m used to wildlife trips where I am looking at birds through binoculars or seeing hippos and lions from the safety of a Land Rover vehicle. On the Galapagos Islands it’s a different story though. You can get up close and personal with these critters and they don’t attack or fear attacks from us.

The most difficult task in writing a story like this is picking out which photos to use. The ones that are up are only a fraction of the good ones available. If you want to see the whole array of highlights, including Blue-footed Boobies, sea lions, penguins, and more, see the slideshow below.

Al Argueta is one of the premier Guatemala travel experts, now working on the third edition of Moon Handbook Guatemala and a contributor to our luxury Guatemala hotel reviews. He first traveled to Guatemala with his father and later moved to the country for two years, allowing him to formally learn Spanish and experience Guatemala’s culture firsthand. His new book is a guide to experience this yourself: Living Abroad in Guatemala.

What are some advantages of living in Guatemala in terms of having a vacation home or a retirement home? How do prices compare to Mexico and other countries in Central America?

Probably the biggest advantage is the lower cost of living. You can still get land for relatively cheap, especially compared to other destinations in Central America such as Panama and Costa Rica. It’s also much less overrun with tourists. Another huge advantage here is the weather. It’s quite simply perfect most of the year.

What are some of the most popular areas for foreigners?

Colonial La Antigua Guatemala has always been a favorite due to its charming atmosphere, dramatic volcanic backdrop and proximity to the capital. Lake Atitlan is another popular locale due to the rugged, sheer beauty of it, though lately there have been concerns with the lake’s eutrophication. Guatemalans and expat residents alike are in a fight to save the lake from pollution and a cyanobacteria algae growth now covering part of its surface. Guatemala City is popular because many international corporations have offices here and so executives often need to move here. A number of other Guatemalan locales have become increasingly popular over the years, as people seek places off the beaten path. Guatemala seems to have something for everyone.

Are there restrictions on what kind of land you can buy as a foreigner? (And are there any ways to get around them?)

There are restrictions on land adjacent to waterways, which includes the coast lines, rivers and lakes. You can’t outright own these areas, just lease them from the government for 30 years at a time. This applies to foreigners and Guatemalan citizens alike. Foreigners can’t technically own land in areas considered national parks (Lake Atitlan is one example), though the easy way to get around this is to invest via the formation of a Sociedad Anonima (S.A.), which is similar to a U.S. corporation. You’ll need at least one Guatemalan among your investors, though their role can be limited to that of just a front-man for your S.A.

What can a potential buyer expect in terms of infrastructure, things like high-speed Internet, air connections, and road conditions?

Internet in Guatemala is highly competitive, with various providers available. You’ll find almost every town or village has internet service. Similarly, cell phone service is widely available and there are numerous competitors. Unlike in say, Costa Rica, internet and cell phone service have been deregulated in Guatemala since the 1990s. These are no longer a government monopoly and so free market economics have prevailed. You’ll find your iPhone 3G also works in Guatemala and is available with three different carriers, unlike in the U.S.

Continue to the full interview…

Almost right across from a long-stemmed-roses farm near Otavalo sits Hacienda Cusin, offering a rustic but luxurious country home experience near a lake.

If you’ve got some time to get out of Quito and stay a while instead of doing a day trip to the market and back in the same day, a stay at Hacienda Cucin will allow for a much more relaxed time. Instead of just zipping in and out of the Otavalo market along with all the other tourists, you can visit the town as a less hectic time. Plus you can take advantage of all the region has to offer in the beautiful outdoors: hiking, horseback riding, biking, or just exploring the countryside.

See our full review of Hacienda Cusin in the luxury Ecuador hotels section.

Related post: Dining at La Mirage in Cotacachi, Ecuador

While on my Spirit Air flight back from Armenia, Colombia the other day I put together a photo tour of the Coffee Triangle tour—with a bit of video. A few sites, a few hotels, ziplining through a coffee plantation, and more. Here’s a quick flavor of the region. A feature story will follow next month.

If you’ve ever spent much time browsing the tequila shelves in Mexico, you’ve no doubt run across the striking slender bottles of Tequila Corralejo. I say “ever” because this was probably the first tequila brand to really differentiate itself with unusual packaging, long before the premium tequila boom hit the U.S. and companies started putting $30 tequila in showy bottles so they could charge $200 instead.

Corralejo hasn’t gone that route though. In fact if you’re buying a bottle while on vacation in Mexico or from the duty-free shop, this brand is often the best value on the shelf. In this photo here that I shot in Playa del Carmen, a bottle of Corralejo is only 50 cents more than crappy Jose Cuervo Gold. The former is 100% agave, the latter is part agave, part whatever kind of sugar could be bought on the cheap. (The other great bargain in that photo is Milagro, which I’ve reviewed on here before.) Unfortunately, you’ll pay three times that amount pictured if you buy it in the U.S., but that’s on par with its peers.

This is a fairly complex reposada tequila, especially considering the price, with a mixture of citrus flavors, pepper, oak, and honey. It gets four months in three kinds of oak barrels—enough to smooth things out and add balance, but not as front-and-center as with añejo versions. In some shops you’ll also find a blanco and añejo in bottles with different colors, but those are less popular.

Besides the distinctive bottle, this tequila has another attribute setting it apart: it’s not made in Jalisco. That’s a rarity since nearly all the quality tequila comes from that one state. Instead this is made in the state of Guanajuato, in the town of Pénjamo. It comes with a heavy dose of history: this tequila was is distilled in a hacienda that was the birthplace of of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla—the priest who sparked the Mexican fight for independence. You can’t get more authentically Mexican than that. Fire up the mariachi band and pour some tequila!