I’ve written before about my underwhelming experiences flying LAN Peru and their annoying two-tiered pricing system, but last week marked the first time I’ve flown on a proper long-haul LAN international flight. I flew round-trip from Mexico City to Santiago, Chile and this was a whole different story. It was an impressive experience all around, even though I was stuck in economy class.

When you spend eight hours or more on a plane, little details can easily make or break the trip, so fortunately LAN gets a lot of the details right on these long flights. There was a blanket and pillow waiting on every seat, in contrast to the penny-pinching ways of most U.S. airlines. There was also real food that was edible—with two meals even. The trays came with real silverware, they served decent Chilean wine in coach, and all this was delivered with a friendly smile. (It was love at first sight with my flight attendant on the way back too, but I can’t guarantee you that same experience.)

Each seat on these long flights has an entertainment console on the seat in front. I could watch a movie or TV show in English or Spanish, play a video game, or listen to one of many music channels or specific albums—good ones too. A remote control attached to the seat controls the screen and the overhead light. Well in theory anyway. On my second flight it wasn’t working and I had to keep pressing the screen to choose anything, which I’m sure the guy in front of me wasn’t thrilled about. But everyone else’s was working fine.

A few other nice details: a cup holder on the seat in front and headrests with adjustable flaps on the sides to make it easier to catch some sleep during the flight.

The seat configuration on my flight was 2-3-2, so only one poor sap gets stuck in a middle seat for each row. SeatGuru says the seat pitch is 32 inches, which is certainly not generous, but this Boeing 767-300 version has an extra inch of width (18 inches) at least and all the diversions sure helped make it more bearable.

I couldn’t try out business class first hand, but there was clearly far more space than I’ve seen on the U.S. carriers, Taca, or Copa. LAN says the seats recline to full lie-flat position and the pitch is 72 inches—six feet. I assume the wine selection is a showcase for what Chile has to offer.

Lan flies to South America from 30 cities in North America, so there’s a good chance you can get on one of these frmo where you live and be far more comfortable than you would be on a U.S. alternative. See more at LAN.com

I just spent a week checking out the Wines of Chile in areas that are not far from Santiago. Part of the experience—which you can book yourself with a group or on the right wine tour—was a wine blending session at the Undurraga vineyard in Talagante, in the Maipo Valley.

After touring the facilities and learning a bit about Undurraga’s wines, its history, and social projects, we got down to business. First one of the winemakers presented one of their finished blends for us to taste. Then we set about tasting four varietals to figure out what we wanted in our own personal blend: Merlot, Cabernet Savignon, Syrah, and Chile’s own Carmenère. Sniffing, swirling, and taking notes, we each settled on a different combination.

We could test different combinations by using a sort of large plastic test tube that the winemakers use in their lab. If one is a little off, you can adjust the mix and try again.

Once you’re happy with the results, you then mix them for real in the proper proportions in a larger vessel and transfer the blend through a funnel into the bottle. For this exercise they had an old fashioned cork plugger on hand (after the more modern practice of putting in some elemental powder that would eliminate the oxygen in the top of the bottle).

I labeled mine “Sarah and Carmen Catch a Cab.” It’s 25% Syrah, 25% Carmenère, and 50% Cabernet. It’s a structured wine that should hold up to hearty food, but the blending grapes smooth out the tannins of the Cabernet.

I brought the bottle home and it’ll soon make it into some glasses. Will it impress my dinner guests? Time will tell.

See more here on visiting Viña Undurraga.

Shrimp gnocchi

This past week I’ve been touring some of Chile’s wine regions and had the pleasure of spending my first night at the lovely Hotel Aubrey in Santiago. This is a 20-room boutique hotel in a walkable nightlife district near the mountains and the gondola ride that will take you up for a good city view.

The restaurant at the Aubrey—Pasta E Vino—is a huge draw, to the point where you should make dinner reservations there when you make your hotel reservations. It’s that popular, especially on weekends. It’s a sister restaurant of one in Valparaíso, with the husband-chef managing one and the wife-chef managing the other.

The menu is modern Italian, with a dash of Chile and plenty of local seafood integrated into the gnocchi and ravioli selections. Naturally there is a terrific wine list with the cream of the crop from all over the country. Here are a few photos to give you a visual taste. For more see the restaurant page at the Aubrey’s website.

Scallop ravioli at Pasta E Vino

Where are the world’s most expensive hotel suites? On this luxury travel blog I’m usually discussing the scene in Latin America, but since that whole region is a great value, the prices there don’t make the cut.

The Wall Street Journal recently did a big feature story on the Ty Warner Penthouse at the Four Seasons New York City. If you want to book this lavish suite with panoramic Manhattan views, you’d better be loaded. It’ll cost you $35,000 a night. Don’t even think about asking for a discount and forget any party plans: because of all the expensive furnishings, no more than 10 people are allowed in at one time. Read the whole article to see all the expensive features that go into this price. But for a start, there’s a $120,000 chandelier, Thai silk with gold threads on the canopy bed, and an energy-hogging 850 light bulbs.

This is the most expensive suite in the Americas outside Las Vegas. Some there go for an even higher rate, but are frequently given away free to high-rolling whales with an account of half a million or more. Here are some of the other expensive suites from around the world listed in the article:

Hugh Hefner Sky Villa/Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas – Price per night: $40,000

Bridge Suite/Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas – Price per night: $25,000

Royal Auite/Burj Al Arab in Dubai – Price per night: $19,000

The Ritz-Carlton Suite/Ritz-Carlton, Moscow – Price per night: $13,900

How does Latin America compare? Well the only suite I can find in our reviews that tops $10,000 per  night is really a house: the four-bedroom Villa Cortez at the One&Only Palmilla in Los Cabos, Mexico. It has a top rack rate of $12,000, but that includes a private staff of 12 (with two chefs), the huge private infinity pool pictured below, a big cinema room, a full office, and a prime spot on the beach.

The best suite at the Four Seasons Costa Rica goes for close to $10,000 in high season, but is also a villa with multiple bedrooms.

The top suite is under 5 grand at Capella Pedregal in Los Cabos, Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya, Ritz-Carlton Santiago, and the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge.

For more information on luxury travel and hotels outside of Latin America, see JustLuxe.com

The plummeting euro has been all over the news the past few months. In a strange twist of fate, the non-Chavez-leaning countries of Latin America are looking like models of fiscal stability now compared to their colonial cousins in Spain and Portugal.

The euro is at its lowest level in five years against the greenback as the flight to safety continues. So what does that mean for your travels to Latin America?

Not much, actually. As I’ve pointed out on here before, many of the currencies in Central America and South America move in lockstep with the U.S. dollar. In Ecuador and Panama, the dollar is the currency—you don’t even need to change money upon arrival. In others, like Honduras and Belize, there is a very narrow trading range.

The most volatile exchange rates are the ones attached to the most developed roaring economies: Chile and Brazil. Expect a lot of volatility if you’re heading to those commodity-rich nations. Things are a little brighter right now though: the dollar is up 6% in Brazil and 7.1% in Chile since the new year started.

The bad news is, that’s coming off a very strong 2009 for those currencies. The news is worse elsewhere, with the dollar faltering a bit against the currencies of Colombia, Guatemala, Peru, Uruguay, and Costa Rica. Not by much though—the declines are all under 5%.

Mexico is basically flat for the year, which means around 12.5 to the dollar—still a great exchange rate in historic terms. Argentina is still hovering around 3.9 to the dollar, after being at 3-to-1 before last year. (Unfortunately, they’re making up for it with high inflation and increased visa fees upon arrival.)

Does any of this matter if the changes aren’t dramatic? Not a whole lot for your biggest expenses. If you book a tour with a company marketing to North Americans, they’re pricing things in dollars anyway. Most luxury hotels set their rates in dollars as well in this hemisphere, with Brazil being the main exception. Latin America real estate may or may not be priced in the local currency: it depends on the target market and the location.

Where you really lose or win is when you buy things or services that are priced in local terms. When the dollar is strong, you will pay less for taxis, restaurant meals outside the hotel, and excursions you book with a local company not affiliated with your hotel. Local flights will usually be in the local currency, except for places like Peru and Argentina where they like to play the game called “soak the foreigners.”

Naturally if you’re living somewhere for a while in a vacation home or retirement home, these fluctuations matter more. They then affect your property expenses and labor expenses.

To see historic exchange rates, follow this link to fxtop.com