Central America has long been in the forefront of eco-tourism, but much of the focus has not been on Guatemala, but some of its neighbors to the south.

Our man on the scene, Al Argueta, says it’s time to add Laguna Lodge on Lake Atitlan to the list of eco-friendly resorts that are also pampering enough to be considered luxe.

“The rooms themselves are made from materials that include volcanic stone, palm wood and adobe bricks made on site. Like the restaurant, they open up completely to the lake and enjoy wonderful views.”

The restaurant is vegetarian, but so good that you won’t care if you’re a carnivore. The bulbs may be a little dim and you may may a few small sacrifices, but the lake will thank you.

“The need for environmentally sustainable accommodations has been made abundantly clear with the recent proliferation of algal blooms on Guatemala’s most beautiful lake. Caused by phosphates from untreated waste water and agricultural fertilizer running into the lake, the first appearance of Lake Atitlan’s cyanobacteria dates to the 1970s but is only now getting the attention it deserves.”

See our full review of Laguna Lodge.

“Central America” and “great golf courses” haven’t exactly gone together like chocolate and peanut butter, despite all the opportunities for scenic vistas and locations next to the sea. Mostly this has been a matter of economics since the local demand wasn’t there and the stream of upscale tourists wasn’t dependable enough.

In some places the situation is improving though in the lands south of Mexico and La Reunion outside of Antigua, Guatemala is a great example. We just posted a review of La Reunion Golf Resort in our luxury Guatemala hotels section. Even if you’re not a golfer, how about that view in the picture here? If you’re a golfer, can you think of any other place where you’ve teed off having a view of four volcanoes? Nice.

“Its designers, Pete and Perry Dye, gleaned inspiration from the Mayan Solar Calendar, which consists of 18 twenty-day months. Each of the course’s 18 holes is named after its corresponding month on the Mayan calendar. The 19th month, Wayeb, is a five-day month dedicated to rest and contemplation and so makes a fitting name for the bar and restaurant. Facilities include a driving range, putting green, chipping green, practice bunker, and pro shop. Incidentally, Pete’s eldest son Perry Dye recently spent the last days of 2009 on vacation at the resort with his family and nailed a 178-yard hole-in-one on the course’s 12th hole.”

This review was from the author of the Moon Handbook Guatemala guidebook and Living in Guatemala. See our interview with Al Argueta for more.

There are a lot of elements that go into the price of a flight, from staff costs to government fees to landing gate charges at airports. One big variable—and the ones most airlines use to justify all kinds of add-ons and extras—is the price of fuel. Well how much does it really cost to carry each passenger a thousand miles through the air?

Spirit Air is doing its best to figure that out and share it with its customers. It has published a handy dandy chart showing how much it costs them in fuel to go a certain range of distance. You can see the full breakdown at this link, but here are a few examples:

• A short hop of 400 to 599 miles costs them $21.67 at current fuel rates
• Going 800 to 999 miles is a shade over $30
• Their longest hauls of 2000+ miles costs $78 per passenger in fuel

So to put that in real terms, for Ft. Lauderdale to Cancun, fuel is only around $22. Flying all the way to Lima from there, fuel is more than $78 per passenger. All these rates assume an 80% load factor, so if the flight is jammed full the actual cost per person would be a bit less. I’m not sure how cargo is figured in. And what if my seatmate weighs twice as much as I do? Should those who can’t fit in a regular airline seat multiply by two?

Think about this next time you see a $300 “fuel surcharge” on your legacy airline flight to Europe. Where’s that money really going? Why isn’t it just included in the price of the ticket?

When you see these fuel prices though, it makes Spirit’s cheap fares look even better, especially if you’re part of that $9 fare club. If you can snag one of those rates, you are flying for less than the cost of the fuel, never mind all the other costs the airline bears. So smile when you pay that checked baggage fee or a swipe your credit card for a cup of coffee in the air. Chances are those fees might not even get you back to even.

If you just want to get from point A to point B and have plenty of cash left over for spending after arrival, Spirit Air serves many Latin American destinations besides Cancun and Lima. They’ll get you to Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, and four locations in Colombia.

More on airlines serving Latin America. Thanks to SmarterTravel for the original post on this.

As I mentioned in an earlier post specific to Latin America, I attended the Luxury Travel Expo last week and got to hear what people in the industry had to say about the state of upscale travel in late 2009.

They were more upbeat than I expected, especially since travel to Europe has fallen off a cliff and the convention/incentive market is having a terrible year. And of course there are too many new hotels and too many new cruise ships for any of them to be much more than half full without major discounting. (Tough for them, good for you. There are some amazing deals on sites like LuxuryLink.com.)

Besides the obvious search for value though, lots of other interesting luxury travel trends came out that I thought were newsworthy.

1) More family travel
It used to be that “luxury” and “family travel” didn’t mix much, but that has changed in a big way. People are having kids later, they’re having fewer of them, and the grandparents often have more money than the parents do. I started noticing this shift a couple years ago when I’d go to a Four Seasons and find the pool packed with kids, but this has extended to safaris, soft adventure trips, and nature excursions. African safari operator Micato said in a panel discussion that their family travel bookings had gone from 10% to 35% in eight years. This bodes well for villa rental places and small-ship cruises, but not so well for cookie-cutter hotels that think connecting rooms are going to be enough to serve this demand.

2) Deeper travel experiences
It used to be that bragging about shopping in Paris or Milan was what you did to impress the neighbors. Now it’s more likely to be that you visited some place they’ve never even heard of or you did something worth talking about on your vacation. Adventure travel is way up, volunteer travel is way up, and travel to former pariah destinations is way up—to places like Colombia, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. Luxury travelers are becoming more like backpackers—wanting to mingle with real people and get authentic experiences instead of just being sheltered away in an artificial world.

3) Rising influence of green hotels and travel
Have you been paying more attention to the environmental practices of the hotels where you stay? If so you’re not alone. Tour operators are finding that guests are becoming steadily more demanding about how “green” the hotels are where they stay and are no longer looking at “luxury” and “eco-friendly” as being different things. Since Costa Rica is considered the birthplace of eco-tourism and a large portion of trips to Latin America are by nature lovers, parts of the Americas are perceived as being in better shape than many other parts of the world in this regard.

What has changed in what you are looking for when you travel now? What are you willing to pay more for…and not?

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…