The author Isabel Allende was born in Chile and worked there as a journalist between 1964 and 1974, before she went on to write such highly regarded and successful books as The House of the Spirits and Ines of My Soul–which takes place in Chile. Here newest book is a memoir, The Sum of Our Days.

Geographic Expeditions runs an online literary travel publication called Reece and they recently ran an article where Allende discusses her homeland: My Chile.

She gets right to the point as to why this is a good country for travelers. “Good coffee and clean bathrooms and clean water everywhere. No scorpions or poisonous snakes or gorillas.” She notes that the food is not all that sophisticated, but that’s because “we have so many great raw materials. Everything is fresh and wonderful.”

In the conversational article, she describes some of her favorite places in the country, including spots in Patagonia. “The full moon between the two incredible mountain towers of the Cuernos del Paine, reflected on the lagoon, is an unforgettable sight. The air is crispy, like paper, so that you feel you can cut it with scissors.”

And here’s something you won’t hear from many Chileans: you get better wine for the money in California. “In Chile you can get excellent wine, but you have to pay more for the very good ones, and the other ones are not that good.” We can assume Ms. Allende will not become a corporate spokesperson for Concha y Toro anytime soon.

We’re getting ready to kick off a new real estate investing section of Luxury Latin America. We’ve got an advance taste of things to come here with an interview on farm and vineyard investing in Argentina.

It’s an interview with David English, who lives in Mendoza - the main wine-producing area of Argentina. David advises people on investing in land so they do not lose their shirts and then will be their eyes and ears on the ground to ensure things run smoothly. He is not a real estate agent who makes a sale and then pockets a commission. He works with buyers on a retainer basis to help them make the right choices.

So for all you wine business dreamers out there, how does a vineyard in Mendoza rate as an investment? How long until you start rolling in the cash?

“There is not standard length of time, since each investment is unique, ” David says. “What one has to keep in mind is that the wine industry in particular is quite capital intensive. Returns are low or nil for a number of years, as capital is tied up in wine, barrels, supplies, etc. while the wine is aging, being sold and being developed into a successful brand. All this takes time, and time truly is money. Also, economy of scale is critical with agricultural ventures. Whether one owns a grape farm or a peach farm, the larger the piece of land over which fixed costs can be spread, the better.”

We’ve been posting a lot of new hotel reviews lately so I’ve been highlighting those, but time to catch up on some notable travel-related news from Latin America.

It looks like the Yellowstone Club World ownership club is crashing down and splitting up. We’re not sure yet what’s happening to the Tamarindo resort we’ve reviewed on the west coast of Mexico, but if anything it will be more open to outsiders and not less. Personally, it seems safer to own a smaller house outright than own a share in a vacation club with palatial resorts, but it doesn’t seem like the buyers are down to their last dollar anyway…

Are we ready for an environmentally conscious wine? Are we ready to give up the traditional bottle? The company putting out this green Malbec from Argentina hopes so. (Green as in eco-friendly, not Vinho Verde!) I’m skeptical that people will drink wine from a glorified milk carton, but you do have to admit it cuts down a lot of wasteful shipping weight.

When Super Bowl winning quarterback Eli Manning was ready for a wedding and honeymoon, he didn’t go to Disneyland. He got married at One & Only Palmilla in Los Cabos.

Speaking of celebrities and green travel, Leonardo DiCaprio looks to be moving forward with development of the private island he bought in Belize.

International Living reports that 16 new marinas are in the works for Costa Rica. The skeptic in us says half will never get built, but three are already slated to open in 2009. Some will not open without a fight, however, as not everyone is thrilled about the pace of new development, especially for Puerto Viejo in the Limón province of the Caribbean. Plus it’ll be interesting to see what happens to the yacht business if the recession and fuel cost rises continue…

Francis Mallman is a well-known figure in both Argentina and Uruguay. He is a chef, the owner of several restaurants, and the person who gets most of the credit for making Uruguay’s Jose Ignacio beach area the hip and happening place for celebrities and international playboys (and girls). We’ve just posted a review of his small inn in a small town: Hotel el Garzon.

In Luxury Latin America, we try to go beyond the big splashy places, which can often be impersonal and uninspiring. Hotel El Garzon is a great example of a gem where you can expect great service, interesting furnishings that don’t come from a hotel catalog, and cuisine served with a flourish.With a winery nearby supplying el vino, you’ll surely drink something new and interesting as well. Check out the full review.

We are continually adding hotels to places we haven’t gotten to yet (Acapulco and Zihuatanejo coming soon), but we also add to places we have covered when one of our contributors gets wind of a fantastic place we’ve missed. That’s the case with Colemé Estancia and Bodega, an Argentine hotel that manages to deliver a luxury experience despite its remote location far from the nearest cities, Salta and Cafayate.

The lovely photo above, from the reviewer Claire Edrich, sums up the appeal of this estancia, where rugged landscapes mix with well-honed aesthetics and fine food. Colomé has a claim to fame as well: the oldest working winery in Argentina. The bodega is also purported to be the highest in the world, though with vineyards popping up nearly everywhere these days, who knows how long that will last.

Just figure on some serious transit time to get here before you get to swim in the pool, settle into one of nine rooms, and enjoy organic food with a variety of local wine.

Driving to Colomé takes about five hours from Salta City or slightly less from Cafayate. Although roads are quite rough in places they’re also rewarding and lead through some of the most beautiful scenery Argentina has to offer. This includes an accessible canyon, shady amphitheater with excellent acoustics, a Cactus Park, frontier–type villages, a barren desert, and opulently fertile oases. If you are unwilling or unable to travel by car you can arrange direct transfer by private plane or helicopter.

If you go for the latter options, however, you will miss out on some fantastic scenery. I haven’t been to this particular hotel, but I have been to the canyon area between Salta and Cafayate and the landscape remains one of my most vivid memories of Argentina.

See the other top luxury hotels in Argentina.