I mentioned in our monthly newsletter last month that my Avianca flight to Colombia was another reminder just how far the U.S. airlines have fallen in comparison to most of the international carriers.

Avianca made me feel like a passenger again instead of a  number on a spreadsheet to be optimized and squeezed.

This matters because soon Avianca will probably be the name you see the most besides LAN in Latin America. It merged with TACA last year and by the end of May the TACA brands will all change to Avianca. By the end of 2013 the Ecuadorian airline AeroGal will change to Avianca name too.

On the way down to Bogota from Ft. Lauderdale, I was flying in economy but still had a seat-back entertainment system, a real meal, and a glass of wine. The flight attendants smiled instead of just nagging everyone to turn off their Kindle. My business class report will have to wait for another time, but it looked far superior to what I’ve seen on United and American.

Since international and domestic passengers can check two bags without fees, there was plenty of overhead bin space on my first flight and the three that followed. Naturally the plane boarded a lot faster for the domestic ones since there was no economic reason for bringing a rollaboard bag on the plane

We even got drink service on a 45-minute flight from Bogota to Pereira. Nice.

A few fun facts and some history about Avianca:

Avianca is the second oldest airline in the world after the Dutch carrier KLM.

TACA was created in 1931 in Honduras. It grew fast the past couple decades through acquisitions. In 1991 TACA bought all the airlines of Central America that were in financial trouble (Aviateca of Guatemala, SAHSA of Honduras, LACSA of Costa Rica) and merged them into GRUPO TACA.

In 1999 GRUPO TACA created an airline in Peru called TACA Peru

TACA stands for TRANSPORTES AEREOS del CONTINENTE AMERICANO (American Continent Air Transport)

Last year Avianca and TACA joined STAR ALLIANCE, in many ways the best international alliance for frequent fliers.

Avianca and TACA have 4 main connection hubs in El Salvador, Costa Rica, Bogota and Lima and fly to all Central America and South America.

North American gateways (direct or in code shares with partners) include San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Washington-Dulles, JFK, Chicago-O’hare, Toronto, and Mexico City.

See more at Avianca.com for more info and flight deals. See SeatGuru’s Avianca section for seat pitch and plan configurations.

There’s no shortage of beautiful landscapes in the Coffee Triangle of Colombia, but few of them get as many oooh and aaahs as the gorgeous Cocora Valley, near the attractive town of Salento.

The secret seems to be getting out on Salento. There were far more tourists wandering around the shops and cafes when I was there in February than there were when I visited a few years back. Colombia’s tourism numbers keep rising as more and more tourists return from the country raving about how great it was. The safety situation is dramatically better than it was in the dark past and the infrastructure is good overall.

When we got to the Cocora Valley 11 kms away, we practically had the place to ourselves though.

The trip up there is half the fun. You get into an old Jeep Willy with benches in the back and barrel out of hilly Salento into the land of the wax palm trees. The best way to do is standing up and holding on to the roof bar so you get a full panoramic view. First you see the misty mountains from afar as the Jeep winds around the turns. As you get closer you see the super-high palm trees studding the green mountains like toothpicks with palm leaves on top.

This is a stunning landscape to admire at more then 2,000 meters and you can see it by walking further in the hills from the parking area or booking a horseback riding trip with a guide from the stables on site.

Most visitors who come up here visit one of the restaurants though. The thing to order is locally farmed fresh-water trout fried up with or without breading and garlic. It comes with fried plantains and different sauces. Order a beer or get the mulled juice, sugar, and spices drink caneloza with or without rum.

There’s no need to make reservations or book a tour for this experience. Just show up in the Salento town square, hire a jeep, and head into the hills.

See more on this Cocora Valley trip in either of these feature stories: Exploring the Coffee Triangle of Colombia and Touring the Best of Colombia.

We’ve long had a review of Chilean tour company Explora’s Salto Chico Lodge in the Torres del Paine national park, also listed sometimes as Explora Patagonia. It’s got one of the most fantastic mountain views in the world and is on the doorstep of one of the planet’s greatest hiking destinations.

You can cover a lot more ground on horseback than by foot, however, and Explora has formally launched a new equestrian tour program. One of our contributors was fortunate enough to be one of the first to experience it. Here’s one half day in a four-day program:

Before lunch my fate is an 11-mile ride. We begin by crossing the deep Chinas River, climbing up and down hillsides and passing the Laguna Jara Cruce.

Our destination is the remote Estancia 2 de Enero, a farm belonging to the owner of Explora. We stop here for mate (a typical herbal tea favored by gauchos on both the Argentinian and Chilean sides of the border) before cantering back along the high ridges following the scent of lunch. Guanacos (Patagonian llamas) disperse as we pass, some jumping over a fence in perfect line.

The rides cross pampas to icebergs and glaciers, alpine lakes and rivers, with expert guides customizing the itinerary depending on the skill and experience of the riders. As with the equestrian excursions the company runs in the Atacama desert, guests are assured of getting the best equipment and healthy horses used to carrying strangers.

See our full feature story (with gorgeous photos) on touring Patagonia by horseback with Explora.

There are plenty of luxurious boutique hotels in Cartagena de Indias of Colombia as this is clearly the top destination in the country for upscale travelers. There’s a new kid on the historic blocks of the center now that’s a clear contender: Casa San Agustin Boutique Hotel.

Located in a prime spot in the UNESCO World Heritage walled old city of Cartagena, this 24-room hotel is easy walking distance to all the plazas, bars, shops, and restaurants, as well as the stone walls facing the beach and water.

It’s a conversion of three houses into a hotel, with a cohesive design that pulls them all together in lots of cremes, whites, and earth tones blended with plenty of Colombian touches. It’s all aesthetically spot-on and chic, design-savvy without being ostentatious or uncomfortable. Original walls are blended into the design—one supporting the arches from a centuries-0ld aqueduct—and some exposed frescoes in the library room.

Meal times are a delight here and even if you stay elsewhere, get the hotel’s restaurant on your itinerary sometime.

“The beautifully designed Alma Restaurant lives up to its custom hardwood furniture and Colombian handicrafts with a menu that features local seafood, beef aged on the premises, and delightful desserts using the wealthy of fruits and cacao grown in the country. Presented with international flair and confidence, yet drawing on the homeland for inspiration, the menu here is getting a reputation as one of the best in the city. A fine wine list and inventive cocktails round out the experience here or at the equally attractive bar with tapas menu.”

In a city with stiff competition already, this is nevertheless a great addition to the Cartagena boutique hotel scene. See our full review of Casa San Agustin.

The new airport in Quito, UIO, officially opened February 20 and flights stopped at the previous one the same day.

By most accounts, the new opening was smooth and without major hiccups. The main issue at this point is how long it takes to get to the city on roads that are not up to the increased traffic.

“To facilitate access to the new airport, Quito is building the $48 million La Ruta Viva freeway, which will open in phases by 2014 and aim to reduce the drive time from downtown to the airport to approximately 40 minutes.”

In other words, the airport opened long before the road to the airport was finished. It’s only 24kms from the city, but you’ll have a much shorter trip if you arrive at night–as little as 45 minutes in an official taxi (set fee $26). During the day, it could be three times that long. If you don’t feel like taking a cab, there’s also an $8 shuttle bus to near the previous airport or you can have your hotel or tour company arrange transportation.

This new airport was a necessary step, despite the loss of convenience. The other one was 52 years old, with buildings surrounding it. Some large long-haul jets couldn’t land there, while the new runway is one of the longest on the continent. This should enable more direct flights from Europe.

You’re going to be paying for it though: the departure tax went up $15. That increase should already be in your ticket price if you bought it recently.

If you’re a member of the Priority Pass business lounge membership program, or get it because of your high-end credit card, there’s good news: you’ve got entry to both the domestic and international lounge here. Sign up at Priority Pass if you don’t look forward to regular boarding lounges. Priority Pass – 10% Off

Andean Travel Company has a nice rundown on the new airport with facts and figures. Get it here: Quito Airport fact sheet.

Check out luxury hotels in Quito here.