I know a luxury travel blog and website will often pretend everything is rosy in the places they cover, but we like to tell it like it is here at Luxury Latin America. So let’s put it out there that if you travel to a hot place to escape the cold or find adventure, you’re probably going to deal with bugs and other creepy crawlies.

I was reminded of this recently on the coast of Panama when I found this now deceased guy in the corner of my suite, right next to the sofa. I’m just happy he made himself so obvious instead of hiding in my shoe.

This is the second time I’ve had such a visit in a nice hotel room, not even counting how many made it into my living space in Mexico. Here’s a shot of one that made my family and I glad we had the mosquito net up in Costa Rica.

Today a scorpion, tomorrow some insect that is as big as my hand. If you go exploring the Amazon, kicking back on a tropical beach, or even just checking into a hotel in the desert of Mexico or northern Chile, you’re seriously outnumbered. Keeping all the animals and insects at bay can only be accomplished by sprayed toxins, innovative design, or an incredibly diligent staff. Most employ a combination of the three. If they’re a true eco-lodge though, forget the chemicals part.

So keep that in mind when you call the front desk about a critter that needs to be dispatched. The staffers are there to help, yes, but please don’t get huffy and act like this should never happen. I’ve heard stories from hotel general managers about guests who checked out early because the geckos were too loud or there was an agoti in their path as they walked to dinner. Sorry, but you’re not in Chicago or Dubai anymore.

Last week I ran down new developments I found at Travel Mart Latin America. This week we’ve got the scoop from the first Mexican summit of the Adventure Travel Trade Association. This is the organization counting most adventure tour operators as members and one of our occasional contributors, Mark Chesnut, was there to see what’s happening. Take it away Mark!

ATMEX, the Adventure Travel Mexico convention, took place September 5-9 in the city of Veracruz. Organized by the Adventure Travel Trade Association, the confab brought tour operators, hoteliers and travel buyers to the World Trade Center expo facility. Discussions during workshops, panels, presentations and on the exhibit floor tended to emphasize action, adventure and ecotourism over luxury, but a few companies touted their ability to combine upscale amenities and service with eco-focused adventures.

Among the ATMEX exhibitors that appeared best equipped to cater to adventure seekers with a craving for comfort was Mexico Verde Expediciones, based in the state of Veracruz, which is one of Mexico’s best regions for whitewater rafting. Mexico Verde offers accommodations that include single and double suite-style tents with full baths, terraces and wake-up coffee service, served at the beginning of days designed for decidedly active adventures that include category III and IV rafting in Jalcomulco, jungle biking and kayaking through mangrove swamps and vigorous team-building activities, complemented by spa treatments.

Hotel companies present at the event were especially well versed at promoting their product to upscale travelers. The Explorean Kohunlich – a jungle lodge in the Yucatan peninsula, less than an hour from the city of Chetumal – offers indulgences like a couple’s Temazcal (traditional Mexican sweat lodge) treatment and picnic at the Mayan ruins of Kohunlich, as well as biking through the ruins, rappelling down dramatic riverside cliffs and kayaking through lagoons by day and night. Back at the resort, guests can sign up for additional treatments at Ki’ol Spa, or just relax in one of the 38 bungalows or two cabanas (none of which have televisions, to encourage guests to connect more with nature and less with cable).

Explorean Kohunlich belongs to the Mexican hotelier Grupo Posadas, which also used the event to promote its all-inclusive Fiesta Americana Cozumel property as an ideal base for taking advantage of the excellent diving and snorkeling in the Caribbean waters nearby.

The Villa Group was also present, promoting the adventure-friendly aspects of its upscale properties in Loreto, a Baja California destination popular for diving and fishing. The company’s Villa del Palmar Loreto Beach Resort & Spa, billed as “Baja California’s first million star resort & spa,” has suites with views of the Sea of Cortes (among the largest is the 3,270-square-foot penthouse Royal Suite), while its Sabila Spa and Wellness Center is designed to provide rejuvenation for weary explorers. Kayaking, island hopping in the National Marine Park of Loreto Bay, whale watching, snorkeling and scuba diving are among the more adventurous activities that the hotel can arrange.

In the state of Hidalgo, Sterra, a 24-room spa hotel in the town of Otongo, offers an adventure travel package that includes one night of accommodations, three meals and activities like zip lining, cycling and Swedish massage. The property also has a Temazcal, Zen garden, soccer fields and an art gallery.

Mark Chesnut writes frequently about Latin America travel for multiple publications. See more on his blog, LatinFlyer.com.

Several parts of Mexico are popular golf vacation spots and we’ve just updated our story on the best Golf Courses of Los Cabos, southern Baja around San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas.

We have covered golf in Punta Mita and Puerto Vallarta and there are some great courses in other spots like Costalegre and the Riviera Maya. No place in Latin America is a match for the Los Cabos region though, whether you’re talking about sheer number of choices or the quality of the courses themselves. Most benefit from dramatic scenery—including ocean views from some holes—and designs from some of the best-known names in the biz.

It always seems extravagant to the point of ridiculous to have golf courses in the desert, but in this region they’ve gotten it right more than many. Watering is generally done via desalinated sea water and new turf grasses that are more salt-tolerant and need less water and helping keep the impact down as well.

So now you can enjoy your 18 holes with a bit less guilt than you’ll feel in, say, drought-stricken Scottsdale, and you’ll get a nice sea breeze while you’re at it.  See the full story on Golfing in Los Cabos.

As we watch the Americas—including the Caribbean—dominate all the track & field sprints in the Olympics, let’s take a break to check out some luxury travel news for the region.

In Brazil’s biggest city, a much-needed subway expansion is finally in motion. They’ve got a long way to go to really ease congestion though. Their metro has 71 kms of track for 19 million people compared to 200 kms for Mexico City. Even Santiago’s is 40% bigger. A planned Line 4 extension will add five more stations though to the recently opened stops. Alas, not in time for the 2014 World Cup though. See the full article from the Economist here: Not yet fit for a metropolis.

Mexico tourism is on track to set a record this year for both the number of visitors and overall revenues, based on how the first six months went.

Luxury retail spending was down 26% in the second quarter of this year, after a smaller decline in the first quarter. Affluent households have previously been the bright spot during this recession, but while they still seem to be traveling, they’re not plunking down as much on handbags and watches.

Magazine publishers are crying the blues as well. As more readers and advertisers gravitate to digital, paper is suffering. “Vogue, Vanity Fair, Lucky and Allure all experienced double-digit declines for Condé Nast” says this article and most others were lucky to have “only” a single-digit decline for the first half of the year.

Argentina’s import restrictions are hitting the Buenos Aires luxury market hard. All the red tape and bureaucracy have led to permanent or months-long closures of stores from Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Cartier, and Ermenegildo Zegna. We can only imagine the effect this is having on hotels as well if they’re trying to import French toiletries or the latest electronics.

We don’t cover troubled Venezuela on Luxury Latin America, but congrats to fencer Rubin Limardo who won the country its first gold Olympics medal in 44 years.

I just attended Mexico’s main annual travel trade conference, held this year in Puerto Vallart/Riviera Nayarit and got the scoop on what’s new and important in Mexico Tourism. Despite the drumbeat of negative press, Mexico had a record year for visitors in 2011, with nearly 23 million people arriving from international destinations. The U.S. sent a few less, but Canada sent 7% more and new markets like Brazil (up 67%) more than took up the slack.

On the destination front, I’m really pleased to see a concerted and aggressive effort to spread out the tourism base to lesser-known towns and cities, especially those that aren’t beach destinations. The Pueblos Magicos (Magic Towns) program has been so successful that it has grown to 54 destinations. It gives special places with character extra funds to spruce up the city and up the game in terms of infrastructure and hospitality staff training. It encompasses places like the town of Tequila in Jalisco, Patzcuaro near Morelia, Todos Santos north of Cabo San Lucas, and Jerez near Zacatecas (a shop there pictured to the right).

The national government is also putting resources into specifically promoting the UNESCO World Heritage cities. For the most part these are safe, beautiful, under-the-radar cities, places like Campeche (west of Merida), Zacatecas, and my sometimes home of Guanajuato.

Travel Alerts

Another big initiative has been in getting the U.S. State Department to be more specific and accurate in its travel alerts. This has been a productive dialogue, with the alerts getting much more useful now (instead of just treating the whole country the same) and they’re even using maps to pinpoint problem areas. Unfortunately, Texas, a state that thinks it’s an independent country, has ignored all that and once again told Spring Break students to “avoid Mexico.” This despite the fact that the most popular resort areas for Americans/Canadians are far safer than Houston or Dallas by any crime measure you look at.

More and Better Air Connections

It’s no surprise that the death of Mexicana a few years ago put a serious dent in the flight options for visiting Mexico, especially from Europe. Other airlines have stepped in to fill the gap in some cases, but it’s taken years for the country to claw its way back and it’s currently at 88% of the international routes it had before that. Getting there, but still not ideal. So the government is pushing hard to get more flights in and are having some success that should improve the situation, both from Europe and the U.S. There’s a lot of work behind the scenes on this, so it should get better late this year and next.

The flip side of that is that the domestic air situation has improved dramatically. There are now five viable and seemingly healthy airlines making domestic flights and some to the U.S.: Aeromar, Interjet, Volaris, Aerobus, and the old standby Aeromexico. If you live in the Southwest, one of these guys may be serving a city near you or will start soon. I’m excited that Interjet is now offering a flight from Miami to Mexico City.

Infrastructure

While our crumbling U.S. infrastructure is suffering from political gridlock, Mexico is going full speed ahead. Nearing completion right now are a bridge over a gorge that will allow fast transit between Mazatlan and Durango. That cuts down the driving time between the U.S. and Mazatlan to 12 hours. There’s also a new airport highway that will get you to the Golden Zone faster.

Other major highways are cutting down bus or driving times. Examples are Morealia to Zacatecas, Mexico City to Puebla, and Oaxaca City to Huatulco.

Also, the Green Angels roadside assistance program has expanded into a general tourism assistance hotline. If you have a problem on your vacation, call 078 from a local phone. They’ll help you sort it out.

Related links from Luxury Latin America:
The best hotel in Patzcuaro, the best hotels in Guanajuato, and the luxury hacienda hotels in Campeche.