Volaris is one of several Mexican airlines criss-crossing the country and while nobody would call it “luxurious,” it offers a far better experience than you’re going to find on a domestic flight on the U.S. carriers.

Mexico’s airline industry has been turbulent the past few years, with one budget airline going under in 2009, never to recover, then the shocking disappearance of Mexicana last year. Fortunately, the country seems to have now reached a point where its remaining ones are able to survive and expand. More locals are flying and prices are good.

I flew on Volaris recently from Merida to Mexico City’s Toluca airport. Originally I bought a round-trip ticket, but days of flights got canceled later—with no good explanation as to why&mdashand I had to book the return trip on Interjet. (More on that airline later.) Apart from that initial booking snafu though, the process was smooth. The site is in both English and Spanish. Three of us were each able to check one bag for free and the actual check-in process at the airport was quick and friendly, with real people, not machines. They smiled and offered us our choice of seats. In other words, the airline experience we used to experience and expect normally.

The Volaris Flight Experience

On the plane it’s coach seating only, but on nice leather seats on a wide-body jet. The seat pitch was pretty average for economy, but the unique location of the reading material tray at chest level rather than at knee level adds a couple inches. Signs indicated electrical outlets under the seat, but I didn’t have a cord with me to test that.

There’s no in-flight magazine, but attendents hand out headphones to use to watch TV in Spanish. Soon a drink cart came around with a wide variety of non-alcoholic drinks. (It was early in the morning; they may offer beer and cocktails later in the day). My daughter squealed with delight when she saw the snack they were giving us: Krispy Kreme doughnuts!

Service was cheerful and the smiling attendents weren’t too harried. So really there are few signs this is a “budget” airline and a Volaris flight is certainly nicer than a domestic flight on nearly any U.S. airline. There were some advertisements on three overhead luggage panels, but for water from the Coca-Cola company, and we all ended up with a free can of their iced tea before deplaning, so not a bad trade-off. They also had a basket of taffy candy to pick from as we walked off the plane. Nice touch.

Volaris flies to more than 20 cities in Mexico through its hub in Toluca, outside Mexico City. It also flies to multiple locations in the U.S., including San Francisco, L.A., and Chicago. Through those locations you can transfer to partner flights on Southwest. See the current destination map here.

A spacious room with a furnished balcony, a stunning panoramic ocean view, and your own private plunge pool: nice upgrade, eh? Usually yes, but at Capella Ixtapa in Mexico, everyone gets this VIP treatment and every room has a killer view.

As hotels keep trying to outdo each other, we’ve seen a few in recent years where each room has its own plunge pool, as is the case with this one. But it’s hard to find one where every room has such an amazing view: blue water, little islets circled by sea birds, and waves crashing against the shore. Capella Ixtapa was built into a cliff, so it looks like it’s clinging to the side of a mountain. It spills down it so steeply that you ride a little funicular railway to your room.

All nice indeed, but fortunately the service is there to back all this up—you’ve got an assistant on call who is ready to make sure you’re happy. The restaurants get high marks from guests. And of course your margarita or fresh fish filet comes with a view.

There’s a lot more to talk about with this hotel, so see our full review of Capella Ixtapa, on the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

Ignoring the warnings of impending doom from media and the State Department, I took my family down to Patzcuaro, Mexico in Michoacan state a few weeks ago. As expected, it was beautiful, lovely, magical, and…completely free from any signs of trouble.

What made it extra special was spending some time at Mansion de los Sueños, a lovingly restored luxury boutique hotel a half block off the main square. It dates back to the 17th century and also has some materials brought from France during the brief time the country was under siege from the French in the late 1800s.

This is a great base for exploring this interesting city, as well as the craft villages situated around the nearby lake. This is center for great food and great handicrafts and Mansion de los Sueños shows off both in fine style. The elegant restaurant is one of the best in the city and rooms feature hand-carved custom furniture and plenty of local artwork.

With a bilingual staff—not an easy thing to find in these parts—and all the luxe amenities you would expect in your room, this is the clear choice when it comes time to turn off the 24-hour news channels and explore colonial central Mexico.

See our full review of Mansion de los Sueños in Patzcuaro.

Aranwa Hotel & Resort - Sacred Valley, Peru

We’re still seeing lots of good travel deals and enticing specials out there, despite the rising cost of oil and all the global turmoil elsewhere. Here are a few select luxury travel bargains, as well as new developments on the airfare front.

Spirit Air just announced that it will be flying to Toluca airport near Mexico City from its Ft. Lauderdale hub starting June 3. You’ll have to have a calculator handy to add in all their gotcha fees on top, and they have some of the most cramped seating in the industry, but if you can grin and bear it for a few hours (or pay up for more legroom), this could leave you with extra cash to spend on one of the luxury hotels in Mexico City instead.

Speaking of Mexico, Volaris is continuing to fill some of the gaps left by defunct Mexicana. In the coming month they’ll start flying to Fresno, CA and Las Vegas, NV from Guadalajara. Here’s their destination map.

Did you know that Costa Rica’s Nature Air flies to Nicaragua and Panama from Costa Rica? This makes it easy and inexpensive to visit two countries with only one flight on a major carrier from home. Flights to Nicaragua from San Jose start as low as $55 one-way.

LAN is continuing to offer great deals from the U.S. to Latin America. Be sure to check the prices to move up to the front of the cabin: Premium Business Class fares start at $899

On a regular basis, Luxury Link runs auctions for some of the top hotels we feature in Luxury Latin America. If you’ve never booked through them, here’s extra incentive: 10% off your first purchase at Luxury Link through 3/31 with code LUX10. Or take $100 off your first purchase if that works out better.

When I last checked they had a 5-night stay for two in a suite at Las Acacias in Guanajuato, Mexico stuck at $950 with an hour and a half to go. There was also a 3-night stay at Aranwa Sacred Valley in Peru: deluxe room, breakfast, airport transfers, taxes, and one dinner at the auction price of $595—a steal!

Last, if you’ve got the Galapagos on your list, Geographic Expeditions is offering $750 off on select departures right now.

One of the beautiful things about staying at a nice hotel with an ocean view is that the sea is the first thing you see in the morning when you look outside. At Capella Ixtapa, on the Pacific coast of Mexico, however, it’s not just a solid stretch of water to the horizon. Here you wake up to the ocean showing its power, crashing against the small islands and the rocks below your balcony.

Capella Ixtapa was built on a hillside so steep that you have to take a little funicular train to get to your room—the kind of incline railway you use for transportation in Guanajuato, Mexico or Valparaiso, Chile. It’s worth it: all 54 rooms and five penthouses have an amazing view. When you’re kicking back with a cocktail in the plunge pool here—and every one has a plunge pool of its own—all is right in the world.

We’ll have a full review of the hotel in a few weeks, along with some dramatic photos. In the meantime, enjoy the video tour above for a taste of what it’s like to stay there. See more at the Capella Ixtapa website.