From fabulous weather to delicious food to gorgeous beaches, San Diego has a lot to offer your traveling family. You can use your points to get flights and hotels to San Diego and save your travel budget to splurge at the zoo! 

In this series of posts, we show you how to get to a destination with flights and hotels. You can do this trip whether you have points to splurge or are looking to save. 

In this post, we’re planning a Memorial Day weekend trip for a family from Phoenix to San Diego. 

 

Low Points-Price Flight 

If the family had Alaska/Hawaiian Atmos™ Rewards points, they could fly from Phoenix to San Diego via Alaska Airlines. While they may not be quite as valuable as Southwest’s Companion Pass, some of the credit cards within the Atmos™ Rewards program also offer companion passes that could be used for this flight, so consider those if you have one of the relevant cards.

When I searched for the holiday weekend, the flight was between 10,000 and 17,500 Atmos points per person (plus taxes/fees) for a main cabin fare. I’ve seen closer flights for fewer points on Alaska. So even if you booked this flight, I’d keep checking back for more savings! 

 

 

Low Points-Price Hotel – Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego 

Jess’s family loved their stay at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego a few years ago. This family-friendly property is close to many of the popular attractions in San Diego, such as Petco Park. The waterfront hotel has seven restaurants and multiple outdoor pools that are heated and open year-round. 

We love Hyatt hotels for family travel, and even post-devaluation, your Hyatt points can still go pretty far. The Manchester Grand Hyatt is a great example. It’s a Category 5 property, and I found a standard room over Memorial Day weekend that could accommodate four people for 15,000 points per night. The cash rate was around $350 per night, so that’s an excellent value for your Hyatt points. 

For 22,000 points per night, your family could get access to the hotel’s club lounge (though you could also just apply a Club Access Award if you have one). This could save this family on breakfast and snacks and might be worth the extra points. 

For other booking options, I found availability on Chase Travel℠ using Points Boost, but the value was not as good as booking directly with Hyatt. The property is also available through Bilt’s travel portal, s you could use your Bilt Palladium card’s travel credit to book this as a cash stay instead. 

 

Medium Points-Price Flight 

The family could fly affordably from Phoenix to San Diego on Southwest for only 15,500 points plus $5.60 per person over the holiday weekend. This would be an even better deal if they have one or more Companion Passes. 

 

 

Medium Points-Price Hotel – Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Downtown 

If the family would rather travel to San Diego on Marriott Bonvoy points, they could consider the Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Downtown. This historic property was formerly a bank and is now a hotel conveniently located close to many popular sites. This property does not have a pool, which might be a drawback for your family. So if that’s a must-have amenity for your family, you’ll want to look into other options. 

I found a three-night stay here in a family-sized room over Memorial Day weekend for 165,000 points. If the family could expand their trip to five nights (all with points), they could get one free night. Or for a shorter stay, this hotel would be a great use of a 35,000-point free-night certificate (though some nights would need to be topped off with additional points). 

If you don’t have enough points or need a second room, the hotel is also available on the Bilt travel portal. 

 

 

High Points-Price Flight – Alaska First 

If you really wanted to splurge, you could book the family in Alaska first class for 20,000-27,500 Atmos Rewards per person. But I wouldn’t consider a recliner seat worth it for a flight that’s just over an hour. Your Atmos rewards are very valuable and can be put to better use on other flights, such as flying to Europe! 

 

 

High Points-Price Hotel – InterContinental San Diego 

The InterContinental San Diego is a luxury waterfront property that’s also close to San Diego’s most popular spots. It also has a rooftop pool and three on-site restaurants. The property also has a lounge, though it’s much harder to access the lounge at an IHG property than at a Hyatt. 

I found a family-sized room here over Memorial Day weekend for 297,000 IHG points. For a shorter stay, you could use an IHG free-night certificate topped off with points. For a four-night stay (booked fully with points), you could get the fourth night free if you hold an IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, the IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card, or the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card. (If you hold an IHG One Rewards Credit Card, you need to spend $5,000 or more on the card to unlock that benefit.)

Redeem three nights, get the fourth night free when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG® hotel stay. You can receive a fourth Reward Night free, redeemable at that same hotel during that same stay.

If you don’t have IHG points, you have many other options to book this hotel. It’s available via The Edit by Chase Travel℠ at 1.65 cents per point (though it was not available for the specific weekend I was searching for). You can also book it through American Express’s The Hotel Collection or Bilt’s Home Away from Home program. 

 

 

 

Bottom Line

San Diego has so much to offer families. Whatever your points budget, you can make it work—even on a holiday weekend! Which option are you booking?

 

Related Posts

Sheraton San Diego Resort Hotel Review

Friday Family Vacation to San Diego

Review of Marriott Coronado Island Resort and Spa

All About Alaska Airlines Atmos™ Rewards Credit Cards