Credit cards that offer points that can be redeemed for hotel stays are an important part of our points and miles journey.  Sometimes we have a card and don’t want to pay the annual fee after the first year, so we are always sure to evaluate whether it makes sense to keep each card. But […]

Flying to Japan can cost a lot of points, especially if you want to travel in a premium cabin for such a long journey. So you’ll probably want to save points on your lodging once you get there. Luckily, you can find great hotel deals with your points (or free-night certificates if you have them). […]

Ever since writing about The Chatwal hotel in New York City in a previous blog post, I’ve been wanting to stay at this high-end property with fascinating history and connections to Broadway. The problem: it’s a Category 8 property and costs a lot of Hyatt points. So I thought this aspirational property would always remain […]

I recently returned from another trip to French Polynesia. The main purpose was to return to the Hilton Conrad Bora Bora Nui and take my sister with me. I also wanted to try another hotel on the trip and decided to stay at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort and Spa. Here’s what I thought about […]

Whether you’re booking an aspirational vacation or simply a night at the airport before your early morning flight, hotel free-night certificates are a useful part of any traveler’s points-and-miles toolkit. Read on to learn how to maximize value from hotel free-night certificates, wherever your travels take you.    Use Them Before They Expire  The most important […]

Your Hilton points can take you just about anywhere—from a dreamy beach escape in the Maldives to a luxury stay in one of Japan’s most popular cities. In this post, we’ll give you five aspirational Hilton properties to book on points or free-night certificates.  Hilton prices its hotels dynamically, making it a bit more challenging […]

On a recent trip to Iceland, my family of five decided to use Reykjavik as a home base (because hotel-hopping with a family for a four-night stay wasn’t ideal). We took a couple of day trips from Reykjavik and spent one day exploring the city itself. Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik City Centre proved to be […]

The Standard Hotels brand is Hyatt’s latest acquisition. Standard Hotels is a high-end boutique hotel brand known for its hip, artsy, and nightlife-oriented atmosphere. It’s not “standard” in the generic sense—the name is intentionally ironic, as their hotels are anything but standard. Hyatt’s acquisition of Standard International happened in late 2024 and many of these […]

I just completed staying at three well-known Maui hotels this year: the Hyatt Regency Maui, Andaz Maui, and the Marriott Wailea Beach Resort. Jess, Alex, and I have surprisingly different takes on each one. And you all know we love the Grand Hyatt Kauai, but maybe not exactly why we love it, so we added […]

Choice Hotels® are a more niche brand for points and miles travelers, but Choice Privileges® points can be very valuable, especially outside the U.S. If you’re willing to do some math to find a good deal, these points can be a great addition to your points wallet. So we’ll get you started learning all about […]

Trying to pick your favorite hotel stays is kind of like picking your favorite child. Each has their uniqueness and you love them for different reasons. And with hotel stays, getting to stay at them for pennies on the dollar anywhere you want makes you love more of them! Here are some of my favorite […]

I usually love every Kimpton Hotel I meet, but I finally met one that was underwhelming. Welcome to my Kimpton Vividora Barcelona review, a.k.a. staying in a dorm room. Quirky, cute, but still a dorm room. It is located on a small, pedestrian side street near La Rambla, and the lobby seemed promising and charming. […]

Did I just stay at a hotel that may be my new favorite? I am on a trip to Mallorca after visiting Madrid and Barcelona. I left Alex and Jess in Barcelona and flew to Mallorca to meet another of my daughters. First stop: Nobis Hotel Palma in Mallorca, Spain. It was love at first […]

​The Thompson Madrid is a luxurious hotel situated in the heart of Madrid, near the Gran Vía and the Puerta del Sol. It was also a quick walk to the Plaza Mayor, the largest square in Madrid. It’s smack in the center of Madrid, in fact, and close to tons of dining, shopping, and nightlife. […]

Have you ever checked into a hotel and immediately knew it wasn’t the hotel for you? I recently had this happen on a stay at the Zoëtry Mallorca. I was on a girls’ getaway with my daughter, Lindsey, and the theme of our trip was supposed to be luxury. Our stay at the Nobis Palma […]

Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa is a luxury eco-resort in the Arenal Volcano region of Costa Rica. It is famous for its natural hot springs, lush rainforest setting, and world-class spa. Recently, we stayed there for three nights after completing a four-night stay at the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort.   This hotel is part of the […]

If you want adventure or relaxation (or both!) in Costa Rica, Rio Perdido might be just what you’re looking for. Set within a 1,500-acre private reserve, Rio Perdido offers everything from cliffside yoga to a mile-long thermal river to a canyon adventure. Here’s how we did it on points and miles….   Getting There We […]

Sigh. I have started another Park Hyatt love affair. Here is my Park Hyatt Bangkok review—for an all-too-short stay of just one night that I would love to repeat. Park Hyatt Bangkok is a luxurious five-star hotel located in the heart of Bangkok’s central business district, next to the upscale Central Embassy Mall. It is […]

Let’s be real—luxury travel isn’t just about five-star service and plush robes. It’s about stepping into a world that feels tailor-made for you, where every moment is crafted to perfection. You can now unlock some of the most incredible stays worldwide with your Hilton points, thanks to their partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the […]

I fell in love with Japan the first time I visited, and it’s still my favorite country after this most recent visit. Ted, Ella, Molly, and I spent spring break in Tokyo and Kyoto, and we had the best time!  Here’s my review of Hyatt House Tokyo Shibuya, where we spent four nights. It will […]

Whatever part of the world you’re traveling to, Hyatt has an aspirational hotel that can be as memorable as your destination. While these stays could cost hundreds or thousands of dollars if paid in cash, you can book them with our favorite points—Hyatt points! While they will cost more points than your average hotel, with […]