Alex: Looking to take a trip with your girlfriends? Today, we’re sharing some of the best girls’ trips destinations around the world and how to unlock them using points and miles.

Welcome to Points Talk with the Travel Mom Squad. We are three moms who’ve discovered how to leverage credit card welcome offers to get hundreds of thousands of dollars of travel expenses for nearly free. We’ve used credit card points and miles to take vacations to places like Hawaii, Paris, Greece, Maldives, Japan, and so much more. And the best part? We each still have 800 plus credit scores. Imagine being able to take the vacation of your dreams for nearly free. It’s totally possible, and we’re here to show you how.

Alex: Hey, I’m Alex.

Pam: And I’m Pam, Alex’s mom.

Jess: And I’m Jess. Let’s talk points. We love our family trips and our couples trips, but one of our favorite kinds of trips is a girls’ trip. No packing for anyone but yourself, no entertaining anyone else, and a chance to relax and unwind. We’re going to hop right in with some of our favorite girls’ trip, some ideas for you. Some of these are trips we have taken in the past, some are trips that are on our bucket list to take in the future.

So Alex is going to kick it off with some frequently asked questions that we get when we share our girls’ trips. We share them often on Instagram and people will send us DMs asking us questions, so we’re going to answer those first before we get into the inspo.

Alex: Okay, so one of the biggest questions we get is How do you split your points when you are going on a girls’ trip? Well, first of all, we all just book our own flights. So, whether maybe some of the people in your group aren’t even doing points. So in that case, I would book my flights with my points; they can book it with cash. I’m even of the mindset, yeah, ideally it’s more fun if we can fly together, but if people want to get there differently, that’s fine.

The three of us have had times where we’ve taken different flights. Not always on purpose. Sometimes it’s from delays and cancellations, like if you listen to our episode of our trip to Spain, we all ended up taking different flights. And so, I don’t worry too much about that.

The part that can get maybe tricky, I don’t actually think it’s tricky, but I think where people really question is how do you split your hotel? So what we have done is, with my mom and Jess or with my sisters, is we will just divide the cost of the points and each pay an equal amount. So it works really nice if you’re with Hyatt.

So, for example, this last trip we did to Morocco, we had a few nights in Hyatt hotels, and my mom just did the math. She figured out, okay, this is how many points it cost. Some people stayed different lengths of time. I had one sister that had to leave early, so she’s going to owe fewer points. One hotel, we had to get three rooms for the five of us. And so my mom just figured out the math of like, okay, this is how who owes what.

I think it makes it easier if you just have one person book it. So in this case, if we have to book two or three rooms, me and my mom are booking these. Or with the three of us travel together, I will usually book it. They’re nice to let me book it because I’m usually the one who needs the more Elite Nights towards Hyatt Globalist status. But it works out really nice because all of the major hotels, except for IHG, you can transfer points with IHG if you have diamond status. I believe, right? Is it free if you have diamond status?

Jess: Yeah.

Alex: Yeah, if you don’t, you have to pay, and it doesn’t even make any sense. It’s ridiculous. Hyatt, you can combine points. You can only send or receive points every 30 days. So you might have to, you know, space out your receiving points if people owe you, but it’s super easy. You just fill out the form, email it to Hyatt. I mean, it’s kind of old school, like you have to fill out a form. It’s really nice, like Marriott and Hilton, you can do it all online yourself, and it’s so simple. The nice thing with Hyatt is there’s no cap on the amount you can send or receive. You just have to wait every 30 days to do it.

I’m going on a girls’ trip to New York. There’s four of us going. We booked two rooms. So I booked one, my other friend booked one, and the other two will send us points. So, I think it’s really simple to do. I know Jess, you’ve gone on girls’ trips where you were the only one doing points. So it’s like you paid for it and then they like, yeah, tell us how you made that work.

Jess: So I’m actually going in January to the Kimpton Roatan with two girlfriends, and they don’t, they do points, but they’re using points, we’re all using points for our flights. But for the Kimpton, I’m the only one who had IHG points. And so I booked it. It’s like we’re going for our like 40th, all of us are turning 40 next year, and so it’s like a 40th birthday thing. So I was like, I’ll use my IHG points and book it, and y’all just pay for like my food and drinks while we’re there.

So that’s, and I don’t know if it’s going to be exactly 100% equal, but I’m also like, hey, this is my birthday present for y’all. It’s like that I’m paying for this hotel, you know? So that’s, and I’ve done that in the past too, where I’m like, you pay for my massage or like you pay for my drinks and my dinners and like we’ll call it even, you know? So yeah, that’s another option if you are going somewhere with like trickier points than Hyatt, I feel like.

Alex: Like, where people maybe don’t have the points. Like it’s pretty simple. Most people have Chase Ultimate Rewards®. Not everybody has IHG points.

Pam: Yeah, like I’ve gone with my sister and she hasn’t had the miles that we’re using to fly there, but she does have Chase Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred to Hyatt. So usually what I do is just go ahead and have her transfer me some Hyatt points, which is something I’m always looking for anyway.

Alex: Yeah, so you book her flight and then she pays you back in Hyatt points.

Pam: Right.

Alex: So I think it’s pretty simple to do. Like, however you do it. I mean, the best case scenario is you’re like, hey, let’s go on a trip. You should get this card. It’ll cover your hotel stay, and you’ll get a referral bonus while you’re at it. That’s best best-case scenario.

I also think, like if you’re going on a girls’ trip and you’re splitting the points, that’s part of me why I love girls’ trips so much too, is it can cost you way fewer points if your friends or the other girls you’re traveling with have points. It’s like, okay, yeah, we maybe were going and staying at a category four or a category eight, and it’s maybe 40,000 points a night. But if we’re splitting a room between four of us, like that’s 10,000 points a night. So it makes it so much more affordable to go and do those vacations.

So, the other thing is, how do you decide on a destination? People ask that a lot. I think you go wherever you want to go, first of all. Here, everyone will throw out ideas, and then we’ll just kind of vote on what we want to do. There’s also been times where I, like this trip to New York with my friends, I’m like, hey, I want to go to New York because I want to see Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr in Hamilton. So I bought the tickets. I didn’t even know what we were like who was going to go. I was like, I’m just going to buy four tickets. I will find people to go with me, and if not, I will sell them.

So I texted a couple friends, like one that just loves, like she’s obsessed with Hamilton too. So I was like, she’s the right girl to go do this with me. And then we invited two of our other friends to go. So I just decided. Like this is what I want to do, and I’m going to invite people. So I think that’s a good option.

I think a lot of times, people are overwhelmed. Like they want to go on a trip, but they don’t want to plan it. They don’t want to figure out where to go, when to go, and all of the things. So if you’re the friend that’s like, I want to go on a girls trip, I don’t know, like, who to ask, or it just, How do we get it going? Just plan it, plan something, and invite the people.

I will say for myself, that’s been a hard thing for me is it’s like I have, you know, different groups of friends, and it’s like, who do I invite on this trip? And will they want to go? Will they want to hang out with me for four days? Like, is this weird? Are we good enough friends to go on a trip together? You know, you can talk yourself out of it, but I think most people are going to be like, Oh, wow, that sounds so fun.

Like when I asked my friends to go to New York, it took like seconds. They replied back, Yes, we are in. And so I think sometimes you can kind of second-guess guess like, oh, I don’t know if people will be able to do it. I think that’s a big thing too. Like, can they leave their kids? Can they get work off? Like, can they afford to? And you don’t know until you ask. So I would encourage you if you’re wanting to go on a girls’ trip, be the brave one and just invite people and make it happen.

Jess: That’s what I did for Roatan, too. I think it was after y’all’s episode about Roatan, I was like looking at the calendar, I said, I need to go there. I’m booking it. And then once I book it, I’ll figure out who’s going with me. So.

Alex: Yeah. And I mean, and of course they’re like, oh my gosh, yes, I will go with you. And I don’t even have to pay you back for the hotel stay, and I have points. All I got to do is buy you dinner. I’m in.

So the other thing too, I don’t think this actually matters because I’m of the mindset, you do what you want to do. But I do think there are times where planning a girls’ trip where your spouse or partner has no interest in going to works out really well. As you’ll see in like one of the examples I gave, it’s a place Mitch is like, I don’t really care to go do that. So I think that can be a good thing too, because also one, you want to go, and your player two is like, I’m not very excited about that. But if you get some girlfriends in, it’s like, okay, great. I found the people who wanted to do that, too.

So I think that’s a good way to go about it. But also, if you want to go to a place that your player two wants to go to, but your girlfriends want to go, you can just go with your girlfriends. And you know what? Go back with your player two another time.

So, I’m a big believer in girls’ trips. I think that especially moms, you need that break from your children. I think it’s good for the children. I think it’s good for them to kind of have to rely on somebody else. I know when I’ve gone places, it’s like my older kids are at school all day. But Noah is still, he has one more year of preschool. He loves it because he has a babysitter that comes over and plays with him, or his grandma comes over and hangs out with him, or he gets to go to his cousin’s house. So it’s like a party all week long while I’m on trips.

So, yeah, I’m big on girls’ trips. But with all of that said, let’s get to the actual destinations. My mom is going to kick it off first. We’re each going to share two. So stay tuned because you we might surprise you with some of these destinations. Some we might not, but some we might surprise you.

Pam: Okay, so the first one’s not going to be a surprise. It’s a place I could go every year with a girlfriend.

Alex: I think Jess does go every year.

Pam: I think Jess does.

Jess: Yeah, I was kind of ticked when I opened the outline and you had already taken New York. I was like, that was going to be mine.

Pam: I know that was rude. So, any of my girlfriends listening or relatives, if you want to go, I’m looking for someone to go here next year. And that is New York City, the Big Apple. One of the things that makes it such a great girls’ destination is that every airline flies into New York City in some way or other. There are three major airports, and so no matter where you live, you’re going to be able to find a cheap redemption to get there. Now, for me, I live in Denver, and this is something I’ve never been able to understand is why in the world Denver, a big airport, does not have a direct flight to JFK. I just makes no sense to me. Now, it does have a flight to LaGuardia.

Alex: You have a Southwest direct flight to LaGuardia because when I go to New York, I’m flying Southwest with a stop with a layover in Denver and then to LaGuardia. And I personally, I like flying into LaGuardia.

Pam: Yes, because it’s the closest.

Alex: It’s more convenient to Manhattan.

Pam: Yeah. So, and I think United does too. But usually, I don’t know why I get it in my mind I need to fly into JFK. So usually if I’m doing that, I’m flying JetBlue or I’m flying Delta. I just still…

Alex: Well, I think a lot of times you’re probably flying to JFK because a lot of times you’re positioning. You know, you’re going to JFK because you’re positioning, and then you have it in your head like, oh, yeah, because I’m flying out of JFK on my business class flight. But if you’re just going to New York, I prefer LaGuardia. What about you, Jess?

Jess: I 100% prefer LaGuardia over JFK.

Pam: I think I just need to change my brain about that. I think that’s because 3/4 of the time, I think you’re 100% right, Alex. I fly into JFK because of a positioning flight. And so then I just kind of, and I actually use EWR, Newark, quite often. I don’t know. I don’t know why I don’t, my mind doesn’t want to wrap itself around LaGuardia. And I’ve got to change that because that is the better destination to be closer to Manhattan.

So anyway, it is great. So easy to get into New York City. You can meet your friends if you don’t all live in the same area. It is just perfect. And then the hotels, the hotels. There is a plethora of hotels. Whether you are looking at Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, IHG. Believe me, I think I’ve stayed at most of them. Honestly, for me, it’s always going to be a Hyatt because I’m trying to maintain that Globalist status. But every flavor you can think of is there in New York City.

And there are some amazing ones. I got to give the big shout-out to the Park Hyatt. Category eight. It’s going to run 40k at peak time. Now,

Alex: No, that’s standard.

Pam: Standard time, I mean. Now, that seems like a splurge, which really seems funny because 40k, if it was a Marriott at this caliber, would be like, whoa, that’s amazing. I can’t believe that. But this is because it’s one of the higher Hyatt hotels.

So, when you’re going to make that quote-unquote “splurge,” this is where girls’ trips come in handy. You split it. You’re each paying 20k. I mean, 20k seems like pennies to me. You got three people, and you can get a suite, and you’re each paying less than 15k. That’s where girls’ trips get really nice. And if one of you, like me, has Globalist, you get that amazing breakfast at the Park Hyatt. Best waffles. We all die by the waffles. And it is just in an iconic spot. Everything about it is iconic. It’s just like from the minute you walk in, you’re like, oh yeah, I’m doing good. This is I…

Jess: I just went on a girls’ trip last month, and we stayed at the Park Hyatt because I was like, we can split it.

Alex: Did your friend love it?

Jess: Yes. Like, we walked in and she was like, I don’t think I can go back to like not bougie hotels after this. Like she, the toilet, the toilet, she was like, oh my gosh, the toilet, the seat is heated and it has a bidet and there’s a TV in the bathroom mirror and like, she just, yeah, it was, it was awesome. And she was like, I can’t believe she was she was waiting for the catch, you know, she’s like, this is truly going to be… And then we checked out, they printed my bill, $0. She was, just could not believe it. So.

Alex: That is what’s so fun, too, about girls’ trips when you go with people who don’t use points and you see their excitement of like, wait, what? This is what you do? This is what this is like?

Pam: Yeah, because I think people think we’re just staying in this little old Marriott Residence Inn, and then they go, wait, and you’re not paying for this? It just like blows their mind. The cash cost for the Park Hyatt is upwards of $1500 plus. And that’s not even counting when you have a suite upgrade award, which I’m for sure using when I stay at a Park Hyatt. So it is, if you’re looking for a bougie thing, if you’re looking to surprise and delight a friend, this is your ticket.

Now, if by some chance you can’t find availability there or if you want to spend a little bit more, there’s another good option.

Alex: Spend a little less. This is where we’re staying when I go with my friends. We’re staying here. 

Pam: Yeah, the Thompson Central Park is a category six, so it’s going to run about 29k a night, and it’s really nice too.

Alex: And that’s the standard. That one’s the standard price. So 25k, I mean, 29k is peak. 25k is standard.

Pam: Yeah, I think I’ve always stayed at the peak for me. Well, I’ve stayed at Christmas time, I’ve stayed at times that.

Alex: I think it’s peak when I go too, which I was kind of surprised like it’s before the holiday season, like it’s that weird in between time. And I was like, oh, this is peak pricing here. I was hoping for off, or at least like standard, but.

Pam: You know, the cash price there is just, is just $500 a night. So it doesn’t seem as big of a value, but it’s a really, really nice hotel right next to Central Park, really good location. Again, great stay. You’ve got the Andaz 5th Avenue. I’ve stayed there, other Hyatts. You’ve got Marriotts, you’ve got IHGs, you’ve got Hiltons. They’re all there.

So it’s a perfect place to go stay with girlfriends and not have any trouble finding a place to lay your head at night. The activities are all the usual activities that you do in New York City, all the sightseeing. You can spend days sightseeing, you can shop, you can eat out, go to spas, and then there’s my own personal favorite is to hit up every Broadway theater that I possibly can. So I like to do my activities in the day, go to Broadway at night. I am that person that has seen many Broadway shows three or four times and would go back. And so for me, girls’ trip, the Big Apple is a perfect pairing.

Alex: Yeah. So next up, we have Scottsdale, Arizona. This is like the perfect girls’ trip when you need to escape the winter. I feel like it’s hard sometimes as an East Coast, on the eastern or western part of the United States of where could I go if I don’t want to go to Mexico or Hawaii, and I just need something quick and easy. That is Scottsdale, and it’s perfect for like a long weekend. You don’t need very much time. And I would agree with New York, too. It’s like you can go for like four nights and would be great.

So, where to stay in Scottsdale? The three of us have gone here on a girls’ trip. We stayed at the Andaz Scottsdale. It’s a category six. So you’re looking between 21,000 to 29,000 Hyatt points a night. The rooms are nice because they’re kind of a casita style. They’re it’s not like you’re in this, you know, high-rise hotel building. They’re these one-level little casitas. So those were those are nice. I really like that. It has that Arizona feel, multiple pools, including adults only, a really nice spa.

The hotel isn’t an adults-only hotel, but when we were there, we did not see very many kids. And I don’t think very many kids will be here. The people that are coming to Scottsdale and bringing their kids will be at the Grand Hyatt. So, and the Grand Hyatt’s nice as well, and it has an adults-only, really nice adults-only pool and a nice spa as well. But I wouldn’t stay at the Grand Hyatt if I wasn’t going with kids. I mean, Jess, I think you talked about it in the podcast episode about how it was so noisy, and they have music playing at night.

Like, go, if you’re looking for a quiet, relaxing stay with your girlfriends, you’ll want to go to the Andaz. I also, we all really enjoyed the food there. The breakfast is really good. The we had dinner there one night, and that was really good. The only thing that was kind of interesting to me is when you’re there, there’s like, I don’t know what it is next to the buildings.

Jess: It’s like an apartment complex.

Alex: Yeah, it looks like you’re in like an apartment complex area and it doesn’t really feel like you’re at a resort.

Pam: It was a little strange at first.

Alex: It’s a little strange, yeah. But it is really nice. It’s quiet, and the grounds are nice and pretty. So, really like that.

Another idea would be the Phoenician. This is a luxury, part of the luxury collection with Marriott. Rates can be as low as 56,000 points a night. When I looked and I like checked the whole year, they can be as high as 105,000 points a night in peak season.

Now, peak season in Arizona, or I mean, low season, is going to be summer. Peak season is going to be winter because nobody wants to go to Scottsdale in July. But if you do want to go, and you there’s great pools there. There’s multiple pools there, could be nice, really huge spa. They also have the Canyon Suite. It’s like a resort within the resort. And my mom, I know you stayed here with Dad. What was what did you think about it? And did you stayed in the Canyon Suite, right?

Pam: We did, we did. We actually had a free night certificate that was expiring soon. And I think it was like an 85k one. We may have had to add a few points. I’m not sure. But it was really, really nice. And that was definitely the place to stay. It had really good food. Breakfast was amazing. It was, it was a beautiful resort. I would definitely go there again if I had, you know, couldn’t get to my favorite Wailea Beach Resort to use those…

Alex: Marriott credits.

Pam: Yeah.

Alex: The other suggestion. I saw this one listed on Condé Nast Traveler as like one of the top hotels. Actually, all three of these, I already had chosen, okay, I’m going to do Phoenician because I know my mom stayed there and enjoyed it, and I’ve heard a lot about that. Andaz obviously was going to be on the list. But all three of them were on this list of like best hotels in Scottsdale.

So the third one is the Senna House. It’s part of the Curio Collection with Hilton. It’s around 90,000 points a night. It’s a newer hotel, built in 2021. So you know we love, like, I love new stuff. Yeah. just love, love new stuff. The rooms are a little bit smaller, but the hotel vibe looks really cool. Really cute, modern, kind of like, I don’t even know how to explain it. Kind of a little bit like the, like lots of woodsy stuff. Not woodsy like outdoor foresty, but like wood colored, like light wood, and just a real, the restaurant, the vibe, it just seemed really cool.

This hotel is going to be more if you’re wanting a livelier vibe. If you’re wanting the desert relaxing stay, go with the other two. If you’re wanting, like, no, I want to be in Scottsdale where I can walk to all the restaurants, I can walk to shopping, there’s the a really nice rooftop pool. If you want a more lively feel, then Senna House would be the right thing for you. Now, when it comes to what to do in Scottsdale, I mean, when I think of going to Scottsdale, I think of we’re going to the spa. Like that to me is they go hand in hand. There also is a lot of…

Jess: And Alex loved her massage therapist at the Andaz Scottsdale. 

Alex: Oh, man. And you know what? It was a great massage, but she talked to me the whole time. And I’m like, I don’t know you, and I’m never going to see you again. Like, this isn’t the right, this isn’t the time for us to become best friends. But it was, like, she did a great job with the actual massage. It’s like a stone massage, and the stones had like salt, so it was kind of like, like gritty. Anyways, it was that was really great, but I was like, I don’t want to talk to you right now. I just want to lay here and enjoy this.

But anyway, another thing you that’s really popular to do in Scottsdale is to hike Camelback Mountain. We didn’t do that, but I think if you went in, you know, when it’s not 115 degrees, that could be a really fun activity. Eating, of course, lots of great restaurants. go to what was it called? That little truck we went to. Oh, that was so good.

Jess: Tempura Takeover.

Alex: Yes, look them up on Instagram. See where see where they are. That was so good. Of course, shopping, Old Town, Scottsdale, you can come walk through there. You can visit the Desert Botanical Gardens.

I like the idea of going to Scottsdale because sometimes you don’t want to do all of the sightseeing. You don’t want to plan a trip. You just want to simply go and be with your girlfriends, relax and talk, and just be together. And I think Scottsdale is the perfect place for that because it’s like a slower pace. You don’t have to be doing all of these things. So it’s like, okay, yeah, let’s just go shopping and eat out and go to the spa. Like that sounds like a fantastic girls’ trip to me, where you’re actually, you don’t need a vacation from your vacation. You know those trips where you’re like, man, I am just beat. I need to, like, after Morocco, I was like, I need a vacation.

Pam: I’d still need that vacation from Morocco.

Alex: Yeah, I need because it’s like it was an amazing trip, but you’re like, whoo, we were on the go. We were busy. So. All right, Jess has got our next one. This one is a little more to it than mine and my mom’s. It’s a little more adventurous.

Jess: All right, so mine, since Pam stole New York from me, my next suggestion is Paris. Obviously fun for like families or couples or girls getaways, but I feel like Paris is so Paris would be so fun as a girls’ getaway, especially if you’re fans of Emily in Paris like Alex and Pam are, but not like I am.

Obviously, most of the major US carriers fly to Paris, but Air France is probably one of our favorite ways to get to Paris. You can fly direct from a lot of cities. I’m in Houston. There is a direct flight from Houston to Paris. Tons of other major cities have direct flights, and all four banks transfer to Flying Blue, which is the loyalty program for Air France. And I think if I had to think of like one program that has the most transfer bonuses, I think Flying Blue is up there. I feel like there’s oftentimes a transfer bonus to Flying Blue.

My mom and I are actually going to France next summer. We’re doing a river cruise, but we’re flying into Paris. And I was able to score Air France Premium economy for just 40,000 miles each direct Houston to Paris, and there was a Chase 20% transfer bonus going on. So for both of us in premium economy from Houston to Paris, it was just 67,000 Chase points, which…

Alex: That’s so good. And look at you. Look at you using your Chase points for non-Hyatt.

Jess: I had to do it because of that. I had to do it because of the transfer bonus. But yeah, so Air France, one of our favorites. As far as where to stay, I’ve got a few different Hyatt options. Obviously, Paris is a major city. So, like New York, you can find any brand you want there. There are IHG, there are Marriott, there are Hilton. But if you’re looking for like a more budget-friendly Hyatt, and I say that, I say budget because it’s only a category five, but Alex and Pam have stayed at the Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile, and it doesn’t seem very budget, based on the pictures that they showed. And I think it’s maybe the location that makes it a little bit cheaper because it’s a little bit…

Alex: And the rooms are small, but that’s expected. And there’s not like any, it’s not like the rooms are decked out in marble or whatever, but the rooms are updated and they’re nice. Like I thought the rooms were nice.

Jess: Yeah. So, I mean, it’s a category five. You’re looking at between 17,000 and 23,000 Hyatt points a night. That is a steal. And then if you’re splitting that with one other person or two other people, I mean, you can’t really get better than that. Then there’s Hotel du Louvre. That’s a category seven, so it’s going to be between 25 and 35,000 Hyatt points a night. I have not stayed here, but my mom and I had…

Alex: We stayed here.

Pam: We did. We love it.

Alex: The location, you’re not going to beat it. And it’s it’s really cute, really, really cute, and a really nice breakfast too.

Jess: My mom and I had a drink there and I thought it was I thought it was really nice. And then I’ve stayed at the Park Hyatt a couple times. This one’s a category eight, so you’re looking at 35,000 to 45,000 Hyatt points a night. But again, girls trip, split that cost between two or three people. And this is like if you want bougie Paris, this is where you are going to want to stay.

Alex: Yeah, I still need to stay here.

Jess: Another idea I had was, so when my mom and I went to Paris, we did a day trip to, I’m not going to say this correctly. I actually texted Traci before this episode because she speaks French, and I was like, How do you pronounce this city? And she was like, Reims. And I was like, okay.

Pams: That’s pretty good.

Jess: It’s spelled R E I M S. I’m just going to say Reims, but just know that that’s not how it’s actually pronounced. So that is kind of the champagne capital of France. And so we did a day trip there, but they are opening a Hyatt Centric there. It’s going to be a category three, which is surprising.

And so I feel like this will be a super fun place. You know, stay a couple nights in Paris and then go to Reims for a couple of nights and go on some champagne tastings and tours of the sellers. My mom and I went to Veuve Clicquot, and it was amazing. And so I highly recommend that one. But I just think that, like a little bit of Paris, a little bit of champagne tasting could make for the perfect girls’ trip.

Alex: That sounds like a real bougie girls’ trip.

Jess: But hey, you’re splitting it. I like it. And hey, category three. I mean, I know, you know, a couple a couple nights at the Park Hyatt category eight, balance it out with a couple nights at the Hyatt Centric. You know, you got to you got a good trip there.

Alex: Is the Hyatt Centric Reims, well, I say Reims too. I’m not even going to attempt doing that accent. But is that the one that has like the family suites that Traci mentioned?

Jess: Yes.

Alex: So you could even like go with like a bigger group of girls.

Jess: Yes.

Alex: I mean, you’d have to get more rooms at the Park Hyatt, but like, that’s it’s got like it’s really good pricing there.

Jess: Yeah. So, I kind of want to do that now, but obviously not with y’all. Maybe there’s…

Alex: Yeah, we’re not going to be going to the champagne tasting.

Jess: Hey, maybe there are some like non-alcoholic champagne tastings. I don’t know. It seems like that’s kind of the up-and-coming thing. So I don’t know. We’ll see. As far as other things to do, Versailles is always a popular option. One of my favorite things to do in Paris is just like walk around, get lost in the streets, stop at a cafe, get a cup of coffee, and like enjoy some pastries. That’s just one of my favorite things.

Alex: I love to go get some pastries and then sit at Luxembourg Gardens and just people-watch. I love doing that.

Jess: Or they even have like crepe, we went there and they had little like crepe stations scattered throughout, and you could just go get them to make you a crepe.

Alex: Yes. Oh, you’ve got to get crepes. So good.

Jess: And then, of course, if you’re a museum lover, there’s the Louvre. I actually prefer the Musée d’Orsay over the Louvre.

Pam: We do too.

Jess: But you could do one or both. No shortage of museums if that is your thing. So I feel like Paris just has something for everyone, and it would be a super fun girls’ trip.

Alex: Yeah, agree.

Pam: Okay, my next one is somewhere I go every single year, primarily because it is a short flight. I go on a ton of long flights, a ton of long business class flights. So sometimes it is just such a breath of fresh air to fly somewhere for three hours away and be able to sit on the beach and read a book and eat some good food with girlfriends.

And so my place is Mexico. And so many places in Mexico. You know, I can go to Cabo, I can go to Cancun, I can go to Puerto Vallarta, I can go to Mazatlán. So just so many places to go to. I’ve gone to them all so many times, even before I got into this hobby. So Mexico is just a great place. And again, so many different hotel brands.

So one of my favorites, and again, this is another one I want to hit up real soon if somebody wants to go with me and split the cost, and that’s to go back to the Secrets Impression Moxché in Playa del Carmen. It is a category five…

Alex: F. It’s a category F.

Pam: I’m reading F and saying five.

Alex: I wish it was a category five. Oh, man.

Pam: Interesting how that old brain works sometimes. Anyway, it’s going to run anywhere from 50k to a little higher. It’s expensive by Hyatt standards. So again, splitting makes it a great stay. I find it harder for me to take my husband there, even though I took him before, because I just want to kind of hoard those Hyatt points. And so I would much rather go with a girlfriend or family member and split that.

Alex: If you can find off-peak, I believe off-peak is 42,000. So that could work if you can find those days.

Jess: But it’s like hurricane season.

Alex: Yeah, that’s I know. We went though during that time of year, Jess and I did, and it was, we had great weather. But I mean, all three of us will agree that this is an amazing stay. It’s all inclusive. The food is really, really good. You don’t always find that with all-inclusives. You get a huge room. It’s a beautiful setting. That has just been the place on my mind that I need to do probably this next year. Love, love, love it.

Jess: The other thing I like about it is that it’s adults only. Because I don’t know about y’all, but a lot of times, if I’m not vacationing with my kid, I don’t want to be bothered by other people’s kids. I’m kind of like, you know, I want to be with my friends and like enjoying myself and not hear fighting and crying and things that I hear at my house. And so, so I like that it’s adults only too.

Pam: Yeah. Another place I love in Cabo is the Cape Thompson Cabo. I love the decor there. I believe children are allowed there, but you don’t see very many. It is definitely an adult vibe from the pool, from your rooms. You can see the whales breaching. I love that. If you want relaxing time by a pool, this is your resort. Love it. Another place that we have loved, loved, loved in the past. I’m not sure if I’m ever going to go again.

Alex: Well, me and you. Jess is kind of salty about this property.

Pam: Okay. Well, we have loved, but we’re not sure we’re going to get there again, is the Waldorf Astoria Los Pedregal. And we’ve talked about how what Hilton has done with their points. So the only way I can stay there is to use a Free Night Certificate now, and I’m just kind of bummed about it. I did think the rooms were a little outdated, but I understand that they are freshing them up. I do love the location. I do love the feel. It’s a beautiful property. I do love the service. I feel very bougie when I stay there. It’s a great stay. Guac and drinks in the afternoon. The meals are pretty pricey.

Alex: They have good breakfast though, is included if you have status, and it’s really good.

Pam: I may, once they get them all refreshed, I may have to take a couple Free Night Certificates and go there for a couple nights and then go over to the Cape Thompson Cabo.

Alex: Yeah.

Pam: I am also very interested in the Kimpton Tres Rios. You know I love a Kimpton. It’s an all-inclusive coming in Cancun. It’s supposed to be opening in 2026. I swear, at one time, I was able to book it, and then it kind of went away. I think it’s being a little slower to open. That never happens. But it is on my radar of a place that I’d like to try as soon as it opens up.

Alex: I was just going to say another one that you didn’t include is the Park Hyatt Los Cabos, which is set to open later in, well, in October. So by the time this airs, it hopefully will be open if it opens on time, we shall see. We actually have a trip booked there. So hopefully it’ll happen, but that could be our go-to spot. That is a category eight, so it’s 40,000 points a night. So stay tuned, and we will let you know. If we make it there, we’ll let you know how the Park Hyatt Los Cabos is.

Jess: My thing is like, I didn’t dislike the Waldorf Astoria in Cabo, but it’s now 250,000 Hilton points a night. So, like 250,000 Hilton points or 40,000 Hyatt points to stay at the Park Hyatt. Like, that’s a no-brainer.

Alex: It only makes sense if you’re using Hilton free night certificates. That’s the only way that place makes sense.

Pam: Exactly. And now that you know, you remind me about the Park Hyatt, all of these others could be a total moot point. I am a Park Hyatt girl. I may never be able to go to anything else but the Park Hyatt there. We’ll see. I love Mexico for just relaxing. The most, I guess the two things that I will do that are slightly adventurous is going out whale watching. I just never tire of that, and going to the cenotes. I find that really fun. But basically, you’re going to find me by the pool. You know, I may walk on the beach, but I honestly prefer laying by the pool with a good book.

Jess: I will also, let me just plug a couple places in Mexico that I think would make for great girls’ trips that aren’t necessarily on the beach. I think San Miguel de Allende, that I’ve talked about before, would be an amazing girls’ trip destination. And I really want to go to Mexico City with y’all as a girls’ trip destination. I want to stay at the Andaz in Mexico City. So I think those would also be great if you want to go for more like the food and the culture, and not necessarily just like sitting by the beach. So.

Pam: But can we, can San Miguel Allende be added on to a trip to Mexico City? Is that a possibility?

Jess: Yes, I think I think that would be doable for sure.

Pam: Okay, Alex.

Alex: Okay, so totally switching gears, a totally different type of trip that every fall, I’m like, oh, I want to do that. And then I don’t because you have to like plan it a little far in advance, or at least like have it on your brain, and then like I forget about it. And this is one that I think my husband has no desire to ever do this. And so I think this would be a really good girls’ trip. And that would be to go to New England and, during the fall, to see the fall leaves.

Now, it’s not just the fall leaves. Like, I live in Utah. We have a beautiful fall here. Like I can drive up the mountains and it’s it’s it’s stunning. It’s amazing. But also for me, the New England stuff is like all of the treats and just the Halloween vibe. Like going, like I’ve been to Salem, and we went in, Salem is super close to Boston, and we went with my mom and my aunt. And just like walking through, it’s just like really cute. I want to have the apple cider, I want to have the maple syrup treats, I want to have the donuts, like I want all of the fall treats in New England. I just think it’s got this like, just there’s a vibe and a feeling to fall, and I want to go experience that vibe and feeling in New England.

So, how to get there? I’m what I’m going to do is I’m going to share a few different places and it’s not like, just getting doing the research for this took me a little while until I was like, okay, I can’t plan a whole, I can’t do a whole trip to New England in this podcast episode. So I’m just giving you a little taste of a few ideas.

If you want a full itinerary of how to do New England, I would go check out Helene in Between on Instagram. We really love her content. She goes like every fall to New England, almost it’s like she’s obsessed with fall. She has a guide on how to do it. If you just Google New England Fall, she’s the number one thing that pops up. Or you can check her out on Instagram. She like has guides on how to do New England in the fall.

So that’s what I would do. I would just get her guide and follow it. You do have to like pay attention to the weather to see like when are the leaves changing. If you’re super set on seeing them at their peak, it changes every year. So you never really know. But I think like regardless, it would be beautiful.

So I’m just choosing a couple spots. The easiest thing to do is going to be flying into Boston. You can get to Boston from any airport. I would stay there for a night or two. The couple options are the Hyatt Regency Boston. That’s a category five. So you’re looking between 20,000 to 23,000 points a night. That’s not right. It’s not 20 to 23.

Jess: 17.

Alex: Something like that. 17,000 to 23,000. Yes. There’s the, and I know Jess, you stayed there. What did you think about that?

Jess: I thought it was great. The location is really good. Um, it’s a typical Hyatt Regency.

Alex: It’s a little, maybe like older, maybe.

Jess: Yeah, but I thought I thought for the value, I thought for the location, it’s a good value.

Alex: Then there’s the Hyatt Centric. You guys, I don’t know how to say it. Faneuil Hall. Is that right? I think that’s right. Am I saying it right? Well, look at me. I’ve heard good things about this property. It’s a category six. And then of course, like any every other hotel brand is going to have a footprint in Boston. You can find something. I know when my mom and I went, we stayed, I believe, at a Residence Inn.

Pam: It was so cute, though.

Alex: It was so cute. It wasn’t your typical Residence Inn, and it was, I don’t remember exactly which one, but it was close to, what is it called there? The tea line? Is that no, what do they call it in Boston?

Pam: It was where they do the Boston Tea Party reenactments, and it was, it was really, really cute. I’d stay there again in a heartbeat. It was so cute.

Alex: It was so cute. I can’t remember the name of it. If I do, I’ll put it in the show notes. So that’s where I would stay to like kick things off. And I would do like, okay, let’s go and, you know, explore Boston for a day. Go visit the Freedom Trail, Boston Common, Beacon Hill. I would probably just do a day tour, like get a guide and just tour the whole city in one day, and call it good.

From Boston, like I said, super easy to get to like Lexington and Concord and do a little tour there, or go to Salem and do a little tour there, or just walk through the streets. That would be super fun.

So, outside of Boston, though, there is Mount Washington, New Hampshire. And in here, there’s the hotel, it’s the Omni Mount Washington. This if, maybe you’ve seen it. Like when I’ve seen pictures, I’m like, oh, that looks familiar. It’s this huge white hotel, like all wooden. It was built like in the early 1900s, I want to say, like very early. It’s a historical hotel, like old luxury. The rooms are older, dated, kind of that old luxury style. But the grounds are gorgeous. Like, the views are gorgeous. It is stunning.

If you go, I think like, in her guide, Helene talks about this, you just go Google it and you can see how pretty it is. It is, like you can’t book the Omni Mount Washington just with your, you know, no points transfer to Omni. You’re not going to be able to do that. But it is bookable through Chase Travel. It is part of The Edit collection. So you could use your credit on the Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Reserve business to book this hotel.

It also was on Points Boost when I saw it. And so I think two nights was around 30-something thousand points. Like it was very affordable. That was, I think, those dates were maybe November, I was looking at. And so I know it can be pricier because it’s kind of like, this is a hotel where like famous people and like the presidents would go to. Like it’s the old school luxury. 

The other really cool thing about this hotel is starting in January 2026, there’s a new credit that comes with the Sapphire Reserve Cards. It’s a $250 credit on certain hotels through the Chase Travel Portal, and one of those brands is the Omni brand. So you could also use that credit to stay here. So, lots of good options to stay here with, you know, using your credit card benefits. So that would be like a really cool one to check out.

Another location that is a great location if you’re wanting to go check out the fall leaves is Stowe, Vermont. There are a lot of Mr. and Mrs. Smith properties that you can book via Hyatt here. I didn’t look into all the price per night because the pricing for the Mrs. Smith properties is dynamic pricing, so it’s tied to the cash price. So you just want to go check that out.

But there is a hotel there called the Lodge at Spruce Peak. It’s a destination by Hyatt. It’s, I believe this is a ski resort. But it’s a category eight, so, you know, 35,000 to 45,000 points a night. But Jess and I are fans of LAX to Luxury on Instagram. Her name is Michelle. She only does bougie. I mean, her name is LAX to Luxury. So you know it’s luxury. She stayed here. So I’m like, all right, if it’s good enough for Michelle, it’s good enough for me.

Jess: Someone in our Facebook group actually just posted a video from here. I think it was like yesterday or the day before. And you can like see all the, I guess she was on her balcony and you could see all the trees. Yeah, gorgeous. And she was like, You have to stay here. It’s amazing. So now that is on my list also.

Alex: Okay, I need to go look at. So was it in the, it was in our like main, our main Facebook group. Yeah. Okay, I’m going to go check that out. So anyway, lots of, so those are just like a few, like a little tasting of some ideas of where you could go and where you could stay.

I know Jess, you did a, well you didn’t go in the fall. You went in the summer. But you did a little like New England trip. So you did Boston, but then you also did Connecticut, which is a great place to go for fall leaves. Tell us a little bit about your Gilmore Girls-inspired trip to Connecticut, because that’s a great girls’ trip idea. Like, I don’t know any guy that’s going to be like, yeah, let me, I’d love to go to a Gilmore Girls trip.

Jess: Ted was dragged along basically. 

Alex: Ted went, but I don’t think it was Ted’s idea.

Jess: Well, we went to Boston. He said, if we go to Boston and see a Red Sox game, then I’ll do the Gilmore Girls thing. And I was like, okay, done. Because you know, I need him to drive. I don’t want to be driving.

Alex: Which is a good point. You need to rent a car if you’re doing a New England fall leaves road trip.

Jess: So we did that. We flew into Boston. We rented we stayed in Boston for two nights and then we rented a car and drove to Connecticut. We actually stayed at the Hyatt House Hartford. It’s only a category two. And so super budget-friendly if you want something a little cheaper. Like I said, we went in June, so I wasn’t really paying attention to the fall leaves at that point or the trees. But I feel like, you know, if you just want a place to crash at night and it’s a it’s a great option. It was really clean. It seemed like it was newish, and so I recommend it.

Alex: But a good place, like if you want to do the Gilmore Girls side of a girls’ trip, that’s where you need to go.

Jess: You got to be in Connecticut if you want to do the Gilmore Girls stuff.

Alex: Yeah.

Jess: I have a whole blog post also about that.

Alex: Oh, we should put that in the show notes. 

Jess: And it’s, you know, with my with our itinerary and everything we did.

Alex: Yeah, let’s put that in the show notes for anybody that wants that. So yeah, I mean, exploring Boston for a day would be so fun. And then, if you, for more ideas on what to do, go check out Helene’s guide. You can also check out, I think she has a bunch of Instagram highlights. LAX to Luxury has some Instagram highlights, too. And when I watch them, I’m like, oh my gosh, I want to go to all these like little tiny towns and all these little shops and get the fresh donuts and the apple cider.

So next, Jess, tell us about our last one, I believe.

Jess: Yes. So this is not somewhere that I have been before, but it is somewhere that I would like to go. And that is Palm…

Alex: I’ve never been here either.

Jess: Pam’s been everywhere. Um, it is Palm Springs, California. I feel like this is, like, when I think of girls’ trip, I think of Palm Springs. Like, I just imagine flying in there and seeing only women. Like not seeing a single child or a single man, and it just being like…

Alex: Except you’ll see a bunch of golfers.

Jess: Yes, that’s true. That’s true. The nice thing about it is that any of the major US carriers actually fly directly into Palm Springs, Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest, United; they all fly into Palm Springs. As far as where to stay, I would stay at the Thompson. It is pretty new. It opened in October 2024. It is a category six. I love a Thompson hotel. That means it’s going to run between 21,000 and 29,000 Hyatt points a night. That’s pretty great for a Thompson.

Alex: Yeah, we need to go just try this out because it’s a short weekend.

Jess: I think we had planned to stay there and then.

Alex: We did, and then it wasn’t open yet. Yeah. We were supposed to stay; it must have been 2023.

Jess: Yeah. And it got pushed way back. So anyways, that’s that’s high on my girls’ list ideas is to stay at the Thompson Palm Springs. There’s also a Kimpton, which is maybe where Pam would want to stay. It looks really nice. Obviously, IHG has dynamic pricing, but it seemed like, on average, it was 65,000 to 85,000 IHG points a night at the dates I looked.

This is another destination like Scottsdale, where you’re not going to want to go here in the summer unless you want to get a really, really good deal, and also burn your face off, then yes, you can go in the summer.

There’s also, I wanted to like find something a little less expensive. There’s a Homewood Suites Palm Springs that actually has really good reviews. It looked like it was between 45,000 and 60,000 Hilton points a night. I feel like that’s such a good deal. It includes, you get a free breakfast. I mean, you’re talking about like 20,000 to 30,000 Amex points a night if you were to transfer from Amex to Hilton. So I think that’s a really good deal, and it’s Homewood Suites, you know, if you were going with three or four people, you could all stay in one room, you know, 60,000 points divided by four people, like that’s a great deal, and you get free breakfast. So those are just a few other things.

As far as what to do, I put shop, eat, spa, pool, repeat. That’s what I would personally do in Palm Springs. It’s another very like, I just want to get away from life, sit by the pool with a drink in my hand, read a book, and not have to deal with anything else. Like that is what Palm Springs feels like to me. If you wanted to get outside, a lot of the websites I went to recommended driving through Joshua Tree National Park. It’s not far from Palm Springs. And so, yeah, it’s high on my, it’s high on my list now because I’m having, I’m increasingly having more of those, I need a vacation from my vacation trips. And so.

Alex: Yes.

Jess: I feel like this would be a good choice.

Alex: Yes, I like that idea.

Pam: You know, you guys, I just got to say that girl trips are my favorite trips because it’s all about relaxing. Who doesn’t love to relax? It’s about laughs. Who doesn’t laugh more than when you’re on a girls’ trip? And so many fewer responsibilities, not having to pack up or guide your husband wherever he’s going or tell him where you’re going once you get to the airport. Not for you guys, not having to pack up your kids, just girls’ time is the best time. And then you add on to the fact that you can split the cost in points, and it’s a win-win.

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