My trip is done. I’m safely back in Ann Arbor, reflecting on my wonderful trip. For the most part, things went great. Malta proved to be an awesome destination, the flights and hotel worked out really well, and our daily activities were terrific. But, for the sake of challenge, the trip wasn’t perfect. I used more paid positioning flights than I preferred. In some cases, my use of elite benefits detracted from my trip’s applicability to others. And, the total dollar value (the amount that I could have paid for the trip if not using points) was not as high as I had hoped.
Last night, Carrie posted “How did Greg’s 100K Vacay Benchmark trip set the bar?” where she described how well I did on different metrics, but she didn’t score my trip. She wasn’t supposed to. My trip will be used as a comparison to grade the other trips that start today or tomorrow. Still, I think people are interested in some rating for my trip alone. So, I took a deep look at my own trip and graded each component from A to F. My final overall self-grade came to a B+. Below you’ll find the details.
What is the 100K Vacay challenge?
Nick, Stephen, and Tim each picked a different transferable points currency they think can compete with Greg’s 100K Chase Ultimate Rewards points, each trying to beat Greg’s 100K Vacay with one of their own. Unfortunately Tim's trip came to an early end due to an unavoidable need back home, so it's up to Nick and Stephen to see this challenge through.Wednesday 10/1: Grading myself: B+
Trip overview
Complete details of my trip can be found in previous journal entries (find all the numbers here), but I thought it would be helpful to provide a quick overview:
- Summary of my 100K Vacay: I flew JetBlue to New York JFK, where I explored the TWA Hotel with my friend Julian, and Frequent Miler’s creative director, Carrie. Carrie and I then flew business class to Malta where I got to see the Mediterranean Sea for the first time in my life. In Malta, we met up with Chef Bjarne (whom I met in a previous challenge), and we stayed at the Hyatt Centric (which was very nice) for four nights. Our adventures in Malta included fascinating tours of Valletta and Mdina, visits to an incredible cathedral and spooky catacombs, snorkeling and hiking around a gorgeous local cove and grotto, and wonderful dining experiences, including a sunset picnic and a locally sourced seven-course tasting menu. Our return journey across the Atlantic was on Virgin Atlantic’s A350-10000 Premium Economy (which was terrific).
- Total cost: 97,000 Chase points + $970
- Flights (including cash flights and award fees): 71,000 points + $600
- Lodging: 26,000 points
- Local transport (rideshare, ferry, bus): $180
- Food: $135
- Attractions & Tours: $55
- Highlights (mostly in order of appearance rather than preference)
- Spending time with friends: Julian (TWA Hotel), Carrie, Bjarne, Maisie & Oliver
- Sunset picnic with Bjarne
- Valletta: Walking tour and St. John’s Co-Cathedral
- Mdina (walled city) and Rabat (plus food & catacombs)
- Għar Lapsi snorkeling and hiking
- Mercury Tower views
- Tasting menu at Legligin restaurant
- Malta as a destination: I thought that Malta was a perfect destination for this challenge. It offered scenic views, friendly people, great food, and an astonishingly fascinating history (I had no idea I was so interested in history until I learned some of Malta’s history).
- An outstanding Premium Economy award: I was able to book Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy for only 12,000 Chase points plus $277. The point value for that booking was 9.7 cents per Chase point!
- Lowlights
- A scarily tight connection: Due to a delay at JFK, we had to run through Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG) to catch our onward flight to Malta.
- Staying in St. Julian’s: St. Julian’s is a town near the capital, Valletta. If you’re into modern buildings, nightlife, and loud music, you’ll love it. If, like me, you’d prefer old-time charm and less partying, then staying in Valletta would be much better. Unfortunately, both Hyatt hotels (the Hyatt Centric and the Hyatt Regency) are next to each other in St. Julian’s.
- Air Serbia Business Class Value: Flying Air Serbia was fine, but it didn’t show off the value of Chase points very well. One of the goals for this trip was to show how it’s possible to get great value for your points, and Air Serbia didn’t help by selling the same flight for only $1,670 in cash. Thanks to Chase’s 20% transfer bonus to Aeroplan, I still got good value (2.7 cents per point), but I usually do much better with business class awards.
Grading myself
My trip wasn’t supposed to be scored. My trip was a benchmark against which we’ll score the competitors (Tim, Stephen, and Nick). We’ll assign scores based on how they perform relative to my trip (see our Judging post, here). That makes it impossible for us to score my trip in the same way. For example, when grading frugality, we’ll use the following scoring system:
The traveler spent more than Greg = 0, the traveler spent within $100 of Greg = 2 points, the traveler spent less than Greg = 4 points, the traveler spent less than everyone = 6 points).
That said, I have thoughts about what I did well and where I fell short. Here’s how I’ve graded myself on each of the criteria that we’ll use to score the challengers…
As a reminder, we are scoring based on how each competitor is making WAVES in the competition. And here’s how I rated myself on each:
- Destination Wow: A-
- Applicability: A
- Value for your specific points: B
- Extra bonuses: B
- Style: B+
Combined total grade: B+
And, here are the details behind my grades:
Destination WOW: A-
Location Location Location: A
Criteria: Did this traveler find a way to use points to position themselves in particularly scenic, awesome, and ideally located accommodations?
Malta was a great choice. It has an incredibly fascinating history, including well-preserved medieval cities and ancient ruins. It also has excellent hiking, stunning water views, crystal-clear waters, and more. I would have given myself an A+, but I wasn’t a fan of the location of the hotel itself, which is in St. Julian’s (which has become a party town). I’d much rather stay in Valletta next time.
Adventure: B-
Criteria: Did this traveler include an activity that was exciting or pushed them outside of their comfort zone?
I had a great time with activities, including a sunset beachside picnic, walks with stunning views, walking tours, and snorkeling. While those were great activities, I wouldn’t necessarily label any of them as being particularly adventurous or outside my comfort zone.
Relaxation: B+
Criteria: Did this traveler take advantage of the luxury side of points and miles in a way that helped them relax?
I didn’t highlight the relaxing side of my trip, but I did plan the days so that there was plenty of time on most days for a leisurely breakfast and an afternoon at the pool or resting. Additionally, during my travel days, I took full advantage of available lounges, lie-flat business class seats on the outbound overseas flight, and premium economy on the return. That said, I didn’t plan any spa time or anything like that.
Food: A+
Criteria: Did this traveler find a way to engage with the local cuisine in an interesting way?
I think I knocked this one out of the park. The trip began with a sunset picnic where Chef Bjarne had prepared a massive assortment of Maltese foods for us to sample. We also ate at Is-Serkin – Crystal Palace Bar in Rabat. This is considered one of the best pastizzi restaurants in Malta, and it totally lived up to the hype. Finally, we enjoyed an incredible locally sourced 7-course Maltese tasting menu at Legligin restaurant in Valletta.
Local Exposure: B+
Criteria: Did this traveler include activities that gave them a glimpse into the local culture of their destination? This could be anything from cooking classes to chit chats with locals. (Or something we haven’t even thought of yet!)
I made sure to include an activity (snorkeling and hiking) at a spot known more by locals than tourists. I also took a couple of walking tours guided by a local, and I struck up a conversation with a Maltesian on a bus. All that said, I didn’t spend extensive time with any locals, so I don’t rate this as an A.
Out-of-the-Box Ideas: B+
Criteria: Did this traveler do something that surprised us, and maybe gave us a good idea for our own future travels?
The best example of this was the idea to have a sunset picnic where we could sample a wide array of local foods. This idea is easily replicated, but the execution (where Chef Bjarne prepared the picnic and explained the foods) may be considerably more challenging to accomplish.
Applicability: A
Replicability: A+
Criteria: Is the traveler’s use of points reasonably repeatable by others?
This is the criteria that guided my bookings the most. I could have found better flight deals, but not ones that are so easily duplicated. While you might not find the exact Air Canada Aeroplan award flying Air Serbia, I think that Aeroplan offers the best chance of finding a decent business class award to Europe thanks to their membership in the biggest alliance (Star Alliance) as well as their many non-alliance partnerships. In fact, Air Serbia is an excellent example of an airline that partners with Aeroplan but is not a member of the Star Alliance. Additionally, Virgin Atlantic often has very low point prices for Premium Economy between London and New York. It should be relatively easy for others to book a one-stop itinerary like I did to obtain lower surcharges. Finally, by sticking with using Hyatt points to book lodging, the hotel booking is straightforward to repeat.
Applicability: A-
Criteria: Is the traveler’s use of points applicable to most of our audience? (e.g. do you have to have a specific card to make it work? Do you need elite status? Do you need to start from a specific location? Do you need to be able to travel without luggage? These would detract from applicability.)
At a high level, all of my travel bookings can be repeated without requiring elite status or specific credit cards. That said, I did use my elite status to make the trip more comfortable and less expensive:
- I used my Priority Pass membership and Delta elite status to access airport lounges. This made the trip more comfortable, and I didn’t have to pay for food while travelling.
- I used my Hyatt elite status to upgrade to a standard suite. This made my stay more comfortable (but the real reason I did it was to have a place to film group interactions).
- I used my Hyatt elite status to get complimentary breakfast and lounge access. This saved money since it reduced the amount of food I had to buy during the stay.
Value: B
Dollar Value: B-
Criteria: How much would this trip have cost if booked with cash? (The traveler will earn as follows: Less valuable than Greg’s trip by >$300 = 0 points, at least within $300 of Greg’s value = 3 points, $300+ more valuable than Greg’s trip = 6 points.)
I obviously can’t rate my trip based on the above criteria, but I will say that I was disappointed with the final number: $4,341. I thought I’d do better than that. I think that all three challengers have a good chance of earning 6 points for this metric.
Frugality: C
Criteria: Once we factor in the value of rebates, points earned, etc, what was the NET cost for the whole trip? The lower the better. (Scoring for this metric will go as follows: The traveler spent more than Greg = 0, the traveler spent within $100 of Greg = 2 points, the traveler spent less than Greg = 4 points, the traveler spent less than everyone = 6 points).
I had hoped to spend a lot less than $1,000 in cash, but when all was said and done, my total came to $968. That was just low enough to stay within budget, but not low enough for me to grade myself higher than a C.
Pro Behavior: B+
Criteria: Did this traveler highlight any tricks of the miles and points trade that go a level deeper than simply redeeming the first award found? (But remember, even pro tricks should maintain the primary standard of replicability.)
I was able to book Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy for only 12,000 Chase points plus $277. The trick to keeping the fees relatively low was to position from a city outside of England. See the full details below, in the section titled “Dumping UK departure fees”. This trick should be easy to replicate.
Extras: B
Budget: C
Criteria: Did the traveler stay within the 100K / $1K budget? (Traveler will score 0 points for passing and -10 for failing.)
I just stayed within the budget, but just barely.
Proper Lodging for 3 nights: B
Criteria: Did the traveler spend at least 3 nights in proper lodging (with a bed, etc)? (This will be scored as follows: Fewer than 3 nights = -10 points, 3 nights = 0 points, 4 nights = 5 points, 5 nights = 10 points, 6 nights = 15 points)
I stayed 4 nights at a nice hotel. I would have given myself an A if I managed to do 5 nights.
Daily post updates: A
Criteria: Did the traveler successfully write at least one journal update for each day of their travel? (Traveler will receive 6 points for total success, 3 points for missing just one day, and -6 points for missing more than one day.)
I updated my journal every day of the trip.
Style: B+
Luxury flights: B+
Criteria: Were the flights comfortable and luxurious?
The overseas flights were very comfortable. The outbound flight was in lie-flat business class, and the return flight was in Premium Economy (which offers considerably more leg-room, better recline, and much better food and service than economy).
Luxury accommodations: B+
Criteria: Was the lodging comfortable and luxurious?
The Hyatt Centric was very nice and comfortable, but I wouldn’t rate it as a luxury hotel. That said, my upgrade to a balcony suite significantly increased the luxury.
Other points-driven luxury: B
Criteria: Were there other luxury experiences (lounges, massages, etc.) that were made possible thanks to a good use of points & miles?
We made good use of airport lounges while travelling. The best was the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at London Heathrow, which offers excellent food and table service throughout the lounge. We didn’t have time to use the lounge’s spa services.
Tuesday 9/30: Final flights, final tally
We said goodbye to Maisie and Oliver last night, and goodbye to Bjarne this morning. Now, Carrie and I are on our way back to America after a great vacation in Malta. Many have wondered how I could get home with only 15,000 points remaining after accounting for my outbound flights and four nights in a hotel. I previously wrote that I wanted to fly long-distance daytime flights in premium economy, which seemed to make the task even harder. The solution involved both Virgin Atlantic and KLM. You’ll find full details and a final accounting below…
Dumping UK departure fees
For my return home, I wanted to take advantage of a great deal offered by Virgin Atlantic: they offered a London to New York flight in Premium Economy for only 10,500 points. The problem was with UK departure taxes. In addition to the fees an airline charges, the UK imposes further departure taxes that are exorbitantly high for passengers flying in premium cabins, including Premium Economy. At the time I wanted to book this flight, the combined taxes would have come to $502. That would have shot half my cash budget with a single flight. No way.
The trick to avoiding UK departure taxes is to depart from elsewhere on a single ticket, even if it includes a layover in London. So, here’s what I booked with Virgin Atlantic miles:
- Amsterdam to London, Economy
- London to New York, Premium Economy
The downside of this approach is that I ended up with three layovers instead of two on my way home. Here’s what I wanted to book, if not for the departure fees:
- Malta to London, KM Malta Economy (~$120, if I recall)
- London to New York, Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy (10,500 points + $502)
- New York to Detroit, JetBlue Economy ($84.48)
- Total: 10,500 points + $706.48
Instead, my route looks like this:
- Malta to Amsterdam, KM Malta Economy ($89.70)
- Amsterdam to London to New York (14,500 points + $277.40)
- Amsterdam to London, KLM Economy
- London to New York, Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy
- New York to Detroit, JetBlue Economy (Cash: $84.48)
- Total: 14,500 Virgin Atlantic points + $451.58
In other words, I traded the inconvenience of another layover and 4,000 extra points for over $250 in savings.
25% Transfer Bonus
During the planning phase of the challenge, Chase offered a 25% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic. I transferred 12,000 Chase points into 15,000 Virgin points to book the 14,500-point award. At least, that’s how I accounted for the cost. I already had plenty of Virgin points, so the actual transfer wasn’t necessary.
Accounting for friends
If you’ve been following along to date, you know that my trip included three friends: Carrie (who flew with me from New York), Bjarn (whom we met up with upon arrival in Malta), and Maisie (who arrived in Malta on Monday). Although I covered everyone’s travel expenses, I accounted for only my own within the 100K points + $1,000 budget. For example, I actually paid a total of 29,000 Virgin Atlantic points for two tickets to New York, but I only accounted for my half: 14,500.
The tricky part was accounting for shared meals and Bolt rides. Here’s how I handled those:
- Most meals: I accounted only for what I specifically ordered
- 3-person Picnic: I accounted for 1/3 of the total cost
- 5-person meal where we shared a bottle of wine: Since we all had the 48 Euro tasting menu, I divided the total restaurant bill by 5.
- Rideshare for three people: I accounted for the full cost within my budget since I couldn’t have gotten the rideshare any cheaper if I were alone
- Rideshare for five people: For my budget, I recorded the cost of a small car that I would have booked if I were alone, but actually booked a minivan.
Final tally
Remember, I had 100,000 Chase points and $1,000 to work with. Here’s what spent:
| Item | Points Spent | Cash Spent |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | ||
| JetBlue flight DTW to JFK | 0 | $88.48 |
| Lunch at TWA hotel | 0 | $18.05 |
| Air Serbia Biz Class JFK-BEG-MLA | 59K* | $66.68 |
| Friday | ||
| Ride from Malta airport to hotel | 0 | $18.70 |
| Hyatt Centric 4 Nights | 26K | $0 |
| Bolt rides from hotel to picnic and back | 0 | $40.49 |
| My share of picnic costs (1/3 of total) | 0 | $17.55 |
| Saturday | ||
| Lunch in Slemma | 0 | $15.10 |
| Ferry ride | 0 | $2.93 |
| St John’s Co-Cathedral | 0 | $17.55 |
| After cathedral beer | 0 | $4.10 |
| Walking tour tip | 0 | $17.55 |
| Bolt ride from Valetta to hotel |
0 | $13.80 |
| Sunday | ||
| Bus to Rabat/Mdina |
0 | $2.93 |
| Walking tour tip | 0 | $11.70 |
| Lunch | 0 | $1.17 |
| St. Paul’s Catacombs | 0 | $7.02 |
| Beer at restaurant | 0 | $3.51 |
| Bolt ride to hotel | 0 | $15.10 |
| Monday | ||
| Bolt ride to Għar Lapsi |
0 | $24.86 |
| Snack at Għar Lapsi | 0 | $5.86 |
| Bolt ride back to hotel | 0 | $16.80 |
| Bolt ride to dinner | 0 | $11.14 |
| Dinner at Legligin restaurant | 0 | $67.55 |
| Bolt ride back to hotel | 0 | $15.48 |
| Tuesday | ||
| Bolt to airport | 0 | $13.04 |
| KM Malta Airlines: Malta to Amsterdam | 0 | $89.70 |
| Amsterdam to London to NYC | 12K ** | $277.40 |
| JetBlue NYC to Detroit | 0 | $84.48 |
| Total | 97K | $968.72 |
* Note that the business class flight from JFK to Malta was booked with 70,000 Air Canada Aeroplan miles. Thanks to a previously available 20% transfer bonus from Chase, this cost only 59,000 Chase points.
** Note that the flights from Amsterdam to London to New York were booked with 14,500 Virgin Atlantic points. Thanks to a previously available 25% transfer bonus from Chase, this cost only 12,000 Chase points.
Point redemption value vs. cash prices
Here are my cents per point metrics:
| Flight / Hotel | Chase Points Price | Cash Rate | Cents Per Point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Serbia Biz Class | 59K + $66.68 | $1,670 | 2.7 |
| Hyatt Centric Malta | 26K | $859 | 3.3 |
| Virgin Atlantic Award | 12K + $277.40 | $1,439 | 9.7 |
| Total | 97K + $433.78 | $3,968 | 3.6 |
Monday 9/29: Fine dining with the culinary concierge, and more
You didn’t think that Carrie and Chef Bjarne would be the only surprise guests on this trip, did you? Read below to learn about the third and final surprise guest of this trip, and a spectacular dinner she arranged. Earlier in the day, Carrie and I snorkeled and mini-hiked. And, all of us enjoyed breathtaking views from Malta’s tallest tower.
Swimming with fish and Maltese locals
Today, Carrie and I Bolt-ed to Għar Lapsi. The Visit Malta website describes Għar Lapsi as “a naturally formed swimming pool with a 40m cave, calm waters for swimming/snorkeling, and a reef with sea life.” I learned about it from travel2malta. What we really wanted to do was to hike from the Ħaġar Qim Archaeological Site to Għar Lapsi as described here. Ħaġar Qim is a temple complex that is over 5,000 years old! Unfortunately, an old ankle injury of mine flared up a bit, and so a long hike was no longer an option. Fortunately, Għar Lapsi proved to be a fantastic choice in its own right, and there was easy and excellent hiking right there!
Mercury Tower
The tallest building in Malta, Mercury Tower, is a short walk from the Hyatt Centric. This evening, we visited the tower’s rooftop bar to take in its breathtaking views. It’s definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area. It even has one of those glass panels that jut out from the top, allowing you to walk out and look down at the street below.
Return of the Culinary Concierge!
Carrie and Bjarne weren’t my only surprise guests for this trip! Do you remember Maisie, the culinary concierge who accompanied me on the 3 Cards, 3 Continents challenge? Yep, she’s here too! Due to family commitments, she wasn’t able to arrive until today. This afternoon, she arrived in Malta with her partner Oliver and their baby-to-be! While Carrie, Bjarne, and I need to leave Malta tomorrow, Maisie and Oliver will stay longer to enjoy their return to this island nation.
It was great fun reconnecting with Maisie, meeting Oliver, and introducing them to my friends Carrie and Bjarne.
Legligin restaurant
Maisie organized our big dinner splurge of the trip at Legligin restaurant in Valletta. For €48 per person, it offers a locally sourced 7-course Maltese tasting menu that changes daily, based on what’s in season and available at the market.
The dinner was fabulous. Sadly, it was too filling! My favorite course was near the end, but by then, I could only eat a few bites. I never seem to learn from these tasting menus: pace yourself, Greg!
Points & cash spent so far
Remember, I have 100,000 Chase points and $1,000 to work with. Here’s what I’ve spent so far:
| Item | Points Spent | Cash Spent |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | ||
| JetBlue flight DTW to JFK | 0 | $88.48 |
| Lunch at TWA hotel | 0 | $18.05 |
| Air Serbia Biz Class JFK-BEG-MLA | 59K* | $66.68 |
| Friday | ||
| Ride from Malta airport to hotel | 0 | $18.70 |
| Hyatt Centric 4 Nights | 26K | $0 |
| Bolt rides from hotel to picnic and back | 0 | $40.49 |
| My share of picnic costs (1/3 of total) | 0 | $17.55 |
| Saturday | ||
| Lunch in Slemma | 0 | $15.10 |
| Ferry ride | 0 | $2.93 |
| St John’s Co-Cathedral | 0 | $17.55 |
| After cathedral beer | 0 | $4.10 |
| Walking tour tip | 0 | $17.55 |
| Bolt ride from Valetta to hotel |
0 | $13.80 |
| Sunday | ||
| Bus to Rabat/Mdina |
0 | $2.93 |
| Walking tour tip | 0 | $11.70 |
| Lunch | 0 | $1.17 |
| St. Paul’s Catacombs | 0 | $7.02 |
| Beer at restaurant | 0 | $3.51 |
| Bolt ride to hotel | 0 | $15.10 |
| Monday | ||
| Bolt ride to Għar Lapsi |
0 | $24.86 |
| Snack at Għar Lapsi | 0 | $5.86 |
| Bolt ride back to hotel | 0 | $16.80 |
| Bolt ride to dinner | 0 | $11.14 |
| Dinner at Legligin restaurant | 0 | $67.55 |
| Bolt ride back to hotel | 0 | $15.48 |
| Total | 85,000 | $504.10 |
* Note that the business class flight from JFK to Malta was booked with 70,000 Air Canada Aeroplan miles. Thanks to a previously available 20% transfer bonus from Chase, this cost only 59,000 Chase points.
Sunday 9/28: Exploring a medieval walled city, creepy catacombs, and delicious pastizzi
This was our second full day in Malta. We spent most of the day exploring the walled city of Mdina and its adjacent city, Rabat. These are must-see destinations in Malta. Malta’s rich history is fascinating, and much of it can be seen in Mdina’s walls and Rabat’s catacombs. Read on for details about our fascinating day…
A bus ride with a local
This morning, we took a bus to Rabat (the city adjacent to the walled city of Mdina). Besides saving money, the great thing about taking the bus rather than a rideshare was that we struck up a conversation with a local. She talked about how much the Maltese people love the British, and how many locals (including her) were sad to see them go. Malta was formerly a British colony until it gained independence in 1964. Even then, British forces didn’t leave until 1979, and they didn’t turn over the airport to Matlese rule until 1992. She felt that things had gone downhill since. That was fascinating, and it supported much of what Ben taught us in the Valletta walking tour on Saturday.
The walled city of Mdina
Speaking of Ben, we took another tour with Ben this morning: Ben’s Mdina-Rabat Free Walking tour. We loved Mdina. How can you not love a well-preserved walled city? Rabat was great too. The walking tour was very good, but I found it a little bit less interesting than Ben’s tour of Valletta. I’m guessing that had more to do with the order in which we took the tours than the subject material, since some of the historical information was redundant. Regardless, I highly recommend this tour as well.
Awesome pastizzi
After the tour, we ate at Is-Serkin – Crystal Palace Bar. This is considered one of the best places to get pastizzi in Malta, and it totally lived up to the hype. We had two pastizzi each: one with ricotta, and one with curried peas. Both were terrific. The dough was perfectly buttery and flaky, and the fillings were delicious. This was a satisfying and filling lunch, all for only 1 Euro per person!
St Paul’s Catacombs
After lunch, we visited St Paul’s Catacombs. That was a really cool and interesting experience. Ben actually recommended St. Agatha’s Catacombs instead, but that wasn’t open today. We were still glad we did this one.
After the catacombs, we had drinks at a restaurant with a spectacular view of Malta. Then we tried to catch the bus to return to our hotel. We waited and waited for the 3 PM bus until we learned that the 2 PM bus hadn’t even arrived yet! Yikes! I opened the Bolt app (similar to Uber) and found a ride back to our hotel for only 12.90 Euros. That was a bargain!
Hyatt Centric pool and lounge
St. George’s Bay
We spent a little time at the Hyatt Centric pool and enjoyed snacks and drinks in the hotel’s club lounge. We ended the evening with a walk along St. George’s Bay, then through the Corinthia hotel’s bay-side property, and along the coast alongside the Radisson Blu Malta. It was beautiful!
Points & cash spent so far
Remember, I have 100,000 Chase points and $1,000 to work with. Here’s what I’ve spent so far:
| Item | Points Spent | Cash Spent |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | ||
| JetBlue flight DTW to JFK | 0 | $88.48 |
| Lunch at TWA hotel | 0 | $18.05 |
| Air Serbia Biz Class JFK-BEG-MLA | 59K* | $66.68 |
| Friday | ||
| Ride from Malta airport to hotel | 0 | $21.93 |
| Hyatt Centric 4 Nights | 26K | $0 |
| Bolt rides from hotel to picnic and back | 0 | $40.49 |
| My share of picnic costs (1/3 of total) | 0 | $17.55 |
| Saturday | ||
| Lunch in Slemma | 0 | $15.10 |
| Ferry ride | 0 | $2.93 |
| St John’s Co-Cathedral | 0 | $17.55 |
| After cathedral beer | 0 | $4.10 |
| Walking tour tip | 0 | $17.55 |
| Bolt ride from Valetta to hotel |
0 | $13.80 |
| Sunday | ||
| Bus to Rabat/Mdina |
0 | $2.93 |
| Walking tour tip | 0 | $11.70 |
| Lunch | 0 | $1.17 |
| St. Paul’s Catacombs | 0 | $7.02 |
| Beer at restaurant | 0 | $3.51 |
| Bolt ride to hotel | 0 | $15.10 |
| Total | 85K | $365.64 |
* Note that the business class flight from JFK to Malta was booked with 70,000 Air Canada Aeroplan miles. Thanks to a previously available 20% transfer bonus from Chase, this cost only 59,000 Chase points.
Saturday 9/27 A sunset surprise and our first tastes of Malta
Yesterday, we checked into the Hyatt Centric Malta for a four-night stay. Unlike every other Frequent Miler team challenge, I’m not planning to fly off from place to place every day on this one. It was great to be able to unpack, knowing that it would be several days before I had to pack again! Once in Malta, we met up with another surprise travel companion, Chef Bjarne! Since then, we’ve enjoyed a sunset picnic, a coastal walk, a ferry ride, an impressive cathedral, and a fantastic walking tour. And the trip has only just begun! Read about our adventures to date below…
Hyatt Centric Malta
Yesterday, after arriving in Malta, we took a Bolt car to our hotel: Hyatt Centric Malta. I booked it because it gets excellent reviews and was available for only 6,500 points per night. I’ll write more about this hotel in a later update.
Chef Bjarne
Those who followed the 2019 40K to Far Away challenge (or who watched the awesome recap) may remember Chef Bjarne, who prepared a sunrise breakfast and gave me a tour of Johannesburg (read about it here). He was no doubt a big reason I won that challenge, so I thought it would be great to thank him by offering him a trip to Malta to join Carrie and me. I used my personal miles (unrelated to my budget for this challenge) to fly him to Malta (Qatar Business Class for 55,000 AA miles) and put him up at the Hyatt Centric. He came early to Malta and stayed in an Airbnb until yesterday when he checked into the Hyatt Centric. It was great reconnecting with Bjarne upon our arrival!
Sunset picnic
After settling into our hotel yesterday, we Bolt-ed to Riviera Beach, which is known for its soft sand (which is rare in Malta) and fantastic sunsets. There, Bjarne set up a terrific picnic of Malta specialties: Begilla Bean Dip, Gbejna Sheep’s Cheese, Maltese Sausage (smoked), Maltese Sausage (fresh), Stuffed Gozo Olives, Tuna Salad Ftira, Pastizzi (pea & ricotta), Galetti Biscuits, Maltese Sourdough Bread, Honey Rings, Imqaret Date Bars, Cisk Lager, and Kinnie soda. It was all delicious! It was a great time, and the sunset delivered!
Coastal walk
This morning, after enjoying a complimentary breakfast at the hotel thanks to my elite status, we took a lovely walk along the coast in nearby Sliema. Rain hit suddenly and severely, but it didn’t last long. Check out the video here:
Valletta
Next, we took the quick ferry from Sliema to Valletta and visited the St. John’s Co-Cathedral. It was incredible. I especially enjoyed its Caravaggio exhibits! And Carrie was ecstatic because Caravaggio is her favorite artist!
We followed that up with a free walking tour from Ben’s Good Tour. Ben undersells himself with the name of his business! His tour was not just good, but fantastic. I often take these free walking tours, and this was one of my favorites ever. The tour concluded with a breathtaking sunset view from the walls that were built to protect the city long ago.
After the tour, we returned to the Hyatt Centric, where we dined on the remaining picnic items from the night before. I also shared a bottle of Prosecco and some sweets that had been delivered to my room as a welcome gift.
Points & Cash spent so far
Remember, I have 100,000 Chase points and $1,000 to work with. Here’s what I’ve spent so far:
| Item | Points Spent | Cash Spent |
|---|---|---|
| JetBlue flight DTW to JFK | 0 | $88.48 |
| Lunch at TWA hotel | 0 | $18.05 |
| Air Serbia Biz Class JFK-BEG-MLA | 59K | $66.68 |
| Ride from Malta airport to hotel | 0 | $18.70 |
| Hyatt Centric 4 Nights | 26K | $0 |
| Bolt rides from hotel to picnic and back | 0 | $40.49 |
| My share of picnic costs (1/3 of total) | 0 | $17.55 |
| Lunch in Slemma | 0 | $15.10 |
| Ferry ride | 0 | $2.93 |
| St John’s Co-Cathedral | 0 | $17.55 |
| After cathedral beer | 0 | $4.10 |
| Walking tour tip | 0 | $17.55 |
| Bolt ride from Valetta to hotel |
0 | $13.80 |
| Total | 85K | $320.98 |
* Note that the business class flight from JFK to Malta was booked with 70,000 Air Canada Aeroplan miles. Thanks to a previously available 20% transfer bonus from Chase, this cost only 59,000 Chase points.
Friday 9/26: Destination revealed… and a surprise accomplice
Despite a very nearly failed connection, we made it to our destination! Yes, I wrote “we”. I have a surprise accomplice on this trip! And even though we’ve just arrived, our trip so far has been a combination of fun, ridiculousness, and nervousness (due to the nearly missed connection). All of that and more can be found below…
The Julian tradition
Yesterday I flew JetBlue from Detroit to New York (JFK). This flight served a couple of purposes: 1) it positioned me to NYC for my outbound award flight; and 2) It meant that I could meet up with my buddy Julian, founder of Points Path. I met up with him in NYC at the start of the 40K to Far Away challenge, and again at the start of the Million Mile Madness challenge. My meeting up with Julian at the beginning of a team challenge is now officially a tradition akin to turkey at Thanksgiving. We met up at the quirky and fun TWA Hotel at JFK Terminal 5. This was convenient for me because my JetBlue flight landed at Terminal 5. I’ve never visited the hotel before. It was definitely worth a stop, even without a Julian meetup.
Introducing a surprise accomplice …
At the TWA Hotel, I also met up with my secret accomplice: our creative director and co-judge of this competition, Carrie! Carrie decided to come along on my trip because… she could / it will be fun / why not? / she’ll be able to check off another country on her list! At the TWA hotel, the three of us chatted, made a silly video in the hotel’s replica of an old hair salon, played Twister, and took silly photos in their free photo booth. It was a lot of fun!
Skipping the security line
We then made our way to Terminal 1 for our flight and said goodbye to Julian. Carrie doesn’t have TSA Precheck, so we used my Priority Pass with guest access to enter the VIP ONE Lounge, which is landside from security. The lounge itself is a sad affair, but the reason to enter is that they have a dedicated cut-the-line security entrance! We were through security in 5 minutes flat.
Air Serbia business class
Our first flight was from JFK to Belgrade on Air Serbia business class. Their business class isn’t world-class, but it was similar to most other lie-flat business class seats from 10 to 15 years ago. But it was weird. Instead of the now-standard 1-2-1 seat layout, where everyone would have direct aisle access, and instead of the old-fashioned 2-2-2 layout where window-seaters have to crawl over their seatmates, this one was mostly 1-2-2. The left side of the left window had individual seats next to the aisle, but the right side had mostly, but not entirely, pairs of seats. Also, the seats were not all created equal… not by a long shot. Carrie and I were in the back row of the business class cabin in the middle two seats. On the left side, where I was, I had a sizeable console to my left, with a storage cubby. Carrie had much less room on the right side. Aside from those oddities, the entire experience was fairly standard. The food, service, and seats were all fine, but nothing to write home about.
A nearly missed connection
After boarding, our flight out of JFK was delayed by nearly two hours. Our schedule included a two-hour layover in Belgrade before continuing to Malta. This was not good! I believe there were no other flights to Malta on the same day. We didn’t have internet on the flight, so we couldn’t check on the connection until we landed. However, the in-flight information showed that our estimated arrival in Belgrade was 5 minutes before our flight to Malta was scheduled to depart. Yikes! Once we landed, I opened the Flighty app and found that our flight to Malta had been delayed by 15 minutes. This gave us a chance! We ran through the airport and actually made it in plenty of time. We definitely wouldn’t have made the connection if they had departed on time, but the flight to Malta ended up being more like 30 minutes late. Yay!
Destination Malta
Congratulations to the few who guessed Malta! I wanted to go to a place that was sunny and yet interesting, and which had a highly rated yet inexpensive-with-points Hyatt hotel. Malta checks all the boxes! I’ve never been to Malta before… heck, I’ve never been to the Mediterranean Sea before! I know, that’s so hard to believe! Those who guessed Croatia should give themselves a gold star, too: During the Flying By the Seat of our Points challenge, I flew to Croatia, but I was landlocked in Zagreb. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to return and visit the coastal towns. Unfortunately, Hyatt’s presence in Croatia didn’t fit my needs. Luckily, Malta appears to be a truly awesome alternative.
Points & Cash spent so far
Remember, I have 100,000 Chase points and $1,000 to work with. Here’s what I’ve spent so far:
| Item | Points Spent | Cash Spent |
|---|---|---|
| JetBlue flight DTW to JFK | 0 | $88.48 |
| Lunch at TWA hotel | 0 | $18.05 |
| Air Serbia Biz Class JFK-BEG-MLA | 59K | $66.68 |
| Ride from Malta airport to hotel | 0 | $18.70 |
| Total Spent To-Date | 59K | $195.08 |
* Note that the business class flight from JFK to Malta was booked with 70,000 Air Canada Aeroplan miles. Thanks to a previously available 20% transfer bonus from Chase, which cost me only 59,000 Chase points.
Thursday 9/25: Oh, the places I won’t go!
I’m on my way! My swimsuits and loud shirts are packed. My 100K Vacay hat and water bottle are at hand (and head). And, I’m at Detroit airport’s Lufthansa Lounge (thanks to Priority Pass), ready to board a positioning flight to New York City. Anyone care to guess my final destination? To help (a little), I’ve presented below a list of destinations that I seriously considered before picking my actual destination. These are the places I won’t go (this time)…
Since I have 100,000 Chase points to work with, and since Chase’s best transfer partner is Hyatt, most of my destination planning centered on finding the best cheap-on-points (and great value) Hyatt hotels and resorts. I looked for a desirable destination with a highly rated (and cheap with points) Hyatt hotel. Here are the hotels that I seriously considered before picking my actual destination:
- Hyatt Centric San Isidro Lima, Peru. 8,000 Hyatt points per night.
- The Legend Paracas Resort Lima. 12,000 Hyatt points per night.
- Hyatt Centric Montevideo, Uruguay. 8,000 Hyatt points per night.
- Hyatt Place Macaé Rio Brazil. 5,000 Hyatt points per night.
- Hyatt Place Taghazout Bay, Morocco. 6,500 Hyatt points per night.
- Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki, Greece. 8,000 Hyatt points per night.
- FirstName Bordeaux, France 12,000. Hyatt points per night.
Separately, I also found a Delta One flight to Naples, Italy, which was bookable for only 47,500 Virgin points (38K Chase points with a 25% transfer bonus). That would have been worth building a trip around, but Virgin wanted to charge over $1,000 in fees! I managed to drop the fees to only around $300 by adding a separate starting economy leg: Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City (as detailed here: Dumping fees when booking Delta One with Virgin points). But the problem was, of course, that I would have actually had to fly that first leg. Undaunted, I booked that combination and then called Virgin to see if I could drop the first leg from the itinerary without repricing the fees. No luck. They had to reprice the entire thing. So, I cancelled the award altogether (it was still within the first 24 hours, so the cancellation was free).
My 100K Vacay bar-setting strategy
Frequent Miler’s 100K Vacay challenge is starting soon! We’ll kick off the official challenge on October 1st, but my part starts a week earlier. On Thursday, September 25th, I’ll head out on my “setting the bar” vacation, where I’ll spend no more than 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points and $1,000 cash. While the details of my trip will be revealed as I go, in this post, I’ll cover my vacation planning strategy…
Repeatability over perfection
This is a weird challenge for me since I’m not in it to win it. I’m a judge in this competition, and the purpose of my trip is to set a bar against which the challengers (Tim, Stephen, Nick) will be judged. Instead of getting overly creative, my approach was to use the strengths of Chase Ultimate Rewards points straight up. And rather than seeking out the most fantastic possible trip that can only be booked when the stars align on the fourth Thursday of the month, I leaned towards easily repeatable booking options. For example, before Virgin Atlantic increased its award surcharges, it was sometimes possible to book Virgin Atlantic flights to London, in business class, for as few as 29,000 points and a few hundred dollars in fees. Those opportunities, though, were few and far between. While I was tempted to hunt down one of those award flights, I knew that it would make my trip less broadly applicable.
Hyatt hotels
I was assigned Chase Ultimate Rewards points for the benchmark trip for a reason. This challenge requires staying at least three nights in a hotel, and Chase is the only program in the competition whose points transfer to Hyatt. And Hyatt is the only major hotel program that consistently offers great value for its points. With that in mind, I looked only to Hyatt’s portfolio for my hotel bookings.
Book a “real” vacation
A goal I set for myself was to design a vacation that I would really consider booking outside of a team challenge. This led to several constraints based on my travel preferences:
- The destination must be interesting. Sure, I enjoy drinking a Mai Tai on the beach, but I really enjoy discovering new places, interacting with people, and trying out new-to-me cuisines.
- Long flights should be comfortable. For overnight flights, I want a lie-flat seat. For daytime flights over 5 hours long, I want premium economy or regional first-class seats.
- Flight connections should be minimized. For a regional destination, I want a non-stop flight. For a major international destination, I want no more than one stop. And for remote international destinations, I want no more than two stops.
Get great value for my points
With Chase Ultimate Rewards points and a Sapphire Reserve card, it’s possible to get up to 2 cents per point value when booking Points Boosted premium flights and hotel stays through Chase Travel℠ (see: Evaluating Chase’s new Points Boosts). My goal was to show that you can get far better value by strategically transferring your points to airline and hotel partners.
Have fun
My final trip objective is to have fun. I’m excited about the trip I booked! Even better, I have a few surprises set up that should prove fun for me and for everyone following along. I can’t wait!
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inspiring
That was a lot of fun following your trip and it gave me some great ideas. I’ve been thinking of doing a rock climbing trip to Malta some day and given how much else there is to do there I’m going to move it up on my wish list. Nice job!
Thanks!
Is there a post or any tips on how to replicate the pro move to reduce LHR fees? I tried the multi city search on Virgin Atlantic for AMS -> LHR and LHR -> IAD and had no luck, for a day where the LHR -> IAD search alone was showing saver fares on Virgin Atlantic
I too cannot replicate on mobile or web. From AMS, I’ve tried multi-city to multiple USA VS destinations without success.
I would welcome this content or update to the other article dumping fees article
The trick is that you have to have both segments available to book with Virgin points. e.g. both KLM AMS-LHR economy needs to be available, and Virgin LHR-JFK premium economy needs to be available, and the times need to line up (e.g. you have to get to LHR before the flight to JFK departs). When all of that is true, you can find and book it by simply searching AMS to JFK and then scroll past the results for Delta, Air France, or KLM flights to find one that says “Flying with Virgin Atlantic” on desktop. On mobile, look for a result that shows a KLM flight number followed by a Virgin flight number like “KL 1009, VS9”
I just found a couple of options on Nov 11 2025 by searching AMS-JFK
I see your example, but it seems to struggle into next year.
AMS-LHR is available as a standalone on July/2/26 on KL1001 arr 07:40a.
Cannot connect onward to JFK, LAX, SEA from what I’ve tried despite VS flights being available if searched non-stop from LHR
How long is the layover before the Virgin flight? It’s possible this only works when there’s a short layover such as less than three or four hours.
the VS105 flight to SEA departs at 11:20a.
JFK is nearly hourly at that point in the day.
LAX should both have multiple options
You’re right. I can’t get July 2 to work, but it should. I expect that it would be possible to do by calling.
Since you brought Julian into the equation, let me play devil’s advocate on the hotel valuation.
I took a quick look on one of the booking sites for a midweek day next week. The Hyatt Centric (rating of 9.6) is $200. On the same night, Sliema has the Sliema Suites (3 minutes to the beach) for $102 and the Giorgio Boutique hotel (5 minutes to the beach) for $152 both rated 9.6. There are more 9.6es around for prices between those two (including some affiliated with Melia, which I think can be booked with points). If you’re willing to drop down to a 9.4 rating there are more, and at 9.0 breakfast is included.
In total, on that night, there are 68 options rated 9.0 or better on Malta for $180 or less per night. Since one could stay in an equivalently rated hotel in an arguably better location for less, I think the value of the hotel should be based on those prices, not the rack rate for the Hyatt.
I agree with that approach in general but for the sake of the game we’re playing it would be near impossible to come up with similar and fair valuations for everyone’s hotels and flights so we decided just to use the cash rate for the exact flight or hotel.
Actually, I should have said that I agree that your approach makes sense as a way to value an award, but I wouldn’t do it that way in this case. The Hyatt is priced as it is because people are willing to pay that much. Maybe its something about the exact location. Maybe they’re loyal to Hyatt. Maybe they’re seeking Hyatt elite nights. Maybe they have a Guest of Honor cert to use. Etc. For whatever reason, people do value it at the member cash rate, so I think using that cash rate to determine the redemption value is a good way to go. On the other hand, the one-way price for the Virgin Atlantic flight may be over-inflated because they charge more for two one-ways than for a single round-trip. There, I could see an argument that the one-way price is not what most people would actually pay.
In the section Dumping UK Departure Fees, any idea if that works with a stopover in London? Specifically, I am traveling from CPH – LHR – IAD, and want to stay in London for three days. TIA.
It will not. After 24 hours you’ll pay the APD.
Thanks LarryInNYC
I think you did great. You wrote extensively about the things you did and the destination overall. The one thing I would have calculated differently was the costs of travel for anyone you brought in from outside that altered your scores, such as flying in a private chef who constructed an elaborate gourmet meal for you. That aside I think you made a really good call.
I wonder if any of the others chose Malta as well since it’s such a nice place and easy on the wallet.
Great trip! But I think you kind of missed the big picture on applicability. The whole point of points is to cover flights and hotels to leave money for food and activities! Instead you dedicated the lions share of the cash budget (60%) to flights and pennies (a mere 19% of the budget) to food and activities.
Hi Greg! I thought you might like to know:
Apparently it is possible to get a refund on UK APD even if you book separate tickets and have a do-it-yourself connection in the UK.
I learned this only recently and haven’t had a chance to try it myself. There’s some work involved, so your method might still be better, but someone who wants to avoid the extra stop might want to try it.
Great trip by the way; Malta is higher on my list now than before.
That’s a great tip, thanks!
Nice trip Greg! I enjoyed Malta last October and did some of the same activities.
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Can you give more detail? We’ve already removed nearly all mobile ads due to these issues.
Nice trip, and very well-aligned with the theme and spirit of a true “vacay”.
That said, the reported cash value for AMS-JFK–and the claim of a 9.7 cents per point redemption value–is…well, let’s just call it a case of “blind optimism”.
Those 15K Virgin Atlantic points (12K UR points with the 25% bonus) could have alternatively been purchased directly from Virgin for $347 ($325 for 13K points ($25 per 1K) plus a $22 service fee for 13K + 2.6K bonus points). Accounting for the $277.40 in taxes, a savvy cash buyer could have purchased the ticket for $624.40.
That’s about $814 less than the ticket’s listed face value of $1,439, which reduces the total comparable cash value of the flights and lodging from $3,968 to $3,153.
Of course, a cash buyer might have missed the bonus’ September 8 through October 12 window. In that case, the rack rate of those 15K Virgin points would have been $397, making the total cash required for the ticket about $674…still less than half of the $1,439 figure.
or said another way— JFK to Malta RT in premium econ are routinely around $1400 RT, so no, the one-way is not worth $1400 on its own
Harold, while that may be correct… particularly if expanding the scope to include alternative airlines’ Premium Economy offerings…it’s important to isolate a variable (like price) for an intellectually honest “all other things being equal” analysis.
Buying points with cash changes just one variable, while leaving all others constant: positioning city/airport, airline, cabin class, routing, date, departure time, etc.
That said, this booking underscores how those of us in the points game are just as prone as anybody to selection bias, whether in the form of program loyalty, transfer partnerships, bonus promotions, and all other vehicles that marketing departments utilize to influence…and some might say “cloud”…consumer behavior.
The location of the Hyatts in Malta is exactly why i decided to stay in Valletta itself on a recent trip, despite the Hyatts being well-rated and providing good value on points.
Good decision!
Me too! We stayed at the A/X St. John in the heart of Valletta and loved it. Tremendous two room/two bath suite (because there were three of us traveling) and terrific breakfast spread, all within walking distance to everything. But it came at a cost, like $300/nt if I remember right, but very worth it.
This was so fun and gave me so many ideas for future travel. I love these challenges!
Great trip. That was fun to read and you set a good bar for the competitors.
Probably just as well you skipped the long hike. I have a feeling trying to keep up with Carrie on a long hike is not a challenge to accept lightly even with a good ankle.
I think this is your best challenge. It’s realistic to how most people travel and combines maximizing with taking in value from actual cultural things that you cannot necessarily put a cents per point on. Also like the mix of PE with the J experiences – which for daytime flights are really solid value (especially for folks with families).
Minus points for having over $30 left and not having spent $25 with ResortPass on the TWA rooftop pool – that’s a miss.
I really like the mixing in of a PE flight. As standard J award pricing has increased and competition for the remaining sweet spots has intensified I think PE is an often overlooked option, especially for those traveling in groups who might not have much hope of finding 3+ J awards on popular routes (or times). While it’s no lie-flat people do pay for domestic first-class because it’s a better product than regular economy, and that’s essentially what you are getting with Premium Economy.