If you’ve been following us, you know that the entire Frequent Miler team just finished a group trip where no one knew the entire itinerary. This particular trip divided us into two teams with Greg as our referee. Team Tokyo (Carrie and Stephen) designed a six day surprise itinerary in Asia, (originating in Tokyo), while Team San Francisco designed five days of mystery adventure in the Americas, (originating in San Francisco). Even though Greg is our judge in this contest, each team tried to make great use of points and miles to build a trip our whole “family of 5” will love.
Below you’ll find the summary of everything that Team SFO (Nick and Tim) did, how they did it and how much it cost.
Carrie published a daily update post throughout the challenge, but that only had a broad overview of what we did each day. In this post we wanted to give a full breakdown of everything about our trip, including why we picked the flights, hotels and activities that we did, along with how much those and our meals cost. Team TYO did the same thing yesterday, and Greg will be publishing another post tomorrow that details how many points each team earned.
Nick and Tim’s challenge strategy
Nick and I knew that our work would be cut out for us versus Team TYO. First off, they’re smart, creative and talented people, so they already had one-up on us. Second, being able to base themselves in Asia, we didn’t think that there was any way that we were going to be able to compete with what they could accomplish on pricing (turns out we weren’t entirely correct). Third, they had a full extra day and night to play with (although they did have to get back to Tokyo by our 11pm flight on the 8th) and were able to start in Tokyo, with its bevy of exotic Asian flight connections.
Given that, we had several priorities for our section of the trip that we wanted to emphasize:
- Use Greg’s certs and credits – Greg had multiple free night certs and credits that he wanted to burn post-haste. Our priority was to use as many as we possibly could, from a variety of sources, primarily for lodging. We wanted to use a different cert for each night and we set ourselves a goal of spending under $150 cash and 20,000 points total out of pocket for lodging. We ended up being well under that.
- Use at least one airline Sweet Spot – The Americas aren’t a great place for airfare sweet spots, but some do exist. Very quickly, we landed on trying to incorporate Alaska’s great business pricing on LATAM (combined with a free stopover) and we wanted to be able to touch at least four destinations for under 50,000 miles per person total. We ended up missing our self-imposed goal…but barely. More on that later.
- Work the novelty bonus – We have a well-traveled team at Frequent Miler, which can make it tough to go somewhere new or on a product that we haven’t all been on before…especially with only five nights to play with. In the end we were able to fly on two airlines and go to two countries that none of the five had experienced before. We were also able to tack on another country and mode of transport that were novel for at least three of us.
- Local Flavor – Nick and I love to eat locally when we travel. We know Greg does as well. We obviously wanted to be as frugal as we could and use food and beverage benefits at various hotels, but we also wanted to make sure that we were going out at least once in every destination to experience food unique to that area.
- Prioritize using cash for activities – Nick and I were pretty stingy with Greg’s money when it came to spending actual cash for flights and lodging. That’s because, if we were going to splurge, we wanted to do it on activities. We also wanted to emphasize activities that allowed us to interact in some way with local people and culture as opposed to just visiting sites and hotels. We hoped to be able to use a little research combined with shopping portals to get some unexpected value. We wanted to book at least a couple of things that folks would say, “that’s all you paid for that?”
- One activity for every “family member” – Anyone who’s travelled with a family knows that it’s important to have something for everyone. We had a blast with this one. Being able to plan specific activities that were meant for Stephen, Greg and Carrie and seeing their reactions to what we planned was so much fun. It made us feel like we’d already won, regardless of the outcome.
Frequent Miler Greg’s Rules of Order (and how we think we did)
In Greg’s initial post explaining how the Party of 5 challenge would work, one of the key points was this:
A heavy focus of this year’s challenge is about finding great lodging deals
He went on to explain that bonus points would be on offer for the following categories (see this section for a full explanation of what each bonus entails). Here’s how we think we did:
- Sweet-spot bonus
- Bonus for using Greg’s certs & credits
- We used: 2x IHG Select 40K (not “top-offable”), 2x Fine Hotels and Resorts $200 credit, 2x Marriott 50K certificates, 1 x Chase Sapphire Preferred $50 hotel credit, $135 Amex Uber credits
- Privacy bonus
- Greg had his own bedroom in a suite 50% of the time
- Luxury bonus
- Suites in the Ritz Carlton Santiago and the $685/night Park Tower Buenos Aires, LATAM lie-flat business to Chile, private 5-course gourmet dinner, a helicopter ride for heaven’s sake!
- Frugality bonus
- We did four countries, 10 hours in business class ($20K+ in flights),a private street art lesson, private 5-course dinner, Iguazu Falls with a helicopter ride and a high speed boat. We spent under $3K in cash for 5 people for the whole thing.
- Novelty bonus
- 3 countries, 2 airlines, 1 transportation method (helicopter)
Total Costs for Team SFO
For those that don’t want to dig into the nitty-gritty of daily activities or why and how we booked what we did, here’s an overview of everything that we did and what it cost.
Transportation
Flights
- SFO-LAX (economy on Southwest) – 4,559 Rapid Rewards points + $5.60 per person (22,795 points + $28 total)
- LAX-SCL/Santiago (business on LATAM) – 45,000 Alaska Mileage Plus miles + $44 per person (225,000 Alaska miles + $220 total)
- SCL-AEP/Buenos Aires (economy on LATAM) – included in price of LAX-SCL. We could have flown in Premium Economy (there was no business cabin on the flight), but chose to sit in the exit row for more space.
- AEP-IGR/Puerto Iguazu (economy on Aerolineas Argentina) – 5,000 Bilt points transferred to Flying Blue during the 100% transfer bonus Rent Day + $13.60 per person (25,000 Bilt points + $68 total)
That means what was actually redeemed for flights was:
- 225,000 Alaska miles
- 25,000 Bilt points
- 22,795 Southwest Rapid Rewards points
- $316
That’s an average of 54,559 miles + $63.20 per person.
We actually could have booked the entire Alaska itinerary from San Francisco when we originally found it, but there was a bit of a lag since Greg and Nick were both on vacation. By the time we got to it, the SFO-LAX leg on Alaska was gone…and it never came back. That would have made the whole itinerary an even 50K, but instead we had to use the backup Southwest option.
In yesterday’s Team TYO summary, Stephen left us a little aside, calling attention to the fact that they booked:
…three flights, two of which were in business class. Keep that in mind when reading the roundup by Team SFO tomorrow 😉
While it’s true that we only had one business class flight, it’s worth noting that we put the team in lie-flat business for 10 hours, with about 4 total hours in economy. TYO had about 6.5 hours in business and 4 in economy.
Other Transportation
This is the total cost including Ubers, taxis, rental cars, gas etc.:
- $329
- $135 in Amex Uber Credits
Accommodation
Here are the total points and cash costs for all our accommodation:
- Wyndham – 6,750 points
- Cash – $87
- Certificates/Credits – 2x IHG Select 40K (not top-offable), 2x Fine Hotels and Resorts $200 credit, 2x Marriott 50K certificates, 1 x Chase Sapphire Preferred $50 hotel credit
Activities
We were able to do high octane go-karts (for Stephen), a three hour guided walking tour of Santiago, a private five-course gourmet dinner for 5 including wine in Buenos Aires (for Greg), a private street art lesson with one of Buenos Aires’ most talented muralists (for Carrie), a helicopter ride over Iguazu Falls, a boat ride to the falls and all entrance fees for:
- $1595 total or $319/person
Food
We wanted to make sure that we had at least one meal out in each city we were in. We accomplished that and our total food cost was still quite reasonable:
- $575 total or $115/person
Other Expenses
Like Team TYO did yesterday, we’re adding another $50 to the total to cover expenses that we may have forgotten.
Absolutely Final Total Costs
To take five people to San Francisco, Santiago Chile, Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls Brazil, including a business class long-haul flight, stays in the Ritz Carlton Santiago and Park Tower Argentina, as well as all of the activities mentioned above, we spent:
- 225,000 Alaska miles
- 25,000 Bilt points
- 22,795 Rapid Rewards points
- 6,750 Wyndham points
- $2,962
We also used five different types of certs/credits: IHG Select 40K free night, Marriott 50K free night, Fine Hotels and Resorts, Chase Sapphire Preferred hotel credit, Amex Uber credit. We used Capital One Shopping to get ~40% off of two activities (helicopter ride and private dinner)
What we booked and how we booked it
Flights
Originally, Nick and I wanted to do Alaska and Hawai’i for this challenge. Our thought was to hike on a glacier, dip our toes into the Arctic Ocean and end up in a Vacasa Vacation Rental on a beach in Hawai’i. However, going from San Francisco to Alaska on the 8th or 9th was brutally expensive (it would have been almost as much as we spent getting to Santiago and Buenos Aires). In the end, we had to face facts and accept that it was just too much for this trip (a situation that many folks booking for actual families will understand). So, we pivoted to South America, hoping to spotlight the great value that can be had by booking LATAM with Alaska Mileage Plan. We were especially excited to be able to find five seats on LATAM’s 10 hour non-stop flight from LAX to Santiago and we built the rest of the itinerary around that
We initially found the perfect itinerary that would have allowed us to do the SFO-LAX leg on Alaska, then go onto Santiago on the same day. Unfortunately, Greg and Nick were both on vacation when we found it and it took us a couple of days to be able to book it. By that time, there were only four seats left on the SFO-LAX flight, so we booked the rest and assumed we’d be able to get saver availability later (forgetting it was Pride Weekend). Just in case, we booked a backup flight on Southwest. It’s good that we did, as the SFO-LAX flight never opened back up and the Southwest backup was what we ended up using.
Activities
This was probably where we had the most fun, getting a chance to plan and tailor the trip around activities meant to warm the hearts of our FM friends. We also had a high priority of choosing activities that were not only fun, but also allowed us to dip our toes into unique aspects of the various destinations that we were going to visit. We knew we’d only have one day or so in each destination, so rather than try and run around to hit the “sights,” we wanted to focus in on one or two aspects of each place that we thought would resonate with the rest of the team in some way.
It’s also worth noting that it was winter in South America, so temperatures and rain were a concern for almost every activity. We tried to choose things that we could do rain or shine, as well as scheduling in time to warm up on chilly days. Overall, we managed to dodge the weather bullet…until we got to Iguazu Falls.
Food
Anyone who’s followed Greg the Frequent Miler knows that he travels with his stomach. The man built his whole “3 Cards, 3 Continents” trip around food, for heaven’s sake. Nick and I can certainly relate. One of our greats joys when traveling is to be able to sample local cuisine and we wanted to make sure we were able to dig into some of what was on offer in South America. However, anyone who’s eaten out in San Francisco, Santiago or Buenos Aires knows that it can easily kill a budget, especially when it’s a table of five.
So, our goal was to simply have at least one meal out in each city we were in, but with an emphasis on local comfort food as opposed to fine dining. We did set up one very special evening in Buenos Aires with a private 5-course dinner with a local couple in their apartment and it ended up being one of the highlights of the trip.
Team SFO Daily Summary
June 8 (half-day) – Jet-lagged in San Francisco
Activities – Coastal Walking and Sunset
When I used to live in Northern California, one of my favorite places to be around sunset was the walk through Golden Gate National Recreation Area between Eagle’s Point to Land’s End. It’s got magnificent views of the Marin Headlands, the Golden Gate bridge, tons of ice roses and the now-defunct Sutro Baths. From the baths, we walked down to my favorite (and least crowded) SF-area beach, the majestic 3.5-mile long Ocean Beach. Perpendicular to the western end of Golden Gate park, it’s got no high-rises, marvelous sunsets and surprisingly few tourists. We took our time enjoying the sunset and walked to our dinner spot a couple of blocks off the beach.
Lodging – Holiday Inn Golden Gateway (IHG 40K cert)
This first night was probably the most difficult one for Nick and I to plan. It turns out that inter-America connections from San Francisco after 6pm are few and far between, so very quickly we realized that we’d be staying somewhere on the West Coast. We discussed flying to LA so that we could spend the next day leisurely exploring, we talked about renting a car and doing a 24 hour roadtrip down the coast. Nick even looked into going to a baseball game in Anaheim or spending the night in a free suite in Vegas.
In the end, we figured that everyone would be fairly tired fairly quickly, so we decided to stay in San Francisco, do a nice sunset cruise or walk, get dinner and have some rest. We searched for a couple of weeks for a good IHG certificate opportunity and, about a week before the we left, saw that a nice-looking Kimpton in Fisherman’s Wharf was available at 38,000 points for a two rooms with two beds. We hemmed and hawed for a second, then messaged Greg to book it. I booked one room with one certificate, but by the time Greg got to the booking screen, the price for the second room had gone up to 44,000 points (and these are the certificates from the old, $49 IHG Select card that can’t be topped up). So, back to square one.
This Holiday Inn went in and out of availability over the next week. We were hoping to see one of the Kimptons go back below 40K, but they never did. Finally, two nights before we arrived, we booked the Holiday Inn. When we booked, the cash price was $275 per room, making it an excellent use for the 40K cert…from a value perspective. We booked one room with one Greg’s certs and one with one of mine so that we could get Diamond benefits on both rooms.
While the view from the rooms was terrific, there’s nothing particularly inspiring about the hotel. It’s fine and it served our purpose for the night. We got free breakfast and each of us got cookies and a milk-carton of “wine from concentrate,” as a welcome amenity.
Food – Fish Delish
First off, Nick hates pretty much any tasty morsel that lives in the sea. However, Nick is also the consummate team player and agreed that, with one night in San Francisco, fresh fish should be the name of our game. So, we went to the delightfully low-key Hook Fish Company located just a couple of blocks off the beach. We sat outside on the patio and gorged ourselves on ceviche, grilled fish, fried fish and, uh, Nick’s fishless burrito. All-in, it was $100 for all five of us. It was perfect way to end the evening.
Transportation – Moving the skeletons
Our day started at around 5:00pm when we cleared customs after a delightful flight from Tokyo in ANA Suites where the FM Team had the entire cabin to ourselves. No matter how great the flight was, we knew that we were still on Tokyo time and so the clock was ticking before folks started dropping off like flies. Armed with $70 in Uber credits caught a ride from SFO to our hotel in San Francisco, dropped our bags and then headed off for a coastal walk on the Pacific side of the San Francisco peninsula. We ended up taking three rides that cost a total of $95 or $25 out of pocket after Uber credits.
Our ride from the airport, Sigfreddo, was one of the more entertaining drivers that we came across. 2 minutes after getting in, he told us he was going to play us some music to “make our skeletons move.” This turned out to be “Diplo Revolution,” an electronic dance music station. It was loud, the windows were down and boy, did those skeletons move.
June 9 – San Francisco – Santiago Chile
Activities – Irish Coffee and Party of 5 House Fly-by
We had a 12:00 flight out of SFO, so we let everyone sleep in and then intended to take a cable car to Fisherman’s Wharf and toast the start of Party of 5 Chapter Two with the most famous Irish Coffee in the US at Buena Vista Cafe. It somewhat controversially claims to have introduced the Irish Coffee to the US in the 1950’s and today is the single largest seller of Irish Whiskey in the United States. On an average day, they make somewhere between 1500-2000 of the things…and they’ve got it down to a science. I don’t like Irish Coffee, but I like this Irish Coffee.
Greg had discovered that the actual house from the Party of Five TV show was in San Francisco, so we took the opportunity to swing by and get some selfies before heading off to the airport.
Food – Hotels, Planes and Lounges
I’m not gonna lie. We had a difficult relationship with lunch on this trip. Greg had mandated that we should provide three square meals per day, including lunch. Neither Nick nor I normally eat lunch, so it’s not exactly intuitive for us. But darn it, we planned it. And darn it, it didn’t always work well.
We started out the day with our free (and passable) breakfast at the Holiday Inn. They actually give you an $18 credit at the restaurant, but Greg and Stephen misunderstood and thought that the whole menu was included (if you hear someone giggling, it’s the terms and conditions folks from IHG). As a consequence, they ended up going over by about $8 each. Carrie, Nick and I were right on the money.
Our plan was to have lunch at the excellent One World Lounge at LAX, where we expected to arrive at around 2:30. Alas, our Southwest flight was delayed, check-in took a little longer than expected and we ended-up not hitting the lounge until 3:30. We then found out that, to be considered “lunch,” the meal has to happen before 3pm. So, we accidentally served Greg “first dinner.”
Second dinner was on the LATAM flight and was surprisingly good. Everyone enjoyed everything that was served, a first for the challenge.
Transportation – LATAM Business (45K Alaska Miles with stopover)
We used Greg’s Uber credits to get to the airport and, at the same time, taught him how to create a multi-stop Uber ride. We took one Uber from Buena Vista Cafe in Fisherman’s Wharf (where we had just had Irish Coffees) to the hotel, picked up the bags that we had left with the valet, went by the house from the Party of 5 TV show and then finally to the airport. The total ride with tip was about $85 and Greg had $65 in Uber credit for a total out of pocket cost of $20.
Once we got to LA, it was time to fly LATAM. We had booked all five of us into one row in the business class cabin for 45,000 Alaska miles + $44 each. This price also included our later flight to Buenos Aires from Santiago. Had we paid cash for this exact itinerary when we booked it, the cost would have been $23,093, or $4,619 per person (~10 cents per point). The same itinerary round-trip would have cost $6,200, or $3,100 each way, so we averaged out the two costs and arrived at a value of $3850 each.
Nick has already written up our experience with this sweet spot and flight, but suffice it to say that we were all impressed…enough so that it was most of our second-favorite flight of the trip and Stephen actually preferred his experience on LATAM over his experience on the ANA Suites flight a day earlier (more on that soon). For my 6’3″ frame, it was one of the most comfortable business class beds I’ve been in, with plenty of width, length and very good bedding. I liked it so much I flew it back to the us as well.
This was first time anyone on the team had flown LATAM, so we got the super-duper novelty bonus.
June 10 – Santiago and Stolen Backpacks
Activities – White Water Rafting, Hot Springs and Sunsets…not
Let me tell you, we had a great first day planned for Chile. One thing that some folks don’t always realize is that Santiago is right at the base of the Andes Mountains, making it a marvelous launching point for all sorts of outdoors adventures. We had booked an all-day excursion with a very well-regarded company called Natexplora. They were waiting for us with a van when we got to our hotel and they were going to take us up to the Maipo Canyon where would do a Class III-IV whitewater trip. After rafting, we’d go for an all-inclusive lunch at a typical Andean restaurant and then go another hour further up the canyon to the Termas Colina hot springs for a sunset soak and stargazing. All that + roundtrip transport from our hotel was $95pp. Sounds good, huh? We thought so.
Unfortunately, once we got to the hotel, we realized that Greg didn’t have his backpack…even though both he and the driver remembered him having it at the airport when we were loading up. The concierges started calling the airport while the guides patiently waited outside for us in the van. We were debating whether some of us should still go on the excursion when Greg started getting fraud alerts on his phone for cards that were in his backpack. That led he and Nick on an odyssey around Santiago with a private car and driver visiting multiple police precincts trying to catch up to his moving backpack (which he could track using earbuds).
After six hours, Greg and Nick came back to the hotel, no backpack in sight. In the meantime, we had told the guides that we couldn’t take the trip. The company was extremely gracious and didn’t charge us anything for cancelling (although we did give some cash to the guides for all the time that they spent waiting for us).
Even though the mood had turned somber, we were determined to not let it sink the whole night. TYO had planned to take Stephen go-karting in Macau, but rain had ruined the plans. Nick and I had already done some research on options in Santiago and so we made it Stephen’s Special Night, first going driving at Rally Kart and afterwards for a beer and pisco sour tasting a local brewpub, Krossbar. My last experience with go-karts was about 30 years ago on a round track and I wasn’t prepared for how fast, intense and incredibly fun these would be. Stephen kicked all of our butts and was giddy afterwards. We did 32 laps at the track for a total cost of $21.40pp.
Lodging – Ritz Carlton Santiago (Fine Hotels and Resorts)
Nick and I were looking for places to burn two of Greg’s $200 Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR) credits that come with the Platinum Card (TYO used two as well in Macau). There were several good options in Santiago and we settled on the Ritz Carlton, as it was only $39 after the credit and included free breakfast for two, $100 in food and beverage credit, and a 4pm late-checkout. They also gave each room a bottle of wine as an amenity gift.
The Ritz was fabulous from top-to-bottom with some of the best service that we had during the entire trip. Each stay was upgraded to a suite with a massive sectional sofa, we were allowed to check in at 8am because of our early-arriving flight and the staff continuously bent over backwards to help with Greg’s backpack situation (and with logistics in general). Several of us have had some unmemorable stays at Ritz properties but I agree with Greg when he said that this “restored his faith in Ritz Carlton.” A great stay, overall.
Food – Fuente de Soda and the sandwiches that ate us
Greg’s tour of the police stations of Santiago and the cancellation of our planned activities caused him to miss lunch…again (although I believe Nick stepped up to the plate with an in-transit granola bar).
So, by the time they got back, we all were starving. Santiago has a unique brand of sandwich shops called “Fuentes de Soda” (soda fountains). These don’t really share much in common with the US versions, but are known as great places to get massive, cheap sandwiches, including Chile’s version of “churrasco,” essentially a grilled and sliced skirt-steak sandwich. Armed with our appetites, we each ordered one (with a vegan sandwich for Carrie) as well as one kilo of fries. Rookie mistake. We ordered enough food for 10-12 people. These sandwiches were enormous, easily the biggest sandwich I’ve seen in years (maybe ever). Carrie’s vegan sammie nearly ate her. Food for 10 cost the five of us $22.60 each.
Transportation – How many Frequent Milers can you fit in a clown car Uber
From the get-go, we learned that Uber XL is more of a loose concept in Chile. We never really noticed much of a difference between the regular Uber and the XL’s outside of the fact that owners of the XL vehicles seemed to think they were quite large (and really, who are we to disagree). As we went from the hotel to go-karts, the brewpub, and back to the hotel, each Uber got progressively smaller. At first the drivers said, “yes, I can take you all!” but, as the cars got smaller, the drivers became more unsure. The last guy we rode with said he had never fit six people in his car before. All told, we got five rides for about $54.
June 11 – Santiago to Buenos Aires
Activities – Walking Tour of Santiago, Private gourmet meal for 5
After a great breakfast at the Ritz Carlton to pick up our spirits, we took an Uber down to Plaza de Armas where we met Diego Escobar, one of the most well-regarded “gratuity-based walking tour” providers in Santiago. A former teacher with a ton of energy, he led us on a nearly three-hour tour that covered the history, architecture, geology, culture and politics of Chile (and Santiago). It was incredibly informative, with some very frank and open dialogue about Chile’s past and present as well as its current political and cultural challenges. It was a great tour and a better deal at $13/pp.
After brunch back at the Ritz, we went to airport for our flight to Buenos Aires’ downtown airport (AEP). Nick and I had been looking for one special dining experience that would really tickle Greg’s fancy. Buenos Aires has long been known for its “Puertas Cerradas” (Closed-Doors), informal and technically illegal restaurants that are in private residences or buildings. Some of these are now known as some of the city’s most sought-after restaurants. Over the last few years, a new trend has developed where, instead of running an entire restaurant, folks hold private dinners in their homes. Sometimes these are humble affairs, sometimes they are elaborate multi-course events with wine. We wanted something in between the two and found a couple with terrific reviews that had been hosting people for over five years in one of their flats in central BA.
We went directly from the airport using the address our hosts provided and ended up on a residential street corner. Josefina and Ignacio met us at the door and led us up to their elegant fourth-floor flat with the table already set and the candles burning. Over the next 3.5 hours, we had five courses, each paired with a different Argentinian wine. The produce and proteins were all local, the seafood wild-caught. They had just returned from a weekend getaway where they bought special produce and additional wine just for our dinner together. The food was superb and the hosts were just as enjoyable. We had a great time talking with them over wine ’till the wee hours of the morning about their lives in Argentina, their hope and frustration with their country, travel and, of course, food. On the taxi-ride home, Greg said it was one of the more memorable dining experiences he’s ever had.
The initial cost of the dinner was $95pp, but we used a combination of a 10% off coupon a 30% back on Viator from Capital One Shopping when booking, so our final cost per person was $59.
Lodging – Park Tower Buenos Aires (Marriott Free Night Certificate)
When we found out that we’d be staying in Buenos Aires, our initial impulse was to book the famous Park Hyatt Palacio Duhau, often considered to be one the best hotels in South America. However, Greg had a 50K Marriott cert expiring a week after the challenge that he desperately wanted to use and booking the Park Hyatt with points ran counter to our “certs first” philosophy for this trip.
So, we settled on the Park Tower Buenos Aires, a part of Marriott’s Luxury Collection. This is a very well-regarded property a few minutes away from the Park Hyatt and right across from the Torre Monumental. The sunrise was incredible.
We were both upgraded to suites with lovely views of the square in front and a 5pm late checkout the next day. I was pleasantly surprised with the property. While not quite the same level as the Ritz Carlton the previous night it was elegant, luxurious and comfortable (the Italian National Soccer team was there the same night). The cash cost per room was $685/night, making it a fantastic use for the Marriott 50K certs, especially one that was expiring.
Food – Ritz Carlton Brunch, Private dinner in Buenos Aires
We started the day at the Ritz Carlton with a marvelous breakfast buffet. While not as over-the-top as the buffets we experienced in Macau, what was there was of incredibly high quality. There were quite a few local specialties, making it more fun than a typical hotel breakfast buffet. The eggs benedict was one of the best I’ve had in some time. Although the FHR credit was only supposed to get both rooms breakfast for two, they comped all five of us.
After the walking tour, with $200 in food and beverage credits to burn, we headed to the famous Sunday afternoon brunch at the Ritz. It’s booked solid with locals well in advance, but fortunately they had one cancellation on the outdoor patio so we were able to get in. The spread was incredible and included mimosas, champagne, sparkling wine, pisco sours, a bloody mary bar, salmon carving station and much more. The cost was $40pp, so our $200 in credit nicely covered it.
Once we got to Buenos Aires, dinner was at Josefina and Ignacio’s house (when accounting for the trip, we split the cost between food and activities). All in all, this was my favorite food day of the entire trip.
Transportation – Santiago to Buenos Aires, LATAM
Our flight from Santiago to Buenos Aires was part of our initial Alaska Mileage Plan award, so there was no additional cost. The flight didn’t offer business class, only premium economy. Premium economy on this flight, like many in Europe, was simply a normal economy row with the middle seat blocked off. So, we chose the exit row and were glad we did. The short flight across the Andes was breathtaking.
We took three more Uber rides in Santiago, a taxi ride from the airport to the dinner and then another two Ubers from dinner to our hotel (in BA, most Ubers don’t want to take more than 4 people). Taxis and Ubers from AEP airport are tricky right now. Most drivers will only take three-four passengers, will only accept cash and charge absurdly inflated prices. Our taxi-ride to the dinner was $25, the total cost of the rest of our Uber rides was $51 for a daily total of $76.
June 12 – Buenos Aires – Foz do Iguacu
Activities – Street Art Tour and Aerosol Mural Class with Luxor
While this days’ events were meant especially for Carrie, it was also Greg and Nick’s favorite activity of the trip. Buenos Aires (BA) is known for its street art and, even given that reputation its quite something to behold. There is art everywhere. Compelling, thought-out art that displays amazing technique.
We knew that we wanted to do a tour of the street art, but saw that a couple of folks offered workshops with aerosols, stencils, brushes, etc. We were so excited, what a perfect idea for Carrie! However, for many options, the cost was prohibitive. In my research I discovered a great organization called BA Street Art that functions as an organizing cooperative for large-scale projects and artist promotion. I reached out to Matt, the primary guy who runs it (and who literally wrote the book on BA Street Art) and he was excited to try and schedule something. One of his favorite muralists, Luxor, was available at the exact time we needed and could do the class…and we absolutely loved his work. The class for 5 was $60 each, including all the paint, wall prep, gloves, etc. It seemed like a great deal to Nick and I. On the flip side, it was maybe the best value of the whole trip.
I just can’t say how incredible both BA Street Art and Luxor were to work with. Communicative, earnest, engaging, talented. Even the non-art-obsessed in our group were completely immersed. It was an incredible afternoon
Lodging – Wyndham Golden Suites (6,750 Wyndham points + Chase Sapphire Preferred hotel credit)
Ok, this wasn’t our proudest moment. There aren’t many options to use points and miles near Iguazu Falls and the Airbnb options that we found weren’t terribly inspiring either. We wanted to be in town so that we could go out once we were done with the Falls (and the challenge) the next day. The two options were the Wyndham Golden Suites (4.5 on Google Reviews and a 4 on with a reader’s choice award on TripAdvisor) or the Doubletree that was out of town and expensive on points for the cash price. Greg had a $50 Chase Sapphire Preferred hotel credit that we could use for one double room at the Wyndham (with $9 extra cash) and there was a 3-bedroom premium suite with a cash price of $130 that could be booked for 6,750 Wyndham Points (7,500 + 10% off for being a Wyndham cardholder). They had valet parking, a nice-looking lobby-bar and breakfast…so we went for it. Then, while Nick and I were picking up the rental car, we got a text from Greg saying the hotel was, “spooky.”
To be fair, the rooms are clean and big. The lobby is nice with a fireplace. The breakfast is unexpectedly good. But, once you get off the elevator, things get weird. The hallway is pitch-black until you walk out, then the lights turn on, but they’re too dim and only light up the actual place you’re standing (going off behind you). On Greg’s floor there was some peeling paint as well. The beds competed with the Filipino Airbnb for the worst of the trip.
Was it a disaster? No. In fact, everyone chose to stay there for the last (non-challenge) night instead of moving out to the Doubletree. Was it a good value in comparison to the cash price? Yes. Is it something I’m looking to repeat? Meh, probably not.
Food – “I guess we have to eat sometime”
The day started out just fine. We let everyone sleep in because of the late return the night before, and the breakfast at the Park Tower was lovely…probably the most elegant dining room we were in the entire time (we fit right in with our shorts and sandals). Again, not the biggest selection, but great quality with very good pastries and excellent egg dishes (unfortunately, eggs are another staple on the “Not for Reyes” list, but Nick at least enjoyed the pastries). Since we booked both rooms under Greg’s name, we only got two free breakfasts. The other three were $42 total.
Originally, our plan was to get empanadas while doing the street art tour, but since we had all just eaten breakfast, everyone passed. Another day, another broken lunch.
After the street art lesson with Luxor, we went back to hotel, had some coffee and a granola bar and then went directly to the airport for the flight to Puerto Iguazu (IGR). Our flight was delayed about half an hour, so it was nine by the time we got to the arrival terminal at IGR. We knew that we had about a 45 minute cab ride to Brazil, so we decided to eat at the open cafe at the airport to make sure everyone got some food. Again, not our finest moment. My sandwich was fine. Nick said that his sandwich tasted “like sand” and he got a brownie that Carrie said had rancid pecans on it. Was it better than nothing? I guess. But just a little. This Grand Feast was only $26.95 for all five of us.
Transportation – Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazu (5,000 Bilt points)
This was a fun one. There are a bunch of non-stop options between BA and Iguazu, but we had a pretty limited range of flight times that we could do. The best option was on Aerolineas Argentinas (AAs) but it was $159 each. I had completely forgotten that AAs is a SkyTeam partner, but once we remembered, we were able to find availability via Flying Blue for 10,000 miles + $13 each way…an ok redemption, but we were hoping for a better option. Just in time, Bilt announced a Rent Day 100% transfer bonus to Flying Blue. So, our $159 flight redemption went from 10,000 Flying Blue miles to 5,000 Bilt points…now a heckuva deal.
Making the pot even sweeter, none of us had ever flown Aerolineas Argentinas, so it was a completely novel redemption.
We also had a bunch of ground transport: a total of eight Ubers to get us to the street art, the painting site, back to the hotel and then to the airport. Once in Puerto Iguazu, on the Argentinian side of the falls, we needed to get two taxis to take us across the border and into Brazil. One took Greg, Stephen and Carrie to the hotel, the other took Nick and I to IGU, the airport on the Brazilian side, so that we could rent a car (we couldn’t find a company that would rent us a car in Argentina and let us return it in Brazil, where we were all flying out of). We were able to book the two taxis for $35 each. Combined with the eight Ubers, our total ground transport cost for the day was $104, by far the most expensive transport day of the trip.
June 13 (half-day) – Iguazu Falls
Activities – Helicopters, speed boats and the best waterfall view in the world
Carrie’s husband Drew, upon finding out that we were going Iguazu Falls, had one word: “epic.” After having visited myself, in perhaps the worst conditions possible, I have one takeaway: if Iguazu Falls isn’t on your bucket list, it should be. This place is incredible and it’s absolutely impossible to understand the scale and power from a picture or video. I’m already planning my return.
We figured that this may be the only time some of our team would ever be at Iguazu Falls, so we went all out here. For those visiting, I’d highly recommend doing the same. The helicopter and boat rides are expensive. But they also give a different (if not better) view of the falls than you get from the (admittedly incredible) viewpoints.
First, we started by helicopter. Originally, we thought that this would be the grand finale, but it turns out you want to go first thing in the morning, so that’s what we did. The price through Viator after the 10% coupon and 30% back from C1 shopping was $95pp. That’s a little deceiving though, as you can get tickets directly from Helisul (the actual helicopter company) for around $125pp. Still, it ended up saving us around $30pp to book with the discounts through Viator, definitely not a kick in the pants when traveling with 5.
Next, we did a high-speed boat. There is one provider on the Brazilian side, Macuco Safari. They try to make it a multi-faceted “safari” trip, but everyone’s really there for the boat ride. And what a boat ride it is. It has sharp turns, high speed approaches over rapids and, best of all, water-level views of the falls. It’s pretty expensive at $79pp, but the payoff is grand.
Lastly, we walked the boardwalks on the Brazil side. This way of seeing the falls was everyone’s favorite. There’s something about standing almost in the middle of the falls, with wind and spray and cold all around, that drives home the power of this marvelous place. I wouldn’t want to pick one way of seeing Iguazu Falls, as each vehicle provides a slightly different perspective. That said, if I had to choose just one, this would be it:
Transportation
This was a fairly benign transport day. We rented a car the previous night so as to provide maximum flexibility given our short time. The cost (with gas) was $60 for the day. After the parade of clown car Ubers, that Toyota Corolla felt downright luxurious.
Food – Lunch at the Belmond hotel
There aren’t a ton of options to eat within either side of national park and most of them are overpriced buffets. We knew we would be cold, we knew we would be hungry and so we decided to splurge for lunch at the hoity-toity hotel that’s on the Brazil side: the Belmond Hotel. Let me tell you, it was delicious. It was warm. They had lots of hot tea. It was the perfect break in between our morning adventure activities and our afternoon walk. Total cost (after tip) was $105, or $20.50pp.
Want to learn more about miles and points? Subscribe to email updates or check out our podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
I’m considering a stay at the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway. I love great views and it sounds like this hotel has better than many fancier hotels in town. Did they give you an upgrade? It seems like the King Premium Corner view towards the city is where I’d want to be?
How can the ‘total costs’ not include the carbon?
You all outdid yourself with this challenge. The points and miles hobby gets people so focused on airplane seats and hotel rooms that sometimes those can take over. I’m not knocking a comfy seat or a nice room, but to me those are strictly secondary to the new experiences I get to have in unfamiliar places and the chances to immerse in the local culture, sometimes pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. For me the flights and hotels are just the supporting cast that enables those experiences. Of course I understand the luxury digs are a large part of the game in points and miles, and not going to criticize that. But I thought you did a fantastic job in this challenge getting outside the bounds of the usual resort and hotel circuit and showed how to have some unique experiences. My favorites were the Airbnb, the home cooked dinner, and the street art. (And I’m going to give you credit for the white water rafting too…) Great job, and a really fun read.
Great post that speaks narrowly to the challenge itself but I think he’s missing a key flavor that users of this information should know, how did folks get back to the US from the southern cone? If anyone was stuck in economy on an avianca redeye with layovers in Colombia and Salvador, points off!
The short answer is however they wanted. That wasn’t part of the challenge. We each picked our own ways home based mostly on where we each needed to end up after 2 weeks away from family rather than being based on the ideal award. Personally, I used 7500 American Airlines miles to fly Gol Airlines from Iguazu Falls to Sao Paulo and then 82k American Airlines miles to fly flagship first from Sao Paulo to Miami, business from there to Philadelphia, and then the economy only leg from Philadelphia to Albany. Just the Sao Paulo to Miami was overnight. AA flagship first really isn’t worth a premium over business, but I figured it was probably my last chance to try it. I had flown it once last year and in hindsight I probably didn’t need to again.
Super helpful, thanks!
You guys are the best travel blog. Period. Seriously keep up the great work!!!
Awesome post! We are planning a trip to Argentina / Brazil this November, and got a number of ideas! Already booked LATAM business class to Sao Paulo (thanks to your recent post on using Alaska miles to South America).
Taking a flight on WN from the Bay Area to LA almost counts as local Californian flavor, that’s basically our Acela.
Ha! Love it.
I might have missed it, but how all 5 got to GRU and from there to the US?
Shouldn’t it be part of team SFO transportation activity/cost?
Good question. Since we were all going back to different places in the US (and some of us were staying longer in Brazil), it didn’t make sense for us to try and get back to SFO. So, TYO had an extra 1.5 days, but they had to get us back to Tokyo. Our trip ended at 5pm on the 13th.
@Carlos: It should also be noted that the flights between San Francisco and Tokyo (in both directions) were not accounted for in Team TYO’s numbers either. as those flights weren’t their picks but rather what the team ultimately chose as the framework of the challenge. As Tim says, we flew home different ways since we all needed to go to different parts of the United States. And as an example, I used AA miles to fly from GRU to MIA and then onward to my home airport (I paid 82K AA miles; I could have booked business for 55K, but then I’d have needed to fly to JFK and rent a car to drive 3hrs home — I figured it was worth the additional 28K to get all the way to my home airport and get one last chance to check out flagship first…..though Greg and Carrie were on the same flight to Miami and I can confirm that first seemed a waste in direct comparison). Anyway, we weren’t tasked with that part of the trip and it wouldn’t have made sense for all 5 of us to fly together so I think that probably makes sense. If you’re just looking for ways to get to/from South America using miles, we do have a complete guide for that.
https://frequentmiler.com/best-ways-to-get-to-south-america-using-miles-premium-cabins/