Greg recently wrote about his all-time favorite award redemptions and couple of people asked if I’d do the same. I very much enjoyed Greg’s post, but at first I wasn’t drawn to the idea of writing my own. While I’ve enjoyed lots of great redemptions, I wasn’t sure I had a “top ten” list in my mind. Once I sat down to think about it, that problem quickly evaporated. This hobby has yielded incredible (and truly unbelievable) value and memories.

Oddly, as I wrote this post, I realized that some of my favorite trips or destinations had absolutely nothing to do with redemptions. That made me want to also write a post about favorite trips that are not centered around a flight or hotel, but that’s another story that is probably for another day. Still, as I thought more about that, I realized that while my favorites below certainly include some incredibly luxury, not all of my favorites were luxury experiences. Rather, my favorite redemptions are the most memorable and that can be for one of many different reasons. Onward to the details.

Cheater answer: my honeymoon

Can I cheat? Not unlike some others, the trip that got me into this hobby was my honeymoon.

By the time we decided to settle down and get married, my wife and I had already been traveling together for years. We had jobs that could be done remotely, so we did things like sublet an apartment in Berlin for a couple of months or buy a ticket to fly around on JetBlue for a month. We traveled on a shoestring budget, sleeping cheap and flying wherever the tickets were on sale.

We wanted to have one last (big) hurrah after getting married and travel around the world to a bunch of the places on our bucket lists before settling in to the “real world”. That sounded nice, but we still didn’t have a lot of money. I had heard about (cash) round-the-world tickets and looking into those led me to stumble upon blogs about credit cards and miles and points.

To make a long story ever so slightly shorter, I spent about a year reading blogs and learning and then spent one year collecting miles (through credit card sign ups, shopping portals, stacking opportunities, etc) and in the end we had a honeymoon that was the stuff of absolute fantasy. The map here shows the flights, but there were of course some trains and rental cars as well.

When all was said and done, I think we visited 18 different countries over a 4-month honeymoon flying mostly business and first class. We were still economical on accommodations (even with points), but we had a handful of luxury hotel stays that we never would have dreamed about before.

After that, life would never be the same. What we thought would be one last hurrah turned into many hurrahs and stunningly next turned into a career in writing about this stuff. So if I had to pick my favorite all-time redemption I am not sure any other trip could compare (though our honeymoon was really like  many trips in one).

Both during and since that trip, we have been fortunate to have taken many bucket-list-like adventures thanks to this hobby. The rest of this post is a collection of my favorites.

Flights

Emirates First Class

Emirates first class is without a doubt all of the bling that brings you in to this hobby of miles and points. While the pictures here are from my most recent (short) trip on Emirates, my first redemption for Emirates was back when Alaska used to charge just 90,000 miles for a one-way in first class from the Maldives to the US (today that price is 180K one way). We utilized Alaska’s free stopover to also visit Dubai (and some other places from Dubai before the return leg to New York) and booked a ticket that had a cash price of $20,000 at the time (it was so expensive because it was one-way and with a stopover).

The Emirates experience, particularly on the A380, is hard to beat. Bartending at 35,000 feet is quite a treat.

I recently relayed a story about the above picture and how we actually got (very politely) scolded for it. When a flight attendant recognized from our pajamas that we were from the first class cabin, she asked me to please let her know the next time we’re going to come back to the bar (which is at the back of business class) and she would bring the Dom Perignon. We were apparently photographed pouring the peasants’ champagne — the horror! There’s no doubt that Emirates First is fun.

Etihad First Class (Cairo to Abu Dhabi to Tokyo)

My first experience with a premium cabin was Etihad First Class. Yup, I flew first before I’d even flown business class — way to ruin flying, right?

In my case, it wasn’t even Etihad Apartments as it was for Greg and yet I was absolutely amazed. The seat felt massive and the service was on another level from anything I had ever experienced before.

I distinctly remember not even half finishing the glass of champagne above and having the in-flight chef ask if I’d like to try to rose champagne also. I’m not much of a drinker (I didn’t even have my first alcoholic drink until I was nearly 30, though I have since developed a taste for a good glass of wine). I politely declined saying that I wasn’t sure I could even finish the champagne I had in that glass. He nodded and smiled and said, “You need to try the rose” and came back with a glass anyway. I guess that might sound like poor service in written form, but it was really just a mark of how much more indulgent an experience this world of miles and points was going to provide moving forward.

Singapore A380 First Class Suites (old style)

We have had the good fortune to fly Singapore first class a small handful of times, one of which was in Singapore Suites on the A380 from Sydney to Singapore. We used Singapore Krisflyer miles and booked Sydney to Singapore to San Francisco (via Hong Kong) with a stopover in Singapore for a little over 100K points one way.

In my mind, the picture above conjures a throwback to an era of glamorous train travel and that’s what Singapore Suites felt like to me: classy, elegant, refined, and classic. Absent was the Emirates bling but present was the type of attentive service that only Singapore knows how to provide. Flight attendants knew what I wanted well before I wanted it and didn’t miss a beat.

Funny enough (for someone who isn’t a big drinker), a wine memory sticks out from this flight also. I remember the food being terrific and I tried a couple of different wines with it. When my main course came, I had a couple of glasses of wine in progress on my table. I think I had done the Krug-vs-Dom taste test and then also had a glass of white wine — far more than I’d finish. The flight attendant absolutely insisted that I try a glass of the Penfolds RWT Shiraz that she had. Just as I had on Etihad, I tried to decline and she insisted that this was a rare bottle to find outside of Australia and that it would pair perfectly with my meal. It was unreal — that glass of wine has stuck with me through dozens of premium cabin flights and hotels in the years since and I don’t think I’ve stopped searching for its equal. I’ve never had something pair so perfectly nor tasted a wine that I enjoyed more. I don’t remember what I ate, but I won’t forget Penfolds RWT Shiraz or the great service aboard that Singapore Suites flight.

Hotels

Allow me to use cheat #2 in this hotels section. It would be hard to imagine Le Meridien Maldives not making the top 10 redemptions list. Indeed, it belonged here. However, since Greg already included it in his list (and since my wife was going through pictures for the annual family calendar as I wrote this post and sarcastically said, “Well, you had a tough year” as she came across pictures from the Maldives in our Google photos), I figured it didn’t need repeating that Greg and I took off for an incredible tropical getaway at a brand new resort being managed more like a Ritz-Carlton than the mid-tier Marriott it is advertised to be. Instead, you can read what Greg wrote about it. In other favorite hotel redemptions:

Comfort Hotel Bolivar in Rome, Italy

Still bookable with points today? Yes.

This is probably the least “luxury” experience in my list, but the Comfort Hotel Bolivar will always hold a special place in our hearts.

We stayed at this Choice Privileges property in the heart of Rome during our honeymoon. At the time, we paid 10,000 points per night (which was a steal during our dates) and had gotten upgraded to a spacious suite. But it wasn’t the room itself that made this place special: it was the location. As very budget-minded travelers still at that point in our lives, we weren’t used to staying in the heart of everything. The Comfort Hotel Bolivar is tucked away in an alley where I don’t know how anyone found it before Google Maps, yet we were mere blocks away from all of the major sites. Waking up early and walking around the Roman Forum or jogging to Piazza Navona or the Spanish Steps while they were quiet and peaceful was magical for us.

We took daily morning jogs in what felt like an open-air history museum, passing the Pantheon or the Forum or Colosseum within a couple of minutes.

As a Choice Privileges property, breakfast was complimentary. The food (mostly like prepackaged pastries and the sort) wasn’t special at all, but the room in which it was served and its view of Roman rooftops made me glad we had bought Choice points during Daily Getaways.

In the years since staying there, I have noticed that this place can often be had for a reasonable price and truthfully the hotel itself it isn’t more like a Park Hyatt than like a Comfort Inn, but awards can still be a very good to great value depending on when you stay (at 10K to 20K per night). I’d be tempted to stay there again, though I don’t know that the experience would be the same so many luxury hotels later.

Le Dokhan’s, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Paris

Is it still bookable with points? Yes.

Another incredibly well-located yet hidden-away property that we absolutely loved was Le Dohkan’s in Paris. This property was a Radisson when we stayed (the Radission Blu Trocadero was the name if memory serves me correctly and Le Dokhan’s was just the name of the champagne bar at the time).

I have gone on record multiple times in the past to say that I am not a big fan of boutique hotels, but Le Dokhan’s would make a liar out of me. I thought I recalled that the story here was that the building was essentially an old mansion of a home turned into a small hotel, though I don’t see Marriott running with the exact same story on its website. Still, the place has works of art by Matisse and Picasso in the cozy lobby area (just hanging on the wall like it’s no big deal) and they have one of the most beautiful, rickety, and claustrophobic elevators I’ve seen in a hotel. It was unique. My wife took the stairs.

This place is unfortunately less of a value on points today than it was when I stayed. Back then, it was a Radisson property and holders of the Club Carlson Visa card got the “last night free” on award redemptions, so I think we paid 44,000 Radisson points for two nights. Today it is a Category 7 Marriott costing 50K-70K points per night.

Still, I’d use a 50K certificate in off-peak times (or top it off with points when that feature debuts) if prices warranted it. The hotel is located in what feels like a normal Parisian neighborhood but yet it is a short walk to the Eiffel Tower (where I surprised my wife with a Paris Picnic). And the champagne bar in the lobby still looks awesome — I’ve seen friends on social media post pictures in the years since and it still feels like a throwback to the property’s Belle Époque roots.

St. Regis Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Still bookable with points? Yes

The St Regis Bora Bora was one of those places that absolutely lived up to the hype in my mind. I’m not sure I had ever seen the movie Couples Retreat before we booked this resort, but even after seeing the movie (which was filmed there and plays 24/7 on one of the TV channels), I felt like the place looked as good in person as it did on a multi-million dollar production. Bora Bora is just gorgeous.

Perhaps I should take that back a little bit: the St. Regis shows its age in places, but in my opinion the slightly frayed edges where I saw some wear were so minor and the service and location so incredibly outstanding that I wouldn’t dock the place even half a star. Having Marriott Platinum status means complimentary breakfast for two each day (if you pick it as your choice benefit — and you should) and the views of Mount Otemanu just don’t get old.

I wrote more about my experience there (and have plenty more photos) in this post: Conrad Bora Bora vs St. Regis Bora Bora: Which was better?.

Grand Hyatt Kauai

Is this property still bookable with points? Yes.

I have visited Hawaii a number of times and my hands-down favorite island is Kauai. It is smaller and less touristed (in no small part due to the fact that most of the island is inaccessible by car), but it is gorgeous and geographically diverse for such a compact place. I can’t get enough of it.

A couple of years ago, we had the good fortune to stay at the Grand Hyatt Kauai. My stay was booked by a Globalist as a Guest Of Honor stay and we got an incredible suite upgrade to a huge oceanfront suite on a corner that viewed the ocean out of windows and balconies on both sides of the room. The way the room was furnished and the condition made it feel closer to a Park Hyatt than a Grand Hyatt, though what felt like a mile-long walk from our room to the lobby reminded us that it actually is a big convention hotel. We certainly didn’t mind.

Beyond the great suite, another part of what made this stay special for us is that we were traveling with friends. Our friends were not into miles and points and had never experienced a hotel club lounge before. Their “standard” room cost 25,000 points per night yielded massive value against the $788++ cash price per night. Their three night stay would have otherwise cost more than $3,000. It was fun to show them how this hobby opens up things that just otherwise wouldn’t be plausible.

While the lounge doesn’t serve the most generous spread I’ve seen, we found it sufficient enough to replace dinner one night (we each had salads) and free breakfast and coffee throughout the day were nice benefits. I’ll definitely stay here again when I eventually get back to Kauai.

Hyatt Regency Saipan

Still bookable with points? Yup!

The Hyatt Regency Saipan isn’t the most luxurious property at which we’ve stayed, but visiting Saipan was one of my favorite points redemptions and if you’re going to Saipan the Regency is the place to stay.

I have to admit that until I found Saipan on an award chart region definition list, I had never heard of this United States territory. Those more familiar with their World War II history or Amelia Earhart legends will no doubt wonder how I could have missed hearing about Saipan, but I ended up there almost solely because it was a way to stretch the value of an award ticket while visiting a place I knew nothing about.

I found Saipan fascinating. There is a lot of poverty in Saipan and the island has a complicated history that’s worth reading about. I think I most enjoyed the fact that it opened my eyes to learn about things I never knew.

Truthfully, I do not at all remember what the hotel room looked like. I do remember Peter the bellhop who remembered my name and enthusiastically greeted me with “Hello, Mr. Reyes” every time I set foot near the front door. He got a big kick out of the fact that I had a very “local” last name (Reyes is a very common last name in the Philippines and Saipan has many people of Filipino descent). I also remember the fantastic snorkeling off an island you could see from the Hyatt Regency (it did require a short and cheap boat ride to reach).

I also remember the club lounge for randomly meeting another traveler from New York (which already seems rare given how far and isolated Saipan was) and then finding out he was from upstate New York only to eventually drill down on the fact that he was from a town about 5 miles away from where we live. Keep in mind that if my town has a thousand people, his town might have 400. The chances of meeting someone from so close by and doing it so far from home felt astronomical. He had been there doing some work for FEMA. Anyway, my stay at the Hyatt Regency Saipan was memorable.

Protea Kruger Gate

Still bookable with points? Yes!

Thought a safari had to be expensive? Think again. The Protea Hotel Kruger Gate sits literally about 100 yards from the Paul Kruger Gate entrance to Kruger National Park in South Africa. And it is a Category 2 Marriott! Believe it or not, that is up from the Category 1 property it was when I stayed for 7,500 Marriott points per night. I wrote all about the property here.

The Protea Kruger Gate has a very open-air feel. Here was the lobby:

The rooms themselves weren’t luxurious but were certainly adequate.

The exciting thing here is that you may see a zebra or an impala walk past your window and you are within a minute’s drive of the gate to a vast expanse of national park where you can see the safari animals of your dreams. I took all of the animal photos in this section except the leopard within an easy drive of the hotel.

If you’re going to go to Kruger National Park, just do yourself a favor and don’t only stay at the Protea. It’s a great value, but the rest camps within the park are also great values (albeit only at paid rates) and give you access to see even more since you can get deeper into the park and still make it back before the gates close. They have “cabins” that are like small apartments for reasonable rates (I think we paid around $77 a night the first time and then maybe just over $100 the next time). Do your research because not every rest camp has the same standards of cleanliness, but I highly recommend staying at Lower Sabie. Leave when the gates open at 4:30 or 5:30am and then come back and have breakfast on the terrace at the Mug & Bean. Watch elephants and monkeys walk by and listen to the hippos in the river. You’ll be glad you did.

When I get back to Kruger National Park, I will split my time between the Protea and at least two rest camps as the park is so big that the scenery and wildlife varies dramatically so I want to see a few parts again.

Vacasa vacation rental near Pigeon Forge with Wyndham points

Incredible value, incredible views: my stay at the Greenbrier near Pigeon Forge via Vacasa vacation rentals earlier this year easily makes my top 10 redemptions. The cabin had one bedroom with a kitchen and living room and a full loft with a sofa bed, pool table, arcade cabinet, second full bathroom, and a semi third-story loft with futon mattresses. Since there was only one actual bedroom, it cost just 15,000 Wyndham points per night to book this place.

I said it once, but I’ll say it again: the views were incredible. I think about this place weekly and would go back tomorrow just to enjoy a cup of coffee out on the balcony watching the “smoke” roll through the Great Smokies. And Pigeon Forge has all of the cheesy family vacation stuff you could want: go karts, dinner shows, wax museums, etc. At the very least, when my kids are old enough to enjoy that stuff, I’ll be back.

Bottom line

What amazes me more than the redemptions in this post are the ones that didn’t make the cut: the 9-bedroom villa in the English countryside that I booked with Wyndham points or the 2-story villa with private indoor and outdoor pools that I got as an upgrade at Domes of Elounda, the memorable Sheraton Rhodes where a staff member named Kalliopi went to great lengths to make sure our stay was special, the formerly Radisson Blu Dubrovnik that felt like a city of its own away from the hustle and bustle and more. There is no doubt that we have been incredibly incredibly fortunate to enjoy travels beyond my wildest dreams thanks to this hobby. After spending most of the past couple of years grounded, I certainly look forward to some more dreaming. Here’s to not waking up.

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