Need your advice on booking award trip for honeymoon
Feb 19, 2013, 9:47 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 5
Need your advice on booking award trip for honeymoon
Hi,
I am brand new to booking award redemptions (especially flights) and I'm trying to book a trip for my honeymoon, which we are planning to take August 28th - September 7th of this year. We are very flexible on dates (and even location). One goal is to maximize point redemptions.
With that said, we decided to go to Hawaii and French Polynesia after a lot of thought (mostly for the "free" stopover via American Airlines on international flights). What is the best way to book this trip using points and getting the best value?
Points summary (breakdown between me and spouse in parenthesis):
Southwest: 80,000 (60K + 20K)
AA: 170,000 (70K + 100K)
Hawaiian: 70,000
SPG: 45,000
Hilton: 240,000
Marriott: 30,000
Membership Rewards: 100,000
Hotel status:
Hilton: Gold
Starwood: Gold
Select credit cards with benefits:
Amex Platinum, SPG, Hilton Surpass
I'm pretty sure I can figure out how to maximize points with the SPG and Hilton cards. I'm new to the Platinum and will try to take advantage of the lounge access. I am pretty sure I have a handle on the inter-island flights in Hawaii and French Polynesia (and ferries).
This is what I'm thinking:
- LAS-HNL-PPT on Hawaiian Airlines via AA points because of the free stopover in HNL
- In HNL, we'll go to Kauai and stay at a Starwood for a few days using cash & points.
- HNL-PPT using the second leg of the HA ticket via AA. Since the flight gets in at 11pm on Saturday nights, we'll burn a night in Tahiti at some random place
- PPT-MOG via inter-island (Air Tahiti) and stay 2 nights at Hilton Morea using points (if it's a VIP redemption, I may book 4 nights using AXON for 145,000 Hilton Honors points but only stay 2-3 nights).
- MOG-BOB via Air Tahiti and stay 4 nights at Hilton Bora Bora using AXON
- BOB-PPT
- PPT-LAX on Air Tahiti Nui via AA. I may try to add on a free oneway somewhere since LAX is the North American Gateway city for AA (to use at a later time).
To get to LAS on the way out and from LAX on the way back to my home airport, I'll use Southwest.
Some thoughts:
- I don't know if I could get a better deal using Membership Rewards and
transferring points to another airline.
- I will probably need to transfer some Starwood points to top off my AA account for get the economy flights (37,500 each way)
- I will transfer some Hawaiian points to Hilton at 1-2 to top off my Hilton account for extra needed points
- Will get free breakfast and Internet at Hilton properties (saves $ on food!)
Are there other ideas for the least amount of cash expenditure and getting the best value/use out of our points?
Thank you for your expertise!
I am brand new to booking award redemptions (especially flights) and I'm trying to book a trip for my honeymoon, which we are planning to take August 28th - September 7th of this year. We are very flexible on dates (and even location). One goal is to maximize point redemptions.
With that said, we decided to go to Hawaii and French Polynesia after a lot of thought (mostly for the "free" stopover via American Airlines on international flights). What is the best way to book this trip using points and getting the best value?
Points summary (breakdown between me and spouse in parenthesis):
Southwest: 80,000 (60K + 20K)
AA: 170,000 (70K + 100K)
Hawaiian: 70,000
SPG: 45,000
Hilton: 240,000
Marriott: 30,000
Membership Rewards: 100,000
Hotel status:
Hilton: Gold
Starwood: Gold
Select credit cards with benefits:
Amex Platinum, SPG, Hilton Surpass
I'm pretty sure I can figure out how to maximize points with the SPG and Hilton cards. I'm new to the Platinum and will try to take advantage of the lounge access. I am pretty sure I have a handle on the inter-island flights in Hawaii and French Polynesia (and ferries).
This is what I'm thinking:
- LAS-HNL-PPT on Hawaiian Airlines via AA points because of the free stopover in HNL
- In HNL, we'll go to Kauai and stay at a Starwood for a few days using cash & points.
- HNL-PPT using the second leg of the HA ticket via AA. Since the flight gets in at 11pm on Saturday nights, we'll burn a night in Tahiti at some random place
- PPT-MOG via inter-island (Air Tahiti) and stay 2 nights at Hilton Morea using points (if it's a VIP redemption, I may book 4 nights using AXON for 145,000 Hilton Honors points but only stay 2-3 nights).
- MOG-BOB via Air Tahiti and stay 4 nights at Hilton Bora Bora using AXON
- BOB-PPT
- PPT-LAX on Air Tahiti Nui via AA. I may try to add on a free oneway somewhere since LAX is the North American Gateway city for AA (to use at a later time).
To get to LAS on the way out and from LAX on the way back to my home airport, I'll use Southwest.
Some thoughts:
- I don't know if I could get a better deal using Membership Rewards and
transferring points to another airline.
- I will probably need to transfer some Starwood points to top off my AA account for get the economy flights (37,500 each way)
- I will transfer some Hawaiian points to Hilton at 1-2 to top off my Hilton account for extra needed points
- Will get free breakfast and Internet at Hilton properties (saves $ on food!)
Are there other ideas for the least amount of cash expenditure and getting the best value/use out of our points?
Thank you for your expertise!
Feb 19, 2013, 10:08 pm
#3
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 5
Need your advice on booking award trip for honeymoon
Transfer your Hawaiian miles to HHonnors today (take up to 4 weeks, 2 on average), and book the Conrad Maldives before March 28th. This property is going to be 95k per day year round after March 28th.