Mixed up Minn & Mont and which was in which TZ, never mind

FL is 1 hour ahead of MSP ( CT vs ET) Cali (PT) is 2 hours behind MSP. Hawaii is 4 hours behind MSP

Yea OGG wouldnt be ns and would be apx 10 hrs, MIA is apx 4 hrs so its a big difference.But then again so is the EQMs to be earned. MIA is a straight shot down from NY yet I dont fly there but to LA which takes 2x as long since its 3x the EQMs for usually just a couple of $ more in fare

My Bad youre 100% correct seems I mixed Minn and Mont up. Although Im sure the fares to HI are thru the roof from MSP etc, if the cpm was still reasonable Id still look to do it over FL. The cpm out of NY to FL is usually 15/eqm or just under that. So a tkt to HI would have to cost me more then $1500 to make FL a better deal eqm wise, yea its akiler time wise but HI can usually be had for < 10/eqm or by doing 2 tlts 1 to the WC and the other to HI

But if a person will be burning thru miles then FL is 25k at best

I fly 6 times a year for free so I always look fr the 25K flights. I fly MSP to TPA and BDL/HPN. Delta is 40- 50K ( once in a while you can get a 25K ) but it's the only airline that flys non stop year round to my destinations

CY KOA is not bad- however one review I read of the OGG CY is it has a great view of Costco - not that I'm opposed to that- but one can purchase only so much pineapple :p

I now see why the Cat 4 certs are both a blessing and a curse...

Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur- JW Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Philippines
Cebu City- Cebu City Marriott Hotel

Thailand
Bangkok- Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel
Bangkok- Bangkok Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit
Klaeng, Rayong- Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa
Pattaya- Pattaya Marriott Resort & Spa

Vietnam
Hanoi- JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi
Ho Chi Minh City- Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon

:p

I like my cat 4 hotel choices in Asia! :D

good choices except that the OP was looking for:

"I've got a bunch of cat 4 certs that I'm looking to use. The gf and I are considering taking a trip to a sunny destination for a weekend sometime soon. It looks like the best options are South Florida, LA, or San Juan PR."

and flying over to asia from MSP really is not very realistic for a weekend.....

Thanks, that looks nice. I'll prob end up doing this or Boca or Miami.

San Juan is really not a tourist city. The beauty & worthwhile parts of Puerto Rico are not in San Juan, they are outside the city.

but aren't most of these properties relatively cheap anyways?

If one earned their cat 4 certs from business travel I can see not caring about the ROI, but for those on their own dime wouldn't one just pay for the Asian hotels listed?

Ren BKK and Pattaya Marriott will be "upgraded" to cat 5 effective May15th. (dito Ren Phuket)

correct. CY OGG is nothign special. Costco/KMART/Rental Cars. Nothing near by.

Warning
 

with the red hot category changes, I would double check the property is indeed a cat4...

check this out

Cat 4's in LA
 

Manhattan Beach Marriott is a very nice category 4. I've stayed there a few times... and it's about a 5 minute drive to the beach.

Also nearby in LA is the Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel

Warner Center Marriott Woodland Hills is another option in LA... closer to Malibu.