I have more miles than I know what to do with and I am looking for some good uses of miles in 25k spurts. I have miles on all alliances so that is not a constraint.

Please recommend some of your favorite weekend (2-3 day) trips within the following constraints:

1) No beaches. If the location has a beach, that is fine, but not if it is the only good thing about it.
2) Preferably has a Starwood property.
3) Bonus points for interesting things to do (interesting = not only restaurants). Magnificent natural scenery is a plus.

Please include the season that is best in your opinion.

Thanks!

PS Flying out of NYC but it really doesn't matter as I don't consider 5-6 hours to be 'too much' for a weekend trip.

PS2: Given the season, skiing is an exciting option but I am a beginner so keep that in mind.

If it's not too far LAS is a great option for weekend trips. Not only do you get all the vegas stuff, but the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Zion and Bryce Canyon are all within a daytrip. I've always wanted to try a helicopter ride from vegas to the grand canyon.

I think you cant go wrong flying west. (Utah, Wyoming, into Las Vegas) renting a car and driving. Hit some national parks. The scenery is stunning and the driving is the trip. I know AA offers one way awards, so into Las Vegas and out of SLC would be great. The drive is the trip. Nothing fancy along the way, but you just drink in the landscape.

OR...into SLC and out of Jackson Hole. Hitting the Yellowstone area.

We love doing this. Probably best for a three days weekend. Dont know about the Starwood angle.

Good luck.

Consider Pittsburgh. In a weekend you can visit the Warhol Museum, the Carnegie Museum of Art/Natural History and if you have kids, the Pittsburgh Children's Museum is world class. There is also the Carnegie Science Center and numerous other places to visit. You could even rent a car and drive into the countryside to see Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water. Depending upon the season go to a sporting event. Take the incline up Mount Washington at night. Falling Water is beautiful in the autumn.

We are now planning our first visit to Charleston, SC. My friend went there last year with her husband and two teenaged daughters, and they had a great time.

I find it very exhausting to do a one-day Bryce Canyon excursion ex-Vegas as it is a good 4.5 hours of driving/bus ride each way. I'd much prefer to overnight and come back the next day if I were to do this excursion by car or bus. The Helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon is a different story which I find to be more relaxing.

Remember that the continental US (covered by most airlines' 25k-mile awards) includes Alaska, so a weekend around Anchorage is a great way to get the most bang for your mile. There's a Sheraton in the city and incredible scenery all around (I'd highly recommend a drive down the Kenai Peninsula or a quick trip into Denali Park). Anchorage itself is... well, quirky. Not entirely in a good way. But it's a decent base for excursions into the surrounding area.

Summer has the best weather and absurd amounts of daylight, but award flights may be scarce. Early to mid-autumn is still beautiful though.

If you'd prefer something a bit closer, Portland and Seattle are great cities in their own right and also surrounded by natural beauty. Also best to go summer/early fall, unless you like relentless drizzle.

How about a weekend out of the big city and go to somewhere like Vail, CO? Fly directly to EGE. It'd give you a weekend with the best ski slopes directly in the mountains with some awesome hiking.

Thank you all. Alaska sounds very intriguing, although like you said award travel may be scarce.

This sounds like a long shot, but are there any nice ski areas that just happen to not be "crazy crowded" at any point over the next 5 months? Would like to take a lesson and not waste half the time in ski lift lines.

Thanks!

Agreed. I stayed there overnight. Not a daytrip, but definitely an awesome weekend trip.

New Orleans - perfect for a weekend.

Great music, great food, lots to do. Nonstop flights from NYC airports on DL, CO, and B6. Several Starwood hotels including the Westin and several W's.

You might especially check out the 2nd weekend in April (2 weeks before the famous Jazzfest) when they have the French Quarter Festival. Local musicians on numerous stages continuously throughout the French Quarter all weekend and it's all free (except for the food).

If you're flexible, your best bet might be to keep an eye on the ski reports for a few different places near the end of the season. Then if there's an unusually heavy snowfall in March or April, book a last-minute award ticket and go the same weekend. The chances of award availability then would be higher since most people wouldn't have risked planning their big ski trips in the off season.