Art Deco to Adventure: Our Miami Travel-Hacking Experience
Miami: Our Ultimate Travel Hacked Adventure
Embarking on a journey to Miami, Florida, is like stepping into a paradise adorned with sun-kissed beaches, vibrant culture, and endless adventures. However, our trip to this coastal gem wasn't just an ordinary vacation but a meticulously crafted travel-hacked adventure that unfolded into an unforgettable experience. Learn how we used credit card travel reward points to earn a free vacation.
Setting the Stage:
My mom has a lot of family living in Miami, so we try to make it down there on a semi-regular basis. However, due to Covid, we were very overdue for a trip. I knew I wanted to reintroduce the kids to Florida and make it a fun and memorable trip for them.
How We Got a Free Hotel:
The cornerstone of our journey was travel hacking. My mom and stepdad were joining us and she tends to favor Hilton Honors points when earning travel reward points. We didn’t mind staying outside of Miami but knew we did want to be along the beach and have a nice pool area. So we started searching Hilton Hotels between Fort Lauderdale and Miami along the beach. We decided on The Diplomat Beach Resort Hollywood, Curio Collection by Hilton in Hollywood, Florida.
The Hilton Surpass card by American Express is always my go-to card when I am not working on a sign-up bonus, which means I usually have a surplus of Hilton points available. This hotel was 70,000 points per night or $358 a night. If we had paid cash, the hotel stay would have been $2,215 for 5 nights in April. Of course, we used points for our 5-night stay totaling 280,000 points. Since Hilton offers the 5th night free when booking on points, we like to stay at Hilton hotels in multiples of 5 nights. To learn more about the Hilton Honors program check out "Overview of the Hilton Honors Program".
The Diplomat Beach Resort
Upon arrival at the Diplomat Beach Resort, we were awed by the lobby. It is expansive and offers gorgeous sites of the ocean. The check-in process is smooth and efficient. My mom was upgraded to a King Corner Suite which was huge with a wrap-around balcony and views of the ocean. We spent a lot of time hanging out in her room. My daughter prefers pools, while my son prefers the beach. At The Diplomat, the beach entrance is right next to the pool, which allowed my husband and I to easily split our time between the beach and the pool, each with one of the kids. The pools were large and well-kept. We enjoyed dining along the beach and ordering food to be brought to us poolside. Being able to order lunch to be brought to our Lounge chairs by the pool was a very nice feature. We didn’t have to leave the pool when everyone got hungry. As a Diamond member, we were offered $15 credit for up to 2 people per day of our stay when items were charged to the room. We used up these credits quickly as we ate many meals at the hotel. It was convenient to have good food available without having to leave the hotel. Since this was a trip to visit family, we were able to have family visit us at the hotel, use the pool have a meal together, etc. Having the amenities and space to have family visit us at the hotel made this a much easier trip with the kids, rather than having to go to several different houses to visit everyone.
Flight Hacks- How We Scored Free Airfare:
I had some Jet Blue points accumulated from previous trips and I opened a new Jet Blue credit card to earn enough flight points for this trip. Jet Blue credit card is currently offering 60,000 points in a sign-up bonus after spending $1,000 on the card within 90 days. This awarded enough points for 4 round-trip tickets from NYC to Fort Lauderdale. By following our travel hacking strategies you too can enjoy free vacations. To learn how to start travel hacking check out our 101 Beginners Guide to Travel Hacking.
Our travel-hacked adventure to Miami exemplified the power of strategic planning, resourcefulness, and a dash of wanderlust. By embracing the art of using travel reward points, we were able to book a trip for a family of 4 from NYC to Miami for free. We enjoyed some family time and got to see relatives who live out of town. We enjoyed many days at the beach and the pool soaking up the sun.