Family Time in the Bahamas: Using Points to Reunite

Nassau, Bahamas with Family

My family has not traveled together in a long time due to some unfortunate circumstances, I decided it was time for my mom to get out of the county for a few days to relax. I added my niece to the trip to get her first passport stamp!

Preparing to Travel

I spent time setting up a spreadsheet and researching a few destinations to get this trip underway. I wanted to ensure my niece had things to do and that I would not break the bank. I needed a beachfront hotel, multiple on-site activities, and various food options.

After reviewing my points accumulation, I focused on using my Delta Skymiles for flights for the three of us and my Chase Ultimate Rewards for the hotel, specifically Hyatt.

I had previously signed up for another Chase Ink Business Card, the Unlimited where I earned 90,000 points after spending $6,000 in 3 months.

Total Earning from sign-up bonuses: 90,000 points

Flying to the Bahamas

For our flights heading to the Bahamas, we booked them on Delta Airlines. One flight was 11,000 miles + $6.60 and the other was 13,600 miles + $6.60 for their one-way to Nassau. My flight was 10,200 miles + $6.60.

Our returns were another story. I decided to dish out cash because I was so low on Delta Skymiles. I had under 10,000 miles and could not cover any return flights.

Their returns were $240.50 each and mine was $192.80. Check out my post “New Cards, New Opportunities: My Choices and Why, to learn how I plan to build up my Delta Skymiles again.

Total Cost: 34,800 miles + $693.60

Pro Tip: Delta allows you to book a flight with miles; if it goes down, you can rebook and get the miles back. I use this a lot.

The Hotel

There was only one option for the Bahamas using Hyatt, Grand Hyatt Baha Mar.

I transferred points from my Chase Ultimate Rewards to Hyatt. The cost was 25,000 points a night and sadly it is not all-inclusive nor includes transportation costs. In addition, there are some resort fees I will pay once I arrive.

Soon after booking, I decided to look up food prices for the restaurants at the resort and plan to stop at the grocery store on the way to the hotel. They are so expensive and 25% VAT and gratuity are added to each bill.

I want to make sure I can spend more money on experiences in the Bahamas such as Swimming with pigs than just the food.

The hotel without points would cost $2,426. So booking through points via Hyatt saved me a ton of money.

Next time, I would want to book a suite if possible.

Total Cost: 75,000 points

The Nitty Gritty

For this trip, I have put out the following to book flights and reserve our hotel thus far:

109,800 miles + $758.94

Tips

Put any taxes for flights booked with miles on a credit card so you earn rewards on that spend as well.
Re-book your flight as often as needed to get miles back or flight credit.
Be comfortable changing location to meet your budget.

Related Post

Swimming with the Pigs in the Bahamas

7 Tips to Save Money at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar

Things to do with Kids at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar

A Review of Baha Bay: A review of the waterpark at Baha Mar

How to prepare to stay at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar

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