Top 10 Favorite Travel Redemptions of the Year (2023)
Is it time to brag? It feels like it’s time to brag.
By my count, there have been 52 instances that I’ve redeemed points for flights, hotels, upgrades, experiences and - yes, even - drinks in 2023. Today I want to discuss some of my top redemptions of the year.
First of all, it’s that time of year where I’m days away from having my status + bennies tally of the year. This year to date, between credit card benefits + promos + status benefits I’ve received $98,235 in value. That’s incredible.
Here’s a sneak peak of how I track:
Some argue that if you were never going to purchase the room or the upgrade, you can’t count the savings, and perhaps I should attribute this all to girl math, but realistically these are things I’m receiving that have a published value that I am not paying for. The day that I lose my status and no longer receive upgrades, I will feel a deep longing for the upgrades of days past.
I will likely dedicate an entire post to the tally of the year, after I see how it all plays out - What value is dedicated to each status / which statuses are worth the most and least.. but that’s for another post.
Today I want to discuss my top redemptions of the year:
Auckland Skyline, Courtest of Conde Naste
Auckland, NZ - 37.4k Delta Skymiles RT
Enough said, right? Delta Skymiles are notoriously worth very little, and given the cash rates of the route now, they are worth about 1.7 cents per skymile on this redemption. The fact that I’m proud of that should say something.
That being said, the redemption was low enough that I was able to take my parents to a location they’ve always wanted to visit without spending more than taxes, and we’ll be traveling both the North and South islands together, and visiting one of my favorite locations on the planet - Gemstone Beach.
2. Conrad Maldives - 240k Hilton Pts + Free Night Certificate
The Conrad Maldives is a dream redemption. There’s no other way to put it. I once poo-pooed the Maldives as an overrated destination for the ostentatious, but it was truly paradise on earth. We found available in December for the following August for “standard room” rates in a Sunrise villa. August should be rainy season, but - according to the staff - due to climate change the weather was a bit weird this year. We didn’t receive much rain at all - maybe a short sprinkling on a day or two. This was a beautiful trip and a once-in-a-lifetime must.
Due to our status and the relatively low level of capacity (10% capacity at the time of our visit) we were upgraded to an overwater villa. The daily happy hour can’t be missed!
(And no our flight to get there wasn’t expensive! We booked with the Air Asia Pass, so it was around $100 RT from Malaysia for the taxes and fees. Highly recommend positioning out of SE Asia or HK for low flight rates).
3. Secrets Papagayo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica - 29k Hyatt Points / Night (All Inclusive)
Tucked away near the peninsula of Papagayo, this private, pristine property is a step above other all-inclusives. Yes, it’s small and the staff takes their time, but we thought the quality of food was good, the staff was professional, and the wine selection was a great value (we bought a bottle of 2004 Dom Perignon Rosé for $400 in 2023, for example). Availability most likely opens up right before, so we first booked a 2-star-equivalent accommodation on the beach nearby (approx. $30/night) and booked this as it became available. The value is incredible, as this hotel is often $1k+ per night.
4. Lima, Peru - 18,500 Spirit Points
Situated right along on the Pacific coast, Lima is the home to the world’s #1 restaurant, Central (and we’re 2 for 2 on scoring reservations). Japanese and Peruvian culture blend together like incense in this South American capital. Go for a walk and pop into unique restaurant and bar concepts in Miraflores (or go rent a tennis court for $3/hr - but at least pretend you’re local!), or peruse conceptual and artisan shops in Barranco. We love Lima and I’ll take an excuse to go visit - including but not limited to a sub 20k pt redemption.
5. Alila Napa Valley - 25k Hyatt Points/Night
Some have called this the redemption of a lifetime, but I really have rooms.aero to thank for this redemption. We had pre-booked flights out to the west coast on our Frontier Go Wild Pass to go to an event in Napa anyway (Far Niente Crush Season event via Delta Skymiles - only 10k Skymiles! Can you believe it?).
2 weeks before we took off, I checked rooms.aero and lo and behold - weekend availability had opened up! This property runs over $2k/night and although it is truly lovely, I believe the price is more indicative of the overall region’s taste for expense rather than the true dollar and cents value of the stay. I hate to part with Hyatt points, but this was a lovely redemption for an unforgettable weekend in Napa.
6. Maui, Hawaii - Southwest Companion Pass
This is purely bias because of how wonderful this trip was, but let this be your call to action: If you have only visited Honolulu to date, do yourself a favor, rent a car and book a ticket to Maui. I scored the southwest promo pass late last year for Q1 of 2023, so we were truly looking to go to the edge of Southwest’s flight map. I booked for Turks and Caicos (PLS), Maui (OGG) and Havana, Cuba (HAV). Maui makes the list for its beauty and different-colored beaches. Just beautiful.
7. La Fete Du Champagne NYC - 81,000 Delta Skymiles
Won through Delta Skymiles Experiences, La Fete was an experience unlike any other. There were over 150 champagnes at tasting day event, all of which you could learn about (sometimes directly from the grower) and try. At the gala dinner, bottles were passed from table to table - some as old as my mother (1964 vintage!). This redemption alone was worth $3400 of value - I know because the tickets were originally purchasable via Amex.
8. Grayson NYC - 23k Hyatt Points/Night
A new favorite, the Grayson hotel is centrally located in Manhattan, right by Bryant Park. At just 23,000 points a night, this redemption comes in at 1/3 or 1/4 of a typical hotel redemption for NYC. It was a fantastic stay with well-trained staff and a great hotel bar overlooking the city. I’ll definitely bring friends back here for the skyline views and an afternoon cocktail.
9. MSP-ICN (Seoul) Upgrade to Business class - 70k Delta Skymiles
This was one of my pricier redemptions, but when it comes down to it, I will give up a lot of miles to not have to sit upright for 12 hours. Delta claims to have “sunset” this program, which was the “OY” inventory miles upgrade. I was able to snag an upgrade from MSP to ICN for just 70k skymiles on my economy fare. Also not pictured here, my seat, evidently, but it was a 1-2-1 configuration with lie flat seats, Delta One Suites.
10. Laurent Perrier Champagne - 2464 Delta Skymiles
Another instance of me taking content for Tiktok instead of my blog - I only have videos of these redemptions, but twice this year I spent Delta skymiles on a half bottle (375ml) of Laurent Perrier. Some would call this a poor redemption, but it’s really not when you think of how terribly Skymiles have devalued. It’s actually a decent redemption, almost 2 cents per point. It may be one of my best redemptions of the year with Delta???
Anyway, Cheers to 2024 and continuing to derive value in a consistently devalued system.
What was your best redemption this year?
