We travel a little bit more than the average joe and we want to let you in on a secret…we don’t pay for it all in cash. Searching for a deal and credit card points are the only way that we are able to travel as much as we do. With that in mind, I want to tell you about an easy trip that you can pay for *almost* completely with points. So here it goes: Bahamas on a Budget!
Over the 4th of July, Kipp and I went to Nassau, Bahamas for a few days to have a little relaxation. Utilizing our usual M.O., we used the holiday and were able hang out on the beach for 2 full days and 2 half days with only taking one day of vacation (tips and tricks for maximizing your PTO). We left early on Saturday morning and were on the beach by 1:00pm, in addition, we took a late flight home, which allowed us to spend most of our return day relaxing on the beach. This is the third time we have been down to the Bahamas in the last couple of years and it is because we can do it without spending much cash – we fell as though we have mastered a luxury trip to the Bahamas while on a budget.
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How to book the hotel
Enter the Baha Mar Resort and Casino. This is a large, beautiful property that consists of three hotel brands: Rosewood, SLS, and Hyatt. If you are new to the points and miles game, take note: Hyatt is a point redemption sweet spot. Most of the Hyatt hotels we stay at for our vacations would normally run $500+ per night but we are able to book these for anywhere from 15,000-40,000 points. In comparison, a Marriott for the same price per night could run you around 80,000 points plus per night.
At the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar a 3-night stay at this resort would cost you about $2,000 (after taxes) if you were going to pay cash, but here you can used your Hyatt points for a 20,000 per night point redemption which ran us 60,000 points for a 3-night stay.
Note for the points newbies: you need the right credit card point currency to transfer your points to Hyatt Hotels for use. To get this currency, I would highly recommend the “blue bank” (leave a comment with your email if you want more information)!
How to book the flight
Next, we have to talk about the other biggest travel expenditure…the flight. If you live near Dallas, like us, you have a handful of airlines that will get you to Nassau but my favorites are Southwest and American Airlines. The only downside for the Bahamas is that there is only one nonstop option and it is on American, which is a brand that is hard to earn points for, but there is another way. You can check if there is any availability via British Airways and transfer points there if they have American award space available OR you can check Southwest which is a little easier.
To be transparent with you, we usually do not spend all of our points in one place. We like to spread them around so that we can travel more frequently and not have to pay the full cost of the trip with cash. So while you can pay for both your flights and hotel with points OR you can pick the more expensive item and keep some of the points in your pocket.
No need to check a bag for this trip. Just through a few swimsuits and sun dresses into your carry on using my favorite packing tool.
Baha Mar during the day
The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is one of our favorite for a handful of reasons. The ground are spectacular, there is a pool for every type of vacation preference, fantastic food, wonderful Caribbean beachfront, and great vibes. I would say the only negative is that it is a pretty large property and certain areas can get busy – but, lets get back to why this is a great spot to hangout for a long weekend.
Lets move past the fantastic rooms and the beautiful, tropically lush grounds, and on to some fun things to do. Our favorite thing to do at the hotel is to reserve a couple of lounge chairs at the Baha Bay infinity pool. Food and drinks at this resort can get a bit pricey and the main pools can get a little busy, so we think the Baha Bay Beach Club is a bit of a hack. You pay for a chair in advance and your food and drink consumption go towards the credit. The Beach Club is a nice, quieter area that has a great infinity pool right off the white sand beach (and a restaurant with our favorite grouper sandwiches). An added bonus is that it is right outside the Baha Bay water park which has water slides and a long lazy river to relax on.
In addition to the Baha Bay pool, the resort has a handful of other great pools to check out. Some that are quiet and relaxing and some that have an adjacent aquarium to check out while you are cooling off in the pool. A couple of steps from the pool sits the beach where you will find your favorite element of Caribbean islands: white sand and clear waters. Oh, and a few turtles.
Baha Mar at night
At night, this resort comes alive on the inside. First up, you have numerous restaurants to eat at – a couple of our favorites are the Swimming Pig, Marcus, and Carne. Or, if you are looking to save some money, you can grab a sandwich at the Starbucks that is on property. Next up, you can try your hand at blackjack, throw some dice on the craps table, play the slots, or whatever other casino game catches your eye. There is even a nightclub at the resort – which I will admit, we have not gone to but it is there for your partying pleasure.
An added treat to staying at this wonderful resort during the 4th of July holiday was a complimentary firework event. This included fireworks with a palm tree background as well as live music, snowcones, and other treats.
Island Inspiration
If you are looking for some activities that are a little more adventurous, here are a couple we have done in the past that we would recommend:
- Take a full day trip to Exuma and some of the smaller Bahamian islands and visit the famous pig beach and Compass Cay where you can swim with Nurse Sharks – important note: the sharks are nicer than the pigs.
- Day Trip to Rose Island
We all need to just get out of times sometimes. So if you need a quick getaway but don’t want to break the bank, I hope this helps give you some inspiration to stay at the Bahamas on the budget.
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