How I Redeemed Nearly 700K Points for a Monthlong Luxury Honeymoon Abroad

My wife and I got married earlier this year in my familial home of Prague, Czech Republic. It was a beautiful celebration, and we spent 10 days in one of my favorite cities on the planet. Right after the wedding, we embarked on a 3-week honeymoon adventure to 2 bucket-list destinations: the Maldives and Japan.

Needless to say, a month on the road isn’t cheap, with or without points. That said, we were able to make an otherwise impossible trip happen with nearly 700,000 American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and World of Hyatt points, plus some cash to supplement flight taxes and a few hotel stays.

Here, I’ll show you where we went, how we booked our destination wedding and honeymoon travel, and the types of points and miles we redeemed. All rates are for 2 travelers. Use this post as inspiration for booking your honeymoon — or a fun trip abroad!

LOT Polish Business Class Flights to Prague

Cost: 126,000 Avianca LifeMiles and $150.40 in taxes and fees

First things first: We had to get to Prague for the wedding. While Delta Air Lines runs direct flights from our home in New York (JFK) to Prague (PRG) over the summer months, our wedding was in February, so I had to book connecting flights.

I started using PointsYeah, an award search tool, to find flights. We arrived in Prague about a week before the wedding on LOT Polish Airlines from New York (JFK) to Prague (PRG) with a layover in Warsaw (WAW).

When I booked our flights last July, Avianca LifeMiles charged 63,000 LifeMiles and minimal taxes and fees for most flights from the U.S. to Europe. Now, this same ticket costs 80,000 miles but still has low taxes and fees. I transferred points from American Express Membership Rewards to LifeMiles to book the ticket.

I ran into a minor issue with our itinerary. A schedule change occurred between when I booked the ticket and when we were set to fly. LifeMiles never reticketed our flights, so we wouldn’t have been able to check in at the airport. I noticed this when I tried to pull up our booking on LOT’s website. Thankfully, a quick call to Avianca LifeMiles reissued the ticket.

The flight was comfortable but not notable. The New York to Warsaw leg was on a EuroAtlantic Boeing 777-200, which previously flew for the now-defunct Alitalia. The cabin hasn’t changed much since then, but it was comfortable and had great service for a quick flight over the Atlantic.

With the Priority Pass membership included with my Chase Sapphire Reserve^®, we entered the Preludium Lounge during our layover. We could have used a LOT-branded lounge with our business class ticket, but we visited the Priority Pass lounge with my sister and her boyfriend, who were on our flight but sitting in economy.

9 Nights at Lindner Hotel Prague Castle

Cost: $1,024

We paid for our stay at the Lindner Hotel Prague Castle since my wife and I organized a room block rate for hotel guests flying in from elsewhere. However, the property is a part of Hyatt’s JDV collection, so you can book it for as few as 6,500 World of Hyatt points as a Category 2 property. We paid roughly $113 per night, and our block rate included breakfast.

I won’t go into a full review, but the Lindner Prague Castle is an excellent hotel for the cash or points price. The on-site restaurant had a wonderful breakfast spread, the staff was helpful, and the rooms were large enough for everything we had to bring for the wedding. The location was great for our wedding inside the Prague Castle complex at Lobkowicz Palace.

Qatar Airways Business and First Class to the Maldives

Cost: 100,000 British Airways Avios and $414.60 in taxes and fees

After an incredible wedding, we went to the Maldives for the first part of our honeymoon. I booked these flights last summer — well before we were set to depart — and that helped me get an excellent deal on flights that would otherwise be well out of our price range.

I found award space on Qatar Airways from Prague (PRG) to Malé (MLE) via Doha (DOH). The first leg was in business class, and the second was in first class. I booked 2 tickets through British Airways Executive Club for 130,000 Avios plus $414.60 in taxes and fees. There was a 30% transfer bonus from American Express Membership Rewards to British Airways at the time, so I transferred just 100,000 points to book both tickets.

The flights were both excellent. While the Prague to Doha flight doesn’t have the airline’s top-notch Qsuites business class product, I found the Boeing 787-8 business class product more than adequate for the 6-hour journey. The food and drink service was great, and the staff constantly checked if we needed more drinks or snacks.

Qatar Airways first class was a truly special experience. The route was operated by a Boeing 777-300ER that Qatar Airways leases from Cathay Pacific. The flight was relatively short, but we were offered caviar service, Champagne, and a meal. Plus, we visited the legendary Al Swafa first-class lounge during our connection.

5 Nights at Alila Kothaifaru Maldives

Cost: 175,000 World of Hyatt points (and $1,310 for seaplane transfers)

I had resisted booking a trip to the Maldives for years. I’m not usually a beach guy, preferring to visit cities. But after 9 days of seeing almost all of our friends and family, my wife and I knew we’d need some time away from the world — and what better place to do that than a Maldives resort?

Hyatt has 2 high-end Maldives properties that you can book with points: the Alila Kothaifaru Maldives and the Park Hyatt Maldives. Both are Category 7 properties that cost 35,000 World of Hyatt points per night on the dates we stayed. We chose the Alila because it’s a newer property, and we’d heard rave reviews from friends who had stayed there.

We booked our 5-night stay by transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt Rewards points to World of Hyatt. The hotel program does waive resort fees on award stays, but we did have to pay $655 per person for round-trip seaplane transfers from Malé to the resort. We also used a Guest of Honor certificate to receive Globalist elite status perks during our stay.

Our time at the Alila Kothaifaru Maldives was nothing short of incredible. We stayed in a secluded beach villa with a private pool and direct access to the water, which I think is the perfect honeymoon suite.

The on-site restaurants were very pricey, but the food never disappointed. If you visit, I highly recommend booking The Shack for a picnic lunch. It’s a small island beside the hotel where you can dine on a semi-private sandbank after a brief speedboat ride. Other culinary highlights include fresh sushi at Yakitori Bar and lunch at Mirus Bar.

Hot Tip:

Guest of Honor certificates allow Globalist members to gift their benefits to another member for a stay. This includes complimentary breakfast, which can be a considerable savings in destinations like the Maldives, where food is expensive.

Malaysia Airlines and Japan Airlines Business Class to Japan

Cost: 80,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles and $259 in taxes and fees

After an unforgettable time in the Maldives, we flew to Japan for the second part of our honeymoon. We took a seaplane from the Alila Maldives to Malé and spent a night in the city. The next day, we returned to the airport for the long journey to Tokyo.

Booked our flights with American Airlines AAdvantage miles. We flew Malaysia Airlines business class from Malé (MLE) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL) for a brief connection, continuing to Tokyo Narita (NRT) in Japan Airlines business class.

The Malaysia Airlines portion of the journey was fine, but nothing special. The airline operated our flight with a Boeing 737 MAX 8 with U.S.-style domestic first-class recliners. No alcohol or Wi-Fi was provided, but the service and food were good enough for the 4-hour flight.

The second leg was much more exciting, as it was operated by a Japan Airlines (JAL) Boeing 787-9 with its Sky Suite business class product. My wife and I had flown this product before on a previous trip to Asia. We enjoyed a comfortable ride to Tokyo and promptly fell asleep after boarding.

I booked these tickets for 40,000 AAdvantage miles per person, plus $129.70 in taxes and fees. This was an excellent deal for such a long itinerary, and it sure beat flying coach for the 5,300-mile journey across Asia.

3 Nights at Hotel Toranomon Hills

Cost: $1,128

We spent the next 10 days traveling throughout Japan. Room rates were very reasonable, so we paid out of pocket for most of our hotel stays on this portion of the trip. Almost all of our stays were at Hyatt properties, putting me closer to my goal of qualifying for Globalist status this year.

We got a reasonable rate in Tokyo at Hotel Toranomon Hills, part of Hyatt’s Unbound collection. It’s in the Toranomon Hills area, well-connected to Shinjuku, Shibuya, and other must-see parts of Tokyo by transit. The hotel had modern and large rooms and a superb breakfast selection for Globalist (and Guest of Honor) members.

3 Nights at Caption by Hyatt Osaka

Cost: $643

After this, we traveled to Osaka for 3 nights and stayed at the Caption by Hyatt Osaka. It’s a Category 1 hotel, which can be booked from just 3,500 points, but there was no award space when we booked our stay.

Regardless, we paid $214.53 per per night, which we found to be a good value in the centrally located Namba area of Osaka. Rooms were small, but that’s to be expected at a mid-range hotel in Japan. We also used a Guest of Honor certificate here and loved the set menu breakfast in the lobby.

2 Nights at Hyatt Regency Kyoto

Cost: $668

Moving on to Kyoto, we booked the Hyatt Regency Kyoto through Hyatt Privé for $334 per night. This gave us extra perks, like daily breakfast, a $100 dining credit, a room upgrade, and other perks. The rooms could use a modern refresh, but the property was in a good location, reasonably priced, and we loved the on-site Italian restaurant. After a week of nonstop eating sushi, tempura, and ramen, having a quick break with our dining credit was nice.

1 Night at Novotel Nara

Cost: $120

Finally, we stayed at the Novotel Nara for a night when we went to see Nara Park and its famous bowing deer. I even got to try out the Accor Silver status I earned from a recent Bilt Rent Day promotion. Plus, it’s just 1 train stop from Nara Park.

1 Night at Caption by Hyatt Osaka

Cost: 5,000 World of Hyatt Points

We spent another night at the Caption by Hyatt Osaka before flying out of Osaka (KIX) to begin our journey home, but redeemed points for the 1-night stay.

China Airlines Economy Flights to Taipei

Cost: $404

Award space was limited on the way home, but we made it work. First, we flew China Airlines from Osaka (KIX) to Taipei (TPE) on a relatively inexpensive paid ticket.

1 Night at Grand Hyatt Taipei

Cost: $311

I booked the Grand Hyatt Taipei through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts (FHR). We made the most of our 36 hours in the city and took a taxi to the airport for a late flight to San Francisco (SFO).

Starlux Business Class Flights to San Francisco

Cost: 150,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles and $92 in taxes and fees

I was really excited about the first leg of the journey. I found Starlux business class award space through Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan from Taipei to San Francisco for 75,000 miles, which is a rarity these days.

I loved the flight with Starlux’s spaceship-inspired cabin and Michelin chef-created menu. The space-themed lounge was interesting and reminiscent of Walt Disney World’s Space Mountain.

1 Night at Grand Hyatt San Francisco

Cost: 23,000 World of Hyatt points

We then spent a night at the Grand Hyatt SFO, which I booked with 23,000 World of Hyatt points when it was still a Category 5 hotel (it has since increased to Category 6). We were upgraded to an airport-view room, which made for some great late-night and early-morning planespotting.

JetBlue Mint Business Class to New York

Cost: 114,049 Amex Membership Rewards points

I booked San Francisco (SFO) to New York (JFK) in JetBlue Mint business class for our final flight home through AmexTravel.com. Tickets were $877.30 per person, but The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express 35% Pay With Points rebate (up to 1 million points per calendar year) reduced my cost to 114,049 points for both tickets.

This was my second time flying JetBlue Mint, and, as expected, it didn’t disappoint. I’m a big fan of the newest Mint product, which is outfitted with a comfortable lie-flat seat, wireless charging, and a trendy food and drink menu. We arrived in New York rested and ready to start our new life together.

Recapping Our Trip

This trip required a lot of planning, points, and cash, but needless to say, it was well worth it for a once-in-a-lifetime journey around the world with my spouse. Totaling up these expenses, we spent the following on hotels and flights:

• Cash for flights and award taxes: $1,318
• Cash for hotel stays: $5,206
• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles: 150,000
• Amex Membership Rewards points: 240,049
• American Airlines AAdvantage miles: 80,000
• World of Hyatt points: 203,000

Final Thoughts

Needless to say, this was the best trip I’ve ever taken. We visited some amazing destinations, flew in comfort on all long-haul flights, and, most importantly, we came back with wedding rings! This trip would have been well outside our budget without points and miles, once again proving their power to make the otherwise impossible possible.

Points and miles can help make extravagant trips like this possible for the everyday traveler. Whether planning a honeymoon, engagement trip, babymoon, or just a fun trip, take stock of your available rewards. You might be able to upgrade to business class or stay at a high-end hotel that’s otherwise out of your budget.