Are There Any Gems on the PointBreaks List?

An update: It looks like my two featured hotels in California and Florida are  completely sold out as of this afternoon. I suggest, you don’t wait if you see other places that interest you. You can always cancel without penalty if things don’t work out.

The short answer is No. The long answer: It depends on who you ask. Normally, I don’t dedicate an entire post to this list and just link to the announcement. After all, everyone has different goals and travel plans. However, there are a couple of things going on here.

First, this is the start of vacation season for most families. Also, Daily Getaways is currently selling IHG points for a fairly reasonable price (some packages still available), with a second date scheduled for next Thursday.

IHG PointBreaks program is great for large families where you have to get 2 or more rooms while traveling. For example, if you were to purchase a 100,000 IHG points package at  a cost of $570 (with Amex discount), you would be looking at paying just $28.50 per room.

With 2 rooms, it would bump up the cost to $57, still a very good deal, especially for a road trip, where you are forced to get hotels. It’s also great for a trip to visit relatives when you don’t really want to stay at their house, but don’t want to spend a ton on lodging either.

First, here is the link to the full list

So, are there any worthwhile options?

I picked 5 hotels in the U.S that looked appealing to me, focusing on different interests, whether beach, mountain or a sightseeing vacation.  I wanted to make sure the reviews were decent and the area was an attractive destination for families. Here are some hotels that seemed like a pretty good deal on points:

1) Crowne Plaza Silicon Valley N-Union City

You can visit San Francisco, which is just 35 miles away, as well as many other attractions California has to offer. The retail rate is $135 dollar per night at the end of June.

2) Candlewood Suites Buffalo Amherst

I picked this hotel because it’s located only 19 miles away from Niagara Falls and 4 miles from Buffalo Zoo. The rate was $139 per night.

3) Crowne Plaza Hampton-Marina 

This Virginia hotel is located  right by the waterfront and near the Air and Space museum. The rate was $99 per night. Apparently, it’s  The Deal Mommy tested and approved, and I trust her opinion.

4) Holiday Inn Express Pinetop, Arizona

What, Arizona in the summer? According to hotel’s website, that area is cooler than the rest of the state. The place looks really nice, almost like a lodge. It’s  surrounded by mountains and forests and  would be a great place to spend  a vacation with your family. The rate was $109 per night.

5) Holiday Inn Sarasota-Lakewood Ranch 

We have actually just stayed at this place a few weeks ago while completing out IHG Big Win promotion. I loved it! It is clean, comfortable, with beautiful lake views. Kids eat free, and the breakfast is one of the best I’ve ever had.

The beach is located 20 minutes away by car. Sarasota has a lot to offer, including museums, parks, etc. I plan to stay here for a weekend, since it’s only 1 hour away from our house. The rate for June was $130 per night.

I’ve actually just redeemed 100,000 points (20,000 points per night) at this place for my mother-in-law, who will be attending a seminar in Sarasota at the beginning of August. The list is only good through July 31st. Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think?

Well, it’s a wrap! Keep in mind, you can make two booking per hotel. They can be for as many nights as you wish. So, if you need two rooms, that will max out your PointBreaks quota, but only for that particular hotel. These places are very popular, so don’t delay if you have a specific place and date in mind.

You can purchase the points via the backdoor method, where you buy 5,000 points, make a reservation at any IHG hotel through points+ cash rate. You then cancel it and receive the refund in points. The cost per point would work out to be 0.7 cents via this method.

You could transfer the first 5,000 points from Chase Ulimate Rewards. I don’t feel comfortable going that route, but it’s up to you, and I’m not here to give you a lecture on ethics.

So, readers, does anything look good to you?

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Photo credit goes to team empire.com

Author: Leana

Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.