Amanda sent in our latest reader success story to Sedona and Scottsdale. The impressive thing is that she has only been in the points and miles hobby for about a year! Here’s her story:

It’s been almost 11 months since I started following Travel Mom Squad, listening to the podcasts from episode 1, and joining the Facebook group, and we JUST got back from our first ever fully-covered-by-points trip (except for car rental and food).

We spent 8 nights/9 days in sunny Arizona, 4 nights in Sedona, and 4 nights in Scottsdale! We are a family of 4 with 2 boys, ages 8 and 4, and we had a BLAST!

 

Flights to Arizona on Credit Card Miles

We flew from Boston to Phoenix (and back) on American Airlines for 112k points using 2 AA cards (P1 and P2). We saved $1760!
 

Lodging in Arizona on Credit Card Points

Hilton Sedona Resort

We stayed 4 nights at the Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock for 160k points + 2FNC. This came from P1’s Amex Hilton Honors Business Card — I got the elevated offer last year. This saved us $2889.23. As a side note, I tried to book the Hyatt Piñon Point for a family of four, but it was tricky. I tracked it on maxmypoint, and availability popped up days before our trip.  However, it was too late to cancel our Hilton Reservations.

It’s okay, we liked the Hilton. I wouldn’t call it a “resort,” but having a kitchen would have been great. But it was only 10 mins from downtown Sedona, and honestly, it was nice being out of the crowded areas! Plenty of restaurants were around us, some even within walking distance from the hotel!

The food at the hotel was excellent. Our whole family enjoyed breakfast most days… the waffles were a fan favorite! Dinner by the fire pits outside was also delicious; we even had some live music. And with my Hilton Honors card, we received a $36 food credit daily! After our hikes, we enjoyed the pool and hot tub, although the restaurant and bar by the pool weren’t open yet. The rooms had a microwave, fridge, and separate sink area, which was nice. We could heat up leftovers and store snacks and drinks there. Sedona is just gorgeous!

 

 

 

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch

We stayed the other four nights at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch. It cost us 92K Ultimate Reward points transferred to Hyatt. We earned those from P1 + P2 Chase Sapphire Cards with points left over. This saved us $2681.15.

The hotel is still under construction, but it’s SO nice!! The pool area is amaaaazing! It’s huge and has a water slide. Oh, and a beach! There are lots of chairs and cabanas. There is also an adult section that looks really nice. It’s definitely a resort! Sitting at the pool and having food and drinks brought to me was an amazing luxury.

 

 

Activities in Arizona 

Overall, we did a lot of hiking as a family in both areas. We took a jeep tour in Sedona, visited the Out of Africa wildlife park, explored the ghost town in Jerome and panned for gold, visited a natural history museum, and explored Old Town and Cave Creek around Scottsdale. We had a really fun family vacation!  ‘

 

 

It was nice to be able to splurge on activities and food/drinks a little, knowing we paid for the trip in points! We saved a total of $7329.58. 

Thanks so much for sharing your reader success story about Sedona and Scottsdale, Amanda. What an amazing redemption—saving over $7000 with just four credit card signups! 

 

Related Posts

• Sedona on Points and Miles
• Friday Family Vacation to Sedona
• Friday Family Vacation to Scottsdale, Arizona
• Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Family Vacation
• Review of the Andaz Scottsdale Resort