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If a beach trip isn’t how you want to use your points and miles, that’s okay. Check out our family ski trip reader success story, which could be the best way for you to use points and miles. Remember: You do you! I wish I had the name of the reader who submitted her story, but I’ve lost it, so if this was you, please drop us a line and let us know!  Here is our family ski trip reader success story:

We are a family of four living just outside of Washington, DC. Our kids were 10 and 13 at the time of this trip. The slopes near us are icy at best and mostly have man-made snow. It has been a dream of ours to take our kids out west to experience the bigger mountains and pure powder. After much research, we landed on Beaver Creek. I loved the idea of a single mountain with a smaller base village to explore.

 

Flights to Denver

This was a quick trip for us; we flew out of Washington (IAD) to Denver on a Wednesday and returned on Sunday. This gave us three solid days of ski school and skiing. We chose United as it offered a direct flight, and we found a great cash price. We could have used our Chase Ultimate Rewards® and transferred them to United, but I had trouble finding a reasonably priced award redemption, and I prefer to save my Chase points for Hyatt stays.

Instead, we utilized our United Travel Bank credits to offset our costs. My husband and I each have the The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express. Each of those cards comes with a $200 annual airline incidental credit. We select United as our airline of choice every year and then purchase Travel Bank credits to utilize this credit. This gave us a total of $800 towards our flights. Our out-of-pocket cost was very low after these credits.

All information about The Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Travel Mom Squad. The Platinum Card® from American Express is no longer available through Travel Mom Squad.

All information about The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Travel Mom Squad. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is no longer available through Travel Mom Squad.

While at Dulles Airport (IAD), we took advantage of the Capital One Lounge. This lounge debuted in late 2023. We each have access via our card_name cards. My 13-year-old is an authorized user on my Venture X. She gets a kick out of swiping us in as her guests! This lounge is outstanding. Plenty of fresh, locally inspired foods, grab-and-go offerings (our favorite for long flights), and a coffee bar. We stocked up on snack items and sandwiches for the flight. No complaining for the next three hours!

 

 

Beaver Creek

Beaver Creek is approximately 2 hours from Denver International Airport. We rented a car through National and utilized our The Platinum Card® from American Express benefit of Executive status when booking. With this status, you can book a full-size car and then select any car available in the Executive-area lot. I called ahead to the airport rental counter, and they confirmed that the cars in that area are all SUVs and all include all-wheel drive. This was a must for us, as the drive to Beaver Creek can sometimes get a bit dicey due to snow.

When we planned this trip, we debated between the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek and the Grand Hyatt Vail. We chose the Park Hyatt and Beaver Creek because it has a smaller, more manageable mountain for my beginner skiers. We were SO glad we chose the Park Hyatt!

The resort is situated right at the base of the mountain and serves as an anchor to the village. The hotel has a lodge-style feel and is very cozy. We are Hyatt Globalists and booked a standard Queen room for 45K points per night. The cash price would have been over $1,200 per night!

 

 

We were upgraded to a Mountain View room that was larger than the standard room. Thankfully, we had plenty of space to include a roll-away for one of my children. The resort fee for this hotel is $55 per day, but it was waived because we booked with points. The resort fee includes daily s’mores kits, coffee and hot chocolate, high-speed Wi-Fi, and, most importantly, ski and boot valet storage. The ski storage was phenomenal. Your items are stored in a heated room for you each day. No more wet boots! You throw your gear on and step outside, and the lift is literally right in front of you! This convenience can’t be beat.

 

 

Food at the Hotel

As Globalists, we also took advantage of the daily breakfast buffet. It was hands down the nicest, most extravagant Hyatt buffet I have ever experienced. Without a Globalist status, it would have been $45 per person.

The village is on the smaller side and offers several restaurants (think pizza, burgers, etc.). It even includes a small ice rink just steps from the hotel. This was a fun after-dinner activity for my kids. We also took advantage of the free Beaver Creek Shuttle service and went into town for dinner at a local Mexican restaurant.

 

 

Other Activities

The outdoor areas cannot be beat. The hotel features fire pits, a pool, and several hot tubs, all slope-side. We especially enjoyed the fire pits. Each afternoon, a DJ created a fun après-ski atmosphere. You can order a drink, use your s’mores kit, and enjoy the live music all while sitting at the base of the mountain. It felt very European. If you have smaller children, the proximity to the ski school cannot be beat. You only have to walk roughly 50 yards to check them in. Highly recommend!

 

We love this Family Ski Trip Reader Success Story—all made possible by credit card points and miles! Send us your latest success stories and see them published here too!

 

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