October 10, 2024
Emily’s Success Story to Puerto Rico
Pam
Emily sent us her reader success story to Puerto Rico, and we had to share it with you. Our readers love beach vacations so we know you will enjoy this one. Here is her story…
Emily Meets the Travel Mom Squad
We are a one-income family of six (kids ages 7, 9, 11, and 13), and we thought frequent travel was out of the question. We saved for a long time to take an epic vacation last year and our kids (and my husband and I) were itching to travel more.
Last February, I started researching how to make that happen when I stumbled across Travel Mom Squad. I binged the podcast, studied the blog, and hesitantly dipped my toes into learning about credit card points and miles. I was shocked that we had enough points for a family vacation within a few short months. After much research, we came across some great deals that would get us to Puerto Rico!
Emily’s family enjoyed their trip to Puerto Rico thanks to her points/miles expertise!
Flights to Puerto Rico with Points and Miles
Puerto Rico was our perfect destination, as my kids don’t have passports yet. It was also a lovely escape from the cold New England winter. At the beginning of February 2024, we flew Southwest Airlines from Portland, Maine, to San Juan for only 3,694 points each way! What a deal!
When we arrived, we rented a car (and used our Capital One Venture points to erase the purchase). Renting a car is a must if you want to explore the island.
Hyatt Hotels with Credit Card Points
Old San Juan
We stayed the first three nights at the Hyatt Place Bayamon. It was in a metro area, which wasn’t really our jam, but it was at a great location to visit places in the North. It was 9,500 points per night, and my family of six could all fit in one room on the two queen beds and sofa bed.
We visited Old San Juan while we were there and absolutely loved the beautiful military forts. We also spent a day in El Yunque Rainforest (which was about an hour and fifteen minutes from the hotel). It was so gorgeous! We enjoyed several hikes and couldn’t get over the amazing foliage, stunning waterfalls, and beautiful birds and lizards.
We spent the next four nights at the Hyatt Place Manati. It was 8,000 points per night, and we could all fit in one room again. Both Hyatt Places were clean and comfortable, and we had an absolutely delicious free breakfast (or breakfastes as we affectionately call them now ).
Activities in Puerto Rico
While we were there, we took a day trip to the southwest part of the island and visited Buye Beach in Cabo Rojo. We had never swam in such warm waters before! Our whole family spent hours swimming in the beautiful, calm ocean waters.
We then drove to La Parguera, the only bioluminescent bay in PR that you can swim in. We took a small boat out at 7:30 and swam in the water for about 30 minutes. It was such a cool experience and something our family will never forget!
We also spent a morning at Rio Camuy Cave Park. It was a short hike into the caves, and we had a really great tour of this beautiful underground cave system.
We spent another day at Puerto Nuevo beach at Vega Baja and Mar Chiquita in Manati. The waters were a little too rough to swim in, but the views were amazing! We spent hours combing the beach for sea glass, shells, urchins, and other fun finds.
The last place we visited was Cascada Gozolandia in San Sebastian. There are a couple of big, beautiful waterfalls that you hike to, and you can swim in the huge pools beneath them. You could climb and jump off into the water in several areas. That kept our family entertained for hours!
Emily’s family loved jumping from these cliffs!
Credit Card Tally
We spent seven nights in Puerto Rico with six people using only the points from two cards—the card_name, which had just over 100k points from an elevated sign-up bonus, and my husband’s card_name. It was a great adventure for our family, filled with many memories and learning opportunities. I can’t wait to see where points and miles take us next!
Bottom Line
Wow, Emily, thanks for sharing what a person can do with just two credit cards! Your reader success story in Puerto Rico gives hope and encouragement to many families that want to travel for nearly free!
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Hello from Puerto Rico. Sounds like Emily did her homework. She visited some of the top attractions. Great story. Thanks for sharing.