Karen sent us her reader success story to Huntington Beach and stayed at one of our favorite hotels. There is nothing like a points and miles trip to create family memories!

Here is how she did it:

My best redemption so far has been to the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach.  My son had a basketball tournament in the area, and we decided to go to California as a family with him for our summer vacation in July.  Initially, I was only able to book two nights at the Hyatt Regency and had booked an additional two nights at a different hotel using the $50 hotel credit from the Chase Sapphire Preferred that my husband and I both have.

A few weeks before our trip, I decided to look again, and the other two nights had opened up at the Hyatt Regency so I canceled my other hotel and booked two additional nights at the Hyatt.  Goodbye $50 credit…but it was worth it to stay right by the beach the extra nights.

 

Review of the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach

I am so glad we stayed there.  The weather was beautiful, and the property was amazing.  Coincidentally, the THM podcast about SoCal properties came out while we were there, and I listened to it while I was working out in the fitness center at the hotel!  I often have FOMO when listening to the podcast, but not when you are already there on points!!

 

 

The biggest highlights of the property were the bridge to the beach and the walkability of the area.  We rode bikes on the beach boardwalk and walked to ice cream, dinner, and shopping.

My 9-year-old daughter also loved the laser show at the kids’ waterslides one night and the smores around the fire pit.  I liked the large fitness center and the beach workouts they offer with a trainer.   Our favorite family activity was the sandcastle building clinic.  The hotel has professional sandcastle builders and tools out on the beach on Saturday mornings to teach you how to build a proper sandcastle.

 

 

My son is 16, and my daughter is nine, and it is not often we find something everyone likes to do, so it was really nice to hang out with each other on the beach and build.   The only minor downside of the property (also mentioned in the podcast) is how busy the main pool area gets mid-day.  It was hard to find chairs, but we managed to snag some.  There are wait staff at the pool, so it is nice to be able to order snacks and drinks poolside.

 

Using Credit Cards to Book Huntington Beach

When I booked the hotel, the points came from our CSP, and Ink Cash cards opened in 2022 and early 2023.    We also used the Capital One portal to book our rental car so that we could use the $300 credit from Venture X and get the upgrade that comes with the included Hertz Gold status.   The rental car line was super long, and we got to bypass that line with the status that comes with the Venture X.  Don’t forget to bring your Venture X card!!

 

We paid cash to fly Frontier Airlines out to John Wayne Airport (SNA), which was inexpensive.  When our flight back to Denver was canceled Sunday night, and we could not get rebooked until Tuesday, our Hertz Gold status came in clutch so we could rent another car and drive the 15 hours back.

Staying at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach made me want to go to California every year, and with points and miles, I probably can!  In fact, I already have two nights at Alila Big Sur booked for next summer!