How Points and Miles Helped Us Visit Two Oceans in 24 Hours
In early August 2023, my daughter and I were supposed to take a mother-daughter trip to the Bahamas. It didn’t go according to plan. Instead, points and miles flexibility turned it into a trip to California, a professional esports game, and my daughter putting her feet in two different oceans within about 24 hours.
Here’s exactly how it happened.
How Did a Status Match Get Us a $71.50 Room at Atlantis?
I had booked a four-night stay at Atlantis Paradise Island using a status match from my Wyndham Business Earner Card to Caesars Diamond status. Because of the status match, we were able to book the stay at a significantly reduced rate. This status match doesn’t exist like this anymore.
A four-night stay at Atlantis would have cost approximately $1,862.96, but we paid just $71.50 per night, which was the required taxes and fees.
That was already a pretty great deal — and then everything changed when the Wyndham Business Earner’s Card stopped matching to Caesar’s Diamond as we knew it.
I had also booked flights from Pittsburgh to Nassau and back. Finding flights from Ohio to Nassau was not exactly easy, and at that point I hadn’t yet had much experience booking travel to the Caribbean.
Then Our Plans Changed
After I had planned the Bahamas trip, our middle son started doing extremely well in his esports career. At the time, he was playing semi-professionally. His team was performing well, and he asked us to come to Santa Monica to watch him play in the finals.
There was just one small problem. Our Bahamas trip was scheduled for Thursday through Sunday. His finals were on Wednesday, in Santa Monica. And we live in Ohio.
This was my first time where I had to fully pivot an entire vacation. It was complicated but so worth it in the end. Thankfully, it cost us nothing, but my time, to reschedule the whole thing.
Our original flights were from Pittsburgh to the Bahamas with a connection somewhere along the East Coast. Our return flights were Nassau to Fort Lauderdale to Pittsburgh.
Can You Actually Change Flights and Hotels Booked With Points?
This is one of the things I love about points and miles: they can give you flexibility.
Many award flights can be canceled or changed, sometimes up until very close to departure. Hotel reservations may also offer cancellation flexibility depending on the rate and booking terms. I always recommend checking the specific cancellation and change policies before booking. Never assume a reservation is flexible just because it was booked with points.
But when flexibility is available, it can be incredibly valuable. In this case, it helped us completely change our trip.
Since our son asked us to come to California, I rerouted our plans. Instead of flying from Pittsburgh to the Bahamas, we flew to California first and then continued on to the Bahamas. My daughter, my husband, and I would all travel to California.
I booked business-class flights from Cleveland to Los Angeles for the three of us. My husband would then fly back to Cleveland separately. My daughter and I would continue from Los Angeles to Nassau.
The itinerary ended up looking something like this:
- Tuesday: Cleveland to Los Angeles
- Wednesday: Watch our son play
- Thursday: My daughter and I take a red-eye from Los Angeles to Nassau
- Friday: My husband returns home while we continue on to the Bahamas
I booked the Los Angeles to Nassau flight with cash because that was the best option for us at the time. I also contacted Atlantis and was able to move our reservation. Our original stay was Thursday through Monday. I changed it to Friday through Tuesday.
That one change allowed us to fit both trips into one crazy travel week. Or so I thought.
The Next Surprise
We had recently moved our oldest son to Chicago over the Fourth of July weekend. We stayed through the Fourth and drove home on July 5.
That night, our esports-playing son called us late. He asked if my husband and I were still awake. He said he had news and wanted to tell both of us.
He had been told he was being moved up from the semi-professional team to the professional team. And instead of playing in the semi-pro finals on Thursday, he would be playing professionally, on the main stage, on Thursday.
Which meant he would no longer be playing in the finals we had completely rearranged our trip to attend.
Of course.
I had already changed our flights. I had already booked another hotel in Santa Monica using points. And now, he wasn’t even going to play in the event we had rearranged everything around. I can’t make this stuff up, truly.
This is the kind of thing that happens when you have adult children. You make plans. Then they call you and change everything.
But the story ended up working out. Because our son moved up to the professional team, that team continued performing well and eventually made it to the playoffs. He did play in the playoffs while we were in California. We were able to watch him play on stage, and he won that game.
Then, that weekend, I watched his games from the balcony of our hotel at Atlantis, overlooking the ocean. The team won another game and continued to move on. And our son eventually made it to the World Championship that year, in his first half split, as a professional player.
So, in the end, we got to see him play professionally after all.
Two Oceans in 24 Hours
While we were in California, we took our daughter to the beach. At the time, she had never seen the ocean. I had her dip her toes into the Pacific Ocean. If you have ever seen the Santa Monica beach, it is murky, it is brown. It was not exactly the crystal-clear Caribbean water I knew would be coming.
But it didn’t matter. The point was that the next day, she would be swimming in the crystal-clear blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
What 20-year-old gets to put her feet in two different oceans within about 24 hours? And so much more in the next few years all thanks to points and miles. You can read about our Switzerland trip here and our Japan trip here.
It wasn’t the trip I had originally planned. But it turned into a much better story.
Atlantis vs. Santa Monica: Which Was the Better Stay?
Atlantis in Nassau was beautiful. This was our first time there and had been on my bucket list for decades! I enjoyed the resort so much that I actually returned with my husband two years later, before I eventually lost the status that had made the original booking possible.
The Santa Monica hotel was a different story. I had booked a Wyndham property using points because it was within walking distance of our son’s apartment at the time. The hotel itself was fine – it was a beautiful pink building and had a very nice, large balcony. But overall, it was a bit underwhelming compared with some of the other hotels we’ve stayed at since then.
For the purposes of that trip, though, it worked. We also found a fun restaurant and bar around the corner called Busby’s. We had dinner, enjoyed a few drinks, and played some of the board games they had available after leaving our driver’s licenses with the staff. I probably wouldn’t return to the hotel today, mostly because our son no longer lives in the same location — but I still talk about that restaurant and bar and want to go back.
The Boat Trip to the Exumas
I was excited about this trip. I had planned a boat excursion to the Exumas, where we would get to see swimming pigs, iguanas, and nurse sharks. My daughter has always had a fascination with sharks, so I knew she would love it.
We booked the excursion through Viator, and I would absolutely recommend the experience. I’ll add one caveat, though: the boat was a small speedboat. It was the same size as the other boats doing the excursion, so it wasn’t unusual for the area. But on the way back, the weather started to deteriorate. The water became increasingly choppy, and the ride back was rough.
I got a little queasy, but managed it well enough. There was a mom and her two children on the boat who were not handling the conditions quite as well. We also had grandparents, children, and grandchildren on the excursion with us.
And, as a reminder to everyone traveling — please be a responsible traveler. My daughter witnessed one of the adults in the group dropping drink cans into the water. I didn’t know about it until much later, so I never had the opportunity to say anything. But had I known at the time, I absolutely would have.
The places we visit belong to all of us. The ocean, beaches, wildlife, and natural environments we enjoy while traveling deserve our respect. Our environment will thank us later.
If you want to visit the pigs, iguanas, and nurse sharks, you can [check out the excursion through Viator here. (I’m an affiliate for Viator, so I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you book through this link.)
The Value of Flexibility
When I look back at this trip, the hotel deal at Atlantis was certainly a highlight. But the bigger lesson for me was flexibility.
Our original trip was supposed to be a simple mother-daughter getaway to the Bahamas. Instead, it became:
- A trip to California to watch our son compete
- A professional esports game in the playoffs
- A visit to the Pacific Ocean for my daughter
- A red-eye flight to the Bahamas
- A boat excursion to see pigs, iguanas, and nurse sharks
- A stay at Atlantis
- A visit to the Atlantic Ocean less than 24 hours after seeing the Pacific
And all of that happened because we were able to change our flights and hotel reservations.
Points and miles are often discussed in terms of how much money they can save you. That is certainly important. But flexibility is one of the most valuable benefits of this hobby. Life changes. Children change plans. Flights change. Weather changes. Opportunities come up that you never expected. Having reservations you can cancel, change, or rebook can make a huge difference.
Sometimes, the best trips are the ones that don’t go according to plan. This was definitely one of them.
If you want to dig into how points and transferable currencies work so you can build in that same kind of flexibility, my [Transfer Bonus Guide] is a good place to start. And if you’re looking for ways to book excursions and experiences on your next trip, I’ve got Viator and GetYourGuide listed on my [tools and resources page].
FAQ
Can hotel reservations booked with points be changed?
It depends on the rate and booking terms. Some award and points-based reservations allow free changes or cancellations, while others are more restrictive. Always check the specific policy before you book, and don’t assume flexibility just because points were involved.
What is a status match, and how did it lower the cost of this Atlantis stay?
A status match is when one hotel or loyalty program grants you comparable elite status based on status you already hold elsewhere. In this case, a Wyndham Business Earner Card status match to Caesars Diamond status unlocked a discounted nightly rate at Atlantis, dropping the cost from roughly $465 a night to just the taxes and fees of $71.50 a night.
Is it safe to book flights and hotels for a trip that might change?
It can be, if you understand the change and cancellation policies before booking. Award flights and certain points-based hotel rates often build in more flexibility than a typical non-refundable cash rate, but this varies by airline, hotel program, and fare or rate type.
Where did you book the Exumas boat excursion?
Some links on this page are affiliate links, including Viator. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions are my own.
Until next time — Stacy.
Through Viator – use this link to book. Details to the excursion are above.
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