Spring Break with kids in San Diego and Los Angeles, California

The pool overlooking the state beach at the Cape Rey Carlsbad, Hilton Resort

I started planning my family's spring break 2015 trip in the spring of 2014. I had already banked Delta frequent flier miles, along with Hilton honors points from various credit card offers. I always start my planning by trying to see where I can fly for the lowest amount of frequent flier miles. Having 5 people to get flights for is very expensive. As soon as I found 5 flights to San Diego, for the week of spring break, with good travel times, for 25,000 miles round trip, I booked them and that is how I decided to go to San Diego!   From there I started researching lodging. 

 

FLIGHT

Perk used: I used frequent flier miles on Delta for all of our tickets.  They were 25,000 miles each, traveling from Detroit, Michigan to San Diego, California.  I booked 4 tickets with my husband's account for 100,000 miles and 1 ticket with my account using 25,000 miles.    Delta charges a small fee (taxes, fees & charges) when using miles, usually around $11.20/ticket for domestic. 

CAR RENTAL
 

I did a lot of research on priceline, hotwire, expedia, and every cheap car rental website that exists and I also went to the direct websites (Hertz, Fox, National, etc) and compared all of the prices. The best deal I ended up finding was booking a car through the Delta Airlines website, which also gave me 3400 bonus Delta frequent flier miles for booking the flight through them. I watched priceline until the day we left and bid twice a day, but the Delta car rental was always the best deal.   We drove to LA and spent 2 nights in LA. Then we drove to Carlsbad and spent a week in that area. The drive to LA was brutal. It isn’t a long distance, but the traffic is bad, no matter what time of day, so be prepared to have something for the kids to do while stuck in the car. 

LODGING

      

We took a tour of the stars homes
& snapped this picture of LA during it

Mann's Chinese Theater

We spent our first 2 nights in LA.  We stayed at the Holiday Inn Walk of Fame hotel for 2 nights completely free.  It was a great location within a safe and easy walking distance to the walk of fame and the rooms were nice (typical Holiday Inn rooms).  Perk used:  "Free Night" perk (1 free night for Jeff’s card and 1 free night for my card) from IHG Rewards Chase credit card.  We stayed for free, including free breakfast and free parking.



The State Beach across from the Hilton

Cape Rey Carlsbad, Hilton Resort

For the next 6 nights we stayed in Carlsbad (just outside of San Diego) using the perk “Hilton Points + Cash”.   I booked the traditional 2 queen room for 20,000 points + $85/night.  The room I booked was the least expensive, which I always do, in the hopes that I will be offered an upgrade perk when I check in. 

When we checked in we were offered the Oceanview Suite with balcony for a fee of $120/night, because we have Hilton Diamond status. The Oceanview Balcony Suite would have been $750/night without our perks, so our Hilton perks saved us $545/night and we had a large suite with a kitchen, bedroom and 2 bathrooms, which makes traveling with 3 kids much less stressful!  We also received the perk of a coupon book, that gave us free drinks at the pool, free resort credit in the restaurant, free wifi and discounts in the gift shop.  One thing I learned about using points + cash, instead of points only, was that doing it that way cost me a lot more money because all of the fees they tack on (resort charge, room occupancy fee, parking fee, tourism fee and state park assessment tax)  totalled $62.50/day.  When I book with points only, I don’t pay any fees or room charges.   Next time I will check the numbers to see if it is less expensive to pay all points for a night and then pay for the whole room charge the other night.  In this case it would not have been less expensive, but still good to know about the fees when doing points + cash option.

EXCURSIONS
Tour of the Stars (LA) - We did not book this in advance.  We walked around the walk of fame area and there were several tours you could just book on the spot.  It was nice after doing a lot of walking to let the kids have a ride around the Hollywoood Hills and have a local show you all the hot spots.
    
La Jolla Cove - This was a short drive from Carlsbad and we spent a day here.   The beach area is down a lot of steps and a pretty small area, but there are a lot of sea lions for the kids to enjoy (although they are very stinky).  There are nice shops and restaurants in the area too, but it is very busy and a lot of hilly walking.

Venice Beach - Another short drive and a typical California beach area.   There is the famous muscle beach and a lot of toursity shops along the boardwalk. 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park  - We spent an entire day here and my kids loved it.   We bought the standard admission ticket and did not pay for any of the extra safaris and thought it was great.  There is 1 safarai that is included with admission and that covered a lot.  We went to it as soon as we entered the park and there was no line.

San Diego Zoo - We spent a day here too.   We were worried that the zoo would be similar to the safari park, but they were completely different and both enjoyable days for the kids, although there is a lof of walking if you have small kids.  My kids said if they had to only pick 1, they would have picked the zoo, but it was a hard choice!

Capt. Dave's Dolphin & Whale Watching (Dana Point) - I would highly recommend this tour.  We were on a smaller boat with an awesome guide and were able to see tons of dolphins and a couple different types of whales very close to our boat. 





 

La Jolla Cove Beach was busy but a lot of fun watching the sea lions

 



The kids loved the polar bears at the San Diego Zoo

Capt Dave's Dolphin & Whale Safari

 



Mangia Monday!

Port Stop: Naples

We were docked what looked to be not far from town but after speaking with some people it was quite a walk.

Coming into Naples Harbor

We went back and forth on what we wanted to do this day.  Sue had never been and I  had previously been to Naples, Sorrento and Pompeii.  I talked Sue out of hitting Pompeii due to the heat and the crowds- convinced her she would be back again to go!  Pompeii is really an amazing sightseeing opportunity but in the summer-it is hot and very crowded.  If you have a chance-go in the spring or fall.

I had also put my foot down to Sue driving us down the coast. I knew that is very windy roads, crazy drivers and I wanted us to enjoy ourselves-not white knuckle the entire day. 

We choose to book a private excursion down the Amalfi Coast with TFL Tours.  We had a beautiful Mercedes and a great driver- Mossimo!  We were so glad to not be on a big coach tour (don't know how they drove on some of those roads!) and to be on our own time schedule.


Our schedule took us through Positano, Amalfi, an amazing lunch stop at La Tagliatta and finally Ravello.  It was a lot of driving but mostly scenic and great to experience each town even for a short time and their gelato!

Tip: By far one our best meals with the best View- La Tagliata. You walk into this incredible view and are greeted warmly by the family.  They take you into the Kitchen to meet "Mama" and she ensures you that you will love everything.   We sat down and they asked "Red or White" and were promptly served 2 full bottles of wine and the food just started coming...all better than the next!  Pre fix is about 25 Euro's per person which is a steal!

Alaska

Last year we had a family wedding in Seattle and since we were already there- seemed perfect to go on an Alaskan Cruise.

 Perks used- 

*  Delta- 80 K-2 round trip tickets DTW/SEA

*  paid $560 for 1 Delta ticket- used points from Barclay Card to get a travel statement credit - used 56K points and they give you 10 % of you redeemed miles back!

*  paid for Hotel (group rate for wedding at the Arctic Club - Hilton Property-Amazing spot for a wedding!) if using points- other options may be better during the summer- Marriott, Kimpton (now part of IHG)

*  Uber- first time using the service- had a $20 credit. Used them again when we got off the ship. Both times were efficient and cost effective.  Use promo code bton1 and you will get $20 too!


A little bit about our trip-

* Seattle- Traveling with a 5 year old, we enjoyed the Space Needle,  Pike Place Market,  Ride the Ducks.
        - we also used Sittercity for a babysitter the night of the wedding- worked out great! Tip- we always use the babysitters that already have background check. We have had some great babysitters!

*NCL Alaska Cruise -
     - we love no formal nights and the food was pretty good. The service in the dining venues was horrible though.  We complained and they did try to make it better (complimentary wine, best serving staff the following night) but I know this is usually not the case- we may have cruised on a bad week.  
     - we had a great balcony stateroom others in our party had mini suites (difference in the room size). 
   - my son loved the Kids Club- the staff was great (they were from Australia, New Zealand and the UK)
  - shows were typical cruise productions - Great Comedian and Magician.  It was also during the World Cup and NCL did a great job of having the games in on in their larger venues- supplied with snacks and drinks. It was great to watch with a crowd!

 *Alaska - Great Excursions!  For this trip one of our favorites was the Green Jeeps!

                              We even saw a bear on the side of the road- a little frightening!

    - Whale Watching - I recommend a small group- don't use one of the big boats- everyone is fighting for a spot to take a photo. 

 

    - Previously I had done the White Pass Train/Ride - this is great as well if you don't want to drive yourself in the jeep. We choose a small group here as well which doesn't matter so much on the train but it does for the ride. It was great to stand next to the "Welcome to Alaska Sign" with only a handful of people trying to get a picture vs a full size coach. 


    - Misty Fjords Flight in Ketchikan- this was very peaceful and beautiful scenery 

 

   -  Instead of the Flight - I took my son to the Lumberjack show in hindsight, he could have gone on the flight but I had already been and didn't really want to spend the money again- so sent my husband with my family.  Ended up pleasantly surprised by the Lumberjack show- not only for kids- adults enjoyed it as well.  We had just walked up and got tickets off the boat as we were still on the fence but worked out fine. It was drizzling rain on and off but the seats were covered. 

At the end of the trip- it had cost us less miles to fly home a day later.  We spent the day at the Pacific Science Center - excellent spot to spend the day between the exhibits and IMAX shows.  We had an early morning flight so we booked a Fairfield Inn at the airport- they offered a shuttle to the airport and also the light rail which worked out perfectly in both cases.

Where we ate-
    Seattle- Lola, Ivars, Wild Ginger 
   off the cruise- Tracy's King Crab Shack, Bard and Banker (they don't allow children) , Cactus Club

Want to go to Alaska with perks?  You will need to plan!

 Airline miles- lowest mileage availability needs to booked the sooner the better. Most airlines open their availability about 330 days prior. 

Hotel-  Marriott, IHG, Hilton would all be great options in Seattle

Cruise-  The cruise lines have their branded credit cards but they are not really a great value.   I would suggest the American Express pay with points or Barclay Arrival Card.  May not be able to use points towards the entire cruise but it would help bring down the price.

Travel Consultant- we always recommend the use of a Travel Consultant!

CREDIT CARD SPREADSHEET EXAMPLE

Perk Description & Who's Card	Credit Card Bank	Credit Card Number	Date Applied	Bonus Perks	Min Spend/ timeframe	Yearly Fee	CC Website	Perk Website	Paperless?
ex. Sue's Hilton	ex. Citibank	ex. Xxxx xx 1234	ex. 06/01/15	ex. 50000 miles	ex. $1000/ 3 mnths	ex. Waived first year	ex. http://citbank.com Login: ponderingperks Password: SaveBig	ex. http://www.hhonors.com Login: ponderingperks Password: SaveBig	ex. No

Girlfriend Getaway turned into a Couples Trip!

In July 2014,  Sue and I were discussing putting together a girls trip to Mexico for January 2015. We had such a bad winter the previous year, we wanted to have something on the books to look forward to! We knew we wanted to use our Southwest Miles to fly non stop and hoped it would be 20K miles to Cancun.  We marked our calendar for the date when Southwest would release their flights for January, which is 6 months before your departure date, and started to make plans!  When August rolled around Sue and I grabbed our flights- 20K each/non stop/round trip to Cancun!  From experience, we knew that you need to grab the flights when you see them for low points, because the amount of points needed for a flight changes by the hour.

As it goes with group planning- the other girls hemmed and hawed- excuses ranged from:

* Can't get off work-it is 6 months away- I can't possibly request off! 
* Can't travel in three's-if a 4th girl goes, then I am in.
* Can't leave my dogs, I mean my kids- that is what I meant to say!
* I can't go on vacation without my husband/partner- are you crazy! 
* I love cold weather, you are nuts to leave! 
* Mexico? I heard it wasn't safe.
* I don't have any miles, how can I get miles?

About 2 months prior to us leaving, with no other girls committing, Sue suggested we invite our husbands.  Phone calls were made, Grandparents were booked to babysit, flights were booked with Southwest miles (had now gone up to 25K miles for the guys-still a perk!) and we booked another room. 
   
Please read here about Southwest miles.

Where we stayed...

Azul Sensatori- booked through Edgewood Travel.  All inclusive resorts are tough for points (very limited- maybe only Hyatt, Hilton, IHG but extremely limited)


* loved our rooms- we had the honeymoon suites (complimentary upgrade), oceanfront. Beautiful rooms, amazing outdoor space.

* Great Food- especially enjoyed breakfast delivered to our balcony every morning (nice all-inclusive perk).  For dinner the Italian restaurant was one of our favorites.  There is a restaurant that is an additional cost -Le Cirque and open to people not staying on the resort.  It was disappointing that we could not get in there the entire time we were staying there.  If anyone has eaten there- let me know! Would love to know what you thought!

Meredith on her way to the pool

This is the main pool, that has the swim up bar and daily games

        The Beach is not great-pretty to look at the water but full of seaweed.
They do a nice job of clearing the seaweed from the beach.

. 

Excursion
   We wanted to check out Tulum while in Riveria Maya- looking at the cost of the tours, we decided to rent a car instead for $90 total (instead of a tour for about $90 pp).  We were on our own time and for a fraction of the cost.  Driving in that area is very easy- one main highway that is very well marked.  The check points with police officers with very big guns may be a little intimidating but they don't seem to bother the tourists.


We researched a bit online and wanted to actually go to the beach town of Tulum.  We ended up at a beach bar named Ziggys where we had a great lunch of tacos followed by swimming on the beach.

Enjoying lunch!

Great time to Mexico, even if it wasn't the Girls Trip we had planned!  It was a great, quick getaway escaping the Michigan Winter. Even better that our airline tickets were booked with Southwest Points!

Southwest still has 50K mileage promotion going on- check it out!

HOW TO GET HILTON POINTS

• Listen.   Sign up for HHONORS and start earning Hilton Perks!
• Did you know?   HHONORS is one of very few perks that you can have one membership number for your whole family!  So when I travel I get HHONORS points.  When my husband travels he gets HHONORS points.  When I get a bonus credit card offer I get HHONORS points.  When my husband gets a bonus credit card offer he gets HHONORS points.   All on the same account.  Get the picture?   Points can add up quick with HHONORS.

• Next - sign up for Hilton HHONORS credit card offers from American Express or Citibank to get a lot of points fast. 
• The offers usually vary from 40,000 bonus miles to 80,000 bonus miles.  I like to check Flyer Talk or Million Mile Secrets for the most up to date offers.
• From my personal experience, if you have a good credit score, signing up for credit cards has a negligible affect on your score.  I have been doing it for several years, always paying off the credit card as soon as the bill arrives, and have never had a problem. 

• Credit Card Offer Tips and Tricks
• PLAN AHEAD.  Give yourself 4 months to get your bonus miles deposited into your HHONORS account 
• I recommend having points in your hhonors account BEFORE you start going on the Hilton website and searching for lodging because the amount of points required for a stay changes rapidly. You might see a room for 20,000 points a night and then go back and check an hour later and it's 60,000 points a night, so you need to be able to make a QUICK decision and book it. 
• Pondering Perks Quick Tip!  If you see a great offer for a room(ex. 20,000 points a night for the week of spring break) book it!   You can always book a stay using hhonors points and cancel it later if you decide you don't want it.  It will not cost you anything as long as you cancel the reservation by the cancellation date listed when you book it.  It is usually 24 hours prior to the day your stay will start. 
• Organize your offer (I like to put the following information into a spreadsheet):
• How many bonus miles do you recieve?
• What is the yearly fee and is it waived?
• If the fee is waived for the first year, I just keep the card for the year and when I get a statement charging me a yearly fee I call, cancel the card, and get the fee credited back to me.  They will normally make you a lot of different offers to keep you as a customer.  I always cancel.  There is no bigger PERK than the initial signup bonus and once you cancel the card you can do the signup bonus offer again usually within 6-12 months. 
• How much money do you need to put on the card to get bonus miles and how long do you have to meet that spend amount?
• It can range from making a single purchase to spending $2500 in the first three months. 
• For example, you get 50,000 bonus hhonors miles, if you spend $1000 in the first three months of opening card
• Make sure you write down when your 3 months is up or just make sure you have met the minimum spend by your third billing statement.
• Beware of PAPERLESS BILLING
• Sometimes they offer you additional points if you sign up for paperless and sometimes they require you to go paperless.  They do this because many people miss the email and end up paying late fees and interest.  
• Going paperless is OK as long as you are aware that you will not get a bill in the mail and that you need to watch for the bill in your email. 
• If you do get a late fee and interest, call the credit card company and they will normally credit you back the fees the first time 

• How do you sign up for FOUR (or more) Hilton credit card offers?
• When you start out, you should sign up for ONE card at a time, fulfill the offer requirements, and then put the card away. (I have a box on my desk where I keep the cards and the initial paperwork). 
• If you're super organized and able to complete the min spend on multiple cards simultaneously, do it, but stay organized!  I do it but I'm a pro! ;-)
• You can sign up yourself and your spouse/partner. 
• You can sign up for Citibank AND American Express.
• You can sign up for a business account if applicable.

                We stayed at this all-inclusive Hilton Resort
                 in Costa Rica, for a week, all on points!

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted...

Our friends and family always seem to be amazed at how much we travel.  When not traveling for work, we are trying to maximize our travel dollars using credit card rewards and mileage promotions. Our friends ask us the same questions every time- "How do you afford to go on another trip?",  "What do you mean you didn't pay for airfare?", "What credit card should I get?" and the list goes on.   We want to answer those questions for you as well as share our experiences with our past and current trips. We are travel junkies that love to talk travel! We look forward to sharing this page with you!