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Preview: Miles traces his Southeast Asian roots in luxury
Miles was talking with René de Lambert of RenésPoints.com while at BACON3 and now he’s convinced he may be from Southeast Asia. Personally, I think it’s just another excuse to travel, but who am I to complain?! Thank goodness we booked some pre-devaluation American Airlines First Class tickets from Hanoi to the States when it only cost 67,500 because now we are going! Miles is beyond excited, as he thinks he may be able to trace his roots, and if not, with his ever “glass is half full mentality,” he’ll still be able to get some great deals on custom made clothing! Here’s a preview of our trip to Southeast Asia that takes us to Taipei, Ho Chi Minh, Siem Reap, Hanoi, and Ha Long Bay. Follow along as Miles traces his Southeast Asian roots in Luxury.
First we will be flying from Los angeles to Taipei in China Airlines Business Class. It looks phenom!
Normally it would cost this much for a ticket
We booked it for 80k Delta Sky Miles and $5.60
- Last year we applied for both the Amex Delta Gold personal and business offers at 50k a pop.
While in Taipei we will use points and a free night certificate from the Chase Hyatt Visa card to stay 2 nights free at the Grand Hyatt Taipei
Rates per night are roughly $350 + tax. For us…free
From there we will fly from Taipei to Ho Chi Minh with EVA in Royal Laurel.
Excited to experience this product.
What it would normally cost
But I used 27,500 Singapore Krisflyer Miles the less than $25 to book it
In Ho Chi Minh we will stay at the 5 star Park Hyatt Saigon for just 7500+$100 per night
Since Miles and I challenged for Diamond status last year we will enjoy a bevy of benefits. I’m hoping for a great upgrade and definitely looking forward to the free breakfast! Remember you can always transfer Ultimate Rewards to Hyatt if you’re short
Rates while we are there are over $325 per night for an entry level room.
In Siem Reap we will stay at the 5 star Park Hyatt Siem Reap – paid entirely with points
Angkor Wat is the main attraction here, but I’m very stoked to see this hotel. I’ve read so many reviews and it sounds like it’s going to be incred.
Rates while we are there would normally cost over $400 per night….for us – free!
From there we are off to Hanoi where we will split our time between the Intercontinental Hanoi and the Hanoi Hilton Opera. We will pay for these nights out of pocket.
Since 4 of us will be on this part of the trip, it makes most sense to stay in a 2 bedroom residence at the Intercontinental and separate rooms a the Hanoi Hilton. The Intercontinental will set us back $75 per person and the Hilton will be roughly $50. They are in different parts of town and, when combined with a Ha Long Bay cruise, it will give us a great Hanoi experience.
And then to come back from Hanoi we will fly Cathay Pacific First Class for 67,500 AA and roughly $30
Trip looks great. I think though that it’s a pity to use points in Siem Reap. The big chain hotels are not the best there – better experiences with more local boutique properties which are great value IMHO. But still overall looks excellent. Am sure Miles will have a fantastic time. Be interested to hear what you think about the Hanoi hotels.
Evan – thanks for the input! Buddy will be staying at one of the smaller local hotels nearby – so it’ll be cool to compare. Thanks for reading!