Which All Inclusive Resorts Can You Book With Points?

by Anna

I love all inclusive resorts, I think they are the ultimate treat if you want a worry-free vacation. I feel the stress melt away as soon as I check in.  They can also be a fantastic value, both for families and couples. Everyone can eat and drink what they want and when they want, there are lots of activities to choose from and if kids want ice cream, it’s right there! Let’s look at  Hilton, Hyatt, and IHG all inclusive resorts that you can book with points.

Hilton All Inclusive Resorts

Hilton Sharks Bay All Inclusive Resort

Hilton Sharks Bay All Inclusive Resort

Unfortunately, Hilton doesn’t have an award chart. So the number of points needed for each stay will depend on the dates and location. Silver Elites or higher get the fifth night free on award bookings. There’s a host of credit cards that come with Hilton HHonors Gold status, such as the Platinum Card From American Express.  As a Gold elite or higher, you might score an ungraded room too.

The room rate is valid for two guests, additional guest charges will vary by property.

Dominican Republic

Hilton La Romana All Inclusive Resort | Image Courtesy of Hilton Hotels and Resorts

Hilton La Romana All Inclusive Resort | Image Courtesy of Hilton Hotels and Resorts

Jamaica

My nephew and niece recently stayed here and had a fantastic time. They are in their ’30s but loved the waterpark as much as the kids – especially when paired with the yummy food, all-you-can-drink lifestyle, and super friendly staff!

Mexico

Egypt

Turkey

When I was writing this article, I ran a few searches for research purposes.  Hilton’s Puerto Vallarta Resort was 66,000 points/night for two guests. The cash rate for the same dates was $300.

Hilton Puerto Vallarta

Hilton Puerto Vallarta

When I changed the number of guests to two adults and one child under 17, the price jumped to 70,000 Hilton Honors points. Not a bad deal for a family!

70,000 points for a family of 3.

70,000 points for a family of 3.

Hilton Sharks Bay Resort in Egypt, right on the Red Sea is only 20,000 points. Although the standard rooms are only $90/night, so it might make sense to pay cash, but it’s nice to have the option to save some money.

Hilton Sharks Bay Resort

Hilton Sharks Bay Resort

Hilton doesn’t charge resort fees on award bookings.

How to Stay at Hilton All Inclusive on Points

Hilton points are fairly easy to earn. There’s a slew of American Express co-branded cards that all have very generous earning rates. Hilton Honors American Express Ascend card is a great card that’s worth keeping long term. The card offers a generous sign up bonus of 125,000 Hilton points after you spend $2000 in the first three month and a host of other benefits, such as complimentary Gold status, weekend night certificate after you spend $15,000 on the card, 12X on purchases at Hilton properties and 6X on restaurant, supermarkets and gas stations.

Hyatt All Inclusive Resorts

Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta

Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta

The World of Hyatt Program has a few sweet spots. I think Hyatt all inclusive properties definitely fall into this category. Beautiful resorts in beautiful locations, delicious food and all drinks and activities included.

Hyatt Zilara resorts are adults only and Hyatt Ziva are family resorts.

Below are the rates for two people per room. There are charges for each additional guest, usually half the room rate in points. If you prefer to pay for additional guests rather than use points, according to the Hyatt representative I talked to, it will depend on the cash rate at the time of booking. Kids under two stay free.

Jamaica

My husband and I recently stayed at Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta and had a great stay!

Mexico

U.S.

  • Miraval Arizona – 45,000 points for one person/65,000 points for two people
  • Miraval Austin – 45,000 points for one person/65,000 points for two people
  • Miraval Berkshires – 45,000 points for one person/65,000 points for two people

Hyatt doesn’t charge resort fees on award stays, so there are no surprises.  The resort fee ($175!) is waived at Miraval properties as well.

Miraval resorts, are truly unique properties – spa resorts where all meals and snacks are included, as well as over 120 activities. Miraval properties are definitely a splurge, but I would love to try them as a treat for a special occasion, like a milestone birthday or a wedding anniversary.

How to Stay at Hyatt All Inclusive on Points

The World of Hyatt Credit Card offers 25,000 World of Hyatts points as a signup bonus after spending $3000 in the first three months and additional 25,000 World points for spending $6000 in the first six months.

Chase Ultimate Rewards earned on a multitude of Chase cards transfer to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio and the transfer is instant. My favorite cards for earning Hyatt points are Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Ink Business Preferred.

 

IHG All Inclusive Resorts

Los Cabos, Mexico

Los Cabos, Mexico

IHG doesn’t have as many all inclusive properties as some other brands, but if you have been collecting IHG points, there are still some good options. Here are the rates for two people in the room.

  • Holiday Inn Resort Montego Bay, Jamaica– 50,000 points, $80 for each additional guest
  • Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos, Mexico – 40,000 points, $80 for each additional guest
  • Holiday Inn Resort Ixtapa – 50,000, $90 for each additional guest

Kids under 12 stay free at Holiday Inn Resorts and there are no resort fees for reward stays. IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card holders get fourth night free when booking with points.

How to Stay at IHG All Inclusive on Points

One of the ways to earn IHG points is to open IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card. IHG is also a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner, although this is definitely not a good way to use Ultimate Rewards points.

Final thoughts

All inclusive resorts give you an opportunity to simply relax and not worry about anything. The biggest decision we struggle with when staying at an all inclusive is which restaurant we are going to visit for dinner (often on our way to breakfast).  There are usually multiple pools, including adults-only pools, activity pools, and kid-friendly pools. If you like meeting people, a swim-up bar is a good place to socialize during the day.

There are all inclusive properties for any budget, whether you are using points or paying cash. The resorts all have different personalities, so if you haven’t been to an all inclusive yet, it’s important to determine priorities. Do you want a child free resort or are you bringing your family? Do you want to be active and do lots of activities and excursions or just want to relax on the beach? Thinking all this through before you book will guarantee you have a great stay.

Tell us about your favorite all inclusive resort. Did you pay cash or used points? What did you like the most about it?

The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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5 comments

brteacher February 26, 2019 - 8:48 pm

Disappointing. I was really hoping for info on Wyndham all-inclusives.

Reply
Anna February 27, 2019 - 7:39 am

Thanks for your comment! Whyndham post is definitely on the agenda! Whyndham has more all inclusive properties thank the other big 3 brands and they are changing their reward structure, so I was waiting for the dust to settle and for more information to come out. Another post on all inclusive resorts is coming soon.

Reply
Luke Vader February 27, 2019 - 7:57 pm

Good topic/post, thanks. Would be neat to see reviews of all the all-inclusive resorts, in terms of which ones are best, and also which are the best values. Not easy to do, but something to aim for. Maybe if the entire Point-Me crew/team pitched in. 😉

Does Marriott have any all-inclusive properties?

Reply
Anna February 28, 2019 - 8:37 am

Luke, here’s my review of Hyat Ziva Puerto Vallarta, we were just there in January. Lots to love about it but also a couple of negatives: https://pointmetotheplane.boardingarea.com/2019/01/31/hyatt-ziva-puerto-vallarta-hotel-review-trip-report-family-friendly/
To my knowledge, the only all inclusive Marriott you can book with points is The Westin Golf Resort & Spa, Playa Conchal in CR. It costs a whooping 60K points! They offer all inclusive packages but you can’t book them with points.

Reply
Bill Shuman February 28, 2019 - 11:34 am

Luke, I’ve tried to do my part! I did a review of the Hyatt Zilara in Cancun a few months back:
https://pointmetotheplane.boardingarea.com/2018/12/22/hotel-review-hyatt-zilara-canucn-an-adults-only-all-inclusive-resort/

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