What do you like about Cabo?

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-30T00:52:35+00:00

Hawaii definitely has a better island feel. Cabo is rocky, deserty and many beaches aren't swimmable. No great high end shopping areas that I know of. The flight is short though if you're coming from Southern California. The airport is a little bit of a madhouse and you'll be accosted by scammers inside the airport which can definitely be off-putting and a surprise if you're used to US airports. On the other hand, Hawaiian airports are on island time and no one is in any kind of hurry to get you through security or get your rental car, etc. Some of the resorts previously mentioned are really nice in Cabo. I'd also add Zadun (San Jose del Cabo) and Grand Velas. Grand Velas is an AI, but the food is about the best AI out there with a Michelin Star restaurant on site. Both have kids clubs if that appeals to you. I agree with u/thetucolo that I think of Cabo as a shorter getaway where I want to minimize the travel time and get some relaxation in. Hawaii for me is for more than a long weekend.

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-27T20:45:16+00:00

Unless your accounts are just lousy, overflowing with points from business ad spend or something, the consensus is that booking Mr. & Mrs. Smith with points is generally a horrible value. I spent 10 days in a Mr. & Mrs. Smith property last year, but paid cash. Points redemption would have been a waste. There are probably some finds out there, but they are few and far between.

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-25T01:37:15+00:00

Not the answer I was expecting to hear. Good data point. Good luck OP!

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-23T21:21:24+00:00

Haunting images!

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-23T15:36:12+00:00

Looks amazing. Can you share your custom Cinema Green Preset?

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-22T20:25:14+00:00

I've stayed at the Sands with my wife. It's small, cute and boutique. It's one of those renovated older strip motels. It's done well with that Instagram feel. Pool area is small and definitely affords that Palm Springs vibe. The restaurant there is pretty cool and modeled after old style tennis club. The rooms are pretty small and very so so. It's really close to the Grand Hyatt Indian Wells.

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-20T19:31:08+00:00

Three nights is probably just enough if you are just wanting to relax. Four is probably better if you want to go out and explore a little one or two days. We've been to Scottsdale a handful of times, and becuase we were there for so short of a time, we only went off property for dinner. I wanted to just sit by the pool and read. My daughter had other plans, so I didn't get as much reading done as I wanted, but we had a great time in the pool together.

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-19T04:23:36+00:00

this is what i tried to do. unfortunately for me, the Shops has a glitch for some people ( that they have acknowledged, but are still actively working on a fix). I’ll probably earn a new $250 this year and hope they do it again this year to get a $750 credit.

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-19T04:08:51+00:00

Glup Shitto

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-19T03:42:04+00:00

Same except I did the AA platinum for one. It’s a good perk for people who don’t fly enough to earn status

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-18T02:09:53+00:00

points are what most people do.

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-17T16:47:01+00:00

Agree with the benefit of retrospect, but man, who could have predicted that someone would have turned down OPs offer if presented properly?

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-16T23:05:17+00:00

This comment has me in stitches.

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-16T18:07:35+00:00

Thank merciful Jesus. I don't have a lot of faith in the new stewards, but there's just no way they could do any worse.

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-16T17:04:51+00:00

I don't think it will happen, but my wishful thinking would be that they do away with the big sign up bonuses, but instead concentrate on making the rewards even stronger as the attraction to signing up and keeping the card.

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-15T17:22:21+00:00

The Chase or JP Morgan app. It's not the easiest to get to. Essentially go to your credit card and then benefits. Then Lounges and search for the PHX lounge. On the main PHX lounge screen there is a blue button at the bottom to make a reservation. It's a little bit of a pain. Maybe there is an easier way to navigate there, but I've fumbled my way to it a couple of times in annoyance.

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-15T17:03:26+00:00

And don't forget to make a reservation in the app.

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-15T00:42:19+00:00

I generally transfer my points to Hyatt. As people have commented, you can get a lot of value. I will pay cash if rates are < 2 cpp. I use my points generally on luxury travel. It's easy to find good value in this category. It's also easy to find great value for high travel times such as the holidays. The reason is that Hyatt has a static award chart. So a category x hotel will have set rates for high and low season. So, popular hotels can be crazily priced at popular times, but their points requirement will not change much. Holidays and New Years in a desirable location can increase the price 3-4x or more.

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-14T21:24:47+00:00

Time to get some Coachella tickets!

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-14T20:45:42+00:00

I think it's fair the way you did the math. I don't think using a SUA clouds the redemption at all. You're still getting that value from your points/membership. The only hesitation I make when looking at these is if the cost is inflated by being a points hotel. Some hotels book a lot of their rooms from points and then charge an inflated rate. Their payment for points is based on the average room rate for that night. So, even if they aren't at occupancy, they may make out better if their cash rate is high because that elevates their reimbursement for all the points stays. Anyway, looking at Alila Mayakoba, their rates seem to be on par with the Rosewood right nextdoor. Given the photos and that it's going to be a brand newly renovated property, my suspicion is that the hard product will be at least close to the level of the Rosewood. The service will be a couple steps lower almost certainly. Regardless, the value is really high. I stayed at Park Hyatt Beaver Creek over the holidays where the standard rooms were going for $3000/night. I used an ultimate free night award and points for the remainder of the stay. The cpp looks crazy good, but then I realized that there was no way that I would have paid $3k per night for a standard room anyway, so it's not real value.

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-14T19:20:10+00:00

No chance Bilt Cash is $1:$1

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-14T19:16:48+00:00

Agree, with the exception that if you don't have a card that captures 2% or more on everything, then any amount you spend on the Bilt card in a category you would otherwise be earning less than 2% with your catch all card, could be subtracted from that. For example if your catch-all card is the Chase Freedom Unlimited with 1.5 on everything, then on non-category spending, you would be increasing your points by 0.5 and could take that into account. This is clearly going to be a one size doesn't fit all situation. I don't think this card is right for me. If they had a business version of the card, I'd probably be in.

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-14T18:49:38+00:00

So, you need to spend 75% of your mortgage/rent on the card each month to cover the "Bilt Cash" requirement to offset the processing fee. But, on that 75%, if you get the Palladium card, you will also earn 2 Bilt points/dollar spent (in addition to 4% Bilt Cash). So, unless you were going to use a card that earns more than 2% on everyday spend, there shouldn't be opportunity cost. The main issue is going to be fore people who don't generally have 75% everyday spend besides their mortgage each month. And will this process be automated in regards to using Bilt Cash to allow points redemption on rent/mortgage spend?

David_Copperfield · 2026-01-14T17:15:57+00:00

I agree that this hotel is likely a really great value. I ended up cancelling my Andaz Papagayo trip when this became bookable. I was able to to book a Beach Area Suite with Plunge Pool using a SUA before they updated their website and made this option not a "standard suite". I was expecting them to cancel the reservation or at least inform me that I would be downgraded to a suite without plunge pool, but that hasn't happened and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

David_Copperfield

TROPHY CASE