Bermuda Labor Day Trip – Conclusion and Observations

A few weeks ago, my wife and I visited Bermuda, its a short 2 hour flight from the East Coast of the US, and has beautiful beaches, and is generally, a great place to visit. I have previously talked about the place Bermuda has in my life last week. You can also search #BDALaborDay on Twitter to see some more photos.

• Part 1: Fairmont Southampton – The public areas
• Part 2: Fairmont Southampton – The room
• Part 3: Out and about in Hamilton, Bermuda
• Part 4: Conclusion and Observations from a quick trip

Our brief trip to Bermuda was a bit of an eye opener for me. It was truly great to get back, even just for a short time. We really enjoyed returning to the Fairmont Southampton, which I’d put among one of the more beautiful hotels I’ve stayed at.

But perhaps the thing that was most striking to me, is the expense:

Bermuda is Expensive!

I’d like to think I’ve been doing the miles and points game well. Yes, sometimes I take things a bit too far, I dive too deep on promotions, or with pre-paid cards–aka being shutdown by GoBank in less than 30 days, not just me, but my wife too–but, overall, I like to think I do things right.

So when my wife and I returned to Bermuda–where we went for our Honeymoon–and a place that holds a special place in my heart, it occurred to me just how expensive Bermuda is.

My wife graciously applied for a Chase Fairmont card to get us 2 free nights at the Fairmont Southampton (because, where else would we stay?), which not only provided the 2 free nights, but also a handful of dining and breakfast vouchers. I think we had spa vouchers too, but looking at the spa prices, I almost needed an ambulance, especially after the spa prices at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake

So, here we were, in Bermuda, a country and island that I love, and I’m looking at the prices left and right. I’ve only traveled 2 hours (plus about 2 hours drive from home to Philadelphia airport)and I’m thinking to myself that prices were a whole lot more favorable in Bali, Indonesia — halfway around the world away.

There is clearly a disconnect here.

So here’s my observation: You can travel long, in some cases, take 2 days to get to your destination, and make it to a place like Thailand or Indonesia, probably other places in Southeast Asia, and get affordable prices–I dare say, reasonable prices.

Or, you could travel 2 hours, and pay Las Vegas prices, or even Hawaii prices.

Miles and points can only take you so far. They can cover your hotel, they can cover your flight. Yes, you could do cashback cards like the Barclay Arrival, or Citi Double Cash, but, I feel like if I’m paying cash for something (whether I use cashback or not), high prices are still high.

I haven’t figured out a solution to this dilemma, but I will say, I’ve been searching for flights to Southeast Asia, and, I do like Southeast Asia, even without the quite favorable price point.