Holy Grail Hotels Worthy Of Free Night Certificates

[RamboAroundTheWorld]

I was wondering what you guys thought were worth staying in when you have unchecked ability to stay wherever you want? And not just places like the Maldives. Hotels that have amazing service or decadent food, fantastic views, perfect locations, etc., etc..

 

[Matt]

I was wondering what you guys thought were worth staying in when you have unchecked ability to stay wherever you want? And not just places like the Maldives. Hotels that have amazing service or decadent food, fantastic views, perfect locations, etc., etc..

Suspending belief on price, I think hotels that I would stay in would be:

• Al Maha SPG
• http://monasterosantarosa.com

Did the Conrad Maldives, certainly wouldn't want to pay more than $150-200 per night to repeat that, and way down on the list. Aman have a number of nice looking properties.

 

[RamboAroundTheWorld]

Suspending belief on price, I think hotels that I would stay in would be:

• Al Maha SPG
• http://monasterosantarosa.com

Did the Conrad Maldives, certainly wouldn't want to pay more than $150-200 per night to repeat that, and way down on the list. Aman have a number of nice looking properties.

That Al Maha looks sexy. I don't think that Santa Rosa is part of a hotel chain so it wouldn't qualify.

 

[Matt]

That Al Maha looks sexy. I don't think that Santa Rosa is part of a hotel chain so it wouldn't qualify.

True, but I like to let the experience, rather than the loyalty program dictate. Still, that's another conversation altogether!

Al Maha is super hard to get on points iirc.

There's a spg in Santorini that looks very nice too.

 

[Confectioneer]

I've heard good things about the Conrad Hong Kong as an HHonors Gold or better; I'll know in about a month when I stay there (on points).

 

[smittytabb]

I am with @Matt. Many of the "holy grail" type of hotels actually are not ones you can use a certificate for. These hotels are independent or in chains like Aman, Belmond and Four Seasons that don't need to have the same types of incentives. They have a clientele.

It is easy to be sucked in to the notion that some of the big chain hotels are the be all and end all. There are a lot of amazing places to stay out there. I would not trade staying in a riad in Fez, an eco lodge in the Amazon with no electricity, a tented camp in the Tsavo park for anything. And I wouldn't not go to places like the Azores, Easter Island or many others I have been to just because there were no points or certificate worthy choices, but that is beside the point.

 

[Domat]

I am with you smitty though I like to mix in one upperscale hotel along with the experiance ones. We did that to good effect on my last trip of the middle east. Stay in some not so good but good experience places where we mostly just sleep but then relax by the pool at a nice hotel every 5 days.

As for the OP I will be using my certificates for 2 nights at the Conrad Koh Samui this December. Seems like a nice place and I will be in the area.

 

[smittytabb]

I am with you smitty though I like to mix in one upperscale hotel along with the experiance ones. We did that to good effect on my last trip of the middle east. Stay in some not so good but good experience places where we mostly just sleep but then relax by the pool at a nice hotel every 5 days.

As for the OP I will be using my certificates for 2 nights at the Conrad Koh Samui this December. Seems like a nice place and I will be in the area.

Yes, do that too! Did that during recent trip to Turkey. So many places to see in the interior of the country that require seeing but don't have the chains. Really, if you limit yourself to only the hotel point properties, you get a pretty skewed view of the world.

 

[RamboAroundTheWorld]

I am with @Matt. Many of the "holy grail" type of hotels actually are not ones you can use a certificate for. These hotels are independent or in chains like Aman, Belmond and Four Seasons that don't need to have the same types of incentives. They have a clientele.

It is easy to be sucked in to the notion that some of the big chain hotels are the be all and end all. There are a lot of amazing places to stay out there. I would not trade staying in a riad in Fez, an eco lodge in the Amazon with no electricity, a tented camp in the Tsavo park for anything. And I wouldn't not go to places like the Azores, Easter Island or many others I have been to just because there were no points or certificate worthy choices, but that is beside the point.

Oh, I agree with you both completely. But the premise of the thread was just for those who have free nights waiting for them and might be looking for some aspirational properties to stay in. Such as myself

 

[smittytabb]

Oh, I agree with you both completely. But the premise of the thread was just for those who have free nights waiting for them and might be looking for some aspirational properties to stay in. Such as myself

Fair enough! Which certs? A lot of people don't realize how fast that year goes and how important it is to time it when you can use it.

 

[RamboAroundTheWorld]

Currently, I have Hyatt and Hilton.

 

[TheBOSman]

Probably the closest I've stayed at to a Holy Grail hotel available on points is the Park Hyatt Sydney, purely due to location and view as nothing else really can replicate either of those in Sydney. You would likely need to pay a premium for an Opera house view room though, as the certificates will only get you into a City view room at best (if you go when really busy as I did, you get a Park view but my room had a tight angle limited view of the Opera House anyway ). The hotel itself is very nice of course, but a Holy Grail hotel needs more than that . Al Maha might be the best, haven't stayed there though due to the eye-popping Starpoints cost . The Amans are probably strongest in the Holy Grail department on average, Four Seasons resorts can be up there as well, but of course not easily workable with points or certificates.

Matt also did a set of articles on this: http://saverocity.com/travel/the-best-hyatt-properties-worldwide-to-use-your-2-free-nights-from-the-hyatt-card/

http://saverocity.com/travel/the-best-hilton-properties-worldwide-to-use-your-hilton-free-nights-from-the-citi-reserve-visa-part-1-category-10-hotels/

http://saverocity.com/travel/the-best-hilton-properties-worldwide-to-use-your-hilton-free-nights-from-the-citi-reserve-visa-part-2-category-9-hotels/