I wrote a few days ago about how travel hackers do Spring Break. I should have mentioned another way we do it: twice! In the post I shared the details of our end of the month trip to Disney. Over the last couple of days I’ve MacGyvered a last minute Spring Break deal so cheap it seemed silly to stay home.
Last Minute Spring Break Details
Airfare sales keep rolling this year- and East Coast fares to Florida under $100/OW are still easy to find. Deal Girl and I are flying down to Tampa for 3,276 Southwest points. Her ticket is free thanks to the Companion Pass. Couple the points with the $4.95 one way car rental home deal for five days ($39 including tax) and transportation is down to the cost of gas.
We’ll have five nights lodging to take care of. For the drive home on I-95 I’ll probably use Club Carlson points- it’s a really handy way to use them. I will try to remember to book my hotel before midnight this time.
Sunset at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay
Tampa has lots of hotel options on points, but at the last minute some of the best values were sold out. I decided to go with the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, which is downtown but has lovely views, a nature trail, boat rentals and two pools.
At a Category 3 the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay looks like a solid value. For $75 (20% off due to discount gift cards) + 6,000 points we’ll also get club access that covers breakfast and lite dinners. Explorist benefits allow four club stays per year. Another option is to use points outright and ask a Globalist friend to utilize the “guest of honor” benefit on our behalf.
What should we do in Tampa?
I grew up in Southwestern Florida but haven’t spent much time in the Tampa area. We’ll have four days and I’d love some ideas! I know we’ll hit Busch Gardens while we’re there. I’m a fan of Busch Gardens Williamsburg and we had a blast a couple of years ago when we visited.
Deal Girl got a little jealous when she saw the snorkeling video from Puerto Rico so I promised her we’d get in the water. I know the west coast of Florida isn’t the greatest for snorkeling but if you know of any good spots, please share.
If you have any other Tampa faves please let me know. I have an unexpected three days to fill!
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We’ll be in that area for spring break too. We booked a snorkeling with manatee tour out of Crystal River (groupon).
Thanks! I’ll check it out.
How do you cover rental car insurance?
I usually book with AMEX Platinum, although this time I might use the Chase Reserve. Both have excellent rental car insurance.