Reading Time: 3 minWhen it comes to iconic beach vacation destinations, nothing gets the imagination going like Bora Bora. Poolside drinks and stunning blue lagoons are the order of the day. But making that vacation affordable? That’s another issue entirely.
That’s why I was thrilled when I managed to swing an entire stay using my Hilton Honors points. Not just for me, but my whole family too.
Here’s how I did it.
First, you’ll need to know that the Conrad Bora Bora is a pretty expensive hotel, whether you’re using points or cash. Room rates can exceed $2,000 per night, but you can wipe all of that away by using 120,000 Hilton Honors points per night.
What’s really nice about the Conrad Bora Bora is that, unlike some other high-end beach hotels, you can book multiple rooms using these points. This means two things: One, finding reward rooms is simpler. Two: You can use this as an opportunity to turn this into a family vacation by booking multiple rooms at a time.
It’s great that you can book the Conrad Bora Bora using your points. But how do you get enough points for a redemption?
There are a few good strategies for going about this. The most common is to sign up for one (or a few) co-branded Hilton credit cards.
But because I already have too many credit cards, I chose to buy Hilton points instead. Several times each year, Hilton Honors points go on sale with a 100% bonus. This drops your cost to 0.5 cents per point. It still cost me money, but it was a big savings over paying the full cash price.
Finally, those who have American Express Membership Rewards can choose to transfer over to Hilton at a 1:2 ratio, meaning 1 Amex point becomes 2 Hilton points. Because the Conrad Bora Bora is so expensive, this is actually a pretty good way to use Amex points.
A big pain point when it comes to award travel isn’t earning points — it’s finding a way to use them. This is especially true when it comes to these fancy luxury hotels.
Fortunately, Hilton has a flexible search calendar that makes looking for award rooms a quick process. And again, since there are multiple award rooms available at the Conrad Bora Bora, availability tends to hover at around 50% of all available dates.
To find a date that works for you, head over to Hilton’s website and start a search. On the dates page, make sure you have the “Shop By Price” box checked.
From there, you’ll be able to see the pricing on a month-by-month basis.
Keep in mind that if you have at least Hilton Honors Silver elite status (which comes complimentary with all of Hilton’s credit cards and several other credit cards), you’ll get the fifth night free on your award booking.
This means that for a five-night stay, your cost will drop to just 480,000 points.
Once booked, it’s time to buy a few bathing suits and plan out your sunscreen schedule!
