How to visit one of TPG's favorite Caribbean hotels using points and miles
Welcome to TPG’s new video series, Launch Pad!
In our first episode, video producers Marc Ramos and Ted Willis take you to the idyllic Caribbean island of St. Kitts, famed for its blissful beaches, lush landscapes, rich cultural heritage and low-key island vibes (plus a few rum distilleries).
St. Kitts is one of the region’s most enticing destinations for points travelers thanks to a couple of great redemption options. Marc and Ted show us how to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points to fly there and stay at one of TPG’s favorite properties — the Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour, a luxurious resort nestled on the palm-fringed sands of Banana Bay with spectacular views of St. Kitts’ sister island, Nevis.
Join them as they explore everything St. Kitts has to offer, from hiking up the dormant stratovolcano, Mount Liamuiga, and rum tastings at the historic Old Road distillery to trying local cuisine at several of the island’s best restaurants and snorkeling its crystal-clear waters.
Learn how you can plan a trip of a lifetime and do it using — you guessed it — points.
As a Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholder, you can redeem your Ultimate Rewards points at a rate of 1.5 cents apiece toward travel booked directly through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. Since round-trip flights from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport (SKB) on St. Kitts tend to run around $600 per person, that would require 90,000 Ultimate Rewards points, which is a bit high for a single trip. Instead, an easy hack is to book an inexpensive flight to Miami International Airport (MIA) using cash.
Once in Miami, connect on an American Airlines flight to St. Kitts. You can’t transfer Chase points to American AAdvantage. Instead, transfer Ultimate Rewards points to British Airways and book a partner award on American Airlines. When there’s economy award space, British Airways charges just 22,000 Avios and around $70 in taxes and fees round-trip. You’ve already saved 68,000 points.
But what really inspired the trip were the appealing award redemption rates at the Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour, especially since cash prices at this resort are routinely north of $1,000 per night.
Related: Caribbean luxury for cheap: A review of the Park Hyatt St. Kitts
For a Category 7 property, World of Hyatt charges 25,000, 30,000 or 35,000 points per night for off-peak, standard and peak nights, respectively. A four-night stay will clock in at 140,000 points. If you booked the same room using cash, it would cost $4,671.72. That’s quite a lot of savings and a value of about 3.3 cents per World of Hyatt point, significantly above TPG’s current valuation of both Hyatt and Chase points.
What’s more, World of Hyatt also waives resort fees ($50 per night at this property) when using points, so you’re saving even more money by booking your stay as an award.
But that’s just the start of a St. Kitts getaway. Check out the video for more inspiration on what to see, do and, most importantly, taste on your next trip to this Caribbean gem.
Additional reporting by Kyle Olsen.
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Rewards Rate
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles50,000 Bonus MilesAnnual Fee
$250Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.670-850Excellent/Good
Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees