Maximizing Points for a Getaway Hyatt Tamaya Resort & spa
With the long 4th of July holiday weekend ahead, my husband and I decided to seize the chance for a quick getaway just for us! As a fan of traveling on points, I embraced the challenge of planning a fun weekend escape without spending much money. The Hyatt Tamaya Resort & Spa in New Mexico has been on my radar. I must say, I adore Hyatt points. They allow me to transfer points from my Chase Sapphire card to Hyatt. This way, I feel I'm truly getting the most out of my points when I book rooms. For instance, I secured a 3-night stay from July 4th to 7th using Hyatt points, which totaled 39,000 points. Booking the same room without points would have cost $1,045. Also, when you book Hyatt rooms with points, they waive resort fees. (All this adds up).
How we got there
To get to the Tamaya Resort & Spa, we flew into Albuquerque. We flew Southwest on points. Southwest has a companion pass you can earn when you earn 135,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points a year or fly 100 paid flights. Last year, we both got companion passes the points way. Now, anytime my husband books a flight on Southwest, I can fly with him for just the taxes. It can be a paid (real money) or points flight.
How we got around
We decided to rent a car because we knew we wanted to explore. I almost always book my cars through Costco Travel. The car ended up costing $160 for the trip. I was ok with this, but last month, CLEAR had a sign-up offer if you got a CLEAR membership, you got a $100 travel rebate. My American Express Platinum offers CLEAR for free, and I still get the $100 rebate. We used the rebate to get $100 off our rental car for the trip.
The hotel
When we first arrived at the Tamaya Resort and Spa, my jaw dropped as we walked into the lobby. It was gorgeous and these windows!
This resort was exactly what I was looking for our quick getaway alone. They had 3 pools, hiking trails, s’mores at night, and the best view. My husband is not a sit-by-the-pool guy, we quickly found some things to do in the area. I had never been to New Mexico, so I was excited to get out and explore. My husband loves National Parks and science. New Mexico is perfect for this.
Did you know New Mexico has a supervolcano? Not only that, but it has 2!!! We took the time to visit Valles Calder,a about an hour from our hotel. After being in the desert, it was refreshing to go up in altitude for cooler temperatures and see green!. After visiting Valles Caldera, we decided to make the drove to Los Alamos. We went to a Manhattan Project history museum and a free science museum.
Our 2nd day we wanted decided to take advantage of the great hiking. We visited the Petroglyphs National Monument and did the Piedras Marcadas Canyon trail.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a fun weekend getaway to relax, I highly recommend the Tamaya Resort and Spa. Thanks to points and miles, we had very little out of pocket. It was a great couples weekend to get away. My boys would have loved it too. Maybe next time!
We loved New Mexico so much that we put it on our list of places to retire! If you enjoy learning about our family travels on points and miles, I would love for you to follow me on Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube to stay updated with our journey of leaving no point left behind.
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