So I watched your video ahead of our trip to the resort last week. We were in the exact same room 335 lol. How funny! It was in same brand new condition. Can’t wait to return it was amaaaaazing!!
I’m really surprised they’ll charge you for any xtrs. I googled the Maldives and they appear to start at $50,00.00 per week and that doesn’t include your expenses for traveling from the USA & tips. Not all the meals are complementary - chic restaurant prices. I’m glad for the opportunity to view on Utube - didn’t know such beautiful places existed but not affordable for many people. ❤️🕊
We also used to think the Maldives was too expensive for regular people like us until we started learning about travel hacking and points. But after we learned how to use points to our advantage, not only were we able to stay in this overwater villa, but we were able to have our wedding here with our friends and family for only ~$3000 per person including flights from the US. The cash price for the water villa for 5 nights on Hilton’s website was ~$10,000 for the dates we stayed, but was available for 95,000 points per night. Hilton has a 5th night free benefit with points, so it was only 380,000 Hilton points for 5 nights. Hilton was having a double points sale on points purchases, so we had our guests buy 380,000 points for $1900. That’s over $8000 in savings by buying the points instead of booking the room outright. R/T tickets from LAX to MLE were $900 per person at the time and the seaplane transfers were $600 per person. Having Diamond status on Hilton gets free breakfast, and signing up for the AMEX Hilton Aspire credit card gets automatic Diamond status. Even though the Aspire has a $450 annual fee, there’s a $250 resort credit applicable to room charges and breakfast buffet at the resort was $125 per person per day if it wasn’t included as Diamond, so the fee more than paid for itself just on this one trip. So per couple/pair, it was $1900 for the room, $1800 for the round trip tickets from the US, $1200 for the seaplane, and $450 from the Aspire credit card. $250 automatically off the room on the statement as part of the Aspire’s benefits, so their immediate net spend was $5100 to get to the resort, or $2550 per person. We brought snacks in our luggage and would take a late breakfast so we’d be full for lunch, so the only food expense we’d all have was dinner, which averaged $100 per person. Learning how to leverage points, miles, and credit cards has changed how we are able to experience travel, and now we can do things that we never thought we could afford before.
We used points. It was 95k Hilton points per night for the standard water villa and we used 380k points for 5 nights because of Hilton's 5th night free benefit. We got upgraded to the superior water villa when we arrived 😄
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Hello Bev & Ryan try to explore beautiful places in the Philippines, please visit El Nido, Palawan as well as Coron, Palawan , it is nominated as the best islands of the world. (Check it out in RU-vid) El Nido Tours, Packages & Activities 1. El Nido Big Lagoon Island Hopping Shared Tour A with lunch 2. El Nido Hidden Beach Island Hopping Shared Tour C with Lunch 3. El Nido Snake Islands & Cave Islands Hopping Private Tour B with lunch. Here are the tourist sites in El Nido, Palawan 1. Chill at Nacpan Beach, deserted golden sand, crystal blue waters and a surreal view of the ocean. 2. Marvel at the Beauty of Big Lagoon, majestic lagoon at Miniloc Islands looks like a scene straight from a destination movie. 3. Visit Kayak in Small Lagoon , another Miniloc Islands destination is the famous small lagoon. 4. Dip in the Secret Lagoon, this unique natural pool of El Nido Miniloc Islands is also known as "Hidden Lagoon". 5. Discover the Hidden Beach, you will need to board a kayak or swim from your boat to get to this Hidden Beach. 6. Relax at Shimizu Islands, is the perfect stop for you to relax in it's cool white sand beach or whip out your snorkeling gears to explore it's colorful marine life. 7. Lounge in Seven Commandos Beach , the 320 meters long Seven Commandos Beach is said to have been named after seven soldiers who were stranded here during World War II. 8. See the View from Matinloc Shrine, specifically the Shrine of Our Lady of Matinloc, there is also a mini museum on the Islands. 9. Lie on the Sandbar of Snake Islands, is a popular attraction included in a Cave Exploration Private Tour. 10. Catch the Sunset of Las Cabanas Beach, located at 10 minutes away from El Nido Town Proper. The beach is bar with several bars and restaurants. 11. Climb the Taraw Cliffs, is the prominent site of the town proper. 12. Plunge into Nagkalit-kalit Waterfalls, the hike to the waterfalls is adventure itself. 13.Dive and Explore the Marine Life. Where to stay in El Nido, Palawan? 1. El Nido Coco Resort 2. El Nido Garden Resort 3. Blue Mango Resort 4. Nacpan Beach Glamping 5. El Nido Mahogany Beach Resort 6. Angkla Beach Club & Boutique 7. El Nido Reef Strand Resort 8. Ursula Beach Club 9. Buko Beach Resort 10. Weekends El Nido Beach Resort 11. Sanse Boutique Hotel El Nido 12. Duli Beach Resort 13. Maremegmeg Beach Club 14. Vellago Resort 15. Cadlao Resort & Restaurant 16. Karuna El Nido Villas 17. Ahana Resort El Nido 18. Isla Amara Resort 19. Sea Cocoon Hotel 20. Cuba Hotel. How to go to El Nido, Palawan ? Just take a direct daily flight from Manila, Cebu or Iloilo going to Puerto Princesa Airport in Puerto Princesa City, the capital of Palawan Province , then take a ride on van, bus etc going to El Nido, Palawan. But before you explore El Nido, Palawan, I suggest you must visit first Underground River in Puerto Princesa City, it is the New Seven Wonders of the World and also Bakers Hill in Puerto Princesa City.