How We Booked the Kimpton Grand Roatán on Points: Our Family Trip Report
Trip Report • Roatán, Honduras
When most people see photos from our stay at the Kimpton Grand Roatán, they assume we spent thousands of dollars on this vacation.
Honestly, if we had paid the publicly available cash prices we found when we booked, they would have been right.
Based on the rates we recorded for the same hotel dates and comparable flights, the resort and airfare for our family of four would have cost more than $5,200.
Instead, we used a combination of hotel points, airline miles, travel credits and flexibility to reduce the amount of cash we paid at the time of booking.
Here’s exactly how we booked it.
If you’re new to points and miles, and you’re ready to compare card options, you can explore our favorite beginner travel credit cards to continue your research.
About the Kimpton Grand Roatán
The Kimpton Grand Roatán sits on beautiful West Bay Beach in Roatán, Honduras, and has become a popular redemption option for travelers using hotel points.
If it looks familiar, that's because it was also featured as the filming location for Season 8 of Love Is Blind.
Whether you’re visiting to relax on the beach, snorkel the reef just offshore or enjoy a resort stay while using points and travel credits to reduce the cash cost, it’s easy to see why this property gets so much attention.
Our Hotel Booking
Cash Price
2 nights: $1,218
Instead of paying the full cash rate, we booked through our favorite credit card travel portal and combined flexible travel rewards points with travel credits that were available to us at the time.
What We Used
$500 in travel credits from cards already in our wallets
34,000 flexible travel rewards points
A limited-time points redemption promotion that was available when we booked
The travel credits and promotional redemption rate we used were available at the time of booking and may not be available to every cardholder or for future reservations.
How It Worked
We redeemed 34,000 flexible travel rewards points through a limited-time promotion, which reduced the $1,218 hotel cost to $518.
After the reservation posted, two separate $250 travel credits were applied to the charge, for a total of $500 in statement credits.
That left us with a final out-of-pocket hotel cost of $18.
Final Hotel Cost
34,000 flexible travel rewards points
$18 out of pocket
Flights to Roatán
Flights are often the biggest expense when traveling internationally as a family.
For our outbound flight from Pensacola to Roatán, we redeemed airline miles.
Outbound Flights
Pensacola → Roatán
15,000 airline miles per person
$37 in taxes and fees per person
Total
60,000 airline miles
$148 in taxes and fees
Our Return Flights
The return flights were actually the most challenging part of planning this trip.
The itinerary that worked best for our family required 30,000 points per person if we booked all four tickets as awards.
Rather than transferring enough points for every ticket, we combined existing airline funds and travel credits with points for one ticket.
What We Used
$400 in existing airline travel funds
$600 in additional travel credits from two cards already in our wallets
30,000 transferred points for one ticket
Cash for the remaining balance
Using those credits allowed us to preserve more of our transferable points for future travel.
Final Return Flight Cost
30,000 transferred points
$273 out of pocket
A Helpful Tip for Parents Booking Award Flights
Because our return flights were booked as four separate reservations, I couldn't simply book everyone online.
Instead, I:
Booked my own ticket first.
Called United.
Had an agent book both of my daughters' reservations over the phone.
The call only took a few minutes, and United waived the phone booking fee because minors can't always be booked separately online.
It was a good reminder that booking award travel with kids sometimes just requires one extra step—not that it can't be done.
Total Trip Cost
🏨 Hotel
34,000 flexible travel rewards points
$18 cash
✈️ Outbound Flights
60,000 airline miles
$148 in taxes & fees
✈️ Return Flights
30,000 airline miles
$273 cash
Grand Total
🎉 124,000 points and miles
💵 $429 out of pocket
Thinking About Getting Started with Points & Miles?
One of the questions we receive most often is, “Which travel rewards cards do you use?”
The cards that work well for our family may not be the right fit for everyone. Your spending habits, travel goals, preferred airlines and hotels, and comfort with annual fees can all affect which options make sense.
We share an overview of the travel rewards cards currently in our wallets, along with information to help you compare different types of cards and continue your own research.
We only recommend considering a travel rewards credit card if you can pay the balance in full and avoid interest charges, which can quickly outweigh the value of any rewards earned.
What This Trip Would Have Cost Paying Cash
Based on the publicly available prices we recorded when we booked, here’s what the hotel and comparable flights would have cost if we had paid entirely with cash:
🏨 Kimpton Grand Roatán (2 nights)
$1,218
✈️ Roundtrip Flights for Our Family of Four
About $4,000
💰 Estimated Total Trip Cost
More than $5,200
What We Actually Paid
✨ 124,000 points and miles
💵 $429 out of pocket
What Made This Trip Possible
This wasn't about finding an unbelievable deal or taking advantage of a special promotion.
It came down to planning ahead and combining several travel tools that were already available to us.
For this trip, that meant:
Using available travel credits before they expired
Redeeming points and miles in a way that made sense for our travel goals
Staying flexible with flight options
Taking an extra step to book our daughters’ return flights
Every trip is different. Award pricing, transfer options, promotions, statement-credit eligibility and availability can change at any time. The same booking may require more or fewer points and miles, and the credits we used may not be available to every cardholder.
But learning how these programs work has given our family more options when planning vacations.
Some of the travel credits used for this booking came from cards with annual fees. We evaluate those costs separately based on how much value the cards provide our family throughout the year. A travel credit should not automatically be treated as free savings if you are paying an annual fee to receive it.
For readers comparing cards with higher annual fees and more travel-focused benefits, our favorite premium travel cards page provides a starting point for researching the available options.
Want to Learn More About Points & Miles?
When we first started learning about points and miles, it felt overwhelming.
That’s why we share real booking examples like this one—to show how we plan family trips and how we think through using points, miles and travel credits.
If you’re new to travel rewards, our beginner resources explain the foundations before you start comparing cards. You can also explore our trip reports, travel guides and the categories of travel rewards cards we currently use.
As always, consider your own travel goals, spending habits and ability to pay your balance in full before applying for a credit card.
Editorial Disclosure
Opinions expressed here are the authors' alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within this post.
