How We Booked the Kimpton Grand Roatán on Points: Our Family Trip Report
Trip Report • Roatán, Honduras
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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 cash, they would've been right.
Between the resort and airfare for our family of four, this trip would've cost more than $5,200 at the time we booked.
Instead, we used a combination of hotel points, airline miles, travel credits, and some flexibility to significantly reduce our out-of-pocket costs.
Here's exactly how we booked it.
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 simply enjoy a luxury resort without paying luxury prices, 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 Chase Travel and combined annual travel credits with Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.
What We Used
$250 Chase Sapphire Reserve® annual travel credit
$250 Chase Sapphire Reserve® hotel credit (available when we booked in 2026)
34,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards® points
A 2× points promotion that was available at the time of booking
How It Worked
First, $500 in available Chase travel credits was applied to the reservation.
That reduced the remaining balance to $718.
Next, we redeemed 34,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points, lowering the remaining cash portion to $518.
That $518 was later credited back by Chase, leaving us with very little out-of-pocket expense for the hotel.
Final Hotel Cost
34,000 Chase Ultimate 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 points per person
$37 in taxes and fees per person
Total
60,000 points
$148 in taxes and fees
Our Return Flights
The return flights were actually the most challenging part of planning this trip.
United had the schedule that worked best for our family, but award pricing was 30,000 points per person.
Rather than transferring all of our Chase points, we combined several travel credits that we already had available.
What We Used
$200 United TravelBank balance
$200 added to United TravelBank using an American Express Platinum® Airline Fee Credit*
Two Capital One Venture X travel credits
30,000 transferred points for the final ticket
Using those credits allowed us to preserve more of our transferable points for future travel.
Final Return Flight Cost
30,000 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 points
$18 cash
✈️ Outbound Flights
60,000 points
$148 in taxes & fees
✈️ Return Flights
30,000 points
$273 cash
Grand Total
🎉 124,000 points
💵 $429 out of pocket
Thinking About Getting Started with Points & Miles?
One of the questions we get asked most is, “Which travel rewards cards do you use?”
We’ve put together a page that shares the travel rewards cards we use, along with information to help you understand how different cards can fit different travel goals. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to learn more, it’s a helpful place to continue your research.
→ Explore the Travel Rewards Cards We Use
What This Trip Would Have Cost Paying Cash
At the time we booked, here’s what this trip 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
💵 $429 out of pocket
Compared to the cash prices available when we booked, we reduced our travel costs by more than $4,700.
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 annual travel credits before they expired
Redeeming points where they provided good value
Staying flexible with our flight options
Taking an extra step to book our daughters' return flights
Every trip is different, and the points, credits, pricing, and availability available to you may not be the same as what we experienced.
But learning how these programs work has given our family more options when planning vacations.
Want to Learn More About Points & Miles?
When we first started learning about points and miles, it felt overwhelming.
That's why we now share real booking examples like this one—to show exactly how we plan our family trips and how we think through using points, miles, and travel credits.
If you're looking for more beginner-friendly resources, check out our other trip reports, travel guides, and our overview of the travel rewards cards we currently use.
Disclosure: This article reflects our personal travel experience and the pricing, points, benefits, and travel credits that were available when we booked this trip in 2026. Card benefits, annual fees, travel credits, redemption values, and eligibility requirements can change over time. Your travel costs, available rewards, and redemption opportunities may differ.
