Maui, Hawaii on Points & Miles
How We Booked Our Flights
Because we cancelled our Italy trip (twice lol) and got such a steal when we went to the Maldives, we had some leftover American Airlines miles and chose to make the trip to Maui, Hawaii. We have both been with our families when we were younger but never together!
Originally we were going to fly economy there and business back because it was a red eye and we were going into work the morning we got back BUT a week out, Tyler realized the leg coming back to DFW had gone down in miles so after making that adjustment we had enough points between the two of us to fly business on the way there, too!
The original economy flight from DFW to OGG was 20,000 miles per person, 40,000 miles total for the two of us to get there. Our business class seats coming back from OGG to DFW were originally 87,500 miles per person but a week before we left, they dropped to 55,000 per person. We then used those miles we got back plus what was still left in our American Airlines accounts to upgrade to business class on the way there – those seats were 62,000 miles per person.
All in all, we used 234,000 American miles and a transfer fee of $480 to transfer miles from his account to mine as well as buy 2,000 additional miles to fly round trip in business class from DFW to OGG.
How We Booked Our Hotels
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort
We are avid Hyatt and Hilton hotel stayers so it’s no surprise the first hotel we stayed at was a Hyatt property. We stayed at an Andaz in Scottsdale and were very pleased so we decided to try another one of their properties out, this time in Maui! We booked these through the American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts portal with cash. Booking through the AmEx portal gave us daily breakfast for two, late check out and a $100 credit to use on the property during our stay.
Wailea Beach Resort – Marriott
The reason for the second hotel is because our plans changed a little bit. We were originally going to go to another island to get the best deal on a flight back to Dallas but decided to originally fly economy to Maui and business back. Our first hotel had rates through the roof once we realized we needed another night’s stay so we moved to the Wailea Beach Resort! Luckily we had some Marriott points so we spent 60,000 points on one night at this resort.
Getting Around the Island
For a while, Hawaii had a severe shortage of rental cars from the pandemic but we had booked ours before the prices started to sky rocket. We got one for the duration of our stay so we could go explore more of the island and not worry about Ubers or taxis being available. We originally booked a car for a week at about $1,000 through National but the week before our tripped had dropped over 50% to $469 for the week!
Getting to Maui with COVID Protocols
Luckily we both had offers on our Amex (Gold and Platinum) for a 100% rebate for a CLEAR membership – they usually cost $179 for a one year membership. We registered online, drove to Love Field to finish the biometrics part of it and were set to go! We could upload our vaccine card into the CLEAR app and that would suffice as a way for us to board the plane in Dallas. You do have to be fully vaccinated or show an approved negative COVID test in order to avoid the quarantine once you land in Hawaii. Please stay up to date on all their requirements before your trip!
If you’re looking for a beach vacation, I highly recommend checking out Maui!