Saving $36K in winter award travel to West, South, and Southeast Asia

 “All that glitters is gold.”

A points trip to Southeast Asia captured our interest ever since Val and I finished Season 3 of The White Lotus. My former college housemate and fraternity brother, Ryuji, was also getting married in the region, and I could not miss it for the world. Highlights from this trip include experiencing the aromatic Souq Waqif in Doha, the splendor of the Taj Mahal in Agra, the glimmer of the Grand Palace in Bangkok, the mysticism of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, the cleanliness of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, and the modernity of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

By leveraging free night certificates and strategically timing point redemptions, I constructed an itinerary worth $37,865.78 in retail value for a trip with a base cost of $1,341.02 in taxes and fees. 

That’s more than a 96% reduction in total travel award savings!

And for those who really want to get into more details, I’ve created a travel sheet that outlines our complete hour-by-hour itinerary, expenses, packing, and perspectives.

Breakdown

Flights for two people yielded $34,981.10 of value from award redemptions, and we only needed to pay $1,341.02 in taxes and fees to fly across continents:

• 2 business class flights on Qatar Airways Qsuites from JFK to DOH retailed for $21,073.10. We redeemed 300,000 Alaska Atmos points (and $15.30 in taxes and fees). 
• CPP = 100 * (21,073.10 - 15.30) / 300,000 = 7.02 CPP 
• 2 first class flights on Etihad Airways from DOH to CDG retailed for $7,589. We redeemed 178,360 Etihad Guest Miles via a 1:1 from Capital One Miles (and AED 2,658 or $723.72 in taxes and fees). 
• CPP = 100 * (7,589 - 723.72) / 178,360 = 3.85 CPP 
• 2 premium economy flights on Air France from CDG to JFK retailed for $6,319 for two people. We redeemed 60,000 Flying Blue Miles (and $602 USD in taxes and fees). 
• CPP = 100 * (6,319 - 602) / 60,000 = 9.53 CPP 

Accommodations for two people resulted in $2,447.96 of value from award redemptions, and we did not have to pay any additional taxes or hidden resort fees:

• 2 nights at Conrad Bangkok retailed for $434 USD (we initially booked a Deluxe King Room, and the hotel staff was kind enough to upgrade us to a Premium King High Floor room). We redeemed 90,000 Hilton Honors points without taxes or fees. 
• CPP = 100 * (434 - 0) / 90,000 = 0.48 CPP 
• 2 nights at Park Hyatt Siem Reap in a King Bed room retailed for $630. I redeemed my World of Hyatt Free Night Certificate for our first night at this 1-Michelin-Key property and used 18,000 World of Hyatt points for our second night. No taxes and fees were assessed at booking.
• CPP = 100 * (630 - 0) / 18,000 = 3.5 CPP
• 2 nights at Lotte Hotel Yangon in a Deluxe Double Room retailed for $141.96, which we booked on the Rove Miles platform. We erased this charge using Val’s $300 travel credit on her Chase Sapphire Reserve card. 
• 1 night at the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah retailed for $442. I redeemed my Hilton Aspire Free Night Certificate to pay nothing upon booking. Travel hack: we also prepaid $800 total in resort credit from the Hilton Aspire card to cover a 24K Gold Stone Therapy couples massage and room service (in four tranches spanning H2 2025 + H1 2026) and room service incidentals—we ended up getting refunded $103.76 back in statement credit that we could use for another trip! 

Excursions for two people yielded $436.72 in value from the outstanding Airbnb employee credit I still have on my account. 

• Bangkok Discovery Half Day Tour: $234.90
• Angkor Wat Temples and Sunset Tour: $116
• Authentic Thai Massage Workshop: $85.82

Reviews

As I take the time to meticulously plan our points strategy, my wife graciously writes reviews of our experiences that we can share with family and friends.

Excursions

• Doha Night City Tour to Souq Waqif, Katara, and Pearl-Qatar: Mr. Nawaz was a fantastic guide! We got to see the beautiful city of Doha during the evening while learning about its historical significance. He knew all of the great photography spots and provided us with a safe means of transit at every checkpoint. He was knowledgeable about the local architecture and even surprised us with a fountain light show. 
• Taj Mahal Layover Tour: This highly immersive excursion was the highlight of our layover in India! The Taj Mahal is indescribably beautiful, and our tour guide was expertly knowledgeable about the historical context behind its construction. We were impressed by the level of care and attention that went into ensuring a seamless experience when traveling between Delhi and Agra, and would highly recommend this tour group to folks who want to make the most of a full day in a country as dynamically diverse as India.
• Thai Massage Tutorial: We had a wonderful experience learning the basics of Thai Massage. The class started with a tutorial on making and wrapping poultices filled with healing herbs. We were then instructed on basic techniques and allowed to practice our skills on each other. We were treated to some tea and snacks as we reflected on all the skills we had just learned. We were lucky to have a personal session, which gave us very hands-on experience. It was a lovely introduction to Thai massage (we even received certificates), which we would recommend to any beginner the next time they are in Thailand.
• Phare Circus: A wonderful way to spend an hour in Siem Reap. We were picked up and taken to the site by tuk-tuk, which itself was a fun way to see the small city at night. Once we arrived, picking up tickets was seamless. The circus itself was wonderfully entertaining, showcasing the young artists' talents. It involved not only acrobatics, but also music and painting. The story behind the show was also touching and showcased a tragic but important part of modern Cambodian history. I would definitely recommend that any visitors to Siem Reap spend just one hour of their evening with the Phare Circus, especially as all proceeds go to supporting the school that trained the young artists.
• Shwedagon Pagoda: We had an excellent tour of the Shwedagon Pagoda site with our tour guide Aung. We arrived at the destination, not expecting there to even be tours, but Aung greeted us warmly and offered us a very affordable price for a personalized, private tour.  There was an ATM on site, which made it convenient to pay him in cash. It was well worth the money because Aung was very knowledgeable and an excellent photographer. The Shwedagon Pagoda is an absolutely marvelous sight to behold and a must-see destination when in Yangon. The architecture was all magnificent, and having a guide to explain where everything came from and when it was built just enhanced the experience that much more.
• Burj Khalifa Tour: Our visit to the top of the Burj Khalifa was fun and efficient. There is a place to store your luggage if you are visiting immediately from the airport, as we were. The elevator ride to the top is very quick, and once you reach the top, there are several unique spots to take photos. You get an incredible 360-degree view of Dubai. There is no easy way to reach the Burj Khalifa's entrance; you must either go through the Dubai Mall or know exactly which parking lot to enter, and there are no clear signs once inside the mall. We had to ask multiple security guards to even find the entrance. All in all, it's worth a trip to the top of the world's tallest building.

Hotels

• Conrad Bangkok: We had an exceptional stay at the Conrad Bangkok. As a frequent guest at various Conrad hotels, we were blown away by the genuine friendliness and hospitality of the entire staff. It was my birthday during the stay, and I was thoughtfully gifted four Conrad elephant stuffed animals and a delicious strawberry mousse cake. We also enjoyed visiting the executive lounge for both tea time and cocktail hour, where we sampled an extensive variety of cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Standouts included bite-sized bagel and lox, croissant, mozzarella, tomato sandwiches, and mango sticky rice. Our stay was perfected by a visit to the hotel spa, where we were introduced to a luxurious Thai massage experience. 
• Lotte Hotel Yangon: We had the pleasure of being both hotel guests and wedding guests at the venue. Our stay began with a surprise upgrade to a room overlooking the lake and the Shwedagon pagoda. After settling in, we had the chance to dine at the hotel's Korean restaurant, where we enjoyed a delicious, affordable Korean BBQ dinner for two. As close friends of the bride and groom, we were able to tour several of the hotel's conference rooms. One set of conference rooms led out to a balcony with a beautiful view of the lake, where the bride and groom could take lovely photos. The wedding venue itself was large and spacious, splendidly decorated, with an amazing runway, stage, and audiovisuals to accompany the grand wedding. For both the morning Burmese traditional wedding and the evening Western wedding, the food was delicious and served individually to each guest. This hotel was a very comfortable place to stay and an absolutely lovely, grand venue for a wedding.
• Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah: The Waldorf Astoria is a lovely hotel. We started our stay at the luxurious spa with a 24K gold massage. What impressed us about the spa facilities was that we got a private room with a private sauna, steam room, and hot tub.  The massage was luxuriously relaxing, and we were given refreshing chocolates and nuts afterward. We then ordered room service for dinner, and Irfan, Salman, Suraj, and Shubam provided an outstanding in-room dining experience! They personalized our stay in Dubai with a welcome card, and our room was upgraded with a stellar view. The entire hotel also has a strong perfume scent.