Part 1: Seven Hours in ORD
Part 2: Cathay Pacific – First Class (CLE > ORD > HKG)
Part 3: Cathay Pacific – Business Class (HKG > BKK)
Part 4: Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel and Bangkok Airways Economy (BKK > USM)
Part 5: Conrad Koh Samui
As I wrote about in April, Hilton levied a massive devaluation of their HHonors Points on March 27th. This, effectively, lowered the value of points by as much as 50%. As NSPfiance had 145K HHonors points in her account, we made a go at making a reservation with a little-known perk of the AMEX Hilton Credit Card: An AXON Award. This allowed us 4-nights at the Conrad Koh Samui for 145K points. The Conrad Koh Samui is known for having each “room” being an independent villa…
View of the Villas
…with direct views from the bedroom overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. Each villa has it’s own infinity-pool and the views are down-right stunning:
View from the Bed
How did NSPfiance earn 145K Hilton HHonors points? First, she did a double-dip of the Citi Hilton credit cards (one of the last double-dips ever allowed, sadly!). She also applied for the AMEX Hilton Credit Card, as it has a really low spend requirement ($750), has no annual fee (a great starter card to increase your credit score over time) and has access to the AXON awards. That was it. One application in October of 2012 and two simultaneous applications in January 2013. Total of 15 minutes of work = 4 nights in Conrad Koh Samui…for free. Given the rates are around the $1,000/night mark, we are talking close to $4,000 in value for $0 and 15 minutes of work:
A Typical Rate for Conrad Koh Samui
This past month, I applied for the Citi Hilton Reserve card, which gave me instant Gold Status with Hilton. While there is no plethora of perks, it does provide free breakfast and free internet. The breakfast, was, well worth the sign-up:
Fresh Fruit Smoothies
Cereals
Pastries
Meats and Cheeses
Noodle Bar
Honeycomb
When we called to book, there was only one 4-day block with availability: November 30 – December 4. So that’s how we chose the dates. While not ideal, as we had to fly on Thanksgiving, there was probably little in the world that would have been better to make me forget about the close UM loss to ohio than taking a swim a few mere hours after the game (it ended around 4:30am):
Our Private Pool
Of course, the villa was pretty awesome as well:
Half of the Bathroom
Bedroom
Large “Rain” Shower
Those who know me well, know that I can be the laziest person on Earth. For folks who share this character-trait, there could not possibly be a better hotel. As the villas are on seven distinct levels of the westward-facing cliff, with drastic grades, no one is expected to walk between levels. So, need to go to the pool? Option A: Walk 10 feet to your own private pool. Option B: Pick up the phone, press 0, ask for a Buggy, wait 2-3 minutes, walk 5 feet, and get in one of these:
Buggy!
Time for breakfast? Buggy! Time to get your car? Buggy! Time to get lunch? Buggy! 4 days at the resort, and I might have taken 40 total steps. Pure Bliss.
In fact, if the Buggy is too much work for you, you can always order any dish from any restaurant for room service:
After a relaxing day at our private pool, we were too stressed to get in a buggy – so we ordered in.
One downside of the Conrad is that F&B is rather expensive (think $8 Singhas – the Thai equivalent to Bud Light). During our research, it was suggested that we rent a car for a total cost of $107 (thanks to Flyertalk promo codes). Given airport transfers were $50 each way, we decided having the freedom of a car would be a good thing. Of course, when the car pulled up, with the steering wheel on the opposite side, there was a bit of trepidation. NSPfiance’s nerves were further tested during the first 10 minutes of the drive, as multiple dogs, bikes, skooters and people would shoot in front of the car and traffic would drive so close to the center that I was forced to drive partially on the shoulder of the road with palm tree leaves whipping the side of the car:
Driving from the Right!
Of course, the car allowed us to eat at more local establishments outside of the resort itself…
A Local Lunch Hotspot
…visit local beaches (Chaweng and Lanai)…
Lunch and later Shopping at Chaweng Beach
…and stock up on $0.50 Singhas and bottles of white wine from the local markets:
Stocking Up at a Local Market – You can’t earn credit card points here!
Overall, I can’t imagine a much nicer place in the world. Bora Bora and the Maldives might have a little bit nicer view-appeal in the over-water bungalows, but the price point for the Conrad Koh Samui (free), the ease of everything, the ability to roam the island at your own leisure, taking advantage of the $6/hour massages, plethora of great shops and cheap food and drink outside the resort, was really phenomenal.
While we were sad to go, we still had Singapore, Bali and Beijing to explore.
The Final Sunset
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