As a Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature® Card holder (one of the hotel credit cards that’s never leaving my wallet), one of the most-valuable perks is this: a free night when you redeem points for 2 or more consecutive nights at a Club Carlson property.
Especially with the cold weather creeping in, it’s always nice to know that inexpensive getaways to warm and sunny destinations can be booked for almost-nothing using points and miles.
One sweet-spot redemption is the Radisson Aruba. This year, my family and I have taken two trips there already, and we’re thinking of returning again soon.
I say this is a sweet-spot redemption because room-rates are usually $550+ a night during peek season, but if you’re using points (and if you have status with Club Carlson on top of it), it’s a steal.
At 50,000 Club Carlson points per night, being a Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature® Card makes it 25,000 points a night. Did I mention how easy earning Club Carlson points are?
With the card, you get 50,000 points with your first purchase (two nights right there), and an additional 35,000 points after you spend $2,000 within 90-days of account opening. The card comes with a $75 annual fee, but it’s so worth it because you receive an additional 40,000 points each year you pay it. With the “BOGO” award redemptions, I can’t think of a scenario where I would cancel the card anytime soon.
If you have status with Club Carlson (gold status is also a perk of being a card member), you’ll get an upgraded room on the club lounge floor (I got lounge access for free breakfasts, snacks, and drinks as a Club Carlson concierge member… not sure if that’s a perk of golds or not as well).
With hot foods being served in the lounge around the clock, our out-of-pocket food expenses were kept to a bare minimum, though we did dine outside of the resort on several occasions since there are plenty of lively restaurants and bars across the street and nearby.
The Strategy:
The strategy I would recommend is to book this resort for an even number of nights (2, 4, 6…) to get the best value using your points.
Even better is if your spouse or traveling companion also is a cardholder so you can break it up into “two-night stays” split between the two of you.
For instance, if we are staying for 4 nights, I’ll book the first two under my name, and then my husband will book the next two nights. When we check in for the first time, we’ll mention that we have two separate reservations, and that we’d like to stay in the same room for the duration of our time at the resort. They are usually very accommodating :).
The resort is in what I consider the best location in Aruba. The beach is beautiful, the grounds are nice, it’s family-friendly, and walkable to tons of other hotels and nearby stores, restaurants, and bars.
It’s nice knowing that there’s a nice escape from the cold winter that won’t break the bank.
Have you visited this resort before?
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Hi Angelina … We stayed from 11/22 – 12/02 for 10 nights @ the Radisson, Aruba. It was absolutely wonderful. We each have the CC so we paid for 5 nights in points. We were upgraded to a suite, top floor corner in the Aruba tower. We will be returning on March 7, 2015 for another 8 nights and flying Southwest. I have the companion pass. Looking forward to Southwest flying to Belize in the Fall of 2015. Club Carlson has a hotel in Belize City overlooking the Caribbean that looks decent.
Our stay of a couple nights was great. I believe I read that another brand had purchased the hotel. So I am not sure how long it will remain a Radisson.
Curious which air miles you use to get to Aruba.
I have stayed at the Radisson over 10+ times. There has been a change where some dates not require 75k points instead of the 50k. Also, I have also heard it was up for sale and might not be a Raidsson for long.
This card continues to be on my short list. I’m just waiting for the right time (future vacation pending) to apply.
I can only find 75000 redemptions. So can my hubby do 2 nights then me and again? We are looking into this trip with interest!
Just returned from The Radisson over the Christmas holiday. As Gold member, we didn’t get any sort of upgrade or recognition. I inquired about being upgraded to a club level room and even offered to PAY for the upgrade and was given a flat out no.
Angelina – just sent you an email re: Aruba Radisson. Thanks :)