In 2006 I was able to take a dream vacation to Bora Bora, and Tahiti, French Polynesia staying in an over the water bungalow for 10 nights using airlines miles and hotel points.

I just booked my next trip, which will be to Hua Hin, and Bangkok Thailand. We booked the tickets through a Delta partner, China Airlines, using our Skymiles. Our first class accomodations will be covered by using our Hilton points in Hua Hin for 6 nights and then using our Marriott points in Bangkok for 3 nights.

The Hua Hilton

The JW Marriott

As I was doing research on Thailand and various beach resorts, I stumbled upon what has to be our next destination – the Maldives. I must say the only things I’ve heard about the Maldvies is their sea level continues to rise each year/ Eventually, the sea will swallow up the entire country. Until, then it appears they have some spectacular resorts! Including the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island resort that was twice voted “Best Hotel in the World” and several time “Best Resort”.

Conrad Maldives

The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island resort in the the Maldives and most importantly, a Hilton partner.

Check out this underwater restaurant they have.

The total points required for the Conrad Maldives is 40,000 Hilton points per night. Here are some fantastic ways to earn enough points.
** Disclaimer ** – Earning the maximum number of points requires applying for credit card and sometimes using credit cards. Credit cards are not for everyone and the credit cards charge outrageous interest rates for carrying balances. If you have problems with credit cards, this is not for you. Please educate yourself on how applying and having credit cards affects your credit score and ability to apply for home loans, school loans, etc.

You can apply for American Airlines credit cards that are no fee for the first year. To get 100,00 American Airlines miles, apply for these four cards: the Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® World MasterCard, the Citi Select® / AAdvantage® American Express® card, the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® MasterCard, and the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Visa® Card.
After 6 months, cancel them and reapply again. (This may negatively affect your credit score). This will net you 200,000 American Airlines miles total. Most of these cards require a $250-$750 minimum spending requirement on them. There are many ways to do this, including coins

With your 200,000 American Airlines miles, you can convert these to Hilton Honors points at a 1:2 ratio, in essence getting 400,000 Hilton points.

There is a no annual fee Platinum American Express Hilton Card that will give you 20,000 Hilton points upon signup. The best part about the Platinum American Express Hilton card is it allows you to do an AXON award stay. An AXON award stay is only available to those people who have an American Express Hilton Platinum card. With that card, you are able to redeem four rewards nights at any Category 5 or Category 6 Hilton Family hotel for 125,000 Hilton Honors points instead of 140,000 or 160,000 points. This would allow you to redeem 4 nights in the Maldives for 125,000 points instead of 160,000 points! So, you maximize your points and stay at a top class resort. And by hitting a spending bench mark with the credit card, you probably will earn Gold VIP status with Hilton. And guess what? More perks-like picnics on the beach, fruit and water upon arrival, lei greetings, complimetary internet access, and more.

We’ll see you in the Maldives in 2012.