$30,000 Crazy Rich Asians Style Trip for Only $2,500

I want to make an introduction post about my $30,000 Crazy Rich Asians style trip for only $2,500. This trip felt like it was straight out of a movie. I had booked this trip a long time ago but we had to postpone it a couple of times. Luckily, all mileage programs we used to book have mild change fees. Those are Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, Singapore Airlines Krisflyer and Korean Air Skypass.

How I booked My $30,000 Crazy Rich Asians Style Trip for Only $2,500 (Click link for video)

New York to Boston on Delta First Class

This flight was to position me for the long haul flight on Hainan Airlines which flies non-stop from Boston to Beijing. Delta doesn’t have a published award chart so mileage prices can all over the place. It depends on when you book, what day you’re flying and how many seats are already booked on the flight.. etc.
I would normally book this flight in economy since it’s very short and the seats are not that big of a deal anyway. However, the economy seats were selling for 8,000 Skymiles and First Calss was 12,500. I figured the difference is not that big and I have a healthy amount of Skymiles. The benefit tho, first class gets you two free checked bags with a weight limit of 70lbs instead of 50lbs. That’s a benefit we definitely took advantage of since we were packing for a two week international trip.

Boston to Beijing on Hainan Airlines Business Class

Alaska Airlines partnered with Hainan Airlines not too long ago and it added great options to get to Asia from the US. Also, Alaska Airlines only charges 50,000 miles for one-way business class flight between the two regions. The other great thing is that you can book this flight online on Alaska’s website unlike Cathay Pacific where you’d have to call an Alaska agent to book a flight for you. The cash price for this one way flight is ~$3,700 per person.

Park Hyatt Beijing

In Beijing we stayed at the beautiful Park Hyatt Beijing. The hotel is very chic and in a very good location. I booked it using 60,000 points for our 3 night stay. Depending on when you stay, it can cost between $200 – $300 per night.

Beijing to Singapore on Singapore Airlines First Class Suites

Now this was my favorite flight. It was a bucket list redemption for me and it didn’t disappoint. What made it even better; me and my wife were the only ones in the suites cabin. This flight is part of the redemption from Beijing to Bali with a stopover in Singapore for three days. The cost was only 50,000 Krisflyer miles transferred at a 1:1 ration from Citi Thankyou points. The cash price for the flight from Beijing to Singapore in Suites on Singapore Airlines would’ve cost ~$3,000 per person.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel

Even though I was looking to book almost everything with points on this trip; I couldn’t resist to stay at the Marina Bay Sands hotel just for the experience. I mean, this hotel is what comes to mind to most people when you talk about Singapore. It was definitely more expensive than I would’ve like it to be. However, with saving a ton of money on flights and other hotels we figured it’s worth it to splurge here. it was ~$500 per night

Conrad Centennial Singapore

For the last night in Singapore we stayed at the Conrad Centennial Singapore using my free weekend night award certificate from the Hilton Ascend credit card. A paid night at this hotel would cost around $250.

Singapore to Bali on Singapore Airlines Business Class

We flew on Singapore Airlines Business Class from Singapore to Bali. As I said earlier, this flight’s cost is included in the 50,000 miles needed to get from Beijing to Singapore and then Singapore to Bali. The cost of this flight in cash would’ve been $850 per person.

Kamandalu Ubud

This was another non points booking. It was totally worth it. The hotel is in a very nice location in Ubud with free shuttles to Ubud’s city center. We stayed here for two nights at $250 per night.

Intercontinental Bali Resort

After the two nights in Ubud we moved to the beach town of Jimbaran where we stayed at the Intercontinental for three nights. For the first two nights I used 80,000 IHG points and for the third night I used the free anniversary award night from the IHG credit card.

Bali to Seoul on Korean Air Business Class

From Bali to Seoul we flew on Korean Air business class. The total cost to get from Bali to Seoul in business class plus Seoul to Los Angeles is 95,000 Skypass miles transferred at a 1:1 ratio from Chase Ultimate Rewards Points. The cash price for this flight is $1,300 per person.

Grand Hyatt Seoul

We stayed one night in Seoul at the Grand Hyatt. The hotel is very nice and in a very convenient location close to many things. For this night I used the free anniversary night award from the Chase Hyatt credit card.

Seoul to Los Angeles on Korean Air First Class

This was a very comfortable flight on Korean Air’s first class on their Airbus A380. The seats are huge, the bed is very comfortable and the food is good. There’s even two lounges on the plane! The cash price for this flight is ~$5,400 per person.

Bottom Line

This was an amazing trip. What made it even more amazing is knowing how much such a trip would cost without points. It was the biggest redemption trip I’ve ever taken so far. Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch all the trip reports videos from all the flights and hotels and even activities we did at our destinations. 

If you have any questions, comment below or tweet me @pointspointers or email me at ramy@pointspointers.com

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