My wife and I have always wanted to go to Machu Picchu. We are a little obsessed with ancient archaeology and love being able to see these places in person. What made this trip even more memorable is that it was our first major trip with our son. Once we had settled on Peru, we decided to add on another stop, mostly because we could. We tacked on two more flights to get us to Iguazu Falls. We ended up with a total of 11 flights and we paid only taxes on those. We had 12 nights in hotels and only paid out of pocket for one. We did have some big expenses as both Brazil and Argentina had very high visa fees ($160/person) and we hired a private guide for our time in Peru. Outside of those costs and normal food, souvenirs and entrance fees, we basically did the whole trip on four credit cards, Chase Ink, Chase United and two of the Amex SPG (now Bonvoy).
We were able to fly out of our home airport of Colorado Springs. Airline miles makes this much more affordable. Previously, we had to drive up to Denver, pay more for parking, deal with bigger crowds and longer security lines. Now when we use points we usually can fly out of our smaller airport (that even has a Priority Pass lounge!). We used United miles for our flights to Peru and returning from Brazil. 50,000 miles each got us flights that would probably run around $2,000 each. We earned these miles through a combination of Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card sign-ups and United MileagePlus card sign-ups. You can get the required 150,000 miles from either two or three card sign-ups.
To get to Cusco, Peru we took a combination of airlines. We flew United from Colorado Springs to Houston and then on to Panama City. We intentionally built in an overnight in Panama City to give ourselves and our son a break. The next morning, we flew from Panama City to Lima on Copa before taking Avianca from Lima to Cusco. Even once we landed, we still had an almost two-hour drive to the town of Urubamba where our hotel, Tambo del Inka was located.
At the time we visited, Tambo del Inka was rated as the #4 hotel in the world by tripadvisor.com and was a member of Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG, now Bonvoy after combining with Marriott). Due to recently completing a status challenge, we were Platinum members with SPG. As such, we received free breakfast, late check-out if needed and possible room upgrades up to a suite. We were not disappointed.
When we checked-in, they confirmed our status and also confirmed that we received an upgrade to a junior suite. At some hotels a junior suite is not really a suite at all, but just a slightly larger room. A junior suite at Tambo del Inka was much more. We did in fact have two separate areas, a living room and a bedroom. We put our son up in the living area with his own portable crib, the Lotus Travel Crib (we highly recommend it), while we took over the main bedroom. The view of the Andes out of our windows was also breathtaking.
Each day the staff not only made up our bed, but they always made-up and organized his travel crib. It was such a small gesture, but really showed attention to detail and their eagerness to go above and beyond. The room we were given goes for around $500/night and we were only out points. The hotel also has it’s own dedicated train station for the trip to Machu Picchu which is a nice perk.
Once we finished seeing the sites around and within Cusco, we left for Iguazu Falls. We used British Airways Avios (their mileage currency) to fly on LATAM. These miles also transferred over from Chase Ultimate Rewards; their many partners are why they are my favorite points currency. Flights on this itinerary normally go for over $700 per person, although you could do it for about $550 with an extra stop and 10 more hours (no thank you). We had a quick connection in Lima again before our four-hour flight to Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil.
Our hotel in Brazil, Hotel Bella Italia (don’t ask, it was cheap), included an airport transfer and breakfast in their $68 fee. They had a terrible Italian Buffet at the hotel that we settled on since we didn’t want to take our son out anymore. However, getting non-native ethnic food when traveling abroad is usually a poor decision and this was no different. Breakfast the next morning was fine, and then we were off once again. We arranged again for a private driver to take us to the National Park and the surprisingly nice Parque das Aves (bird park) near the Brazilian entrance to the falls.
After leaving the bird park we caught our first glimpse of the falls from the Brazilian side. The falls were breathtaking! I’ve been to Niagara and these blew them away. Our boy got a several hour stroller nap while we wandered around the park. There are a few nice trails and you can even check out the Belmond Hotel (beautiful) for something a little different. Our driver then took us across the border to Argentina. We picked up some black-market Argentinian Pesos (new experience for me), before we got dropped off at the Sheraton Iguazu (now the
Gran Meliá Iguazú).
Due to our status, we were upgraded to a Falls View Terrace Suite. The room was nice but nothing great. The terrace though, was nearly the same size as the room and had an amazing view of the falls. Since the hotel was in the park and just steps away from all the trails, we usually retreated to our room for a mid-day nap. Our son would snooze and my wife and I would sit on the terrace and enjoy the view, while fighting off the monkeys. Breakfast was enjoyable and included with our status. The rest of the food however, was a little rough. Because of this, we ate lunch at the Subway restaurant that was inside the park each day and dinner was usually something quick from the lobby bar. We spent three days exploring the park, which was the perfect amount of time. Since the Sheraton Iguazu was re-branded as the Gran Meliá Iguazú, it has gotten some much needed updates. Unfortunately, the prices for the hotel have also risen, and they are no longer a member of a major brand with which to redeem points.
After our three nights, we once again had a pre-arranged transport from the hotel across the border back into Brazil and to the airport. Our flights home were interesting and a bit complicated. We flew from Foz do Iguaçu to Viracopos (a small domestic airport that more closely resembled a bus-stop), to Rio de Janeiro, to Houston, to Denver and finally home to Colorado Springs. Little man did well until the flight from Rio to Houston where he decided to lose his mind. Once he cried himself to sleep, everyone on the plane was much happier. It was a full 24 hours of travel, more if we count the transfer from Argentina, and by then we were all ready to be back in our own beds.
Amazingly, the flight redemptions are still exactly the same number of miles as it was in 2015. The Tambo del Inka is actually slightly cheaper on points, but as I mentioned before, the Sheraton Iguazu Falls has re-branded and is no longer available on hotel points (however, it still can be reserved with basic travel credit card points).
Since this time, we’ve taken many other trips on points, both with our son and as just a couple. You can use these same techniques to take your family anywhere in the world. There is almost no limit to where points and miles can take you and your loved ones. Contact us to get started on your next journey!
