This article is in collaboration with Brady Yu from TripPlus, titled “Plan Your Private Island Escapes for Almost Free when Booking with Points. Here Are Our Top Picks and How!“
When thinking of a private island vacation, most will think that it must cost a fortune, right? Well, that’s where they’re wrong. Thanks to miles and points. We are going to show you exactly how to search the award tickets to how you book these private islands in the post.
What Are Private Islands Resorts?
From the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific, these islands are always occupied by a single resort. The private island resorts focus on personal privacy, endless space, natural beauty, and luxury abound. In general, they keep the room inventory low and prices high. For example, Calala Island in Nicaragua is great but notoriously hard to book even one out of their four villas, so you’d better have deep pockets!
I have curated the following most well-known private paradises that are redeemable across the world. Just to name a few.
Our Top Picks on Point-Redeemable Private Island Resorts
There are so many great ones across the world. We list our favorites:
| Our Top Picks | Resort | Location | Award Program |
| Most easily accessible | JW Marriott Venice | Italy | Marriott Bonvoy Points |
| Most extravagant | St Regis Maldives | Maldives | Marriott Bonvoy Points |
| Most foodie friendly | Cape Fahn Hotel | Thailand | Hyatt Points (until 5.15.2024) |
| Bonus for families | The Naka Island, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa | Thailand | Marriott Bonvoy Points |
Most easily accessible: JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa — Venice, Italy
The 5-star JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa is set on a private island called Isola delle Rose off the coast of Venice – a tranquil escape from the busy streets of the city of water.
Why most easily accessible: Just 15 minutes from St. Mark’s Square by the resort’s private and complimentary water shuttle to their 40-acre roses-and-olive grapes-filled island resort.
What makes it unique: The 360-degrees view rooftop infinity pool and lounge (Venetian skyline and more as far as your eyes can see!)
How to book JW Marriott Venice: JW Marriott Venice is part of the Marriott Bonvoy program. Marriott has dynamic award chart so points may vary from night to night. Looking for May 2024 availability, I can find 59,000 to 87,000 Marriot points throughout the month. Further down to May 19, that is 62,000 points for a deluxe king-bed / 2-twins bed guest room. Remember that you can get the fifth night free on Marriott Bonvoy award bookings.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card From Chase, Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card From Chase, Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card can earn points to help you fulfil your dreams at Marriott.
How to get to JW Marriott Venice with miles: In order to show how to search for the award tickets, Los Angeles (LAX) will be used as my illustrative starting point for all the private island destinations in this article. The nearest airport to JW Marriott Venice is Aeroporto di Venezia Marco Polo (VCE).
Option 1: British Airways via American Airlines or Alaska Airlines mileage program
I use FlightConnections.com to generate the route information from LAX. Result shows British Airways (BA) runs regularly from LAX to VCE. In general, BA has more award availability on trans-Atlantic route(s) among the competitors. I then search on AwardPlus, an award search tool developed by TripPlus, either using 115,000 American Airlines (AA) miles or 120,000 Alaska Airlines (AS) miles are the most points-effective for a round-trip business class on BA metal to Venice. Caveat is the jaw-droppingly high fuel surcharge – you must pay an additional $1,000 per way per ticket.
Option 2: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) via Flying Blue
Here comes my favorite mileage program – Flying Blue. Flying Blue is the loyalty program of Air France, KLM to name a few. I can use 70,500 Flying Blue miles for one-way on KLM business class to Venice. Though the points are a bit higher than getting BA via AA / AS, this option would save me $800 fuel surcharge per way per ticket. It is the fun part of miles and points travel – how to balance well between the miles and out of pocket.
Tips on getting around:
- The resort doesn’t provide free airport pick-up. You can reserve a private transfer. It is a worth-every-your-dollar experience – imagine yourself walking with suitcases in a maze of cobblestone streets and waiting in a long line for public waterbus from San Marco Plaza.
- JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa offers complimentary shuttle boat to San Marco Plaza every 30 minutes from morning though midnight.
- Visit the hotel website – Arrival & Departure Services – for the latest transportation information.
Most extravagant: St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort – Maldives
The Maldives is one of the most desired destinations full of picture-perfect resorts. St. Regis Maldives Vommuli, which is on its own island, uniquely overlooks the Indian Ocean.
Why extravagant: St. Regis Butlers deliver bespoke service day or night.
What makes it unique: The resort has its private lagoon with rich marine life.
How to book St. Regis Maldives: St. Regis Maldives is also part of the Marriott Bonvoy program. Randomly select the dates in May 2024, I can find the lowest points redemption at 94,000 / night. While 94,000 points for a standard award night may sound steep, room rates are regularly on $1,700+ mark. The lowest-level awards book into either garden villas or overwater villas, so redemptions here can get you unbelievable value for your points.
How to get to St. Regis Maldives with miles: The nearest airport to St. Regis Maldives is Malé Velana International Airport (MLE)
Option 1: Turkish Airlines via its own program
In my search on AwardPlus, it shows Turkish Airlines (TK) only needs for 105,000 miles for a round-trip business class ticket via Istanbul. It is really an amazing deal! There are multiple transfer partners of Turkish Mileage program: Citi ThankYou Rewards (TYP), Capital One Miles (C1), Bilt Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy. If it is your first time to redeem TK award ticket and you also redeem for your companion – the airlines needs you to call for this process. Just allow enough time to connect with the customer service for the companion award.
Option 2: Qatar Airways via American Airlines Mileage
Qatar, unarguably one of the sought-after business classes (QSuite), operates regularly to Maldives. I can use 140,000 AA miles to redeem a round-trip ticket, with a layover at Doha. QSuite is one of the best business classes in the world that you should never miss. The revenue ticket usually creeps to over $5,500 so you can get the seriously best value out of each mile (over 3.5 cpm).
Tips on Arrival and Departure Transfer:
- The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort is in the Dhaalu Atoll, south westerly location from the airport Malé.
- Seaplane is the only option between MLE and St. Regis. The ride takes 45 minutes to the resort.
Most Foodie-Friendly: Cape Fahn Hotel – Koh Samui, Thailand
Located on an island just off the tip of Koh Samui, Cape Fahn Hotel is a boutique resort comprised entirely of 22 spacious villas. All comes with a private pool.
Why most foodie-friendly: Located on the most popular vacation island – Koh Samui – within easy reach to mouth-watering authentic Thai (street) food.
What makes it unique: You can get to the hotel either by 3-min free boat transfer or, when there’s low tide, by walking across the narrow strait from Choeng Mon beach on Koh Samui. Another way to interpret private island!
How to book Cape Fahn Hotel: Cape Fahn is technically not a world of Hyatt property. Thanks to the amazing partnership between Hyatt and Small Luxury Hotels of The World. I can book it for free using Hyatt points. Hyatt has a fixed value award chart. The redemption for Cape Fahn, a Category 6 hotel, ranges from 21,000 off-peak to 29,000 in high season. I searched for a room in May 2024. Can you imagine using 21,000 points to book a 300 square-meter Tropical Pool Villa with an 8-meter plunge pool for my private island getaway? That’s insanely incredible.
Chase World of Hyatt Visa Card, Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and Bilt Rewards Mastercard are the top choices you can collect points and redeem this in the Land of Smiles.
How to get to Cape Fahn with miles: Most international travelers will fly into Bangkok. The international airport is Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK).
Option 1: All Nippon Airways (ANA) via its own mileage program
I search on AwardPlus, ANA mileage program would be the most points-effective option – 100,000~115,000 ANA miles (depends on seasonality) to redeem their metal. American Express is the transfer partner of All Nippon Airways (ANA), and earning points in American Express Rewards Program is easy. Keep in mind that ANA is a rare gem nowadays (in award availability) – snag it immediately before it’s gone.
Option 2: EVA Air via its own mileage program (Infinity MileageLands)
EVA is apple of my eye now, as we mentioned in Unlock Vietnam: 3 Secrets that Save Me 35% to Fly Business and Stay in a 2-Bedroom Villa in Da Nang! The airlines treat their EVA mileage program members exclusively well. They consistently have a significant number of award seats for them. The result on AwardPlus showed 150,000 EVA miles. Although it is not the most point-effective redemption, it is highly likely you would get an award seat. It is far more important!
Citi ThankYou Rewards (TYP) is the sole transfer partner of EVA Air. In the coming future, we will share how to set your credit card strategy for TYP and EVA Air redemption. Stay tuned!
BKK – Koh Samui (Domestic flight)
Getting a domestic flight to Koh Samui is relatively cheap. Bangkok Airways, who dominates this route, operates 20 flights daily with a round trip at approximately $200. (Price may vary depending on seasons and holidays.)
For those who want to reduce out of pocket expenses, use 12,000 Etihad Airways’ miles for a round-trip ticket on coach and 20,000 miles on business class is a value deal.
Tips on Getting Around:
- After arriving at Koh Samui Airport, a short car trip takes you to the Cape Fahn Hotel Hospitality Lounge at Choeng Mon Beach for the boat transfer. The boat transfer is just a 3-minute ride from the lounge to the hotel.
- Allow sufficient time to clear your baggage at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) in Bangkok before transiting to domestic flights. Clearing the customs at BKK is not an option.
Bonus for Families: The Naka Island, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa — Phuket, Thailand
Bonus: Private Island for Families – The Naka Island, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa in Phuket Thailand is a perfect paradise for the families! Their rooms and villas can accommodate 4 people.
What we love: Super friendly for families who want a private island getaway in a single guest room / villa.
What makes it unique: accommodation policy – they accept 4 people in a room/ villa.
How to book The Naka Island with points: The Naka Island is also part of the Marriott Bonvoy program. Marriott adopts dynamic pricing chart which varies per night depending on demand and dates of travel. Randomly select the dates in May 2024, I can find the lowest points redemption at 49,000 points / night. I again book a standard redemption for my May 19 stay – it is 50,000 points. What amazed me is the standard redemption ranges from a 46sqm guest room to a 350sqm garden view villa. Choosing a 350 sqm villa is a no-brainer deal here for a family of 4!
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card From Chase, Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card From Chase, Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card are the top choices you can collect points and redeem this in Phuket. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card even offers you Marriott’s Platinum Elite status which you can enjoy complimentary sumptuous breakfast.
[sta_anchor id=”our-thoughts”]Our Thoughts[/sta_anchor]
Private island resorts seem only for ultra rich, royals and celebrities. Fact tells us you can stay there practically nothing if you strategically redeem points your flights and private island resort.
There are plenty of jaw-dropping private island resorts across the globe. Some of them are points redeemable and make our travel dreams possible.
We list out our top picks in the categories of “most easily accessible”, “most extravagant”, “most foodie friendly”, “bonus for families”. These four private island resorts absolutely can cater for the needs of our loving couples, honeymooners, to happy young families to family reunion.
[sta_anchor id=”questions-and-answers”]Questions and Answers[/sta_anchor]
<JW Marriot Venice>
Q: Is the private transfer from Marco Polo Airport (VCE) a meet and greet service?
A: Yes, it is a Meet & Greet Service. A representative from the transfer company will welcome you at the baggage claim and customs area, holding a sign with your name and JW Marriott Venice’s logo. The representative will drive you to Piazzale Roma terminal with luggage assistance and private boat connection to the Hotel. The journey takes approximately 35/40 minutes.
Q: How much is the private transfer?
A: Meet & Greet Car + Standard Boat – EUR 260; Meet & Greet Car + Deluxe Boat – EUR 510.
Q: How do I get to the main Venice area from the resort?
A: JW Marriott Venice offers complimentary shuttle service between St Mark’s Square and our Resort. The ride is 15-20 minute by motorboat between the resort and its own pier next to San Marco Square (just in front of the Royal Gardens).
<St. Regis Maldives>
Q: How can I get to St. Regis Maldives from Velana International Airport?
A: You get there by seaplane. This requires reservation in advance. Effective 19 December 2022, the roundtrip shared seaplane transfer fee is USD 808 return per person.
Q: Is there any luggage restriction for the seaplane?
A: Luggage allowance per person is 30kg including hand luggage. Excess baggage fee is USD 5.80 per kg.
Q: Are there any activities I can do at the resort?
A: Check out the activity’s information https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/mlexr-the-st-regis-maldives-vommuli-resort/experiences/
<Cape Fahn Hotel>
Q: What makes Choeng Mon Beach special?
A: The water at Choeng Mon is calm, clear, and shallow, making it safer for children. The clear water also makes it easier to snorkel. Since Choeng Mon is less crowded, the stretch of beach is a prime spot to watch a beautiful Koh Samui sunset. There are many beachside restaurants and bars, with shops and massage parlors just a short walk away.
Q: How long is the crossing from Koh Samui to Cape Fahn?
A: 3 Minute. There you can wait in comfort with Wi-Fi for the three-minute crossing to the island by boat or truck depending on water tide level.
<The Naka Island>
Q: What is the airport closest to The Naka Island?
A: Phuket International Airport.
Q: How do I get to the Hotel from Phuket?
A: The Naka Island is exclusively on Naka Yai Island, located just off the Phuket coast. The resort is accessible only by a short complimentary speedboat journey. To get to the island, arrange a car transfer from Phuket airport to Ao Po Grand Marina, from where the resort’s speedboat will take you in 10 minutes to the property.
