When you think of all-inclusive resorts, you probably think of unlimited piña coladas poolside with a DJ somewhere in the Caribbean. Most people will tell you that there aren’t any true all-inclusives in the United States, and that’s technically true. However, there is a small chain of domestic mostly-inclusive resorts that are very different from the spring break vibes of their counterparts in the Caribbean: Miraval Resorts and Spas.

Located in Austin, Tucson, and the Berkshires, Miraval resorts offer a retreat from our hectic lives to focus on health and wellness. Like a summer camp for grownups, visitors can book themselves into experiences like yoga classes, guided meditation sessions, astrology consultations, and equine therapy.

Food and non-alcoholic drinks are included, as well as transportation to and from the airport. (Alcoholic drinks are not, which is why these aren’t technically classified as all-inclusive.) Visitors also receive a daily credit of $150 toward spa services. If you’d like to hear more about what the Miraval experience is like, I recommend this episode of the Point Me to First Class podcast. 

Cash rates at the Miraval properties can top $1,000 per night, which isn’t surprising when you consider the inclusive nature of the stay. However, because these resorts are part of Hyatt, you can also book them using Hyatt points. 

My partner loves these types of wellness experiences, so as an anniversary gift, I booked him a three-night stay. Here’s how I did it. 

Flights

Initially, I booked my partner on American Airlines, because they offered direct flights from our home airport of Raleigh-Durham to Austin. A few months after I booked these flights, however, American suspended service on this route, which meant that the flight I booked now had a layover in Charlotte. Because I wanted to maximize my partner’s time at the resort, I canceled these flights and looked for alternatives. (This is yet another example of how the flexibility of award travel is an advantage.)

I transferred 15,000 American Express Membership Rewards to Delta to book a direct, early morning flight from RDU to AUS. I paid $14.60 in taxes and fees, including the excise fee that American Express charges to transfer points to domestic partners, for this flight with a cash price of $174. While this wasn’t the highest-value redemption, it did save me about $160 in cash.

I booked a late afternoon flight home on Southwest for 11,109 points. These were points that I had sitting in my Southwest account from a combination of Rapid Rewards shopping portal earnings, and points I’d recouped by rebooking flights that later became cheaper. And that’s exactly what happened with this flight–the price dropped a little and I was able to rebook at a rate of 10,749 points, plus the requisite $5.60 in taxes and fees. 

Resort

Because Miraval resorts are unique, Hyatt publishes a distinct award chart for these properties. The standard rate for single occupancy is 45,000 points per night. Unlike traditional Hyatt hotels, double occupancy costs more points; the standard rate for a night for two people is 57,500 points per night. 

Because two of the nights I chose were off peak dates, I was able to book three nights at single occupancy for a total of 125,000 Hyatt points. I transferred these points from Chase Ultimate Rewards. The cash cost of this stay would have been $2,765.10.

	Cash Price	Points Paid	Out of Pocket Cost
Outbound flight	$174	15,000	$14.60
Hotels	$2,765.10	125,000	$0
Return flight	$164	10,749	$5.60
Grand totals	$3,103.10	150,749	$20.20

Points and miles allowed me to gift my partner with a $3,000 luxury wellness retreat for just over $20! You do have to book your experiences in advance, and browsing the catalog and making his selections has been part of the joy of the trip for him.