Brrrrr. Happy Monday! It’s gonna be a cold one and I have a feeling we won’t be leaving the house. (can you say cabin fever?) I hope everyone stays warm and safe. With the frigid temps, I figured it would be a great week to have a little island escape.
It feels like it was just a dream already! But it wasn’t.
It was REAL and it was FABULOUS! We recently spent 5 days in St. Thomas and over the next few days I am going to share a recap of our trip.
The planning started about 4 months before our trip. Yep, we had an 8 week old. Ha. Our 10 year wedding anniversary was coming up in December and it was high time we had a couples getaway.
First order of business- CHILDCARE! I called my parents and asked if they would commit to watching the boys. They were supportive and agreed. Check! (thanks mom and dad!)
Once we had them on the hook, it was go time. But wait…where should we go?!?! We felt overwhelmed. We decided to narrow our destination options to places with a direct flight from Atlanta. When you only have 5 days of precious vacation time – no connections, layovers or long travel times allowed.
And from there, we looked to ensure we could use our Delta Skymiles.
Then, we found destinations that were in close proximity to the airports. We didn’t plan to rent a car so it wouldn’t make a lot of sense to find a place that was a couple hours drive to the hotel from the airport.
After that, we just started asking around. People LOVE to talk about their island adventures, and I LOVED hearing about them!!
Virgin Islands were intriguing. English speaking, no currency to deal with, no passports needed. While I love big adventures, remember y’all- we wanted something easy to get to but probably most important, easy to navigate once there. I didn’t want to look at a map, figure out currency, you know, I didn’t want to have to THINK.
The icing on the cake came in when I received a credit card offer in the mail. It was for a Chase Marriott card and we would get 80,000 points just for opening. Now, we do not open credit cards just to open them, but hubby had been thinking about getting a separate work credit card to help him track business expenses easier. And since he has been traveling his fair share for work lately, we were also thinking he needed to start focusing in on one hotel line to start accumulating some points. Marriott was our first choice so this card was actually the perfect fit.
Did you know that Marriott points are reciprocal with the Ritz Carlton?
Well, now you do! So after much discussion, we decided that the Ritz Carlton in St. Thomas was just what we were looking for!
The best part is that we were able to get THREE FREE NIGHTS using points AND the it came with $100 daily resort credit which we easily used on breakfast, drinks by the pool, or dinners onsite.
So with that, we were “OFF-DUTY”. Just the two of us!!!
Check back tomorrow for details on what did while on the trip.
xoxo,
Heather
How Fun! We stayed at the Ritz last Sept for a friends wedding. I loved all the beach toys you could play with for free, especially the Hobie Cat!
how is it possible that you and the hubs haven't changed one bit since high school and college? I am sure you had a wonderful time – can't wait to hear more! (((And I ADORE your sweater!!!))) xx, b
We just recently spent a day in St. Thomas on a cruise. We did a tour of the island and I decided I wanted us to spend a month there. Went on Trip Advisor and started looking for places we could swap for our beach house. Have to get the husband on board…that might be tricky! Love the azure seas, swaying palm trees and local folks! Oh, and the conch chowder!
What a great score with the Marriott miles and the hotel! Can't wait to read more – my husband and I need a getaway, too!
Love your sweater!! Good to know that the points are good at the Ritz. We are staying at the Ritz in Maui for hubby's company trip next month and have a ton of Marriott points.
Ahh love St. Thomas we were there over Christmas. Way to use the points for your trip. We are all about it and that is how we were able to do our African Safari last year. Points, points and more points. Vacation is so fun but even better getting a great deal. Looking forward to seeing more of your trip.