The Budget-Friendly Ultimate California Road Trip with Points

California's Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) is renowned for its breathtaking views, but it can also be pricey. This iconic road trip showcases stunning landscapes and charming coastal towns, yet hotels in places like Malibu and Monterey can cost up to $500 a night, with many hotel chains demanding high-tier point redemptions even for average properties.

When a close friend from the UK planned to visit and suggested a trip up the PCH, I started searching for the best affordable hotels to book using points.

Day 1: San Diego

Although the PCH officially begins around 60 miles north of San Diego in Dana Point, it's an excellent launch point for your coastal adventure. Two top choices for utilizing a free-night certificate from The World of Hyatt Credit Card are located here. This year, both the Andaz San Diego and the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego were downgraded from Category 5 to 4, making them prime picks for Hyatt free-night certificates.

Booking a room that typically costs $500 or more per night just by having a credit card with a $95 annual fee is an incredible deal.

If you don’t yet have The World of Hyatt Credit Card, now is an excellent time to consider adding it to your collection. Along with a free night certificate each year on your account anniversary, you’ll also receive a sign-up bonus of up to 50,000 points. Earn 25,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first three months, plus an additional 25,000 points after reaching $6,000 in total purchases within six months of opening your account.

For further information about this card, take a look at our full review.

Day 2: Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach, located just 80 miles from San Diego, is among the most beautiful beaches in Southern California. Hotels right on the beach can be quite pricey, with even the Holiday Inn going for over $300 a night in July.

You can use 35,000 points for a night, yielding a value of 0.87 cents per point, which surpasses TPG's valuation of 0.5 cents.

While 35,000 IHG points for a night isn’t the most affordable, finding good deals in Southern California can be challenging.

Day 3: Ventura Beach

The next destination on my journey was Ventura Beach, where I enjoyed a fantastic stay at the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach. This beachfront hotel features a fire pit and a pool with ocean views, and I only spent 25,000 IHG points for my stay.

As a Platinum Elite member, thanks to my IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card, I was upgraded upon check-in from a standard room to one with an ocean view. I then made my way to the bar to use my vouchers for two complimentary drinks. (Cheers to my Platinum status!)

My aim for this trip was to stay near the main attractions while steering clear of sky-high hotel costs. For instance, our hotel in Ventura Beach was just a 30-minute drive from downtown Santa Barbara, where redemption rates can be double or even triple what I spent.

Keep in mind that the Crowne Plaza in Ventura Beach would also be an excellent choice for the annual free night certificate available to IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card holders.

Day 4: San Luis Obispo/Pismo Beach

This region offers plenty of options, but some of the best value can be found with Wyndham Rewards, a lesser-known program that features attractive hotels at low rates. Although they recently doubled the award rates for around 200 top-tier properties, great values still exist in the middle of their award chart.

A night at the La Quinta in downtown San Luis Obispo costs just 15,000 points, matching the price of the Super 8 just a few doors down, but offers a significantly nicer experience. Including taxes, the total comes to $262, which means you’re redeeming your points at a value of 1.75 cents each, exceeding TPG's valuation of 1.1 cents by over half a cent.

For those with a bit more time, Wyndham offers even better options like the San Luis Bay Inn, a resort-style property that requires a two-night minimum stay. It features beach access, full kitchens, and stunning views. While it may not be as new as the La Quinta, rooms are priced at $329 per night. This totals $737 after taxes, or just 30,000 points for the entire stay, giving you a value of 2.4 cents per point.

However, if you don’t have Wyndham Rewards points available — or prefer the loyalty programs you already belong to — you can opt like I did and stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Pismo Beach. My Diamond status (earned through the Hilton Honors Aspire Credit Card from American Express) secured me an upgrade to their premium two-bed guest room.

The information about the Hilton Aspire Amex card has been gathered independently by Dinogo. The details presented on this page have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.

I spent 33,000 points for what would have been a $190 hotel stay (not the greatest deal), but the complimentary breakfast was enjoyable, and the late checkout allowed for a leisurely day.

Day 5: San Simeon

San Simeon is the location of Hearst Castle, one of the most iconic mansions in the U.S. and the former home of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, who famously filled it with zoo animals. Yes, you read that right.

This was my inaugural visit to Hearst Castle, despite living just a few hours away for most of my life. It truly lived up to its reputation.

Hotel options in the area are limited, but there's a Quality Inn just four miles away, where you can reserve a suite that accommodates seven guests for only 12,000 Choice points per night.

Given that Choice Privileges points are valued at approximately 0.6 cents each, this offer provides exceptional value (3.07 cents per point) while being budget-friendly.

Keep in mind that you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to Choice Privileges at a 1:1 ratio, making it an excellent way to maximize your rewards from cards like the American Express® Gold Card or The Platinum Card® from American Express.

RELATED: Check if you're eligible for an enhanced Amex welcome bonus using the CardMatch Tool.

Day 6: Monterey

Having lived in Monterey before, returning here was essential for me. However, the city is known for its steep prices, especially with nearby Pebble Beach and Carmel-by-the-Sea inflating costs.

Fortunately, Hyatt boasts a delightful Category 4 hotel, which offers a standout feature: a s'mores kit provided to every guest upon check-in.

If you've already redeemed your free-night certificate in San Diego, you can easily transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt to pay for this stay, with transfers occurring instantly. This is an excellent option for points accrued from cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Even better, if you hold a Hyatt credit card, you can currently receive 10% of your redeemed points back on stays through September 2, 2019, effectively lowering your total cost to just 13,500 points.

Day 7: Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is situated just across the bay from Monterey, and on a clear day, you might catch a glimpse of the boardwalk from Monterey's misty coastline.

Finally, we see a worthwhile use of Marriott points at Hotel Paradox, which is part of Marriott's Autograph Collection.

As a Category 5 hotel, this property is an excellent option for using the free-night certificate that many Bonvoy credit cards provide. The following cards each grant a free-night certificate valued at up to 35,000 points upon account renewal:

• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business Credit Card (no longer accepting new applicants)
• Marriott Bonvoy Card from American Express (no longer accepting new applicants)

Rooms at this hotel typically sell for rates in the high $200s, with taxes and fees pushing the total over $300 per night.

Day 8: San Francisco

Ah, San Francisco—the city renowned for its iconic bridge, tiny apartments, and staggering parking fees. Hotel prices here are equally steep, making it hard to find accommodations under $200 a night in a safe area, let alone redeem points for anything at a reasonable rate.

Enter Hyatt.

Have I mentioned Hyatt lately? In late 2018, the program acquired Two Roads Hospitality and has successfully integrated Thompson, Joie de Vivre, and Alila into its award structure. Consequently, you can book the Hotel Del Sol—a Joie de Vivre property ideally situated in San Francisco's Marina district—for just 15,000 points per night.

This makes it another expensive location where you can utilize the free-night certificate from a Hyatt credit card, or you can redeem just 13,500 Hyatt points (thanks to the current 10% rebate promotion) for a redemption value of 3.3 cents per point, nearly twice TPG's 1.7 cent valuation.

Alternatively, you could book a stay at the Holiday Inn San Francisco-Fisherman’s Wharf for 45,000 IHG points. The hotel boasts an unbeatable location, reflected in rates that can reach as high as $568 for a single night in their most basic room.

If you're paying out of pocket, consider booking a stay at one of the other IHG hotels in the area.

Day 9: Napa

We're taking a detour off the highway to explore one of the world's most renowned wine regions: Napa Valley. This area is filled with accommodations, from lavish resorts to budget motels, but a particularly attractive option is a Category 3 Marriott hotel, which can be booked for just 17,500 points:

You won't find much cheaper options for California hotels using points.

Alternatively, you can book a one-bedroom condo at The Vino Bello Resort, a Wyndham affiliate, for just 15,000 points per night (with a two-night minimum), instead of the $725 cash price.

There's also the newer Andaz Napa, located right in downtown, but it will cost you a hefty 25,000 points for a free night.

Day 10: Fort Bragg

As you move north of San Francisco, finding hotels—especially with major loyalty programs—becomes quite challenging as cities transition into quaint coastal towns. There are plenty of seaside inns, so if you're open to using flexible currency points like Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, or Citi ThankYou points, consider booking through their portals for a boutique hotel at a fixed point value. Additionally, if you've used your Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card to make bookings at hotels.com/venture (which earns you 10x miles through Jan. 31, 2020), you might have accumulated a free night or two to use.

If not, continue with me as we venture further up the coast to Fort Bragg, a town with a population of 7,312.

IHG operates a single hotel in Fort Bragg, a Holiday Inn Express, with summer rates typically around the mid-200s after taxes.

Redeeming points here costs just 25,000 IHG points per night, which offers excellent value.

Day 11: Klamath

This marks our final destination. We’ve reached (and even exceeded) the end of the Pacific Coast Highway, but no journey along the West Coast is complete without experiencing Redwood National Park, home to the tallest trees on the planet that soar majestically overhead.

If you prefer not to rough it, your hotel options are limited to those outside the park. Luckily, the town of Klamath offers a Holiday Inn Express located just four miles from the park, with a redemption cost of 30,000 points per night.

This hotel is also an excellent choice for the annual free night certificate from the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card, which applies to properties costing up to 40,000 points per night.

Conclusion

So, what’s the overall cost for an 11-night adventure along the California coast? Let’s break it down:

In total, the journey required 235,000 points across various loyalty programs for an unforgettable 11-day experience in one of the priciest destinations in the world.

I’d definitely consider that a success.