A $2,500-a-Night Wellness Retreat... Was It Worth It?

Watch Us On YouTube! Enjoy our ongoing benefit for annual subscribers of our Slack community. Annual subscribers receive a free Points Path Alerts subscription OR a 30% discount on Points Path Pro. A shorter episode this week—but no shortage of travel stories. Richard is back from a three-night stay at Miraval Berkshires, and he gives his honest assessment of Hyatt's luxury wellness resort. While the activities, instructors, and relaxation lived up to expectations, the property itself left him wondering whether it's worth the hefty nightly price tag. The conversation compares Miraval Berkshires to the Austin property, discusses how Hyatt's free night certificates work at Miraval, and shares which experiences were actually worth booking. The guys also take a mid-year look at their elite status progress. Richard has intentionally stepped off the airline status treadmill, while Ed reflects on just how difficult it has become for even frequent business travelers to earn enough miles for aspirational family travel. Finally, they close with a candid conversation about life as road warriors, balancing work with family, and why sometimes the hardest part of travel isn't the flights—it's walking away from the people waiting at home. Get hydrated like Ed in Vegas with Nuun Use my Bilt Rewards link to sign-up and support the show! If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! If you're looking for a way to support the show, we'd love to have you join us in our Travel Slack Community.  Join me and other travel experts for informative conversations about the travel world, the best ways to use your miles and points, Zoom happy hours and exciting giveaways. Monthly access Annual access Personal consultation plus annual access We have witty, funny, sarcastic discussions about travel, for members only. My fellow travel experts are available to answer your questions and we host video chats multiple times per month. Follow Us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milestogopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@milestogopodcast Ed Pizza: https://www.instagram.com/pizzainmotion/ Richard Kerr: https://www.instagram.com/kerrpoints/ ✈️  What We Cover in This Episode ✈️ Richard's review of Miraval Berkshires Is it worth 65,000 Hyatt points—or $2,500 per night? The biggest strengths and biggest disappointments Why the property grew on him over three days ✈️ How Miraval Berkshires compares to other Miraval resorts Differences from Austin Activities, dining, and property layout Which resort they'd choose next ✈️ Maximizing a Miraval stay Using Hyatt points and free night certificates Activity credits and paid experiences Which classes were actually worth booking ✈️ A look at the new Miraval Red Sea Hyatt's newest wellness destination Introductory pricing Whether either of them would make the trip ✈️ Mid-year elite status check Richard's decision to stop chasing airline status And his progress toward Hyatt Globalist Why loyalty strategies continue to evolve ✈️ Is airline status still worth pursuing? Rising award prices Diminishing returns for frequent flyers Why flexibility is becoming more valuable than loyalty ✈️ The emotional side of business travel Missing Father's Day with family Long stretches away from home Why coming home matters more than ever   ⏱️ Episode 443 Timestamps 0:47 – Quick intro and Richard's hectic travel weekend 5:05 – Richard's full review of Miraval Berkshires 8:31 – Activities, dining, and whether the experience justifies the cost 12:11 – Would Richard return to Miraval Berkshires? 15:40 – Hyatt's new Miraval Red Sea property 16:30 – Mid-year elite status check 18:15 – Is airline elite status still worth chasing? 19:22 – Ed reflects on two weeks away from home 21:00 – Missing Father's Day and balancing work with family