How I used points and miles for my trip to Italy - August 2012

Here's how I used points and miles for my trip to Italy in mid August 2012:

Flight to Rome: 60,000 points round-trip on American Airlines. Although, I was not happy about being in coach, the non-stop flight in the peak season was a decent deal. AA has 4 or 5 different credit cards, making it possible to rack up at least 200,000 points.
 
Hotel in Rome: For 25,000 points per night, I stayed at the Intercontinental  DE LA VILLE ROMA perched at the top of the Spanish steps. I have stayed there before, and love the location and old world 5 star beauty of the hotel. Intercontinental is part of the Priority Club reward program, and can come in handy for nice hotels in Europe. It’s tough to rack up lots of these points, but there are a couple of credit cards they offer, and you can double dip after a couple of years (gotta love the double dips points!).

Hotel in Venice: In Venice, I stayed at the incredible Hotel Danieli on the grand canal for 8000 points and $250 per night (room rates start at $600 in August). I must admit, the ridiculously high prices that Venice is famous for sent a chill through my bones when planning this trip, but thanks to my war chest of points, I was able to do the unthinkable, and tame the beast! SPG will sometimes offer a points-and-cash combo to book rooms, I almost always use this option when available, because SPG points are so valuable and are tough to accumulate lots of them. The Hotel Danieli ranked up there with some of the most luxurious hotels Flavor City has ever stayed at (and others from the Luxury collection by Starwood).

Transport from Rome to Venice: Since I booked my Euro rail ticket a few months in advance, I was able to buy a one-way ticket for $15(normally $80)! Yes, you heard me right...even my brother-in law was stunned and insisted I bought the wrong ticket or it was fake. There is no need to pay up for first class euro-rail tickets, the economy seats are very spacious and nice.

Tip: Starwood has two credit cards offered by Amex, and is part of the Amex membership rewards program. This means you can transfer points to SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest) with any Amex points you have. American Airlines has 4 or 5 credit cards offered by Visa, Amex, and Mastercard.