Best Hawaii hotels that are free with points

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With pristine beaches, an array of activities like hiking and diving and summer weather any time of year, there are good reasons Hawaii is a favorite vacation destination– and you don’t need a passport.

You can get to Hawaii for nearly free with miles and points from the best airline credit cards. But what about hotels?

We’ve found 10 of the best hotels in Hawaii where you can stay for free with points.

The best hotels in Hawaii that you can book for free with points

• Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, using Hyatt points (World of Hyatt Credit Card)
• Aston Islander on the Beach, using Capital One Venture miles (Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card)
• The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort, using Marriott points (Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card)
• Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, using Hilton points (Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card)
• Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa, Waikiki Beach, using Marriott points (Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card)
• Hilton Waikiki Beach, using Hilton points (The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card)
• Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kailua-Kona, using IHG points (IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card)
• Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach, using Citi ThankYou points (Citi Premier® Card)

The information for the Hilton Surpass card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa

The Grand Hyatt Kauai is the quintessential Hawaiian resort with white-sand beaches, perfect pools and 50+ acres of gardens.

These pretty rooms fetch a pretty penny — as much as $850 a night — but you can stay completely free with 25,000 Hyatt points a night instead.

Kauai is one of the less-developed islands, so it really feels like you’re getting away. The landscapes and oceanfront are stunning and wild and 75% of travelers agree — it has an overwhelming number of five-star reviews on TripAdvisor.

You can collect Hyatt points for a free stay with the World of Hyatt Credit Card.

Aston Islander on the Beach

Aston is a Hawaii-only chain with locations across the islands. I stayed at an Aston hotel in Kihei (on Maui) and loved walking to the town center past fresh fruit carts to enjoy a meal of fish tacos and mai tais.

Folks love the relaxing atmosphere, staff, and rooms at the Aston Islander on the Beach.

Aston prices tend to be cheaper than larger chains and they have a boutique hotel feel. I found rooms for $199 per night, plus taxes.

This chain doesn’t have a points program, but you can use the Capital One Venture card to redeem your miles at a rate of 1 cent each for any Aston hotel stay.

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort

Want to stay on the Big Island to explore Hilo, the coffee plantations around Kona and amazing waterfalls just off the main highway? Of course you do! Do you want to pay nearly $500 a night to stay at The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort? Of course not!

Guests rave about Hapuna Beach, the swimming pools and the staff. You can stay here from 40,000 to 60,000 Marriott points per night, plus $30 per night for the resort fee, which includes access to a newly renovated fitness center and CrossFit studio.

You can collect Marriott points for a stay with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card. Then use another card, like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card to cover resort fees.

We think the resort fees are a small price to save ~$1,000 on a two-night stay.

Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa

Next, we venture to Maui and the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa. It takes up 40+ acres on renowned Ka’anapali Beach and more than half the guests leave five-star reviews about their stays here.

The hotel is a short walk to Lahaina town center and you’ll have plenty of beachfront and pools for relaxing in the Hawaiian sun.

Rooms here can go for ~$450 a night, or you could pay 25,000 Hyatt points for each night.

The Ink Business Preferred Credit Card is a great card for free nights at this gorgeous hotel because you can transfer the Chase Ultimate Rewards points you earn with this card directly to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio and use them for your award stay.

Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort

I stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort and loved the multiple swimming pools, oceanfront and how easy it is to walk to Waikiki Beach and spots in Honolulu.

The grounds are sprawling and there are plenty of shops and restaurants to keep you entertained. Reviewers say it’s the perfect place to spend a few days and have everything you need nearby.

Rooms here vary from $200 to $470+ per night, depending on the season and occupancy level. Most award nights are open for ~60,000 Hilton points.

You can quickly earn Hilton points with the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.

Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa, Waikiki Beach

If you want a hotel right on Waikiki Beach, consider the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa, Waikiki Beach. People who stay here love the location, rooms and old-world charm.

Team member Jasmin stayed here with her family and has memories of dining under a banyan tree in the courtyard.

Rooms typically go for $400+ a night, but you can use 60,000 Marriott points a night instead. There’s a $38 per night resort fee.

Points earned with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card can cover the lion’s share of your stay and other cards can erase the resort charge to make your stay free.

Hilton Waikiki Beach

If you prefer a Hilton hotel that isn’t a huge resort, consider Hilton Waikiki Beach. It’s only one block from the beach and folks like having easy access to sites in Honolulu like Diamond Head, Honolulu Zoo and downtown dining.

I found rooms going for ~$280 per night, or you can use 50,000 Hilton points per night.

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card can help you earn free nights here. Because it comes with elite status, you’ll get free breakfast, too.

Kaua’i Marriott Resort

Back to Kauai, and the Kaua’i Marriott Resort in Lihue. This is a proper Hawaiian-style resort, with sprawling pools, beach access, gardens, five restaurants and an on-site fitness center.

Vacationers ranked it the #3 hotel in town on TripAdvisor, with a free shuttle to the airport (which is only minutes away), jacuzzi and huge family pool.

I found stays here going for ~$475 per night. Or you can use as few as 40,000 Marriott points and pay the $35-per-night resort fee, which is a much better deal.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kailua-Kona

If you’re driving around the Big Island and want a great place to stop and explore, Kona has cute restaurants, shopping and activities, like the tour of a coffee plantation that I took.

The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kailua-Kona is walking distance to plenty of spots downtown. The location and spacious rooms earn it nearly five stars on TripAdvisor. Rooms here are ~$250, or you can pay with 40,000 IHG points a night and save a bundle.

The IHG® Rewards Premier card is a great way to start collecting points for your getaway.

Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach

The Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach deserves a spot on the list because it’s a fantastic value with Hyatt points — you only need 12,000 points per night to stay.

Room rates are sometimes cheap enough that you can do well to save your points and take a statement credit instead. I found rooms for ~$259 a night in February 2020. Readers really like the staff and rooms here.

And you can always use Hyatt points earned with the World of Hyatt Credit Card when paid rates are high. Either way, your out-of-pocket cost can be a sweet $0.

How we chose the best hotels in Hawaii

To make this list, we looked for hotels that are typically expensive with cash and a great value with points.

We only included well-reviewed hotels with at least a four-star rating on TripAdvisor from actual guests who’ve stayed at the hotels. Million Mile Secrets team members have stayed at some of them too.

Hawaii is known for hotel resort fees. Hilton and Hyatt do not charge these fees, but Marriott does.  There are three Marriott hotels on the list with daily resort fees — but you can use statement credits from certain cards to erase the charges and make your stay truly free. Plus, the deals were so good they were worth including here.

Finally, we’ve included hotels all over Hawaii, not just in Honolulu.

So here are 10 of the best hotels in Hawaii where you can stay for free using points.

Bottom line

A trip to Hawaii is within reach when you use points to stay at one of these top-rated hotels for free.

• Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, using Hyatt points (World of Hyatt Credit Card)
• Aston Islander on the Beach, using Capital One Venture miles (Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card)
• The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort, using Marriott points (Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card)
• Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, using Chase Ultimate Rewards points (Ink Business Preferred Credit Card)
• Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, using Hilton points (Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card)
• Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa, Waikiki Beach, using Marriott points (Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card)
• Hilton Waikiki Beach, using Hilton points (The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card)
• Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kailua-Kona, using IHG points (IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card)
• Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach, using Citi ThankYou points (Citi Premier® Card)

All of these hotels have fantastic locations, places to swim, amenities for families and did we mention they’re in Hawaii? They also get great reviews from real guests. So which one is best comes down to which island you prefer and which loyalty program best fits your travel needs.

Whatever you decide, it’s possible to get a completely free stay in Hawaii. If you have to deal with resort fees, lots of cards offer statement credits for travel expenses.

Have you stayed free in Hawaii with points? What’s your favorite hotel on the list?