Easy methods to save hundreds on a visit to Maine’s coastal cities utilizing factors

I grew up simply outdoors of Philadelphia, and I typically search out small-town journey experiences. Maine — particularly the state’s charming coastal cities — has at all times been on my bucket listing of locations I’ve wished to discover.

Recent off the heels of the height summer season journey months, I discovered myself within the small, idyllic seaside city of Kennebunkport, Maine. Visiting the weekend after Labor Day, thought-about “shoulder season” for this widespread vacation spot, I used to be in a position to take pleasure in all that the New England state’s shoreside city needed to supply — with out the site visitors of summer season vacationers or fall foliage seekers.

Located lower than two hours from Boston, Kennebunkport is a candy city that options sandy seashores, native artisanal retailers and the enduring Walker’s Level Property (also called the Bush household compound).

Planning a visit to the prosperous space of southern Maine will be expensive, particularly when it’s important to think about flights, a rental automobile and your lodge keep. Fortunately, if in case you have a journey rewards bank card, just like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see charges and costs), you should use a mix of Chase Final Rewards factors and assertion credit to save lots of upward of $2,600.

Listed here are my hacks for reserving your subsequent weekend getaway to Maine’s coastal scorching spots, sans the excessive costs.

Associated: The very best coastal resorts to go to throughout your subsequent seaside getaway

Use your factors or miles to e-book round-trip flights

As a present Florida resident, driving to Maine was not an choice, so I needed to e-book round-trip flights for myself, my accomplice and our (now) 8-month-old son. JetBlue operates direct flights from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Worldwide Airport (FLL) to Boston Logan Worldwide Airport (BOS). Although I might have opted to fly to Portland Worldwide Jetport (PWM) — which is barely a couple of 30-minute drive to Kennebunkport — the flights weren’t direct, and it was a bit costlier.

I booked two round-trip Blue Primary tickets for a complete of 26,000 JetBlue TrueBlue factors plus $22 in taxes and costs. Money costs for the round-trip tickets price about $192 per individual, or 13,000 TrueBlue factors. I already had 7,000 TrueBlue factors in my account and actually wished to economize on the flights.

Chase factors switch to TrueBlue at a 1:1 ratio; nevertheless, per TPG’s September 2025 valuations, Final Rewards factors are value 2.05 cents per level whereas TrueBlue factors are value 1.45 cents apiece. Due to this fact, if I transferred my Chase factors, I might lose some worth. Alas, I used to be set on merely saving cash for this fast journey and transferred 19,000 factors to e-book two award flights plus taxes and costs, saving $362.

Associated: 21 methods to make use of 100,000 Chase Final Rewards factors

As a budget-conscious traveler and factors and miles fanatic, I at all times attempt to maximize my rewards. However on the finish of the day, typically it is nearly saving myself a number of additional bucks and never hoarding my factors due to evaluation paralysis.

So, when you’re seeking to e-book flights to Maine, factors and miles can prevent cash. To assist along with your flight searches, attempt utilizing an award software like Seats.aero or Going to assist discover nice offers.

Associated: I used to be sitting on 150,000 bank card factors — how I acquired previous evaluation paralysis to redeem them

E-book a rental automobile to your journey utilizing assertion credit

The drive from Boston to Kennebunkport is about two hours, so reserving a rental automobile was a should. Plus, we deliberate to discover neighboring areas just like the city of Ogunquit and take a fast 30-minute journey to Portland for some unimaginable eating places.

When you can decide to e-book a rental automobile utilizing factors or miles by means of a journey portal, resembling Chase Journey℠, American Categorical Journey or Capital One Journey, you can even lower your expenses by using assertion credit on sure bank cards.

For instance, the Chase Sapphire Reserve presents an annual $300 journey assertion credit score. Equally, the Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card presents a $300 journey credit score per cardmember 12 months on bookings made by means of the Capital One Journey portal. Due to this fact, when you pay to your rental automobile utilizing your card, you’ll be able to doubtlessly cowl most (if not all) of your rental automobile bills.

Associated: Lower your expenses in your subsequent journey: Use these tricks to by no means pay full value for a rental automobile

Although Kennebunkport is a walkable city, with the ability to enterprise outdoors of the world to neighboring vintage retailers, the overlook close to the Bush household compound and close by locations like Ogunquit and Portland will improve your coastal highway journey (extra on this beneath).

The place to remain: Kennebunkport Captains Assortment

Kennebunkport and the encircling city of Ogunquit are house to dozens of regionally owned retailers and eating places. With this emphasis on native enterprise, you will not discover a McDonald’s or Goal once you’re strolling by means of the dockside areas. However, in terms of reserving your keep, regardless of the dearth of resorts from main manufacturers like Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott, there’s one boutique lodge that you could truly e-book within the coronary heart of Kennebunkport’s downtown space utilizing World of Hyatt factors.

Kennebunkport Captains Assortment overview

The Kennebunkport Captains Assortment is a part of the Mr & Mrs Smith portfolio, a set of luxurious boutique properties that now companions with Hyatt. Due to this fact, you’ll be able to redeem Hyatt factors for a keep at this stunning and historic lodge.

Constructed within the early nineteenth century, 4 stately homes had been constructed and handed all the way down to Kennebunkport’s seafaring households. These settlements ultimately turned boutique inns and in 2021, a part of Lark Resorts (additionally a part of Mr & Mrs Smith).

Associated: Our favourite Mr & Mrs Smith resorts to e-book utilizing Hyatt factors

That includes colonial-style structure and rustic decor mixed with trendy facilities like LED TVs and plush bedding, Kennebunkport Captains Assortment is the best place to immerse your self within the maritime aesthetic of this seaside city.

Whenever you keep at this lodge, your room shall be positioned in one of many 4 homes, and every home has its personal distinctive fashion and persona. On arrival, you may examine in at Nathaniel Lord Mansion, a vivid yellow colonial home with black shutters and moody decor.

I stayed in William Jefferds Home, which featured a vivid white inside and a extra trendy really feel, a stark departure from the opposite houses on the property. My room, the Jefferds Deluxe King, featured a king-size mattress, a walk-in bathe with Lather apothecary merchandise, robes, two sitting chairs and a TV. Most notably, a fire was located on the heart, which introduced an additional sense of hominess to the room.

Per the lodge’s web site, most rooms inside the 4 houses function a fire.

Every homestead additionally has frequent sitting areas the place you’ll be able to chat and admire the eclectic structure and decor — or take pleasure in your complimentary breakfast and occasional. Once more, since the lounge and kitchen space (particularly for my keep, the sunroom within the William Jefferds Home) are working in a homelike area in comparison with a typical Hyatt lodge with extra-large rooms, I discovered myself partaking with different friends extra due to these intimate areas.

Every morning, whereas eating on an egg quiche and contemporary fruit with granola, I realized who was vacationing at Kennebunkport Captains Assortment for the fifth time, suggestions on dinner eating places within the neighboring city and the place to get the very best lobster roll (Footbridge Lobster in Ogunquit got here extremely beneficial).

Total, the comfy and historic colonial aesthetic of Kennebunkport Captains Assortment elevated my keep. It was a departure from the usual lodge vibe, but nonetheless included the entire trendy lodge facilities a visitor would yearn for, together with complimentary seashore chairs and bike leases (bear in mind, Kennebunkport is a seashore city). And the very best half about this lodge: You possibly can e-book it utilizing factors.

Easy methods to e-book with Hyatt factors

In contrast to different Hyatt properties, which use a hard and fast award chart, Mr & Mrs Smith resorts function utilizing dynamic pricing. Due to this fact, getting worth out of your Hyatt factors can show difficult. However, reserving throughout Maine’s shoulder season at a Mr & Mrs Smith property can have its perks. Whereas charges for every room fluctuate, I discovered that you possibly can e-book a room at this lodge in early September for 35,250 Hyatt factors or $623 per evening. This is able to offer you a worth of about 1.76 cents per level, which is a reasonably good redemption since TPG values Hyatt factors at 1.7 cents apiece per our September 2025 valuations.

Due to this fact, for 3 nights, you possibly can redeem 105,750 Hyatt factors and save about $1,900. Since breakfast is included in your keep, that’s one other expense that may be reduce out of your finances

Even when you do not have sufficient Hyatt factors, Chase Final Rewards factors switch to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio. Due to this fact, when you earned the welcome bonus on the Chase Sapphire Reserve — candidates can earn 125,000 factors after spending $6,000 on purchases inside the first three months from account opening — you possibly can e-book a three-night keep at this luxurious boutique property.

Plus, at that fee, you possibly can doubtlessly e-book your flight and a rental automobile with the leftover factors and your $300 journey credit score.

Observe that since this property makes use of dynamic award pricing, your keep might require extra factors or fewer factors.

Maine highlights: Issues to do close to Kennebunkport

In case your lodge, flights and rental automobile are coated utilizing factors and miles, you’ll be able to spend cash on different bills, like meals and buying. No less than, that’s my journey philosophy.

Nevertheless, meals costs within the space had been a bit excessive, not less than for this budget-focused traveler. Do not be stunned if you end up paying upward of $34 for one lobster roll or $17 for six hen wings. I can report that it was all scrumptious, and the lobster roll, significantly at Footbridge Lobster, was unmatched.

Fortunately, even if you wish to splurge on meals within the prosperous space, there are lots of free issues guests can do.

Whereas in Kennebunkport, stroll across the downtown space and go to the neighborhood retailers. Go to the native seashores, resembling Goose Rocks Seashore and drive to the scenic Walker’s Level Property. Take a 25-minute drive to Ogunquit and stroll the well-known Marginal Manner, a 1 1/2-mile path alongside the coast and/or go to Ogunquit’s seashores.

Although Ogunquit additionally has many retailers and eating places, one main spotlight was the Heritage Museum, the place folks can study concerning the city’s historical past and its folks by means of artifacts and footage.

For nature lovers, take a stroll by means of the Rachel Carson Nationwide Wildlife Refuge. For these leaf-peeping vacationers, this may be a good way to see the autumn foliage.

Associated: ‘Bleisure’ journey: How I used factors and miles to show a enterprise journey right into a (practically) free trip

In the event you’re a foodie and wish to make investments your cash in additional various meals, drive half-hour to Portland, the state’s largest metropolis, and hit the favored native eating haunts. Just a few private favorites: Crispy Gai, Salt Yard, Mr. Tuna and Bread & Pals.

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TPG tip: When eating out, be sure to use a bank card that earns bonus rewards on eating places worldwide.

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When driving round Maine, you may additionally discover a ton of vintage retailers, e-book shops, classic clothes boutiques and, my private favourite, espresso retailers.

Total, coastal Maine has a lot to supply, and the worth factors of those seashore cities should not deter budget-friendly vacationers from visiting. Using rewards may help prevent hundreds of {dollars} when planning a long-weekend getaway to those prosperous, charming seaside cities.