The free night certificates you can earn within the Hilton Honors program can be SUPER valuable! I’m a lover of luxury hotel stays and the Monarch Beach near Dana Point, CA did not disappoint. My daughter and I flew into John Wayne airport and took about a 30 minute Uber ride to the resort where we stayed 2 nights and enjoyed the private beach club and the entire property. Take note that the private Monarch Beach Club Restaurant has excellent sourdough rolls they bring you at the start of your meal. Oh, and the club sandwich and carne asada tacos were a big win too! We received excellent service everywhere we went which is always so nice.

To book our 2 night stay, I used 2 free night certificates that I had earned from The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. We had earned a free night certificate from the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card as part of a welcome offer in 2023. The other free night certificate we earned from spending $15,000 in a calendar year on my Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. Rates and fees; terms apply.

When you book a free night at a Hilton property with points or a free night certificate they do not charge you resort fees, which is amazing because this means you can truly get a night that costs you zero dollars! In points, a standard room goes for 95,000 points per night here. The value of our 2 night stay if we had paid cash was $2,392. Insane, right?!

The Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach has a lot to offer on site such as complimentary bike rentals, swimming pools, hot tubs along with the most incredible spa/wellness area. They recently renovated this whole part of the resort and I have to say that the fitness facilities and class offerings are the best I’ve ever seen at any resort. It is a great place to redeem points or to use a free night certificate at if you are looking for an easy to get to beach trip!