Our real trip, real numbers, and everything we’d do differently.
We just got back from two weeks in Greece with our 5-year-old Maddox and my mother-in-law — Santorini, Naxos, Athens, and a free night in Paris on the way home. This post is the full breakdown: what we booked, what it cost in points and cash, and the specific strategies we used to make it happen.
This wasn’t a luxury flex. It was a regular family from South Carolina making a trip happen that we couldn’t have afforded at full cash price — which is the whole point of this page.
The trip at a glance
Route: Atlanta → Paris → Santorini → Naxos → Athens → Paris (stopover) → Atlanta
Duration: ~2 weeks
Party: 3 adults (Tony, Chantal, and mother-in-law) + Maddox (5 years old)
Cards that made it happen:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) — opened for this trip
- Capital One Venture X — opened for this trip
- Chase Ink Cash — opened for this trip
- Chase portal travel credit
- Rakuten for extra points on hotel bookings
The flights: Flying Blue did the heavy lifting
We booked both directions on Flying Blue — Air France/KLM’s loyalty program — using points transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards (via CSP) and Capital One Miles (via Venture X).
Outbound: Atlanta → Santorini via Paris
Cost: 95,000 Flying Blue miles + $486 in taxes and fees
The routing went through Paris CDG, Flying Blue’s hub, then connected to Santorini (JTR). Air France handles the transatlantic leg and the European connection is straightforward.
What the cash price would have been: A family of 4 flying Atlanta to Santorini in peak summer typically runs $1,800–$2,500+ per person, or $7,200–$10,000+ total. We paid $486.
Return: Athens → Atlanta via Paris (with stopover)
Cost: 140,000 Flying Blue miles + ~$1,000 in taxes and fees
This is where it gets interesting. We didn’t fly straight home. We called Flying Blue (1-800-375-8723) and asked to add a stopover in Paris — meaning instead of connecting through CDG in a couple of hours, we spent a full day and night in Paris before catching our flight home.
The miles cost exactly the same as flying straight through. The only additional cost was roughly $50 per ticket in slightly higher taxes for the stopover routing.
The return cost more miles than the outbound (140k vs 95k) because the Athens-originating routing priced differently than the Atlanta-originating one. Still a fraction of what cash tickets would have cost.
What the cash price would have been: Athens to Atlanta for 4 people in summer — easily $2,000–$3,000 per person, or $8,000–$12,000 total. We paid $1,000 in taxes.
How we earned the Flying Blue miles
Flying Blue transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards and Capital One Miles at 1:1. We opened the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Capital One Venture X specifically for this trip — both came with elevated welcome bonuses that funded the bulk of the miles needed.
Key tip: Flying Blue runs monthly Promo Rewards — discounted award pricing on select routes — and periodic transfer bonuses from Chase and Amex (30% bonus transfers appear several times a year). Timing your transfer with a bonus can stretch your points significantly.
Important for this routing: taxes and fees on Flying Blue transatlantic awards are higher than some programs — budget for $200–$350 per ticket on average. Not a dealbreaker, but something to plan for.
The hotels: four different approaches, in order
Stop 1: Santorini — Airbnb via Rakuten
We flew into Santorini first and started there. For a family needing space, a kitchen, and the iconic Santorini experience (private terrace, caldera view), Airbnb was the right call over a hotel.
How we booked it: Directly through Airbnb after clicking through Rakuten first. Rakuten offers cash back (or Amex/Bilt points if you’ve switched your earning preference) on Airbnb bookings — free money on a booking you were making anyway. Always go through Rakuten before any Airbnb booking.
What we paid: Cash — Santorini peak summer pricing is what it is, but the Rakuten cash back offset a meaningful portion.
Stop 2: Naxos — Booking.com via Rakuten
From Santorini we took the ferry to Naxos. We used Booking.com and again ran the transaction through Rakuten for additional cash back/points.
Naxos is significantly less expensive than Santorini and was honestly our favorite island of the trip — more local, less crowded, genuinely beautiful. If Santorini is on your list, add Naxos. You won’t regret it. Give it at least 3 nights — it rewards slower travel.
Stop 3: Athens — Chase Travel Portal + Travel Credit
After Naxos we flew to Athens for our final Greek stop. We used the Chase Sapphire Preferred’s travel credit toward a hotel booking made through the Chase Travel portal.
The CSP includes a $100 hotel credit on bookings of $500+ made through Chase Travel on your account anniversary — we used this to offset our Athens hotel cost. Booking through the Chase portal also earns 5x points on the stay.
One thing we’d do differently: Athens has excellent Hyatt properties — the Grand Hyatt Athens and Hyatt Regency Athens are both strong options. Next time we’d transfer Chase points to Hyatt for the Athens stay since the redemption value would have been higher than the portal booking. That’s our biggest planning regret from this trip.
Stop 4: Paris CDG — Hyatt Place Airport (2 rooms)
For the Paris stopover we needed two rooms — our party of 4 including the mother-in-law required separate rooms, which is something to plan for when traveling with extended family.
Hotel: Hyatt Place Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Cost: 9,500 World of Hyatt points per room × 2 rooms = 19,000 points total
We transferred Chase Ultimate Rewards points to World of Hyatt (1:1) and booked both rooms. The Hyatt Place CDG is the right call for an airport stopover — shuttle to the terminal, comfortable rooms, on-site breakfast, and a very manageable points cost.
Cash equivalent: Two rooms at CDG airport hotels in peak summer runs $250–$400+ per room per night. We paid 19,000 Hyatt points.
One practical thing to know: the Paris stopover shows as an “admitting city” itinerary, which means you collect your luggage and clear customs on arrival, exit the airport, check into your hotel, and then return to the airport the next day and check in fresh for your onward flight. It is not a through-check. Plan for this with kids or elderly travelers — it adds a logistical step but is completely manageable.
Full trip cost summary
| Item | Points/miles used | Cash paid |
|---|---|---|
| ATL → Santorini via Paris (4 pax) | 95,000 Flying Blue miles | $486 |
| Athens → ATL via Paris stopover (4 pax) | 140,000 Flying Blue miles | ~$1,000 |
| Santorini Airbnb | — | Cash (+ Rakuten cash back) |
| Naxos accommodation | — | Cash (+ Rakuten cash back) |
| Athens hotel | Chase travel credit + portal | Partial cash |
| Paris CDG hotel (2 rooms, 1 night) | 19,000 Hyatt points | $0 |
| Total points/miles used | ~254,000 across programs | |
| Total cash out of pocket | ~$3,000 | |
| Estimated cash price | ~$11,000 | |
| Saved | ~$8,000 |
What we’d do differently
1. Book Athens on Hyatt points, not the Chase portal The Grand Hyatt Athens or Hyatt Regency Athens would have delivered better value than the Chase portal booking. Transfer to Hyatt for Athens next time.
2. Plan the stopover hotel earlier We knew about the Paris stopover from the start but left the hotel booking slightly late. In peak summer, Hyatt Place CDG books up fast. Book it the moment you confirm your itinerary.
3. Give Naxos more time We under-allocated time to Naxos relative to Santorini and it was genuinely our favorite stop. Three nights minimum.
4. EES at CDG — arrive before 7am The EU Entry/Exit System (biometric registration for non-EU passport holders) is now active at CDG. We went through at 6:40am — 15–20 minutes total. By 7am a long line was forming behind us. Get there early.
The cards that made this trip happen
- Chase Sapphire Preferred — transferred Chase UR to Flying Blue and Hyatt for flights and the Paris hotel. Welcome bonus funded a significant portion of the miles needed. See current offer →
- Capital One Venture X — transferred Capital One miles to Flying Blue for additional flight coverage. $300 annual travel credit available for ground transportation and accommodations. See current offer →
- Rakuten — used on every Airbnb and Booking.com transaction for cash back/points. Free money on bookings you’re making anyway. Sign up →
The bottom line
Two weeks in Greece — Santorini, Naxos, Athens, and a bonus night in Paris — for a family of four.
We paid approximately $3,000 out of pocket. The same trip in cash would have cost us around $11,000.
That $8,000 gap is what the points game actually looks like in practice. Not one big luxury redemption — just a series of smart decisions that stacked on top of each other: two card welcome bonuses transferred to Flying Blue, a phone call to add a free Paris stopover, Rakuten running in the background on every booking, and 19,000 Hyatt points for two Paris hotel rooms.
Maddox ran up every staircase in Santorini, made friends with every cat on Naxos, asked if “the old people” still live in the Parthenon, and fell asleep in Paris the moment his head hit the pillow. It’s worth it. Every complicated connection and miles calculation and phone call to Flying Blue is worth it.
Ready to plan your own Greece trip on points? Start with our getting started guide → and see the current best offers → for the cards that funded this trip.
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