Overview of Luxury Europe for 70% Less: Switzerland & Lake Como with Amy Fox
Chris Hutchins and Amy Fox break down how they turned a dream family trip to Switzerland, Lake Como, and Germany into a luxury vacation for a fraction of the sticker price using points, free night certificates, and a few strategic cash bookings. The episode focuses on the exact travel hacks they used to upgrade flights, avoid expensive rental car fees, and book high-end hotels that would have otherwise cost around $35,000 for $9,000 cash + 513,000 points + 4 Hilton free night certificates.
Trip Summary
- Trip length: About two weeks
- Destinations: Switzerland, Lake Como, and a quick stop in Mainz, Germany
- Travel style: Family-focused luxury with kids, using points for nearly everything possible
- Big theme: Booking “good enough” early, then improving the trip as better options opened up
Flight Strategy: How They Got There and Home
Initial booking approach
- They first booked a set of speculative Alaska award flights in business class from San Francisco to Europe once Condor availability opened.
- They booked multiple return options as well, keeping flexibility because they weren’t sure exactly how long they’d stay.
Better flights opened later
- They later found an even better United award flight to Zurich for:
- 63,000 United miles + $5.60 per person
- Then they found an even better option home on Swiss Air, which they booked using:
- Avianca LifeMiles
- They used a stash of points originally transferred from Bilt during a 100% transfer bonus.
Why this worked well
- They were able to upgrade their flight plans twice without changing the trip dates.
- They deliberately held multiple backup bookings so they could switch when better inventory appeared.
- Chris emphasized that this is a strong points strategy: book something reasonable first, then improve it later.
Flight takeaways
- Condor and Swiss Air were both fine business-class experiences.
- Condor felt newer; Swiss Air felt a bit more dated.
- The flights were comfortable and practical, but not the most memorable part of the trip.
- For a family, the lie-flat seats mattered far more than gourmet inflight dining.
Rental Car Hack: Avoiding the Cross-Border Fee
The problem
- Renting a car in one country and dropping it in another would have triggered a large one-way fee.
The solution
- They realized they could rent in Switzerland and return the car in Lugano, which is in Switzerland but close enough to Italy to make the route work.
- This avoided the expensive cross-border drop-off fee.
Extra tips
- They booked a Hertz rental for about $450 for 10 days.
- They also made sure to tell the rental agency they’d be crossing into another country.
- They obtained international driving permits, just in case.
Hotel 1: The Märchenhotel in Braunwald, Switzerland
(The transcript refers to it as the “fairytale hotel”; the property is the famous family-focused Märchenhotel in Braunwald.)
Why they chose it
- They were inspired by social media videos of Swiss Alpine playgrounds and family resorts.
- The hotel looked like a true “fairytale” experience for kids in the Alps.
What made it special
- The hotel is designed around families, but still feels polished and thoughtful rather than gimmicky.
- It sits in a car-free mountain village accessible by funicular.
- Kids have incredible freedom in a safe, contained environment.
Family-friendly features
- Free childcare from 9am to 9pm
- Huge playgrounds, trampolines, zip lines, bunnies, goats, alpacas, and more
- Daily kids’ activities and presentations
- A bouncy castle that literally comes out of the ceiling
- Themed food delivery, including the famous “gondola” breakfast system
- A train-like setup for kids to move around independently
Adult-friendly features
- A mountain-view spa
- Wine tastings
- Separate kids’ and adults’ spaces during some activities
- Three-course dinners with flexible family participation
Hiking and outdoors
- Excellent access to Alpine hikes and via ferratas
- Gondola access to mountain trails and playgrounds
- The area felt ideal for kids roughly 2–12 years old
Overall impression
- They loved the hotel and felt it was one of the best family travel experiences they’ve ever had.
- Chris said he’d happily return every year if it weren’t so far away.
Hotel 2: Grand Hotel Victoria, Menaggio, Lake Como
Why they booked it
- Chris was drawn to the idea of a luxury, family-friendly Lake Como hotel.
- He had seen strong recommendations from points/travel experts and wanted a nicer, more relaxed Italy experience than his previous budget trip years ago.
How they booked it
- It was bookable through Hilton, and they used a mix of:
- Hilton free night certificates
- Hilton points
- They booked two courtyard rooms for four nights.
Why the value was strong
- The hotel would have cost about $1,650 per night for their room setup.
- They used points/free nights instead of cash, and the free-night math made the stay especially compelling.
- They noted Hilton points can be bought relatively cheaply, making this property a strong redemption even for people who don’t “play” the points game much.
What the hotel was like
- Stunning, upscale, but not stuffy
- Excellent service
- Beautiful rooms
- Kid-friendly spa hours
- One of the best breakfast buffets they’ve ever had
- Amazing pastry selection
Lake Como experience
- Menaggio felt charming, walkable, and relatively calm.
- They took a private boat around the lake and found Menaggio much more pleasant than the heavily crowded parts of Lake Como like Bellagio.
- They spent time at a beach club, but weren’t totally sold on the beach-club lifestyle.
Food and atmosphere
- They loved the restaurants, cocktails, gelato, and relaxed pace of life.
- The concierge helped them find a good local restaurant during a busy holiday period.
- Chris and Amy both felt Menaggio was the right town for a family trip.
Mainz, Germany: The Overnight Stop Before Flying Home
- They canceled their second planned return flight and instead stayed overnight in Mainz before their Frankfurt departure.
- They booked the Hyatt Regency Mainz with points.
- It was a comfortable, convenient overnight stop with a nice location by the river.
- They wished they had a little more time to explore the town.
Key Points and Takeaways
1. Book early, then keep checking
- Their trip became much better because they booked “good enough” options early and then rebooked when better award space appeared.
2. Points create flexibility
- They could hold multiple speculative bookings because they had points in several programs.
- That flexibility let them optimize without being locked into one nonrefundable cash reservation.
3. Family luxury travel is possible
- The trip showed how points can make a luxury family itinerary realistic, even with expensive destinations like Switzerland and Lake Como.
4. The right hotel matters more than the destination hype
- Menaggio beat the more crowded, high-traffic parts of Lake Como for them.
- The fairytale Swiss hotel turned out to be even better than expected for kids and adults.
5. Friends can make a trip better
- They overlapped with Brian M. and his family, which added social energy and made shared activities easier and more fun.
Total Cost and Value
- Actual out-of-pocket: about $9,000
- Points used: 513,000
- Free night certificates: 4
- Estimated cash value of the trip: about $35,000
- Estimated savings: about $26,000
Chris emphasized that this kind of trip is exactly why he loves points and miles: it makes premium travel feel much more achievable and repeatable.
Final Thoughts
Amy said this trip may rank among their best ever, alongside their Paris Olympics and Mallorca trip. Both agreed the itinerary struck a great balance between:
- active mountain adventure in Switzerland
- relaxing, food-heavy downtime in Italy
- enough flexibility to adapt as better flight and hotel options appeared
Chris closed by saying the big lesson is to plan earlier, book flexibly, and be willing to adjust as better options open up—because that’s how you turn a luxury trip into a deeply discounted one.