A Sleepy Beach Reset in Vero Beach

🕒 The Quick Overview

• The Crew: Generational Journeys (The kids, my husband, my parents, plus my sister and brother-in-law joining later!)

• The Destination: Vero Beach, Florida

• Date Stamped: May 2026

• The Duration: ⏱️ 4 Nights / 5 Days

🧾 The Vacation Ledger: Retail vs. Reality

To show you exactly how manageable a multi-room, multi-generational trip can be, here is the exact breakdown of what this vacation should have cost versus what we actually paid by leveraging transfer partners, airline miles, hotel certificates, and credit card perks.

🏨 Accommodations & Basecamp

• Kimpton Vero Beach Hotel & Spa (3 Nights — Room 1):

  • Retail MSRP: $2,286

  • What We Paid: $0 (Used a $250 Chase Chase Travel credit + $250 IHG credit + Chase Ultimate Rewards points)

• Kimpton Vero Beach Hotel & Spa (3 Nights — Room 2 for Grandparents):

  • Retail MSRP: $1,238

  • What We Paid: $600 (Leveraged IHG Free Night Certificates for the first 2 nights + a cash booking for the final night)

• Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport (1 Night — Room 1):

  • Retail MSRP: $340

  • What We Paid: $0 (World of Hyatt points transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards)

• Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport (1 Night — Room 2 for Grandparents):

  • Retail MSRP: $340

  • What We Paid: $0 (World of Hyatt points transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards)

🚗 Transit & Transportation

• Direct Flights (Columbus to Orlando Return):

  • Retail MSRP: $2,745

  • What We Paid: $1,807 (Covered my round-trip tickets and my husband and son’s outbound flights completely with Southwest Rapid Rewards points)

• Full-Size Rental SUV (3 Days via Orlando MCO):

  • Retail MSRP: $306

  • What We Paid: $306 (Our elite status via a premium credit card let us skip the rental check-in counter entirely—an absolute lifesaver with two toddlers!)

📊 The Final Score:

• Total Retail Value: $7,255

• What We Actually Spent: 🎉 $2,713

• Total Savings: $4,542 in our pockets!

🧳 The Transit: The Departure & Log

When you are traveling with a multi-generational crew—including both energetic toddlers and elderly parents—the logistics have to be flawless. We kept the transit day entirely low-stress and high-efficiency.

Instead of navigating connecting flights or massive, sprawling highway networks, we booked a seamless direct flight from Columbus into Orlando. Once we touched down, we picked up our full-size SUV to keep everyone comfortable and made the easy, flat, two-hour drive straight down to the coast.

Vero Beach turned out to be a wonderfully sleepy beach town. It was the perfect antidote to a busy work week, giving us exactly what we needed to just slow down, unplug, and take it easy.

🏨 The Basecamp: Kimpton Vero Beach Hotel & Spa

Honestly, I didn’t know much about Vero Beach before booking this trip. I originally chose it simply because it gave us the absolute best hotel point and free night certificate redemption value. It felt like winning the travel lottery to treat my parents to a big vacation together without staring down a massive financial hangover afterward.

To make a sweet redemption even better, the room I originally booked for us (a 2 Queen Studio Suite) got super lucky at check-in with a complimentary upgrade to an oceanfront, two-bedroom, two-bath suite! Having that massive extra space for the little ones to stretch out made the entire resort experience an absolute dream.

Because our main goal for this vacation was to simply unwind, I purposely left our daily itinerary completely blank. We spent the vast majority of our time just chilling at the resort, which is highly recommended if you want a zero-stress family getaway.

🗺️ The Album: The Trip Highlights

Day 1: Slow Mornings, Fun in the Sun, and a Secret Farm

On our first full day, we enjoyed a beautiful, slow onsite breakfast before heading down to the shore so the kids could get some fun in the sun.

I had originally found a local photographer to take our family photos on the beach the following day, but during our chats, it turned out she actually owns a small farm! So that evening, we headed over to her property for a whimsical mini farm photoshoot session for the kids. They got to play, explore, and we captured some incredible memory-book photos. We wrapped up the day with a casual, comforting dinner at Sonny’s BBQ.

Day 2: Ocean Loves, Big Group Photos & Perfect Weather

Our second full day started exactly like the first—with another slow onsite breakfast and a fast track to the beach. Watching the kids interact with the Atlantic was the highlight of the morning. We quickly learned that our daughter is an absolute ocean lover, completely fearless near the water, while our son much prefers to stick to the safety of the dry sand!

Later that evening, the rest of our travel crew—my sister and brother-in-law—were able to join us just in time for our rescheduled big family photoshoot. The weather couldn't have been more flawless the entire trip, painting the perfect sunset backdrop for memories we've been wanting to capture with my parents for a very long time.

Day 3: Character Breakfasts & Traveling Made Easy

The next morning, we took a quick 15-minute drive over to the Wind & Waves Grill inside Disney’s Vero Beach Resort for their Saturday Character Breakfast. The kids (and the adults!) had the absolute best time hanging out, hugging, and high-fiving Goofy and Pluto!

Afterward, we headed back to the hotel to pack up and make the drive back toward Orlando. To keep the journey home entirely stress-free, we spent the night at the Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport (located right inside the airport terminal). It made traveling with kids and parents so much easier. When morning rolled around, we didn't have to worry about shuttles or traffic; we simply woke up, stepped out of the hotel, and walked right to our gate for our flight back to Columbus!