The cheaper way to see cherry blossoms

Good morning from Wugong Mountain in China’s Jiangxi province!

Let’s finish off the week strong, shall we?

Here’s what’s on deck for today:

• 🌎 Destination Highlight: Qingdao

• ✈️ Save on flights even after you’ve booked

• 💳 Current Transfer Bonuses

🌎 Destination Highlight: Qingdao

Today, I want to tell you about a city that I just visited last week and loved.

And if you like beer, mountains, beaches, and cherry blossoms… I think you’ll love it too.

So, without further ado, let’s talk about Qingdao, China – why it’s awesome, what to do there, how to get there, and where to stay.

Cherry blossoms (without the chaos)

Qingdao really shows up in the spring. I was there last week (mid-April), and it was peak cherry blossom season. 🌸

We’re talking parks, coastal paths, and entire streets lined with cherry blossoms. I spent hours just walking through Zhongshan Park and along the water, and it had that same soft, dreamy vibe you go to Japan for.

Except here’s the difference:

You can actually enjoy it.

No shoulder-to-shoulder crowds. No waiting in line to take a photo of a tree. Just space to walk around and take it all in like a normal person.

Qingdao is a true beer city

Even if you don’t know Qingdao, you definitely know Tsingtao beer. It’s ubiquitous basically everywhere in the world, and this is where it’s from.

Fresh pours, beer halls, and even a full-scale brewery museum… It’s very easy to accidentally turn a casual drink into a full afternoon situation (speaking from experience).

Also, if you end up in Qingdao, head to 1903 Bar on the water. They have the best beer selection in the city. 😉

Oh, and there’s a major international beer festival every year in July (who wants to go with me this year?).

Beaches, mountains, and a European plot twist

This was the part that surprised me most.

Qingdao is a coastal city, so you’ve got:

• Beaches

• Seaside walking paths

• Ocean views pretty much everywhere

But then you look up and see red-roofed buildings that feel straight out of Europe.

That’s thanks to its German colonial period. And the architecture stuck around in a way that makes the whole city feel… kind of surreal.

If you want to get out of the city, you’ve got Laoshan Mountain right nearby – mountains rising straight out of the sea, classic Chinese scenery, super easy to visit as a day trip.

How to get to Qingdao

Thanks to Qingdao’s location on China’s northeast coast, it’s more accessible than you’d think.

You can easily connect there from other Chinese cities, along with places like Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and more.

For example, you can fly from multiple U.S. cities to Qingdao (TAO) on Cathay Pacific for just 38,000 Asia Miles in economy:

You can transfer points directly to Cathay from MR points, Capital One miles, Bilt Rewards, ThankYou Points, and even Rove Miles – making it one of the most accessible programs out there.

Where to stay

This is where Qingdao gets fun… I personally did some hotel hopping around the city since there were so many incredible options.

The best one?

The St. Regis Qingdao, located 60 stories in the air, towering over the city:

It costs less than $200 per night despite being one of the nicest hotels I’ve stayed at in my entire life (and I stay at a LOT of nice hotels).

If you’re looking for something that will cost you fewer points, look no further than the Hyatt Regency, located in a similar area.

It is a proper 5-star hotel that costs as few as 6,500 World of Hyatt points per night. 👇

Since you can transfer UR points or Bilt Rewards to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio, booking a multi-night stay here is super easy and cheap on points.

Between Marriott, Hyatt, IHG, Accor, and Hilton, there are many dozens of points options in Qingdao… the only hard thing is deciding which one. 🤔

Bookmark this for next year

Japan during cherry blossom season is incredible.

But it’s also expensive, crowded, and requires planning way in advance.

Qingdao gave me a very similar spring vibe… just more relaxed, more affordable, and way easier to pull off.

So if you’re already thinking about next year, this is a FANTASTIC alternative to have on your radar.

That’s it for today, friends. I hope you enjoyed a peek at one of my favorite cities in Asia. If anyone decides to go visit, let me know! I want to hear about it. 🙂

Have a great weekend and see you Monday,

27.4550° N, 114.1733° E

With contributions by Sam Anthony.