My seven-year-old had his first surfing lesson last week on Waikiki Beach at the Royal Hawaiian, the iconic pink palace where we stayed in Honolulu. The tower next door? The Sheraton Waikiki. 

Listen up, fellow parents and/or Starwood loyalists: I feel I should share a hotel discovery I made in Hawaii last week, as well as a few tips for making the most of your Starwood Preferred Guest points on your next vacation.

Starwood has four Honolulu properties located within about a seven-minute walk of one another. Prior to my trip I had deliberated over which would best suit the needs of me, my husband, and our six- and seven-year-old sons: the Sheraton Waikiki, a behemoth on the beach with the biggest, most kid-friendly pool; the Moana Surfrider, a Westin with old-world elegance and nightly hula dancing in the fun Banyan Courtyard; the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, the cheapest option at only $119 per night but a couple of blocks from the beach; or the Royal Hawaiian, an historic property that is the plushest of the four? I was choosing among Starwood properties because, like many Conde Nast Traveler readers, I've got a Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Card that earns me a ton of Starpoints, which I cash in for family-vacation hotel stays when I'm not redeeming them for airline tickets.

At first glance it was the Sheraton Waikiki that would have seemed to suit my family's needs best, thanks to its water slides, kids' club, and numerous affordable meal and snack options. But it was sold out for our travel dates, so we booked the Royal Hawaiian next door instead. In the end, my husband and I were thrilled we ended up at the Royal Hawaiian, as it turned out to be the best property for our needs after all. Here's why:

Not only did we get a more spacious and user-friendly room than we would have gotten elsewhere--a room that included an enormous walk-in closet where we could store all our bags and gear, as well as old-fashioned windows that actually open so our bathing suits could dry overnight--but we also got access to the facilities at the other Starwood properties. We never used the Royal Hawaiian's tiny pool, for instance; instead, we went to the huge one two minutes away at the Sheraton, where the kids could slide to their heart's content. Instead of eating pricey breakfasts at the Royal Hawaiian, we strolled five minutes down the beach to the Moana Surfider, where the enormous breakfast buffet on The Veranda was free for kids and a great value because breakfast was so filling that we didn't need lunch. Furthermore, because the Royal Hawaiian is right next to a huge shopping plaza with a terrific food court, we had easy access to fast and cheap lunches and dinners, not to mention inexpensive convenience stores so that we didn't have to rely on expensive hotel gift shops for sundries. As for surfing lessons, after comparison shopping among several vendors along the beach, we determined that the best value for our dollar was in our own backyard. At the Royal Hawaiian's beach activities desk, surf lessons were $100 per hour (the right length when you're not sure whether your child is going to like it or not) and included a whole disk of photos of you on your surfboard, snapped by a photographer who follows your every move out at sea.

Not only do I recommend the Royal Hawaiian to parents hoping for that rare combination of sophisticated adult ambiance and child-friendliness, but I also want to share three important tips that every smart Starwood Preferred Guest member or wanna-be should know: