One of the lesser talked about advantages of Hilton Honors is that if you book five nights in a row in the same hotel, one is free. This little trick can make a good points redemption great  and if you know what properties to go for, it really is quite amazing. So we set out to search the globe for some truly outstanding choices (from Mexico's beach towns to European capitals) that can be easily afforded with 120,000 Hilton Honors points or fewer.

Here are some of our choices, a brief explanation of how the fifth-night benefit works, and some tools that can help you find your own deals once you're ready to dive into the hunting yourself.

The 5th Night Free Perk, Explained

In order to get this benefit, you must have Hilton Honors elite status at the Silver level or higher (Silver, Gold, Diamond or Diamond Reserve). Get five nights in a row of five standard room award nights at the same hotel with points and the fifth night is complimentary. All of the prices quoted in this article include that discount.

Have no status? It's easier to obtain than you may imagine. Just 10 nights per calendar year is enough for Silver status, and the majority of Hilton-branded credit cards include elite status as a benefit. One of the best cards on the list is the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card, which awards you free Gold status upon signing up and gives you a complimentary award night if you spend $15,000 a year on Hilton property. It's generous enough to pay to stay at several of the hotels on this list, and it also provides up to $200 in statement credits annually for purchases made at Hilton.

As an example, Hilton Honors points are valued at about half a cent apiece, so 120,000 points are valued at about $600. That's a great formula to have on hand when considering a redemption.

Where to Book: 10 Standout Properties

1. DoubleTree by Hilton Mazatlan, Mexico. A beachfront vacation with a walking community of restaurants, pharmacies and a grocery store close by. The property is a bit old and needs updating but the location and service is more than made up for during peak season. It also is a Hilton resort, meaning that if you have the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card you can use your points to pay for the room and your resort credit to pay for the other costs incurred at the resort.

2. Hilton Garden Inn Shanghai High Speed East Railway Station, China. Cleanliness, complimentary airport transfers, and convenient public transportation and access to the nearby mall are what sets this hotel apart from the many reasonably priced Hilton properties in Shanghai. As always, do your homework before you book using points – there may be some properties in Shanghai which are so inexpensive in dollars that points would not be a wise choice.

3. DoubleTree by Hilton at the Entrance to Universal Orlando, Florida. The perfect home through which to do theme park trips, with a Universal Studios partnership and an on-site ticket and planning desk.

4. Hampton Inn Orlando North Florida. International Dr. N.Hampton Inn Orlando North Florida International Dr. N. Families on a budget will find this to be a good choice due to its proximity to Universal and SeaWorld, pet-friendly rooms and an outdoor pool. It's close to all shops and restaurants on International Drive as well.

5. Hilton Garden Inn Vilnius City Centre, Lithuania. The hotel is located in a compact and walkable city, which is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and is close to Vilnius Cathedral, the Gediminas Castle Tower and the famous KGB Museum.

6. Hilton Barra Rio de Janeiro Brazil. Located on the outskirts of the city, this hotel is about 10 minutes from the beach, has a roof-top infinity pool with a view of the city and offers convenient access to a shopping center. This is a great hotel for the family with a convenient location that won't cost you the big bucks like it would at the beach.

7. Hilton Garden Inn Lima Miraflores, Peru. It's a newer property with a rooftop bar, pool, fitness center and restaurant, and located just 5 minutes' walk from Love Park. The Larcomar Shopping Centre is just a short walk away, also at the cliffside, and is a well located base for exploring Lima.

8. It is established in Christchurch, New Zealand at the Chateau on the Park (a DoubleTree by Hilton). A resort-style property with a beautiful manicured grounds and outdoor pool, close to Hagley Park, within walking distance from the botanical gardens. Here, cash rates range from about $100 to $300 per night and it's definitely worth checking out prices before splashing out on points.

9. Auckland Karaka, New Zealand, DoubleTree by Hilton. Great for road trippers, Auckland Airport is 25 minutes away. It is consistently rated for its cleanliness, heated outdoor pool, equestrian grounds and bar with a decent happy hour.

10.Hilton Strasbourg, France. The full-service hotel provides executive lounge access to Diamond and Diamond Reserve members, or those who book an executive room, just a few tram stops from the city center. Cleanliness and value are repeated words in reviews, but some mention that the location isn't the best central.

Finding More Deals on Your Own

Once you've got a feel for how this works, Hilton's Points Explorer tool makes it simple to hunt for your own bargains. Type in a destination, then drag the slider to set the maximum number of points you're willing to spend per night, and the results will populate with every property that fits your criteria. From there, you can pick a hotel and search by any five-night window to compare pricing across different check-in dates. The "shop by price" view is especially useful since it lays out the nightly point cost for each date, and remember: thanks to the fifth-night-free benefit, you're only actually paying for four of those five nights. 

A quick note before you book: Hilton's award pricing is dynamic, meaning the number of points required for a given stay can shift based on demand and your travel dates. It's also worth double-checking whether a property is currently classified as a resort, since that list can change from year to year and affects whether Aspire Card resort credits will apply. Regardless of which hotel you pick from this list, quarterly Amex Hilton statement credits will apply as long as you charge purchases directly to your room.

A few things worth keeping in mind before you book:

• Elite status (Silver or above) is required to unlock the fifth-night-free benefit
• Always check the cash rate before redeeming points, since some properties are cheap enough that paying cash makes more sense
• Confirm whether a hotel is currently on Hilton's official resort list if you're counting on Aspire Card resort credits
• Statement credits from Hilton-branded Amex cards only apply when charges are billed directly to your room

With a little research and the right card in your wallet, five-night stays at well-located, comfortable Hilton properties around the world are well within reach for around 120,000 points or less.