Can anyone recommend a hotel in Washington, DC?

[Swimalie]

I would also recommend Mount Vernon. You can take a cruise down there from Alexandria or you can drive there. We did the cruise and the price of entrance was included in the price. The cruise is well worth it. This is who we took http://www.potomacriverboatco.com/ We did this with our then 18 month old. The tour of Mount Vernon is great, too. They have been working on a new visitors center that looks amazing.

If you don't mind a drive, Luray Caverns is amazing. http://www.luraycaverns.com/

If you are in to battlefields, there is the Battle of Bull Run Battlefield http://www.nps.gov/mana/index.htm. Warning, though, in the heat of summer, ticks are an issue there. Of course, anywhere there is tall grass in this area ticks can be a problem.

For all of you coming to DC just please stay off I-66 around 4:30pm so my husband's hour long commute home doesn't take longer. hee-hee.

 

[jstack]

To anyone thinking about visiting D.C. I would like to recommend staying at National Harbor. There are numerous hotels, shops, and restaurants within an easy walking distance of each other. The Harbor is just minutes away from Old Towne Alexandria, Virginia by car or you can take the water taxi to Old Towne. Now for the disclaimer: everything is a little pricey. My husband works part time for a Segway company(located @National Harbor) when my boys and I come down to visit him at work and ride segways, the cost of our lunch comes close to his pay for that day I have been inside the Gaylord Hotel it looks very nice and we have stayed overnight at The Loft. It was nice but I think I would have like Gaylord more. We only live about 10 miles north of D.C. if you have any questions I would be glad to try and answer them.

 

[DISdreamin']

We're planning on going to DC in March and wondered about hotel recommendations an easy commute to the mall - the kids want to do Air & Space (yes, I know there are two locations...we're looking at the one on the mall). We were considering the Omni Shoreham, but have no idea what the commute would be like with the little ones. TIA for any tips/hints!

 

[JJ&JSMOM]

Great thread - we're planning a trip to DC this summer as well. I have our hotel narrowed down to 3. The problem is one is a suite for more space but is further away from the attarctions we want to see. The one that is the closest is smaller for the same price as the bigger one but close to The Mall. The other one is in the middle which is what we'll probably go to - Holiday Inn at The Capitol. It sleeps 5!

 

[JJ&JSMOM]

The problem I'm running into right now is finding a room that sleeps 5 (same as at Disney-few options). Any ideas?

I feel your pain. We're a family of 5 and we're looking at the Holiday Inn at Capitol Hill.

 

[jstack]

Omni is a good hotel but it is not an easy walk to the Mall and the free museums. However, it is close to the Metro and that is very important. The Willard Hotel near the White House is a great place to stay but it is expensive.

 

[kellia]

I feel your pain. We're a family of 5 and we're looking at the Holiday Inn at Capitol Hill.

I hear you! One reason I love Disney so much is the cheap availability of condos to rent. It is so hard finding a hotel that will either let you have 5 in a room or 2 rooms that don't cost a fortune.

 

[PaulaSue]

THanks OP I was just coming here to ask the same thing....

 

[Misty89]

Second the JW. If you can stay on the weekend, most DC hotels are drastically reduced.

I vote for the J.W. Marriott -
we stayed here over labor day weekend and it was a great location.
if we ever get back to DC, we will stay here again.
edited to add:
we had a great rate,($199/nt) which included breakfast daily, and a nice collectable painted ceramic plate of DC.
the breakfast was awesome- btw

also wanted to add, as someone else mentioed, right across the street is the "Willard"
very posh looking, and historic - but pricey, even on weekends.
I wanted to stay there a night, but spent that extra money on fancy dinners out each night

 

[PaulaSue]

Any experience with Courtyard in Rosslyn VA a Marriot Hotel?

 

[wowsmom]

We're planning on going to DC in March and wondered about hotel recommendations an easy commute to the mall - the kids want to do Air & Space (yes, I know there are two locations...we're looking at the one on the mall). We were considering the Omni Shoreham, but have no idea what the commute would be like with the little ones. TIA for any tips/hints!

I want to say the Omni Shoreham is about 20 minutes on the Metro...but it could be closer to 30 minutes....I can't remember for sure, except that it didn't seem too bad.

The one day we were there, we caught the trolley right across the street from the hotel and rode it past the VP's house, national cathedral, etc then when we reached the spot to change colors (one is orange, one is green), we switched to the line that went by all the monuments. The next day, we took the Metro to see the museums, etc. The main thing I remember is how steep the escalator was at the station near the Omni Shoreham...steepest escalator I've ever been on.

The National Zoo is about 7-8 minutes by taxi from the Omni Shoreham. And we actually walked back to the hotel from the zoo, stopping for dinner at a very expensive French restaurant. $3 for a small glass of milk...ouch! But delicious desserts....

 

[Swimalie]

Any experience with Courtyard in Rosslyn VA a Marriot Hotel?

I haven't stayed there but from the outside, it is an older hotel and right on the highway.

 

[lukenick1]

subbing.....planning to go this summer as well.

 

[sharonmickey]

I just got back from DC. This time we stayed at Residence Inn Old Town in Alexandria. It was great - under $100 per room, free "light" dinner, free breakfast, bag of popcorn and jar of hard candy in the room. It was a short walk to the metro, just over a block. The room only had one bed but did have a pull out sofa. There was plenty of room for four adults to play cards in the living room area of our room.

 

[Flight]

On our recent trip we tried the Hampton Inn in Arlington, Virginia. Close to the Metro and includes breakfast.

But parking is $12 per day and the crowds at breakfast were crazy and made us want to skip the meal.

 

[mom2threecuties]

We stayed at the Mayflower Hotel last April. It was a beautiful hotel with great service, and very centrally located. We booked through Priceline for about $110/night; to book directly through the hotel, we would have paid $400+/night!

 

[anbouk]

Great thread! Planning a trip this spring. Anyone have any info on the WESTIN Hotel, In Washington DC. Just wondering about this property? We are considering it, yet I can't believe no one here has mentioned anything about it?

 

[mjkacmom]

A previous poster mentioned the Holocaust museum. I would strongly discourage taking children under 12 to it. We were there in June '09 and it was difficult for our then 12 yr old to view some of the exhibits. It is a must see if your children are older however. On Wednesdays, they have a survivor speak. It was amazing to listen to the story of the survivor. Anyway, just a heads up on ages for this particular museum.

It really does depend on the children - mine were 10 and 11, and were fine.

 

[torinsmom]

Whoever was asking about Priceline, we used it last year and got the Marriott Wardman Park for $95. It was really nice! It was right beside a metro station, the Woodley Park one, and down the road from the National Zoo. Everything else was about 5-10 minutes on the metro. It was $37/day to park, but we just parked at the Ballston Mall, which has a metro station under it, and rode that to our hotel.

http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/EnvironmentalServices/dot/traffic/parking/EnvironmentalServicesBallston.aspx

Good areas to bid on are Capitol Hill/Convention Center and Dupont Circle 3* or above. There are a couple of sites where you can ask advice and look at lists of the different hotels won in a specific area. I don't know if I am allowed to post the name of that site. I went to that site and checked the reviews and hotel website of every hotel listed in the category I was bidding on to see how close it was to the metro, and how much parking was.

Don't forget to get tickets to go up inside the Washington Monument. We really enjoyed that! We waited too late to get the tickets online and stood in line an hour to get ours. I would def. recommend paying the 1.50 service charge and getting them online.

http://www.nps.gov/wamo/planyourvisit/feesandreservations.htm

Marsha

 

[tjlemkuil]

Having been to D.C. several times over the last 5 years I recomend:



Hampton Inn & Suites Alexandria Old Town Area South
5821 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, Virginia, USA 22303
Tel: 1-703-329-1400 Fax: 1-703-329-1424



This hotel has shuttle service to a metro station, a hot breakfast every morning. I know it is farther out but still a good hotel.