Can anyone recommend a hotel in Washington, DC?

[PaulaSue]

Sorry I lost this list and I will check to see if it was already mentioned but I was wondering what people thought of Gaithersburg? I foudn a nice place 3 miles from the metro but am concerned about it being 40 miles from DC

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

We lived in Gaithersburg for 2 years. The Metro stop there is very nice, it's an easy trip into DC once you get comfortable with the Metro system!

 

[tifandjim]

We have been twice since August and we really LOVE staying at the Sheraton National. We booked online at their website and got a GREAT deal. They have excellent views of the city and a roof-top pool! Parking was at a reasonable price, and now they are offering free parking...

 

[PaulaSue]

we lived in gaithersburg for 2 years. The metro stop there is very nice, it's an easy trip into dc once you get comfortable with the metro system!

thanks!

 

[Floridagal23]

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!

This is an excellent location - I just moved from 20th and N street (a few blocks away) and with the Mayflower, you are near the Farragut North and Dupont Circle metro lines (red line), a nice walk to the white house, easy to get the shuttle to Georgetown, and a super safe, nice area. Many restaurants nearby, including less expensive places.

 

[aclov]

Also interested in responses, possible trip there this summer!

 

[MEM]

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.

I just came back from 4 nights at the Gaylord National Harbor hotel - the hotel is excellent and once Disney enters the neighborhood with its planned hotel up on the hill, this could be a very happening place to be. The neighborhood often resembled a ghost town and I give the businesses there a lot of credit for giving it a go...it takes some courage, I would think. I made sure to patronize as many of them as I could while there. We took the water taxi over to Old Town Alexandria and that was a nice change of pace, although cold and rainy that day.

 

[GC&S]

We just returned from DC and we first stayed at the Liason at Capitol Hill. I got a rate of $89/nt from travelzoo.com. Parking was $40/nt. We liked the convenience as it was very close to the museums and capital. However, there's not a lot of restaurants around it and the rooms were very small. And it's next to a fire station. 4-5 times a night the sirens went off. Then we moved to the Palomar on Dupont Circle. WOW! I wish we could get a great rate here. I had a meeting there and one night was paid for. They cater to kids and pets. DD loved the hot chocolate bar in the afternoon and ordering milk and cookies (complimentary). Tons of restaurants and very close to the metro. I would have loved to stay there longer. So would my dd. We had to deprogram her and convince her she really wasn't royalty. They were soooo nice and attentive to her.

 

[JJ&JSMOM]

We just returned from DC and we first stayed at the Liason at Capitol Hill. I got a rate of $89/nt from travelzoo.com. Parking was $40/nt. We liked the convenience as it was very close to the museums and capital. However, there's not a lot of restaurants around it and the rooms were very small. And it's next to a fire station. 4-5 times a night the sirens went off. Then we moved to the Palomar on Dupont Circle. WOW! I wish we could get a great rate here. I had a meeting there and one night was paid for. They cater to kids and pets. DD loved the hot chocolate bar in the afternoon and ordering milk and cookies (complimentary). Tons of restaurants and very close to the metro. I would have loved to stay there longer. So would my dd. We had to deprogram her and convince her she really wasn't royalty. They were soooo nice and attentive to her.

Glad to read this about the Palomar. We're really stuck between which hotel to choose. The hotels are in different areas - Holiday inn at the Capitor, L'enfant Plaza, and Palomar. We need a hotel near the metro but also near some places to eat. The Dupont Circle area sounds like a nice place to stay.

 

[MidgeD79]

I just booked the Washington Suites in Alexandria for June 22-27. The L'enfant Plaza was my "ultimate " choice, but it was too expensive.

 

[gillenkl]

Please clarify if any of these are within walking distance of free museums - we don't want to ride the metro but prefer to walk places:

JW Marriott

Washington Marriott

Marriott Residence Inn Capitol

 

[Tina]

Please clarify if any of these are within walking distance of free museums - we don't want to ride the metro but prefer to walk places:

JW Marriott

Washington Marriott

Marriott Residence Inn Capitol

JW Marriott is about 9 or 10 blocks from the Mall and near the White House.

 

[kellia]

When is a good time to visit? Or, are there any particular times that are really bad? I'd assume April would be bad due to Spring breaks and class trips, any others?

Are rooms cheaper on the weekend or during the week?

 

[BLLB]

We stayed at the Homewood Suites on Massechusets Ave. It was convenient, within walking distance to the Mall and the Whitehouse, the capital was a little hike.

They offered complimentary breakfast and a light dinner Monday through Thursday when we were there July/August 2010.

The only downside was no pool, which I realized was pretty important with 2 young boys and not much to do after the museums closed.

 

[buzz2400]

I have been looking at all the hotels everyone is recommending and they are all coming up about $300 a night for first week of June. I am looking for a lot cheaper than this. I will have my car however if stay in the area of smithsonian would like to be in walking distance of the things to see however I am open to the idea of staying outside and traveling every day on metro to get to sites. Can someone please help me find a hotel that is a lot cheaper than $300 a night. (I figured I would be paying about $150 a night).

 

[madelyn]

Was going to say that I stayed at a Hilton Mc Clean and drove to a metro station and took the train into the city but that hotel is showing as $200/nt. One thing to keep in mind is that if you have a car and stay in the city, you will likely have high parking charges at the hotel. The Hilton site seemed to come up with pretty high rates for most of their hotels for the first week of June. Are you willing to try something like Priceline or Hotwire?

 

[NotUrsula]

The problem is that it is the first week in June. That's Memorial Day, and it brings in veterans from all over for the commemorative ceremonies.

If you only have two people, Priceline may work for you, but if you have more in your party you may need two rooms because they only guarantee double occupancy.

I checked Hotwire for the 1st to the 5th, and I did see some things in the Capitol Hill area for under $200.

 

[Swimalie]

Was going to say that I stayed at a Hilton Mc Clean and drove to a metro station and took the train into the city but that hotel is showing as $200/nt. One thing to keep in mind is that if you have a car and stay in the city, you will likely have high parking charges at the hotel. The Hilton site seemed to come up with pretty high rates for most of their hotels for the first week of June. Are you willing to try something like Priceline or Hotwire?

By the way, it's McLean, in case anyone is looking at hotels there. It's where my husband's office is.

 

[eduk8r26]

You can also sign up on travelzoo.com and they will send you the top 20 travel deals each week. You can often get good deal for DC from them, as well as other places.

 

[snowy76]

I have been looking at all the hotels everyone is recommending and they are all coming up about $300 a night for first week of June. I am looking for a lot cheaper than this. I will have my car however if stay in the area of smithsonian would like to be in walking distance of the things to see however I am open to the idea of staying outside and traveling every day on metro to get to sites. Can someone please help me find a hotel that is a lot cheaper than $300 a night. (I figured I would be paying about $150 a night).

buzz, last summer I needed a room downtown and I used Last Minute Travel. They don't tell you what the hotel is until you book the reservation, but you can narrow by ratings, price, and location and they'll give you a general location on the map before you approve it. I found a great room at The Madison for under $150, the week before July 4th.

Would also recommend you search Expedia or whatnot for places in Arlington near Court House Metro station or Rosslyn Metro station. The Hyatt Arlington comes to mind.