Mandarin Oriental, D.C. tips?

[gandbsmom]

Has anyone stayed at the Mandarin Oriental? We are headed there for five days in August. I've never been to Washington D.C. and haven't seen any
dvcers post about this hotel. Any tips, hints or thoughts to share?

 

[BLTLDZ]

I'm not sure, but wanted to tell you that when we joined DVC in 2008, our guide mentioned this hotel as one of his favorites. FH & I cannot wait to try it over the next year or two.

 

[disneynutz]

Has anyone stayed at the Mandarin Oriental? We are headed there for five days in August. I've never been to Washington D.C. and haven't seen any
dvcers post about this hotel. Any tips, hints or thoughts to share?

If you Google the hotel, it seems to get mixed reviews.

Bill

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Mandarin Orientals are typically some of the nicest hotels, I haven't stayed in this one in particular, but I would expect it to be at least nicer then Disney's 3* - 3.5* Flagship resort, The Grand Floridian.

 

[ssawka]

Have not stayed there, but I know when it first opened, it was considered one of the nicest hotles in DC. The hotel is right next to the major freeway that enters into DC, so hopefully it is well sound proof. The location couldn't be better, you're about 2-3 blocks from the Mall and about 2 blocks from the Metro. Also, if you are looking to go to Alexandria, you could take the VRE commuter train, but that only runs during work hours. Also for dinner, you are close to the Waterfront.

 

[Psychodisney]

We stayed at the Mandarin in DC two summers ago. We had two rooms on the Tai Pan level(concierge level). The rooms are very nice, bathrooms are beautiful and I remember the beds being very comfy(nice bedding). If you're staying on this level, definitely take advantage of the breakfast and afternoon snacks and drinks.

The hotel is beautiful but my family felt a little out of place. My kids are used to family friendly places...and this is definitely upscale. We didn't use the pool at all...just no time to. The onsite restaurants are very expensive. There aren't many nearby restaurants...at least there weren't two years ago. There is a Starbucks and a Potbelly.

Other than the lack of food nearby, the location is wonderful. Great views of the city. Don't worry about noise. We had a car and they have onsite parking...which is expensive. We used our car to find dinner but certainly didn't need it for touring.

 

[ssawka]

We stayed at the Mandarin in DC two summers ago. We had two rooms on the Tai Pan level(concierge level). The rooms are very nice, bathrooms are beautiful and I remember the beds being very comfy(nice bedding). If you're staying on this level, definitely take advantage of the breakfast and afternoon snacks and drinks.

The hotel is beautiful but my family felt a little out of place. My kids are used to family friendly places...and this is definitely upscale. We didn't use the pool at all...just no time to. The onsite restaurants are very expensive. There aren't many nearby restaurants...at least there weren't two years ago. There is a Starbucks and a Potbelly.

Other than the lack of food nearby, the location is wonderful. Great views of the city. Don't worry about noise. We had a car and they have onsite parking...which is expensive. We used our car to find dinner but certainly didn't need it for touring.

I used to work in the area and restaurants are limited, but that is true for most of DC, outside of NW. There are a number of fast food type restaurants (at least there used to be) in L'Enfant Plaza, just down the hill from the Mandarin. You can also drive a quick drive to the Waterfront and go to Phillip's (never been there but I've heard it's good) If you grow tired of these places, you are also a short drive from Pentagon City that has a large number of nicer restaurants.

 

[gillep]

They also have a really nice afternoon tea I know it used to include a chocolate fountain not sure if it still does. CityZen is also a very good restaurant however, as mentioned before it is quite expensive. I wouldn't worry too much about finding good decently priced food DC has a lot of options and enough transportation options that you can really get to anything easily. I would just check out yelp or something like that ahead of time and come up with a few things you are interested in and the concierge at the hotel will be more than able to help you get there easily. Have a great time!!!

 

[Bellecruiser]

We just spent the 4th of July week-end there, and couldn't have been happier. We checked in on Saturday, and got a room on the Tai Pan level (concierge) facing the city (so we could watch the fireworks). It was a truly fantastic week-end.

Our room was beautifully appointed and the bathroom was marble throughout. There was a large tub, as well as a beautiful shower. The bed was one of the most comfortable I have ever slept in. In spite of the heat we went out onto the mall to the Folk-Life Festival. As we were leaving the hotel they made sure we had water bottles. When we got back we headed for the pool. We weren't the only ones with that idea, and there were half dozen or so families using it. After dinner we sat in their lounge/bar area and listened to a very good jazz ensemble.

On the 4th we went out to the mall again, this time to the Smithsonian. I could spend a year in those museums! The day culminated in watching the fireworks from our room. They were spectacular...it seemed as though they were coming right into our room! Out in the distance you could see other fireworks displays in Virginia and MD.

The staff was very helpful, and the food was OK...good but not great. I would recommend the hotel to others.

 

[OhhBother]

I was there for a conference in June. We loved the hotel. It compared nicely to Fairmont resorts we've stayed in previously.

The rooms are luxurious, the grounds are beautiful, and the location can't be beat. We walked from the hotel all the way around from the Jefferson Memorial to the Lincoln Memorial to the WWII Memorial and Washington Monument and back to our hotel.

We had room service a couple of times, and the food was good and reasonably priced (for room service). There aren't many restaurants right there, but it doesn't take that long to get to them.

We don't have kids, but it wasn't a place you'd expect to see lots of kids. Very quiet, upscale and business-oriented.