Reporting Live with Pictures (was Summer Vacation booked - Mandarin Oriental, DC)

[nzdisneymom]

We're going on this trip next week! I just called the hotel to verify that we are indeed on the list to be there - it's our first "outside DVC" stay so I wanted to do a double-check!

We did get our White House tour tickets and also have a Capitol tour scheduled, so we're looking forward to taking the kdis on those two things.

Anyone else been to the Mandarin? Liked it? Didn't? What do I need to know about the hotel before we go? I don't want any surprises when we get there

 

[stitch1094]

We used points to stay there. Absolutley beautiful. Almost felt bad walking in with 3 kids and a stroller!

One negative was a total lack of restaurants around the hotel. Very dissappointed with that. Also it was a bit difficult for us to find - but that is true with any location in a big city, right?!

We went in the summer - it was HOT! Very similar to WDW in the summer! We did the Zoo, the Mall, Air & Space, & History. Wanted to see the Declaration & Constitution but due to recent flooding, that building was closed.

 

[nzdisneymom]

We used points to stay there. Absolutley beautiful. Almost felt bad walking in with 3 kids and a stroller!

One negative was a total lack of restaurants around the hotel. Very dissappointed with that. Also it was a bit difficult for us to find - but that is true with any location in a big city, right?!

We went in the summer - it was HOT! Very similar to WDW in the summer! We did the Zoo, the Mall, Air & Space, & History. Wanted to see the Declaration & Constitution but due to recent flooding, that building was closed.

I am a little worried about bringing the kids (LOL) but they are 12 and nearly 11. How was the pool? Did you use it? I read it's an indoor pool - they usually give me a headache if it's not vented well in pool area while I'm watching the children swim. Also did you have the concierge level or just the regular rooms?

 

[Psychodisney]

We're heading to the Mandarin in two weeks. Also our first use of points outside WDW. We have the club level too-not sure if it is water or city view. We're getting two rooms-one(the double)is a HA-hope that will be OK.
Thanks for all the dining ideas. We are also considering hitting Union Station for food. We'd like to get over to Arlington Cemetery too. Haven't heard about our White House tour yet-but we have the Capital, the Bureau of Engraving and the Washington monument all set.

 

[nzdisneymom]

Thanks to re-reading this thread, I got our Washington Monument tickets set today, and that reminded me to check for other entrance fees / parking fees, etc. which led me to Arlington National Cemetery which had a link to the Washington TourMobile. We're going to do that one of the days to give the kids a "foot rest" -- we will do a lot of the short sight-seeing things that day so that we get good use of our on/off capability.

We will have complimentary wireless internet access, so if I'm able, I'll post some pics / do a mini-trip-report here in this thread. I've spent some time today putting an itinerary together for us to have a bit of a plan. But I know folks will be interested in the hotel, for sure, so I'll try to get some pics of it and post whatever info I can about the hotel.

I was working on our trip budget, too - ay yi yi -- but at least I don't have hotel costs on top of it since we used DVC points for the hotel. Whew.

 

[marvali]

nzdisneymom, can't wait to hear all about your trip. DS15 was supposed to go to DC on his 5th grade class trip but 9/11 happened and the trip got cancelled by the school district. He has repeatedly told us that we owe him a trip to DC. We are thinking about doing this in the future and have thought about doing the Mandarin on points also.

I was a chaperone on DS18 class trip and it was great. Make sure you do the Iwo Jima memorial, and the new WWII memorial. I can't wait to get there and see it since my DDad's name is listed there. Also, go to Arlington National Cemetery early for the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

 

[Quiksilvr]

nzdisneymom, can't wait to hear all about your trip. DS15 was supposed to go to DC on his 5th grade class trip but 9/11 happened and the trip got cancelled by the school district. He has repeatedly told us that we owe him a trip to DC. We are thinking about doing this in the future and have thought about doing the Mandarin on points also.

I was a chaperone on DS18 class trip and it was great. Make sure you do the Iwo Jima memorial, and the new WWII memorial. I can't wait to get there and see it since my DDad's name is listed there. Also, go to Arlington National Cemetery early for the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Just as an FYI, there aren't any names on the WWII memorial. I wouldn't want you to get there and be disappointed. The design has a bunch of pillars around a fountain/pool. There is a pillar for each state. There are other pillars that commemorate the major theaters of operations with major engagements listed. Individual soldiers are not listed or commemorated. I think something like 15 million Americans served in WWII...there was no way to list them all at the memorial the way they listed all of the deceased at the Vietnam Memorial.

 

[Starr W.]

Use the Metro!

When my eldest and I went 2 summers ago, it was great. We had planned on taking a cab to Kennedy Center(went to see the Royal Ballet), but got advice to use the Metro. It was great KC runs a shuttle bus from the closest stop.

Plus DS loved riding the train.

 

[Quiksilvr]

Use the Metro!

When my eldest and I went 2 summers ago, it was great. We had planned on taking a cab to Kennedy Center(went to see the Royal Ballet), but got advice to use the Metro. It was great KC runs a shuttle bus from the closest stop.

Plus DS loved riding the train.

If you use the Metro extensively, be aware of where the train lets you out and how to get to your destination from the Metro stop. I live in DC and generally walk to and from work. You would be amazed how many times I get asked where "x" "y" or "z" is whenever I pass a Metro stop. A lot of people get off the rail and have no idea where they actually are. The signage isn't the greatest for sites not owned by the government. Bring a map, or get walking directions from an Internet site.

Also, the Metro doesn't really go everywhere in DC. For example, the rail doesn't go into Georgetown. You have to walk there from the Foggy Bottom Metro stop (it's not the most intuitive walk, either). You could use the bus system (there are buses that specifically go to Georgetown). I avoid the buses generally because of the sketchy characters you get on some bus lines and because taking the bus sometimes takes longer than walking.

 

[mcrabeck]

I was very interested to read your thread, we are new members and We were thinking of trying this hotel next summer. We have not done a reservation outside of Disney, was it hard to get? How far in advance would you recommend calling MS? I will be anxious to hear how your trip goes! Thanks

 

[marvali]

Just as an FYI, there aren't any names on the WWII memorial. I wouldn't want you to get there and be disappointed. The design has a bunch of pillars around a fountain/pool. There is a pillar for each state. There are other pillars that commemorate the major theaters of operations with major engagements listed. Individual soldiers are not listed or commemorated. I think something like 15 million Americans served in WWII...there was no way to list them all at the memorial the way they listed all of the deceased at the Vietnam Memorial.

Sorry, I didn't mean it to sound like I thought it was printed ON the monument, but that he is listed "there" meaning In the Registry. I found his name and told him about it; he didn't even know a navy buddy had submitted his name.

He was on a destroyer in the Pacific. They took damage just prior to Iwo Jima so he missed that battle, but he was at Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. He still attends reunions as a plank owner for his ship, but the numbers are unfortunately getting much smaller.

 

[Starr W.]

If you use the Metro extensively, be aware of where the train lets you out and how to get to your destination from the Metro stop. I live in DC and generally walk to and from work. You would be amazed how many times I get asked where "x" "y" or "z" is whenever I pass a Metro stop. A lot of people get off the rail and have no idea where they actually are. The signage isn't the greatest for sites not owned by the government. Bring a map, or get walking directions from an Internet site.

Also, the Metro doesn't really go everywhere in DC. For example, the rail doesn't go into Georgetown. You have to walk there from the Foggy Bottom Metro stop (it's not the most intuitive walk, either). You could use the bus system (there are buses that specifically go to Georgetown). I avoid the buses generally because of the sketchy characters you get on some bus lines and because taking the bus sometimes takes longer than walking.

Never do a city trip without a map! I've managed in London, Munich, Vienna and other major cities just using public transportation.

My son loved it because we don't have that type of system in NW Ohio.

 

[nzdisneymom]

I was very interested to read your thread, we are new members and We were thinking of trying this hotel next summer. We have not done a reservation outside of Disney, was it hard to get? How far in advance would you recommend calling MS? I will be anxious to hear how your trip goes! Thanks

I went back to check and I started this thread in December 2007 which is when I made the ressie, so we were 7+ months out ... I guess whenever you're certain of your dates, then go ahead and book. The one thing, though, is to be absolutely certain of your dates because once you book, if you have to change the reservation, they charge you another $95. We waited until we were absolutely sure of when we wanted to go and could get off work before we made the reservation.


Thanks everyone for all the additional information and tips - we are looking forward to this vacation and doing a lot of sight-seeing. Part of why we bought DVC was that in addition to Disney vacations, the places that we could exchange to were places we knew we would want to visit.

Our nearest Metro stop will be the Smithsonian. We're getting our itinerary together so that I can plan our walking route for when we need to be certain places at certain times (like for the White House tour and the Capitol tour and the Washington Monument). We do have one day that we're driving to Falls Church to meet some friends for dinner, so when we're out there, we'll be able to pick up whatever we might need / want for the room after being there a couple of days.

 

[Quiksilvr]

Sorry, I didn't mean it to sound like I thought it was printed ON the monument, but that he is listed "there" meaning In the Registry. I found his name and told him about it; he didn't even know a navy buddy had submitted his name.

He was on a destroyer in the Pacific. They took damage just prior to Iwo Jima so he missed that battle, but he was at Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. He still attends reunions as a plank owner for his ship, but the numbers are unfortunately getting much smaller.

No problem. Just trying to be helpful. It's a great monument. It was very controversial when they built it but I think they did an excellent job. My grandfather never got to see it; he died just after it was dedicated. He was an infantryman in the 29th Division. D-Day Omaha Beach veteran. 29 Let's Go!

 

[nzdisneymom]

We arrived at the Mandarin Oriental this afternoon. It was easy to find, and it's beautiful. They only have valet parking at $40+ per night (yikes!) but parking in the city is definitely not cheap.

We used points for a Mandarin City View but our room wasn't quite ready, but a Water View was, so we opted for the Water View as I had a massive headache and needed to lay down for a bit.

Check in was easy and the front desk staff were really nice. We got our keys and went up to the room. A few minutes later, our bags arrived by bellman, and we were all set. We're on the Concierge Level so we have access to the Tai Pan Club where we'll get breakfast each morning, and snacks in the evening, and drinks all day. It is only for two guests, but children ages 11 and younger are free.

Because it was overcast and rainy today, we didn't take any pictures at the hotel but I'll get some later this week and share them here.

 

[westjones]

Thanks for posting. We are becoming more and more intersted in trading out our DVC just for some variety. I wish this board would have a "trade out" sub-board so I would read more trip reports like this. We have only been to DC once and would love to go again sometime.

DJ

 

[Cee]

In my experience, if you linger around the farecard machines a little longer,
some kind soul will offer you their "day pass" if they are done with it. I can't
tell you how many times this has happened to me and it's AWESOME. Enjoy
your time in our great city. GO NATS! **sigh**

 

[rascalmom]

Thanks for posting. We are becoming more and more intersted in trading out our DVC just for some variety. I wish this board would have a "trade out" sub-board so I would read more trip reports like this. We have only been to DC once and would love to go again sometime.

DJ

This is a great idea - I would love to see this too.

We toured D.C. a couple of years ago as a family - there is so much to do and see. I'll look forward to reading the rest of your report OP - we would love to go back sometime and stay at the Mandarin.

 

[nzdisneymom]

Today was our first full day in DC. I'll start our report with some pictures of the hotel. This is the front of the hotel where you arrive.

A longer shot of the hotel.

View of the Capitol from the circle in front of the hotel.

View from our Water View "Mandarin" Room.

 

[nzdisneymom]

I have a few photos from the room but will have to post those tomorrow as I took them after I had downloaded today's photos.

The hotel is located on Maryland, off 12th. You have to walk a block from the hotel to get to 12th and then head up 3 blocks to Independence to access the National Mall area. It's fine to walk during daylight hours, so if you plan a stay when the days are long, you shouldn't have any worries about walking. I wouldn't want to walk alone at dusk although we haven't seen any unsavory characters - it's just not populated. If you were out later than dusk and not in your own vehicle (which is valet-parking only for $40+ a night), I'd definitely take a cab.

We have the concierge level (after all, we did exchange into the "concierge collection") so that means we are on the 8th floor and we have access to the Tai Pan Club which is their concierge private room / service. The room comes with access for two, and anyone age 12+ has an additional charge per day.

The Tai Pan Club comes with complimentary high-speed internet access (wireless) in the room. However the "free" codes didn't work, so the front desk gave us the pay-code and told us that she made a note in our file to comp the charge; we'll see how that plays out later in the week when I check our bill (probably on the day before we check-out).

We also get complimentary breakfast (well, I don't know how you can really call it complimentary since it costs more to stay at this level than others), but we had a nice breakfast this morning. They had a selection of fresh fruit, donuts, croissants, bagels, meats, cheeses, milk, yogurt, cereal, granola, and a variety of juices, teas, and coffee. You can also get bottles of water, but they are glass bottles and not designed to take with you.

From 5 - 7 p.m. they have "sweet savories" which is a variety of fancy food. Tonight they had california spring rolls, some other sort of sushi looking thing, a variety of spreads like hummus, crackers, cheese, fresh fruit, and fruit chips.

You can get complimentary soft drinks, tea, coffee, and water all day; they also serve alcohol which does have a charge, but is also available throughout the day.

The Tai Pan Club lounge is nice and quiet, a good place to relax or, if you have to, work quietly. They have several newspapers for you to read, and there is also a t.v. where you can watch if you want.

The hotel has an indoor pool which is located in the Spa area - you walk through the spa to the pool. It's 4-foot deep the whole way. We checked it out a little after 4 p.m. today and there was one dad/daughter swimming, and one lady having a private aqua-fitness class. It did not have an overwhelming chlorine smell which I often smell when we stay somewhere with an indoor pool. The pool is open from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.