Washington DC hotel recommendations?

[starry_solo]

So I have noticed a lot of the hotels do not have availability on October 21 and 22nd.
What is going on that day/night?

 

[bgirldeb]

October is a beautiful time of year in DC.

I highly recommend the Embassy Suites at the Chevy Chase Pavilion, which is a shopping mall. It is literally above the Friendship Heights metro station, and all you have to do is take the escalator down to the train. You also don’t have to worry about valet parking.

 

[bobbymcco]

Phoenix Park Hotel

 

[Christine]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I have a quick question. We are planning to stay at the previously mentioned Embassy Suites Alexandria in September. I see that Metro station is closed until Sept 8th for platform work. That is our arrival day & I’m just wondering if I can actually expect it to reopen in schedule. Does the Metro work typically get done on time or does it usually take longer than scheduled. Thanks for any insight!

So far, I think it's supposed to be on schedule but I never count on *anything* with Metro these days. All summer, the blue and (I think) yellow line stations from Virginia have been closed. Booking those suburban hotels while those stations have been closed was probably a surprise to those not checking.

 

[wgeo]

We stayed at the Capitol Hill Hotel when we went. We don't live in an area with public transportation, but I found it to be very easy to get from the airport to the hotel and from there we could get everywhere we wanted. Sometimes by walking and sometimes using the metro. I would stay there again.

 

[focusondisney]

So far, I think it's supposed to be on schedule but I never count on *anything* with Metro these days. All summer, the blue and (I think) yellow line stations from Virginia have been closed. Booking those suburban hotels while those stations have been closed was probably a surprise to those not checking.

Thank you! I know they have a shuttle to the airport station. So if it’s not open we should still be ok. Just wondering what to plan for.

 

[indyannamom]

You’ve gotten a lot of good recommendations on hotels. I would double check proximity to metro.... and there are many that will fit your list.

One tip to mention given your list...there’s a public transportation hop-on-off buss that does a circuit for the monuments, and Smithsonian.

Use a metro card, and it’s just $1 per person for 2hours. (Each person uses their own card). It’s a huge time (and foot) saver when you’re doing those sites. They look close together, but they’re really not.

Note, this is not the tourist bus tour...this is just a public transport circulator bus. My sister came to visit us last summer so we did a ton of tourist things in a condensed time (as locals in the summer , we don’t usually do more than one or two a day) and the bus was a lifesaver for the 7 kids and their energy and patience levels.

 

[Christine]

Thank you! I know they have a shuttle to the airport station. So if it’s not open we should still be ok. Just wondering what to plan for.

Yes, the hotels affected by the shutdown did offer some types of shuttle service, but it does not make for an easy trip. One, they aren't running shuttles every 5-8 minutes like a Metro train, and two, try riding a shuttle from a suburb location to the airport during rush hour--not fun or efficient. But for weekends, it probably works well.

 

[bookgirl]

We stayed at the Hyatt Place Washington DC/National Mall.

It was withing walking distance to the Mall/Capitol if you are a strong walker. (Was closer to the Capitol then Lincoln Memorial) We did use Uber/Taxi's some areas and public transport was well within walking distance for moderate/short distance walkers. It is next to a fire station but we only heard sirens once. It's also right next door to NASA headquarters which was a plus for me LOL. We chose it because it was reasonable close to walk/transportation, but also just far enough away that it wasn't crazy expensive (+ free breakfast, bar w/limited menu, laundry facilities). In May of 2017 it ran about 240-260 for a 2 bed room.

 

[NYCgrrl]

First thing to know: the number one thing I can recommend for visiting DC is to see the monuments at night. They are open all night, and a park ranger can give you an impromptu tour just by asking, which I highly recommend because they can explain much more than you can just see in your own. Especially amazing at night are the WWII Memorial, The FDR Memorial, and the Air Force Memorial which is in Arlington, VA near the Pentagon. The Korean War Memorial is also fantastic at night. The one monument that is better in the day is the Vietnam Memorial. But all the others are better at night. I also highly recommend visiting the Library of Congress (Main Hall) which is next to the Supreme Court.

The Capitol Hill Hotel is one of the few 'affordable' hotels in DC that will indeed put you within walking distance (depending on how you define that) for a couple of things you want to see. Other distances are vast, but you are near a blue line metro stop which will get you to other places. I live in DC, so I have not stayed at this hotel, but it is in a nice, safe, and desirable location. I recommend that you book early there, and if you find a better deal elsewhere, you can always cancel.

There are quite a few places to eat on Pennsylvania Ave near the hotel with most of them being dreadful. The exceptions will be Good Stuff Eatery (burgers, plus get the toasted marshmallow milkshake) and We the Pizza (also the salads are good here). Both are counter service.

We've never done a formal night tour but it sounds like a fun outing and something to think about doing in the future. Thanks for the heads up as I'm sure the man will be happy to have a change of pace from my idea of DC touring which is all about museum visiting and historic estate touring.

 

[whatname]

I just remembered a friend of mine did a segway tour of DC. She said it was great.

 

[shelemm]

Thank you! I know they have a shuttle to the airport station. So if it’s not open we should still be ok. Just wondering what to plan for.

My advice: change your reservation if you can.

 

[shelemm]

I looked up your dates of Oct 21, 22. Hotels skyrocket in price (more than double) at this time. I don't know why, but unless you are willing to part with a fortune, I recommend staying at the WhyHotel Arlington Ballston (it is new and upscale) and taking metro in to save the money. An alternative for staying in DC (but about the same distance from the things you want to see) is the Kalorama Guest House across from the National Zoo. Less expensive,closer in (but maybe not as nice?) is the Americana in Crystal City, not far from the Crystal City Metro stop.

 

[rwdavis2]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I have a quick question. We are planning to stay at the previously mentioned Embassy Suites Alexandria in September. I see that Metro station is closed until Sept 8th for platform work. That is our arrival day & I’m just wondering if I can actually expect it to reopen on schedule. Does the Metro work typically get done on time or does it usually take longer than scheduled. Thanks for any insight!

Don't bet on it. No way to know. Metro work has been on/off for the entire system for several years and can be unpredictable. So, if you picked that hotel just for the Metro stop, try somewhere else.