Washington DC inexpensive outlying areas to stay

[andymattmom]

We are in the early process of planning a trip to Washington DC next summer. We will drive so we will have our car BUT we don't want to drive in the city. I know it is cheaper to stayi in the outskirts of the city in Maryland and take the metro in but am unsure of what areas to investigate. Does anyone have any recommendations on suburbs to check out. I was going to check hotels and VRBO and see if that might be cheaper.

THANKS

 

[Girldreamer02]

Dh and I used to live in fairfax, va. I don't know about the price of lodging, but it dosen't hurt to check it out and we were about a 5-10 minute drive from the metro station so it was easy to metro into dc for the day on the weekends. HTH

 

[Prose]

Definitely follow the METRO lines out of town and check hotels along the way...we recently stayed near the Arlington Courthouse station and were very pleased with the convenience.

 

[emilymad]

We stayed in Arlington this summer. It was only about 2 blocks to the metro station or you could walk over the bridge to Georgetown. We stayed on a weekend and it is more of a business area so it was kind of dead but that is probably why we got a good deal.

 

[MSSANDRA]

We stayed in arlington as well. While nothing in DC is cheap, it was much less expensive that many areas. WE stayed at the Best Western and it was ok, not great but ok. There are not a lot of places around to eat with out taking the metro (with in walking distance) and we ordered pizza to the room a couple night. We took breakfast foods and had lunch in DC while we were touring. Food is high in DC but almost everything you do is free so it even outs.

BTW- We love DC. It's a great family vacation.

 

[nursetink]

We stayed at the Embassy Suites in the Chevy Chase Pavilion last summer. Very convenient location with a Metro stop under the mall. Many restaurants and stores within walking distance, like The Cheesecake Factory. Enjoy planning your trip.

http://www.embassysuitesdcmetro.com/

 

[nursetink]

sorry duplicate post

 

[andymattmom]

THANKS!!! Will check out places. I know it is expensive in that area so I am trying to budget and plan ahead.

 

[pooh4brains]

I would say ditto to all of these, and add one possibility. There is an Embassy Suites across the street from the Old Town Alexandria King Street Metro stop. Others on this board have talked about it before, and although I have never stayed there, we lived in the area and it would be a great option.

 

[RangerPooh]

I would definitely look at Fairfax and Arlington VA, both are fairly close and nice, Alexandria VA is nice too. Having lived in Waldorf MD I would not recommend staying that far away. I would avoid Prince George County MD as it's not that safe.

 

[brewcrew]

WE have stayed at both the Embassy Suites in Chevy Chase pavilion and in Alexandria, VA. They are both beside the metro and ofcourse, free breakast! WE love D.C., have fun!

 

[eduk8r26]

We were in DC this summer and stayed at a Best Western in Fairfax. It was really nice with remodeled rooms and a breakfast. The bus to the Metro was right at the end of the parking lot. It cost me less than $100 a night.

 

[crazed'boutmaryP]

Just returned from a D.C. 5 day trip. We stayed in Alexandria the first 2 nights and I felt it was a little long commute to some areas of DC. The Embassy Suites is several blocks from restaurants also. Arlington is closer to DC.
We stayed the other nights at the Residence Inn Capital. Very close to the Air and Space museum, American Indian Museum and Capitol Building. Free Breakfast, WIFI and during the week evening reception. If you travel in August, there are deals at many hotels. Look at Travelzoo.com also.

Wanted to let you know about a great budget evening activity. It is a Lincoln Assasination walking tour given by a company called DC by foot. It started at 7pm and lasted 2 hours. Regular priced tickets were 10.00 and through goldstar.com I was able to get them for 5.00. All three of my kids and myself and husband really enjoyed it.

 

[blondietink]

We have stayed in both Arlington and Alexandria, VA and got good deals. We prefer Arlington, though as it seems closer and a little more "upscale" suburb. Look on expedia or travelocity for hotels in the area, find one you might like and go to the hotel's direct website to get the best deals. We stayed at the Clarion suites last summer and it only cost $89.00 per night with a kitchen and we had a view of the Washington Monument. we have also stayed at Comfort Inn and Quality Inn for reasonable prices. Weekends are really cheaper in Washington as they charge the most during the weekday due to government business. Have a great trip!

 

[disfan07]

Check out the herndon/reston/fairfax area. There are many places that are close to the Vienna metro station. That is where we always took the metor from when we lived in herndon. Usually, the further out from teh city you get, the less expensive it is.

Throughout the past year, Marriotts, Hiltons and Hyatts have all had some pretty good deals.

I would look at Residence Inns, Courtyards, Marriotts, Hiltons and Hyatts in that area.

 

[HillPete]

We stayed at the Marriott Key Bridge a few years ago. Quick walk to the Metro (past a McDonalds which was convenient for a quick breakfast), just across the bridge from Georgetown (hotel had a shuttle that took us there, we chose to walk back). Super easy to get places and MUCH cheaper than the other side of the bridge.

HTH,
Hillary

 

[kt_mom]

We travel to the Northern Va area often because DH family lives there. We usually stay in Springfield and I have started using priceline to book our rooms. We will be there this weekend and I got the Hilton in Springfield for $45 a night. I've gotten the Courtyard Marriott twice for $50 a night.

I will second that it is more expensive during the week in that area.

I'm not sure about the Metro stations for that area. Whenever we go into the city we always drive. Springfield is a little farther out although not too bad and the hotels are all right by the exit for 95.

Old Town Alexandria is a really nice area too. We love to go there and walk around the shops and restaurants. We used to do it a lot years ago when we were dating. It's really a pretty area.

I wouldn't hesitate to use priceline to get a room up there. Just do some research on there first and figure out which hotels in which catagory are where to make sure you can narrow it down to ones that are acceptable. Springfield is great for priceline because all the hotels are right in the same area and by doing the highest star rating (I think 3 1/2) it eliminates the couple of hotels we wouldn't want to be at.

 

[Racemom17]

Springfield VA has several hotels, near a mall and right next to a metro station (franconia Station) I imagine most hotels have shuttles to the metros in that area.

 

[kiddisney]

sheraton suites in alexandria - beautiful hotel - suites are width wise so you get two windows - shuttle bus to metro - great price for size -

 

[crazed'boutmaryP]

Just stayed at the Sheraton Suites Alexandria and although the room was nice, it was not near anything and the shuttle to the Reagan National Airport only ran on a schedule. It took us an 1 1/4 hours to return from Dupont Circle one night. I think you will be able to get a descent hotel in DC or closer by watching for deals, travelzoo, etc. Check tripadvisor.com for reviews also.