Washington DC lodging on a budget

[coastiewifern]

We are planning to take our 14 and 11 year old to Washington DC March 8-12 for a vacation. We would like to stay in a suite or vacation condo if possible. But we can stay in a traditional hotel as well. My main concern is LOCATION. We don't want to rent a car and deal with traffic and parking so we want to be able to walk or be near a train line for a quick ride to the sites. I haven't been to DC in years and don't really remember how it is laid out. Is the mall near the museums?
Please give suggestions for hotels that are in a great location that are not budget busters.
Thanks

 

[nless_dream]

Smithsonian museums surrounds the "mall". The closest hotel to Smithsonian museums is the Holiday Inn Capitol Hill, I've never stayed there before but many of our staff has and I work next to it. Its a block away from the Air and Space and L'Enfant Metro station.

 

[Jridou]

Do you need parking? (That could add $30/day, easy) 2 bedrooms or 1 with a pull-out sofa? Are you talking $150 / night or $300 / night?

Neighborhoods that would be fun with 2 teens: Dupont Circle / Adams Morgan / Eastern Market/ Barracks Row/ Penn Quarter. All of those, except Adams Morgan would be near a metro.

I wouldn't worry about staying near the Mall ~ those hotels (like the JW Marriott) are going to be expensive, in somewhat dull neighborhoods and have a severe lack of restaurants.

Anyway, give me an idea of budget & I'm happy to make more specific suggestions.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I suggest you get a good guide book and start reading. Also visiting travel sites such as tripadvisor.com will be helpful.

My hotel suggestion would be to stay at a hotel as close to a Metro line as possible. You can save money staying outside of DC, such as in MD (Bethesda area) or Northern VA.

 

[ldo]

I work near Union Station in DC, 4 blocks from the Capitol. DC is super easy access via walking and metro. The is a Residence Inn in SW DC a few blocks from Air/Space. It is easy walking distance to all museums on the Mall, Capitol, etc. Several on disboards have stayed there and liked it. Otherwise, a hotel near a metro is good--just pop back here and ask about location of hotel. The downside to being outsdie of DC is that you are stuck in DC for the day and can't pop back to hotel for a break.
A fun thing to do in DC with tweens/teens--I did it on my lunch break one day---you can now rent bikes via "Capital bike share??" (google the name) (bring your own helmets). You have to "join" the bike club for $5PP or so for the day and then you can get bikes at any location and put them back at any other location. Each 55 minutes is free--so you could get bikes, ride to a museum, drop them in under 55 minutes, tour museum, then get bikes again and ride somewhere else, repeat for unlimited usage for the day--only the $5 or so fee unless you go over 55 minutes per ride--then a few bucks additional. It's really fun to ride bikes along the Mall.
Museum of Natural History has a very good cafeteria. There is a food court in the basement of Union Station. Most museums and the zoo are free, but worth the $$--my kids this age really liked the Spy Museum. have fun! Elaine

 

[ssawka]

Your best bet for a "budget" stay is to stay along the Metro somewhere. Old Town Alexandria (VA) or Crystal City (VA) are good options. I'm assuming you are flying in since you mentioned a rental car. You can fly into National (DCA) and take the Metro from there so you won't have to worry about transportation to your hotel.

I agree with your assessment. If you are not familiar with driving in high traffic areas, you definitely do not want to attempt driving in and around DC.

 

[crisi]

Consider the cost of metro passes in your decision. If you are flying in, a hotel walking distance to the mall, a few cabs, and a few metro tickets MIGHT end up being cheaper than metro passes for the bunch of you for the whole trip.

We stayed at a Embassy Suites about five blocks off the mall - it was a LOT of walking, but we had one metro trip (to the zoo) and one set of tour bus tickets (a day for monuments). They did a full breakfast every morning, which helped with expenses.

Also, take a look at metro maps - like all subway systems, it doesn't stop every block like a bus does - you may have a hike from your hotel to the metro and then from the metro to the museum you want to get to. We'd have had to walk farther to get to the metro stop near our hotel, then from the Smithsonian metro stop to the museums than to just walk to the museums.

 

[Colleen27]

Consider the cost of metro passes in your decision. If you are flying in, a hotel walking distance to the mall, a few cabs, and a few metro tickets MIGHT end up being cheaper than metro passes for the bunch of you for the whole trip.

We stayed at a Embassy Suites about five blocks off the mall - it was a LOT of walking, but we had one metro trip (to the zoo) and one set of tour bus tickets (a day for monuments). They did a full breakfast every morning, which helped with expenses.

Also, take a look at metro maps - like all subway systems, it doesn't stop every block like a bus does - you may have a hike from your hotel to the metro and then from the metro to the museum you want to get to. We'd have had to walk farther to get to the metro stop near our hotel, then from the Smithsonian metro stop to the museums than to just walk to the museums.

That's where we stay when we go. It isn't the cheapest out there but isn't terribly expensive either by big-city standards. It is a nice place to stay in a good location with a real breakfast (not cold/continental) included which helps with the dining budget. With 5 of us, Metro fares add up so staying in a walking-friendly location is worth a higher room rate.

 

[brymolmom]

We went this past April and stayed here and LOVED it:
Homewood Suites by Hilton Silver Spring

8728 Colesville Road | Silver Spring | MD | United States 20910

We paid $105 per night and $15 per night parking fee(most places charge twice that for parking). This was for a Thur, Fri and Saturday night (weeknights can be more expensive than weekends in DC).

This included full HOT breakfast each morning (which I LOVE on vacation) and also The Thursday night included dinner and drinks (salad, meatballs, one other main dish and soda, beer and wine).

Location was very good...About a 8 - 10 minute walk to the Metro. And about 15 minute ride into the main 'mall' area. There are some restaurants between the hotel and the Metro stop that are good for stopping for dinner on the way back...

We spent ABOUT $10 per day per person for the Metro. Did that there/back on 2 days then on our last day drove our car to the Zoo and parked for free near there (it was a Sunday so free parking on streets). So we probably spent about $70 - $80 total on Metro charges but if we had tried to stay right at the Mall...First of all we would have had more tired legs from not being able to take the metro and also would have paid twice as much for the room.

Kids loved that this hotel has an indoor pool...It is small but it was nice to hang out there in the evenings...And there was a hot tub for tired legs/feet.

Have fun!

 

[brymolmom]

Almost forgot to mention the BEST tip I got for our last trip: If you plan to go to the National Archives book a tour time and get your tickets ONLINE beforehand (they charge you maybe $1.00 processing fee). This was HUGE on our visit (which was during spring break so busy). There was a line to get in on one side of the entrance that was at LEAST an hour wait. I asked an employee where to go if we already had our tickets and she directed us to the opposite door...Where we proceeded to walk right in (LOVE FASTPASSES). The woman who was next in the long line was NOT happy with us in general and when I said something like 'wow - I'm glad we reserved online' she said 'We've been waiting over an hour'.

 

[NotUrsula]

Take a look at the Residence Inn Pentagon City. Easy location, quick shuttle to metro if you don't feel like walking, and both breakfast AND dinner on weeknights is included.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

We took the kids last year and stayed at the Holiday Inn Rosslyn @ Key Bridge. It's right across the river into Arlington. This worked out great! They do have parking if you need it---and actually don't charge a thing for it, very unusual in DC. The metro stop is literally a block away. We flew into Reagan, hopped on the metro, and were at the hotel in no time. Going into the city, it was only a few stops to anything we wanted to do. They have an indoor pool, the rooms were nice. There are several good restaurants within walking distance. They serve a full buffet breakfast each morning. When we went, it was two adults free and all kids under 12. I think now they charge half-price for the second adult and kids over 12, but still a great deal for a real full buffet, with waiters to bring you coffee and such.

It was nothing super fancy, but the prices were very, very reasonable, the rooms were clean, and it was extremely convenient for everything we wanted to do.

 

[lovemydeals]

For planning purposes go to www w m a t a . c o m (sorry had to do this becuase I don't have enough posts to post a link). Its the website for DC's public transportation. If you look under the tab for fare - there are several pass options which may work for you. These only are valuable if you intend to use the metro a lot. if its only 1 round trip a day, paying as you go is the way to do it.

If you are willing to stay in Northern Virginia - there are a lot of hotels in the Tysons/Fairfax region that have reasonable rates and free shuttles to the metro. In fact, the Courtyard Marriott at Dunn Loring, is right across from the Dunn Loring Metro and during non-peak times it is under $100 a night and offers free parking, free wifi, pool and gym. No free breakfast, but plenty of eating options within walking distance.

No matter what you choose you and your family will have a great time!

 

[katie111]

Check out the Omni Shoreham. It is about a block from the Metro and is in walking distance to the zoo. Its in a really nice neighborhood and only about 2-3 stops into the Mall & Museums. It is an absolutely beautiful hotel. We only paid about $160 a night over the summer. It was so cheap that I kept thinking there must be something wrong with it before we arrived. There was nothing wrong with it at all. There are about 10 restaurants right across from the Metro stop is great when you get off the Metro as there is very little to eat right around the Mall and the Museums. MY kids are 6, 9, and 11 and they absolutely loved the hotel. I think its nice to stay somewhere with some history when you are visiting such a historical city.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

If you can rent some points or days from a Wyndham vacation owner they have condo complex Oldtown Alexandria that is 2 blocks from a Metro station. You can probably get a 2 bedroom for around $150 a night. Just go through a broker that rents Wyndham vacations or you may find an individual with a listing on Ebay.

 

[coastiewifern]

WOW all great suggestions. Our budget would be to stay under $200/night. We don't want to rent a car. Just fly in and shuttle to a hotel. My kids have Spy museum on their list. Thanks for the tip on the national archives! Love all the info.

 

[coastiewifern]

Also we will be flying in on a Saturday and leaving on Wednesday. Seems like white house tours are only certain days, archives only open during the week.
So let's play plan an itinerary for us. Again ages 14 and 11. Spy museum a must, vietnam wall and tomb of the unknown soldier a must.

 

[Eureka]

I went to a conference years ago at the Omni Shoreham and it was very nice. I also say take metro as much as you can. The driving can be confusing if you are not used it. I live in MD, had an interview in DC (got the job, start soon, yay!) and got distracted, veered the wrong way and ended up across the bridge in Arlington, VA. It took my GPS awhile to catch up and get me back around where I needed to be, and that is *with* some rudimentary knowledge of driving around the area.

We went to the National Archives for my birthday last year because we had never been. My kids were 12 and almost 10 at the time and were not impressed but I thought it was very interesting. So I agree with getting the timed tickets, it may minimize restlessness if yours are not into it, at least you won't have to wait in line. I think you may also need to get timed entry for the Holocaust museum if you are planning on going there, but I am not sure; it's been years since I've been.

Have fun!

Edited to add that mine loved the Spy museum; we need to go back because we didn't finish it. And remember, you have to pay to go to that one. My older son went on a field trip to the Newseum last year (6th grade) and really liked it. The rest of us have not been yet. Soccer and swim team seasons really limit how much we get into the city for museums these days.

 

[Ladcassidy]

Your best bet for a "budget" stay is to stay along the Metro somewhere. Old Town Alexandria (VA) or Crystal City (VA) are good options. I'm assuming you are flying in since you mentioned a rental car. You can fly into National (DCA) and take the Metro from there so you won't have to worry about transportation to your hotel.

I agree with your assessment. If you are not familiar with driving in high traffic areas, you definitely do not want to attempt driving in and around DC.

I second the suggestion to stay in Arlington or Alexandria. Both are just across the bridge from downtown DC. Crystal City is the name for the part of Arlington right next to the Pentagon. It's also home to Reagan National airport, and has every possible hotel nearby, including embassy suites and other suites accommodations. Plenty of fun restaurants and shopping in the area, too.

 

[Ladcassidy]

Also we will be flying in on a Saturday and leaving on Wednesday. Seems like white house tours are only certain days, archives only open during the week.
So let's play plan an itinerary for us. Again ages 14 and 11. Spy museum a must, vietnam wall and tomb of the unknown soldier a must.

The attractions in DC are farther apart than you might expect, so build plenty of time into your schedule to get from place to place.