Washington, DC

[it's kelly]

I am looking to take an overnight trip to DC and need help finding a hotel. I haven't been to DC in over 20 years and I'm not sure where to look. Doesn't have to be fancy, just clean and safe. Thanks!

 

[Maddies Mama]

I'm also in the early stages of planning a trip this year. I've never been and honestly have no clue what I'm doing. But, I did join the forum over at TripAdvisor for the city and there is a TON of helpful information over there if you want to take a peek!

 

[Heluvsme]

We went last year, and as previous poster stated Trip Advisor was a huge help! We stayed in Virginia and drove into the city to save some money, we stayed at a newly renovated Holiday Inn Express and it was very clean, had new beds and TVs, nice area of town (Manassas I believe). There's so much to see and do, we're wanting to go back because we barely scratched the surface!!
Have fun!!

 

[NYEmomma]

We always like staying as far out of the city as possible to save money on the hotel, but still on the Metro line so that we can take transportation into the city. Typically we stay near the Shady Grove station.

 

[kiddisney]

we use two options - we sometimes use discover points to get a hyatt coupon & stay at the hyatt that is near union station - or if that's booked (sometimes it is) we go to the sheraton suites in alexandria - for both we use the metro to get around

 

[clm10308]

If you really just want clean and safe, the I suggest the Hotel Harrington. It is a very old family run hotel walking distance to the Mall. I have stayed there and know of several Girl Scout groups that have stayed there.
If you are flying in, you can take the Metro from the airport and walk from the Metro to the hotel. I don't remember a parking garage, so it might not be worth it if you are driving.

Now, it is definitely not fancy, but the location can not be beat for the price.

 

[debbiedana]

If you're not going to have a car, I loved the Marriott in Crystal City that is literally on top of the Metro. We flew into DCA, the Marriott is on the same Metro line as the airport. It was fantastic. Very convenient and easy to uses & navigate.

 

[KathleensKid]

We live in Virginia and have taken family vacations to DC many times.

We like the Embassy Suites in Dupont Circle. It is close to a Metro, clean, safe, has an indoor pool (small but fine w/kids), a FREE breakfast and a FREE evening happy hour w/drinks and appetizers (so nice to come back after a long day in the museums to a free glass of wine or 2!). There is a large koi pond in the lobby and my kids love feeing the fish. The corner room suites are extra large.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...n_D_C-Washington_DC_District_of_Columbia.html

We also love the Omni Shoeham if we can get a good deal. It is a lovely hotel within walking distance of the metro, the zoo, and excellent restaurants. They provide games and toys for the kids and when you come back for the day, they have milk and cookies waiting in the room for your kids. Definitely a great place. They have an outdoor pool open during warm weather. If you plan to go to this hotel, sign up (for free) for the Omni rewards card. It gives you free wifi in the hotel and other perks.
http://www.omnihotels.com/findahotel/washingtondcshoreham.aspx

Have a GREAT trip. The most fabulous thing about DC is that all the museums are FREE. Other than food and transportation, you don't have to fork over any extra money if you don't want to.

 

[SplashMo]

We stayed at the :

Lombardy Hotel
2019 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE NW
Washington, DC 20006

$116 / night in July One King bed. I am not sure what else they have. Great place and close to white house.

We also stayed at GW University. 10 blocks fron Lincol Memorial. But that was a special deal...

Both are great locations.

 

[it's kelly]

Thanks everyone!

We are coming from NYC so not sure yet if we will drive in (hear parking is terrible) or hop on the train.

I will be looking into all the hotels mentioned.

 

[tink_lover]

It looks like a lot of us on these boards are visiting DC this year. First family trip for us. I just changed hotel from Embassy Suites Old Town to Chevy Chase. Good move on my part? I'd love to try the Omni Shoreham but can't find a good rate as we are going over spring break.

 

[KathleensKid]

Thanks everyone!

We are coming from NYC so not sure yet if we will drive in (hear parking is terrible) or hop on the train.

I will be looking into all the hotels mentioned.

I encourage you to take the train! When we lived in NYC, even though we had a car, we always took the train to DC. Traffic in and around DC is terrible. Just awful. Relaxing on the train versus dealing with traffic is worth every penny of the train tickets. The Metro is right at the DC train station so it is easy to hop on right there. We usually take a cab to our hotel though (since we have bags and are eager to check in). Even though train tickets aren't inexpensive, you won't have the hassle and expense of paying for parking.

Happy planning!

 

[EricaG]

Went to D.C. during Easter weekend of 2010 (a very busy time) and used Priceline. I was doing 3- and 4-stars in the tourist areas (near the Mall, Whitehouse area, etc.) and ended up with a great price in a nice hotel (it was one of those 'boutique' hotels under the Kimpton brand--called the Topaz I think) in the Dupont Circle area. It was a very "neighborhood-y" location but about a 5-10 min. walk to the Metro station, a quick Metro ride to everything we wanted.

If you haven't done it before, check out some of the bidding help websites, and they can talk you through the "free rebid" process and give you some idea of where to start. Have used PL for so many trips and always been happy.

 

[nchulka]

Could someone please explain the Metro? We are thinking of adding a day at DC on to the end of our Williamsburg trip this summer. From the sounds of this thread the best thing to do would be stay in Virginia and take the metro into DC? Is this correct? I don't have anything in particular we wanted to see, I guess just kind of walk around some of the monuments and free stuff. It would be cool to take the kids pics in front of the White House. Do you pay for the day and can get on/off at different stops?

 

[The Iron Giant]

We are going to DC also this year (March) and have reservations at the Hilton Garden Inn a few blocks from the White House. Its pretty well reviewed on Trip Advisor.

We are using points from our Hilton Amex card so the hotel portion of the trip isn't costing us anything. I highly recommend the card to anyone who likes to make weekend trips. In the last calendar year we have been able to use points to stay for free in Inner Harbor Baltimore, Toronto, and now DC. We just use the card to pay our monthly expenses and then pay the balance each month - the points pile up pretty quick. The two nights in Toronto would have cost us $900 alone out of pocket. You also get free upgrades with the card - usually we end up with free breakfast in the hotel restaurant or access to the executive floor lounge.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[KathleensKid]

Could someone please explain the Metro? Do you pay for the day and can get on/off at different stops?

You can pay as you go or buy a one day (or one week) pass.
Kids under 5 are free. 5 and up pay the same fare.
For pay as you go, there are different prices depending on how far you are traveling.
A one day pass is 9 dollars. That is a good deal if you are doing multiple trips or traveling a far distance.

http://www.wmata.com/fares/purchase/passes.cfm#rail

Use the links on this page to find maps and more info:
http://www.wmata.com/rail/

Coming up from Williamsburg, you could stay near one of the Metro stations on the blue or yellow lines south of DC.
Traffic on 95 from Willamsburg to DC can be brutal. Give yourself plenty of time to get where you are going.
I went to college in Williamsburg. Have a great trip but be prepared in DC and Wmsburg to have sweltering summer heat and humidity. If you've been to WDW in the summer, you should be fine.

 

[nchulka]

You can pay as you go or buy a one day (or one week) pass.
Kids under 5 are free. 5 and up pay the same fare.
For pay as you go, there are different prices depending on how far you are traveling.
A one day pass is 9 dollars. That is a good deal if you are doing multiple trips or traveling a far distance.

http://www.wmata.com/fares/purchase/passes.cfm#rail

Use the links on this page to find maps and more info:
http://www.wmata.com/rail/

Coming up from Williamsburg, you could stay near one of the Metro stations on the blue or yellow lines south of DC.
Traffic on 95 from Willamsburg to DC can be brutal. Give yourself plenty of time to get where you are going.
I went to college in Williamsburg. Have a great trip but be prepared in DC and Wmsburg to have sweltering summer heat and humidity. If you've been to WDW in the summer, you should be fine.

Thanks so much for the info , it looks simple enough. Is it possible to see Arlington cemetery, the Washington and Lincoln monuments, the White House (just walking around the outside), and the Vietnam wall the same day riding the Metro in from Virginia? The plan is to spend a week in Williamsburg, then tour Monticello and Mount Vernon on our way to a new hotel near DC, hit DC the next day and drive home the following day.

 

[skjuls]

Thanks so much for the info , it looks simple enough. Is it possible to see Arlington cemetery, the Washington and Lincoln monuments, the White House (just walking around the outside), and the Vietnam wall the same day riding the Metro in from Virginia? The plan is to spend a week in Williamsburg, then tour Monticello and Mount Vernon on our way to a new hotel near DC, hit DC the next day and drive home the following day.

If you are just walking, you can see all those sites in a day

You can even start by taking Metro to Arlington Cemetery. When you are down with AC, walk over the bridge then do Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Wall, then walk down the Mall to the Washington Monument then across Constitution to see the White House then get on the Metro at McPherson Square or Metro Center to head back to your hotel.

I live in VA and work downtown DC.

 

[SplashMo]

Take the subway and not a car. The subway is great. Each person needs a pass. You can put any amount of money on it. In ten days I went through 40 dollars on metro. But I walked a lot. Once you take the metro to the Mall you can jump on and off a bus (requires a seperate ticket).

Being adult and having lots of time I walked and took the metro everywhere. However kids will apreciate the bus. Also having the hotel close to (or located on top of) a metro stop will save walking.

 

[nchulka]

If you are just walking, you can see all those sites in a day

You can even start by taking Metro to Arlington Cemetery. When you are down with AC, walk over the bridge then do Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Wall, then walk down the Mall to the Washington Monument then across Constitution to see the White House then get on the Metro at McPherson Square or Metro Center to head back to your hotel.

I live in VA and work downtown DC.

Awesome, thanks, I didn't know they were all close enough to walk to, that will be super simple Sorry for hijacking the thread, I was working on planning our vacay this morning and decided to take a break on the dis and found this!