<p>We (hubby, 16 yr old daugher and myself) are looking to visit Washington, Dc in February. I know, not the best time for touring, but it is a long story! We will be flying in to Dulles and want to stay in a hotel that is near the metro. We’d like a safe neighborhood that offers options for dining and shopping that are within walking distance and if we could get a spot with a pool, that would be great. We are open to hotels in the heart of everything and also those further out that we could commute into the mall, libraries, etc. Unfortunately, money is an issue, so we are thinking more mid-level in pricing. Any suggestions would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Check Hotwire and put in a neighborhood you are interested in. DC is a great place to visit.</p>
<p>I don’t recall how close this is to the metro, but we always stay at the Embassy Suites near M (or is it N) street. It’s fairly close to the center of things. We would walk to the mall from there. The great thing about Embassy Suites is their free buffet breakfast, so that makes the rate much more reasonable. You also get the manager’s reception in the evening. The hotel has a restaurant we used several times, plus there are suitable restaurants in the vicinity. My husband would use AAA as a resource for good restaurants.</p>
<p>Almost forgot…Embassy suites has a pool.</p>
<p>Depends on budget. If budget is infinite, any hotel around Crystal City Mall should do it. Also anything around Friendship Heights Metro Station (nice shopping there too).</p>
<p>If budget is sort of infinite, Holiday Inn at Key Bridge/Rosslyn, still we’re talking expensive. I’m thinking $125-150 a night. </p>
<p>There may be cheaper options further out but time and cost of travel are an issue. You may save on hotel but metro tickets begin to add up… We were in DC a few weeks ago and did not stay near a metro station (4 people roundtrips during rush our is more expensive than parking downtown all day :))</p>
<p>Stayed at Embassy Suites last Thanksgiving on 11th I think, for all the same reasons as FlyMe. 5 people, under $200/day. Close to metro stop, but could walk in. Extremely convenient location.</p>
<p>Breakfast great, pool only so-so. Small and heavily chlorinated. Busy hotel, but never heard neighbors. Very knowledgeable concierge and front desk.</p>
<p>We would stay there again. Flew into Reagan, $20 taxi to hotel, but also on subway route.</p>
<p>The Wyndham in Old Town Alexandria is an awesome place to stay… The King St. Metro stop is right there and if you really wanted to you could walk all the way down to the waterfront, which has a lot of really nice shopping and restaurants. Often times this is can expensive, but we’ve found really good deals on two bedrooms there. There is a pool, but we’ve never gone, it never really occurred to us. The only bad thing is that the metro is so close that you can hear it (small price to pay for convenience!).</p>
<p>The Embassy Suites in Friendship Heights (which also has a full breakfast included in the price) is right at a Red Line Metro stop (accessible without even going outside–but no subway noise in the hotel). The many shopping options of Chevy Chase are a short walk away, plus the lower floors of the building are filled with nice stores, as well as a Cheesecake Factory and a Starbucks. We stay there because it’s just one stop from American University, but it’s a lovely hotel in a great location for any DC trip. No pool, though. The only negative is the cost of parking in the hotel garage, but that’s pretty grim wherever you stay in DC. The suite set up at all the Embassy Suites is perfect for parents and a kid.</p>
<p>Are you visiting DC as a tourist, or are you visiting colleges? that could help decide what area to stay in.</p>
<p>I lived in Arlington for 5 years, found that area to be most convenient for quickly getting into downtown. However, last time I was there I stayed at Woodley Marriott, which is very near to Dupont Circle, one of my favorite areas.</p>
<p>To save on costs, avoid Georgetown. Since February is really low season, consider checking out Priceline.</p>
<p>Here’s a great site - <a href=“https://www.airbnb.com/s/Washington--DC?checkin=02%2F14%2F2013&checkout=02%2F16%2F2013&guests=3[/url]”>https://www.airbnb.com/s/Washington--DC?checkin=02%2F14%2F2013&checkout=02%2F16%2F2013&guests=3</a> Sort of like a Bed and Breakfast, but no breakfast and less expensive. You’ll see everything from a bed in someones house to a full townhouse. You can filter by area, by rooms, etc.</p>
<p>The Embassy Suites in DC…both the one at M and @@d and the one at Chevy Chase Pavilion offer special rates if you request the American University rate. The one at Chevy Chase pavillion is right on the Metro Red line with a metro entrance right in the lobby (although right now you need to use the entrance across the street because of construction–we were there last week). The one at 22d and M is in the DuPont Circle neighborhood and it is a few blocks to the Metro.</p>
<p>We love the Fairmont in DC. Rack rates are expensive but they always have specials. Sign up for the Fairmont loyalty program to get discounted rate information. </p>
<p>It’s close to the Foggy Bottom station and Georgetown shopping. There are tons of great places to eat right near the hotel.</p>
<p>[The</a> Fairmont Washington DC (Washington DC, DC) - Hotel Reviews - TripAdvisor](<a href=“http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g28970-d217770-Reviews-The_Fairmont_Washington_DC-Washington_DC_District_of_Columbia.html]The”>http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g28970-d217770-Reviews-The_Fairmont_Washington_DC-Washington_DC_District_of_Columbia.html)</p>
<p>I usually stay at the Residence Inn in Bethesda. It’s right by the Bethesda stop on the red line and is in a nice part of town. It’s reasonably-priced (for DC) and has lot of nice shops, movie theaters, and an excellent restaurant row within a block or two.</p>
<p>Another lover of the Fairmont, especially if you are a member of their President’s Club. My daughter lived in DC and the most we ever paid for the Fairmont was $149 as we only go when DC is one of the monthly specials. When my daughter would stay with us, we would get a rollaway bed. Their rollaway is a regular twin size mattress on a had based bottom; not a cheap flimsy mattress on springs.</p>
<p>Love the location and amenities. There is a great health club and spa with a lap pool in the hotel that is free, at least for members of the President’s Club. Internet is also free. My husband is a gym rat so the health club was a huge selling point for him!
[DC</a> Spa: Washington DC Day Spa at The Fairmont Washington DC Resort](<a href=“http://www.fairmont.com/washington/activities-services/spa/]DC”>Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown - Luxury Hotel in Washington (United States))</p>
<p>We like the Kimpton Hotel group. They are little boutique hotels and are very clean. They have several near Dupont Circle and one near the Capitol. One of the reason that we stay at them is they always come up “clean” when we search them on Bedbugregistry.com. The DC area is riddled with bed bugs, as is New York City. Not to be a downer but check that site before booking. You can find clean hotels if you do your research. Take it from me, it’s worth the research. We got bed bugs last year from a Maryland Hotel. 3000 dollars later, we are VERY cautious.</p>
<p>Marriott - suite<3</p>
<p>We like Old Town Alexandria, Embassy Suites in particular. Do you have to fly into Dullas? Flying into Reagan puts you on the Metro line and quick, easy access to everything DC. From Dullas you have to take a bus or drive. Most hotels in DC charge per day for parking–usually in the $30-45/day range.</p>
<p>I love the Embassy Suites at Chevy Chase.
On the other hand if you are going to visit GWU or if you are planning to spend time near the Lincoln Memorial and the rest of the Mall, you might consider the DoubleTree Suites at the edge of the GWU campus. When we stayed, the weekend rate was quite reasonable. The room/suites are huge. [DoubleTree</a> Suites by Hilton Hotel Washington DC (Washington, United States of America)](<a href=“Residence Inn Washington, DC/Foggy Bottom Reviews, Deals & Photos 2023 - Expedia”>Residence Inn Washington, DC/Foggy Bottom Reviews, Deals & Photos 2023 - Expedia) We stayed there when visiting GWU and Georgetown in early February one year.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that in hotels you get what you pay for - we stayed in an $85/night ‘hotel’ that shall remain anonymous and it was the mother of all flea motels… Not necessarily bad, but the lack of maintenance was startling. Reviews may not tell the whole story as everyone liked the place, but when the window air conditioner drowned out the airport, you have a problem :). The $150-200 hotels kind of know this and price accordingly, so the trick is to find some happy medium.</p>
<p>Also remember that DC Metro’s rates for a larger group (there were 4 of us) could get quite pricy…and that depending on the time of year, walking may not be a great idea (we had 96F-97F weather and walking a mile was not for the faint at heart…)</p>
<p>If you are going over a weekend, you can get lots of weekend deals in D.C. unless it is spring school trip time of year or cherry blossom time. I went last winter and had a good rate at Hilton Garden Inn, great location and easy walk to the two museums I made my focus for that weekend-Smithsonian American History Museum to see Julia Child’s kitchen and Newseum. Good restaurants, easy Metro access.
I also like staying in Crystal City, easy Metro connections, inexpensive parking at hotel if you drive in, several hotels to choose from…</p>
<p>The Embassy Suites near the Foggy Bottom Metro station worked very well for us years ago–good value for a family as well as pleasant and convenient.</p>