<p>I think one of the best rates you’ll find will be at the State Plaza Hotel in Foggy Bottom. I’d guess $150-$175 a night. Don’t use sites like Expedia, etc. for rates - go straight to hotel websites. </p>
<p>Check Hotel Harrington rates too. Should be even cheaper than the above.</p>
<p>I mentioned the Hotel Harrington upthread. It will give you the most central location. From the Penn Quarter, you can access the Metro or take the [DC</a> Circulator bus](<a href=“http://www.dccirculator.com/]DC”>http://www.dccirculator.com/) crosstown between Union Station & G’town.</p>
<p>I would discourage staying along the Orange Line in VA (esp. near East or West Falls Church & at Rosslyn) because there is a lot of single-tracking with current construction. It slows your transportation into the city. You can check the [Metro</a> website](<a href=“http://www.wmata.com/rail/]Metro”>Metrorail | WMATA) for fares, a system map, & schedule as well as status updates.</p>
<p>Let us know where you find a 100 a night hotel in the DC region. It will be a steal. </p>
<p>FYI, DC also has big surcharges in taxes. I think it is something like 11%. Won’t swear. Plus, many charge for parking. Make sure you investigate that too. 100 bucks, 11% tax, places you at 111, and 30 to park puts you at 141.</p>
<p>Last spring we stayed at the Savoy Suites which is a boutique hotel in Georgetown. The rate wasn’t too bad for DC (not $100) but the hotel was immaculate and convenient. Have also stayed at the DoubleTree in Foggy Bottom which is a great hotel right by the metro at GW Med Center. Never needed our car and walked to the Mall and monuments. That was all full when we went last spring because that was my first choice but the Savoy was great too. You just need your car if you stay there. Have fun.</p>
<p>Actually, hotel taxes in DC are 14.5%, another reason we prefer to stay in VA. </p>
<p>Savoy Suites is actually in Glover Park, just north of Georgetown (S2 lives very near the hotel), but I wouldn’t recommend it for someone without a car. The nice thing there is that parking is included, something you never find at other DC hotels.</p>
<p>Seventh? the Rosslyn location. Easy Metro access on Blue or Orange line to everywhere. </p>
<p>You said early March for your visit, which is much wiser than early April. Spring Break can be a perfect storm of a mess with cherry blossoms peaking (betcha they’ll go about March 15 this year with all the Winter warmth), kids on break and a ton of people new to the DC traffic patterns. So stay in Rosslyn and don’t rent a car.</p>
<p>Another vote for staying in Rosslyn. You will have Metro access AND you can just walk over the Key Bridge and be on M Street in Georgetown. Very doable.</p>
<p>I saw cherry blossoms in Chevy Chase this afternoon. Insane!!!</p>
<p>Personally, I’d stay in Rosslyn, but it won’t be $110/night.</p>
<p>If you can afford it, and there are at least 2 of you, take a cab. There is no room for bags on those buses and from airport it involves taking a bus to train and another transfer from train station to your hotel. If you are arriving in the evening, take a super shuttle or cab.I suggest you get a room either through Hotwire or Priceline at a location near a metro. I am sure it will be more than $100/night unless it is far from DC.</p>
<p>Just a reminder that hotel prices in the DC area are not likely to follow normal pricing patterns (i.e. drop drop drop) like the rest of the country; we had stayed at a place in Rosslyn for $125/night and now it’s $160…</p>
<p>Meanwhile in places like Chicago where we stay often the rates have been in free-fall for several years now…</p>
<p>We stayed in Alexandria when we went. LOVED it. I would recommend the Embassy Suites there. First, it is right across the street from the metro stop where you can catch the metro (obviously) but also the free trolley into Old Town. Second, they serve breakfast there. That alone will save you $50+ each day. Food is really expensive in the DC area. They also have evening appetizers that easily substitute for a light dinner after a big lunch somewhere in town. The hotel will cost you more than $100/night but it will be less expensive in the long run because you get 2 meals each day with that cost.</p>
<p>We loved exploring Old Town in the evenings after things in DC were shut down. We used the metro most of the time, took the bus a couple times-Georgetown and Mount Vernon. If you haven’t been to DC before, I highly recommend planning the better part of a day at Mount Vernon. Get there early in the morning, go right to the mansion for the tour and THEN stop at the visitor center and everything else there is to do there. We just loved it.</p>
<p>If you haven’t bought your tickets–fly into Reagan. Even if the flight is more expensive, it is probably less in the long run when you factor in getting to/from BWI.</p>
<p>I agree with mncollegemom. The cost maybe more expensive, but it is on the metro and easier than BWI especially with traffic it could take hrs to get to a DC hotel.</p>
<p>I would also spend the money to go to Reagan over Dulles since Rte 66 can be ugly and with the HOT lanes being placed on 495, arrive Friday at 2 and need to get to the hotel in Gtown you can be looking at 90 mins in the car.</p>
<p>Add in rental cars and most hotels in DC charge parking (up to 30+ bucks a night), overall it maybe cheaper to go to Reagan.</p>
<p>My sister from Virginia chose her departing airport for her trip to Houston because of the traffic. She was able to get a cheap AirTran fare, though, although she spent the better part of her return home trip at an Atlanta layover. As she works from her computer, she was able to bill out some hours during her layover. </p>
<p>I am very interested in doing the Alexandria Old Town/Mount Vernon trip when I go on my own to see my sister. Don’t think my 20 y/o son would be interested in that. </p>
<p>If you are arriving during a weekday, use the MARC from BWI to Union Station, and then go from there. We used SuperShuttle on the trip there, but it cost a pretty penny, maybe $80 for my son and I. This was in 2008. </p>
<p>My husband often does fly in to Reagan and takes the Metro right from the airport to his hotel in Bethesda. He stays in the Bethesda area, though, and doesn’t make it to the Mall when he’s in DC.</p>
<p>When we went on a family vacation to DC and stayed at the Residence Inn near the Mall, we did take a cab from Reagan to the hotel, flying United, which I will no longer use because of bad customer service during a college trip. I prefer Southwest and can get easy flights to BWI from NOLA.</p>
<p>The Residence Inn did offer parking, and correct, at about 35 bucks a day, but because we did not have a car, we never did make it out to the Air Museum by Dulles. My lucky sister is having an office party there, and I am so jealous. It’s a must do on our next trip to DC, but it is hard to get to if you’re without wheels and staying by the Mall.</p>
<p>About 20 years ago, I went to a college friend’s wedding in Silver Spring. We stayed at the Silver Spring Courtyard for the wedding weekend, then took the Metro down to the Grand Hyatt. I think we took a cab to the metro stop, or got a ride from another guest. </p>
<p>I’m sure Grand Hyatt is way out of price range now, but it was a great location. We walked to the Mall and visited many of the museums. We also walked to the art galleries, which was a real treat. I believe we were also near the Ford Theater for that trip, though didn’t make it there. I remember walking past the FBI building on the way to the Mall or wherever else we were going. That was awesome! </p>
<p>We did the Monuments at Night Tour on that trip, and also repeated it when we returned with our son 16 years later. I would highly recommend doing that if you have a chance. The FDR had been added since our last trip, and that was incredible. Don’t miss that!</p>
<p>Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!</p>
<p>AirTran flies out of National – Southwest does not. Depending on where you’re going, National rates can be quite decent. </p>
<p>There used to be a shuttle between Air & Space downtown and A&S/Udvar-Hazy at Dulles, but it was cancelled a few years ago. Parking is $15. Public transit there is circuitous at best.</p>
<p>In DC, there is also the Circulator Bus – there are a few routes now, and they are frequent, cheap ($1!!) and get you into Georgetown where the Metro doesn’t. [DC</a> Circulator > Home](<a href=“http://www.dccirculator.com/]DC”>http://www.dccirculator.com/)</p>
<p>My niece did the Monuments at Night tour when her HS band was here – said it was fabulous.</p>
<p>recommend trip advisor dot c o m for hotel reviews. We stayed for third time at Pentagon City Residence Inn last week on weekend rates. Rosslyn hotels are likely less expensive but the trip across the Potomac to DC is quite easy from these hotels near Arlington VA.</p>
<p>I also like TripAdvisor’s recommendations on hotels. We did find a Residence Inn Dulles near IAD at super low prices. Unfortunately, it was not on the metro line, but good if you have a car. When we were catching the metro, we stayed at hotels near them. We stayed at a Marriott Gateway in Crystal City, I believe a different Marriott in Alexandria and also loved Phoenix Park Hotel around 2000. It’s right next to Grand Central Station and walking distance of the mall and lots of sights in DC. It was over $100 then and probably considerably more now. LOVED the convenience, especially since we had kids in tow who tired of walking great distances.</p>
<p>We had had a DC trip planned for last year, but had to cancel because H got sent out of town during our available time. We were going to stay at the Pentagon City Residence Inn. Our Residence Inn on the Mall was booked, as we would have spent the money for the convenience. I did lots of research, including CC, and talked directly to staff at the hotel. It was an affordable compromise for us, and was not too far from the Metro. Seriously, if you’re a few blocks from the Metro, and you’re tired, take a cab. Cab rides in DC and Chicago are cheap, compared to renting a car and parking daily, not to mention the time saving. I love that about DC and Chicago, always cabs around. Looking forward to hearing about your trip!</p>
<p>We are actually going to D.C. towards the end of February. I was able to get the Holiday Inn Capitol Hill for $109 with AAA discount. I don’t know if this rate applies during the week as we are arriving on a Friday and staying over the weekend. The hotel seems very convenient to the Museums and it looks walkable from Union Station. However, with luggage, you can take the metro as L’enfant station is nearby. We are arriving by Amtrak but our D is arriving to BWI as the airfares and flights to the other airports were not so good. She will use the shuttle to Amtrak and take Amtrak to Union Station. I hope this works well as the Supershuttle is about $72 roundtrip, whereas the Amtrak option would be about $22. I understand the MARC train is only good on weekdays. Several years ago, we stayed in Alexandria at the Embassy Suites near King Station. That was convenient but I think I would rather walk to the museums than deal with the metro everyday, which got rather expensive after a few days with a family of four.</p>
<p>The Holiday Inn at the Smithsonian is a much better choice for museum focused visits than the one on Capitol Hill. There is little around to eat near the museums at night as things shut down so I really recommend booking your family in at one of the good Dupont Circle Hotels where you can walk at night and get decent meals at decent prices. The Dupont Circle metro is safe and great. There are so many hotels near Dupont Circle. See tripadvisor dot c o m but I like the Topaz with two queen beds myself and dinner next door at the wonderful intown hotel next to the Topaz which also has eclectic rooms for sleeping above…We have also stayed at the L’enfant Plaza hotel which used to be a Loews for museum weekends but there is nothing to do on foot at night in the Museum district which is why I recommend Dupont Circle. The bigger Jury Hotel is very family friendly with larger rooms…again, being in an intown neighborhood at night is much warmer and fuzzier when it is time to get dinner. So…take a hard look at the many many offerings at Dupont Circle.</p>