Leta

Four active mid-50s adults will be in DC for a week in Oct. I have reservations at these 2 hotels for good prices: Hyatt Place on 2121 M St NW and Renaissance on 1143 New Hampshire Ave NW. My question is do you prefer one over the other? Which location is closest to a Metro stop? And is either better for location to walking to monuments, museums, etc.? Thank you!

DebbieDoesDulles

I think the Renaissance is closer walk to metro by a few minutes. But if you're booking based on prices, breakfast for 4 at the Hyatt Place is a good savings over a week's stay, though the same breakfast buffet could get boring after a few days.
For walking to monuments, museums, the White House etc, you should expect lots of 15-20 min walks from those hotels, we think that's fine but you may not. The Circulator Bus ($1) is always your friend.

Leta

Thank you. So they are both pretty much in the same location then?

sf7307

They are 285 feet apart.

Leta

Awesome, thank you.

doug_stallings

That's not a bad location, but it's not particularly close to any Metro stop, but you can be to one within 10 minutes walk. You're almost midway between Dupont Circle and Foggy Bottom, but it's a good location for restaurants (Rasika is across the street!, and the Park Hyatt and Blue Duck Tavern are nearby), but it's not exactly within easy walking distance of the mall or most attractions, other than the White House. I've stayed at the Embassy Suites, which is on 22nd NW, and I have to say I was happy with the location, so I think you will be as well. Hyatt Places tend to have better and bigger rooms than Renaissance hotels and include breakfast, but they do not have full restaurants; they also don't have bathtubs if that matters to you, just walk-in showers.

thursdaysd

How are you going to navigate when you get to DC if you have to ask such a basic question? Use maps.google.com and a maps app on your phone.

Also:

https://wmata.com

starrs

Take a look at the W. Fantastic location. Great POV Lounge on the roof, with great views of the White House and Washington Monument. I'd stay in walking distance of the places you want to see rather than commuting in if at all possible.

sf7307

We've stayed all over D.C. including DuPont Circle, west End, Foggy Bottom, McPherson square, Woodley Park, etc. none of them was a bad location. We like the "vibe" of the West End /DuPont Circle area even if it is a longer walk from the mall.

doug_stallings

I'm with sf7307 here; I like the West End vibe and all the good restaurants. It's second (for me) to the Penn Quarter for dining.

The W is very nice and well located, but it's pricey. If you want to be closer to the White House and the mall, then the Capital Hilton, an older property that's showing its age, may be a better choice. The rooms are huge, and it's very centrally located and within easier walking distance of more sights.

Having said that, I simply don't mind taking a couple of Metro rides every day, or walking a bit. If you don't like to walk, then definitely reconsider. But with 4 people, Uber may be almost as cheap as the Metro if you are just talking about the mall and major tourist attractions. You'd definitely need the Metro for Arlington, but you'll want to do a taxi or Uber down to the boat basin for the trip to Mount Vernon because the boats leave early and the Metro is rather inconvenient to that area.

If you take a nighttime monuments tour on the trolley, they will pick you up and take you over to Union Station (and bring you back too).

obxgirl

Either hotel would be a good choice. The Hyatt Place is very new. Are you a loyalty member of either?

If you are a fan of Indian food, book at table at Rasika West End which is spitting distance from either hotel. It's one of the best restaurants in the city.

DC, especially the places people come to see, is a very walkable city. Looking at a map and plotting your excursions will be helpful -- sometimes walking is the shortest distance between two points.

It's about a 20 minute walk from either hotel down 21st Street to the Vietnam Memorial which is at the west end/Lincoln end of the mall. The Smartrip card you'll use on the Metro also works on the Circulator Bus. Circulator has a fantastic National Mall route -- $1 a ride, free transfer w/in a 2 hour window.

http://nationalmall.dccirculator.com/#route-anchor

I agree with Doug that Uber might be just as useful to you during non rush hours -- don't bother during rush b/c the entire length of the National Mall is ensnared in traffic.