Helen_in_Hawaii

Does anybody know how long it takes by Metro from Dunn Loring in Fairfax to Metro Center?

We are planning a trip to Washington, D.C. early in the new year and we are debating a hotel in the DuPont Circle area where it is close to everything and where there are lots of restaurants vs. a Courtyard Marriott in Dunn Loring where we pay about $175/night less than the one at DuPont Circle. However, there is additional travel time into the city center.

What are the time/money trade-offs? We save $175/night ($700 for our four-night stay) but add how much in travel time?

Thanks.

Helen

GoTravel

Helen, don't do this.

Reason being is that if you are staying city center, you can run back to the room for a nap, to drop off packages, to rest your weary feet etc.

It is also hassle free to go back to the room and change before dinner.

Last time I was in DC I had to stay out somewhere in Virginia and it was an hour train ride to city center.

A huge PIA and as a result, I only went in to DC one night.

I think Fairfax is a good ways out also.

ANP2

Try www.wmata.com.

rb_travelerxATyahoo

even more specifically

http://rideguide.wmata.com

GoTravel

Helen, I stayed in Chantilly which is in Fairfax. It took 40 minutes to get to the metro and then an hour to get downtown.

Don't do this.

ANP2

I agree with GoTravel.

kayd

Keep searching for a better hotel deal in the District. The convention center/Metro center area is also good, with loads of hotels including a new(ish) Red Roof.
Have you looked at http://capitolreservations.com/

pollyvw

Check for hotels near Roslyn Metro Station. It is very close to DC attractions.

pollyvw

Sigh...rephrase:

Check for hotels near Roslyn Metro Station. Hotels there are very close to DC attractions via Metro.

kgh8m

The Courtyard website says it's right at the Dunn Loring Metro stop, and from the map, it appears to be true. So you would not have the hassle of having to find parking (which would be impossible at that Metro stop on a weekday morning after 8 a.m.).

The WMATA website says the Metro trip from Dunn Loring to Metro Center is 26 minutes long (seems right - I'd have said 30 minutes off the top of my head). Trains run in the mornings and afternoons every 6 minutes. Mid-day and evenings, it'll be a longer wait for a train. At certain times, it'll be crowded, but not too awful.

There's some merit to GoTravel's suggestion, and some merit to staying the heart of things, but there's a WORLD of difference between Chantilly. (Everyone says "Dunn Loring in Fairfax" and "Chantilly in Fairfax" -- that's Fairfax County, and it's quite large! I live near Chantilly and work in downtown DC - Dunn Loring is halfway to work for me.) There would only be a walk to the Dunn Loring Metro, as opposed to a very congested commute with a parking nightmare - so it's really apples and oranges.

That said, I'd always vote for staying in the city, so you can walk from your hotel to restaurants and other places of interest. I'm not sure that there are really other things to walk to in Dunn Loring, beyond the Metro stop. There'll be restaurants, but outside of DC, Alexandria, and Arlington, people don't walk to dinner or anywhere else. It's not terribly pedestrian-friendly.

Of course, if you really need to save that $700, it would not be an awful choice. It just might not be as convenient or fun as if you stayed downtown. But you'll certainly get more for your hotel dollar outside the District.

Good luck!

Helen_in_Hawaii

Thanks for all of the terrific responses. It gives us something to think about as we make our plans. The other recent threads on hotels near the Metro stops are also helpful. We'll do more research and likely stay in the city.

Helen

ANP2

I think being near Faragut North, McPherson Square, and Foggy Bottom(GWU) metro staions would be really good. Good restaurants, grocery stores(Whole Foods and Safeway), and attractions are all within 20 minutes walk or motor ride. The DC Circulator( www.dccirculator.com ) stops around there and is designed to service tourists. It only costs 1 dollar.

Christina

I work around the Dunn Loring station, and certainly wouldn't choose to stay there as a tourist. However, $700 is a lot of money, and I don't think that's such a bad idea for that amount--if you can just walk to/from the metro station. I wouldn't think it a great idea if you have to try to park and/or take a bus or some other combination that will add a lot of time and potentially hassle. I have to take a local metrobus from Dunn Loring to my office, and it doesn't run very frequently even in the day time, so if I get there at the wrong time, I may have a half hour wait just for that bus to go a couple miles.

I only do that when the weather is bad or my car is in the shop, so I don't really recall any Courtyard Marriott there, but they claim it is. It's just dull, staying at a metro station, but that is a lot of money and the metro ride isn't that long (half hour). I agree something near Rosslyn or Clarendon would be better, if not in the city itself.

TxTravelPro

I have stayed in Chevy Chase and Bethesda and did not feel the commute was too far... just minutes.
Maybe you couold find some better deals out that way?

Christina

They are all just minutes, it's a matter of how many. Bethesda is about 10 minutes shorter ride to Metro Center, probably, than from Dunn Loring. It would be preferable, but given how expensive CC/Bethesda area is, I kind of doubt one could find a cheaper hotel there. Dunn Loring is a real nothing place.

TxTravelPro

I agree, Christina! I paid $$$ in both Chevy Chase and Bethesda. Luckily I was visiting a company and the hotel gave me the negotiated rate. Prices are crazy in DC!

manduss

Dunn Loring is a real nothing place ????

It is definitely not a tourist destination, but everytime I'm in the area there is something new.
I lived 1 mile from the Dunn Loring Metro for 12 years and recently moved to Bethesda.
There are lots of dining options on Gallows Road these days. I kind of miss moving away from Sweetwater, Grevey's and that Silver Diner.
To save $700 on the hotel bill (not including having a lower tax on the bill than you would in DC), I would do it. The Metro will bite into your funds a little, but it will only cost a little more than the Metro from Dupont.
FWIW, you can almost always get a seat on the Metro from Dunn Loring into DC since it is the second to the last stop on the line. The Metro is much more crowded at Dupont Cirlce.

Is this a leisure trip? If so, then staying at Dunn Loring will be fine. You can take the Metro in to the Smithsonian and numerous other tourist attractions.

Take Care,
Mark

kayd

The OP's name suggests she would be flying to DC. If they stayed somewhere closer (Ballston, Rosslyn if not in DC itself), they would be very happy without a car. At Dunn Loring they might feel trapped in the evenings without wheels.

FauxSteMarie

I commute to DC from the West Falls Church Metro stop. It takes less than a half hour to Metro Center. Dunn Loring is the next stop out so it would take about 5 minutes more.

If you can walk to the Metro, it shouldn't be much of an inconvenience at all, but there are more attractive areas to stay where you could also get a good deal on a hotel room. The rooms downtown are getting so pricey they are prohibitive for a lot of people.