cslasor

We've decided to visit Washington D.C. during the Cherry Blossom Festival (probably April 6 through 10) and I need to find a hotel or B&B within a block or two of a Metro stop. The closer the better, since we'll be doing a lot of walking and I won't want a long hike from the Metro to the hotel.

We want quiet, safety, a King or Queen bed, and a private bathroom. I know this is High Season, so my max price would be $275/night although I'd be much happier if it were less than that. [...smile...]

Any suggestions would be welcome. Also, is there a way to search any of the sites (Orbitz, Priceline, etc.) and specify proximity to a Metro stop? I hate wading through 100's of hotels trying to find what's close to a stop.

Thanks!

Cherie

Anonymous

Virtually any hotel room in DC will have at least a queen-size bed and a private bath.

One very handy site is stationmasters.com, which has maps that show features like hotels and Metro stations so you can spot the ones closest to each station.

GeorgeW

Try Hotel Lombardy at 21st and I Street.

MikeT

Most hotels--outside of Gtown--in your price range are going to be relatively close to a Metro Station. Among hotels that are literally on top of or next to a subway are the Jury's Hotel in DuPont Circle, the Marriott at Metro Center, the Madera, the Hilton Garden at Franklin Square, the Embassy Suites Chevy Chase, the Marriott Wardman Park and Omni Shoreham at Woodley Park.

Anonymous

I've stayed at most of the hotels that Mike named. The Marriott Metro Center and ES Chevy Chase are especially convenient. The Omni is a few blocks from the Metro but in an area with several excellent restaurants.

Anonymous

The Marriott Wardman Park, which is actually one block down from the Woodley Park Metro, is so huge that you could actually have rather a hike between the Metro and your room unless you're in the older wing. This hotel, being a bit farther out, has lovely grounds with thousands of bulbs blooming in the spring. Finally, the Woodley Park Metro is one of the deepest anywhere, and if you're prone to vertigo watch out for their escalator.

bardo1

Look at Stationmasters -

http://stationmasters.com/System_Map/system_map.html

Click on the following Metro stops (good neighborhoods to be based in) and print out:

Dupont
Farragut North
Gallery Place
Metro Center
McPhearson Square
Capitol South

The hotels show up as "red blocks".

With these 6 sheets it will be easy to plan and will narrow to choices down to about 12 hotels. THEN, go to Orbitz, Expedia, etc (Priceline will NOT work if you need to ensure you are a block or two from Metro) and try to get the hotels you picked from stationmasters.

dmlove

I too was going to suggest the Marriott Wardman Park, but it's true that it's enormous and as Anonymous said, a hike to your room even though the actual metro station is [actually less than] a block away (it's on the same corner as the hotel, it just feels farther). I do really like this neighborhood though -- Woodley Park, walking distance to DuPont Circle, Adams-Morgan, etc. (well, it's all walking distance for us, until our legs give out and then it's nice that the hotel is at the metro stop!)

NewbE

Take a look at the Inn at Dupont Circle South:
http://www.thedupontcollection.com/dupontsouth.html

mindforms

There is a nice Hyatt in Bethesda, MD that is right next to a Metro Station. Bethesda is a very nice area on the northwest edge of the District.

cslasor

Thanks for all of the advice. The stationmasters.com site has been very helpful. Since this will be during the Cherry Blossom Festival it looks like most of the suggested hotels will be on the very upper end of my range, or just outside of it, although if we were to come back at another time I think they'd be perfect.

So I'm thinking of reserving a room at the Embassy Circle Guest House, based on the wonderful reviews I've read here and at tripadvisor.com. If we fly into Baltimore we should be able to get a shuttle that drops us off at the hotel. I'd rather do that than drag my luggage through the Metro.

How does that sound?

bardo1

It sounds perfect. Book the Embassy Circle Guest House soon - it is indeed a very popular time for vistors to come to DC.

Melissa5

cslasor, we loved the Embassy Circle Guest House! Great choice. I'd e-mail them right away if you haven't already, since Cherry Blossom time is indeed popular.

It's about a 6-minute easy walk to the Dupont Circle Metro from the Embassy Circle Guest House. Our bedroom with a King bed was quiet (I requested a Quiet room.)

Enjoy...let us know how your trip turns out.

cslasor

Well, I was all set to click on the last button on the reservation form for the Embassy Circle Guest House, when I noticed the place on the page where it says there are no TVs in the rooms. While I could care less, I know my husband wouldn't be at all happy without a TV.

So I went back to my web-search and found that Jury's Washington Hotel has a pre-pay deal where we can get a room for a total of $692 (including tax) for our 5-night stay in early April. This seems to be a recommended hotel so I went ahead and booked it. I requested an upper floor to get away from the street noise, but for that price I can buy a lot of ear plugs!

I've also booked the flight - Orlando to Baltimore, $150 each on Delta with 1 stop with 1-hour layovers. We could've done non-stop for $200 each but decided we'd let Delta basically give us $50 each to sit in an airport for an hour.

So everything's under control and so far I'm spending less than I expected. Yay! More shopping!

TT

Bringing this TTT for a related question. Does anyone have a recommendation between the Embassy Suites Chevy Chase vs. the Embassy Suites Washington D.C. locations with respect to ease of access to the metro for sightseeing? I hear that the red-line metro is actually under the Chevy Chase hotel, but from the Metro map, it looks like it's a ways away from the normal sightseeing locations (WH, monuments, etc.). The ES on 22nd ST looks closer, but the Metro is a farther walk. How long would it take to ride the Metro from Chevy Chase? Or, is the walk to the Metro from 22nd ST not a big deal (we don't mind walking, I just know we'll be walking alot as it is to see the different sights).

Any personal recommendations between the two Suites?

Thanks!

Anonymous

The ride from the ES in Chevy Chase (atop the Friendship Heights Metro station) to Metro Center station is less than 15 minutes. At the end of the day it's SO nice to get off the train and have not much more than a couple of escalators and an elevator between yourself and your hotel room, with no weather and no hiking.

MikeT

The one on 22nd is more convenient for travelers. It is a shortish (10 minutes) walk to Foggy Bottom where you can get a Metro right to the Mall, the Capital, etc. It is also within a close walk to the Red Line.

Chevy Chase is perfectly fine and the ES is well-situated. I think Friendship Heights is not all that convenient, since it is quite literally on the far NW border of the city.

Ruff

I agree with MikeT. Go for the Embassy Suites in DC rather than Chevy Chase.