We really liked staying in the DuPont Circle area. We stayed at the Westin Embassy Row. Very handy to the metro, restaurants and cafes. Nice area to stay in.

Arlington, VA is also good location

The Ritz Carlton at Pentagon Mall (Also known as Fashion Center Mall. Arlington Area))

If you fly into Washington Reagen Airport, you can take the Metro to Pentagon Mall (1 or 2 stops) and the Metro is on the front steps of the Pentagon Mall/RitxCarlton. Then just take the escalator up to the Ritz. (I've gotten some very good rates as a Ritz Carlton member.)

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/PentagonCity/Destination/Attractions/Default.htm

You can go pretty much anywhere via Metro...there are a couple of neighborhoods that are not safe so ask the Concierge.
http://www.wmata.com/pdfs/pocket_guides/english.pdf

There is also a nearby Pentagon city Residence Inn with a complimentary shuttle to Metro, several 2 bedroom suites or 1 bedroom suite with closed living room door couch/bed.

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/waspt-residence-inn-arlington-pentagon-city/


Be sure to see Pentagon 911 Memorial. Best time to go is near sunset: in the daylight you can see the importance of the bench tribute arrangement. After dark each bench tribute is lighted with a small reflection pool and is a very moving memorial.

There are NUMEROUS hotels within walking distance of the Metro in the Crystal City area as well as near the Ballston, Court House, and Rosslyn stops in Virginia; ditto for various stops in the District itself.

How much do you want to PAY?

My son (26) and I went to Washington, D,C. In October. I hadn't been there in almost 50 years and it was his first visit. We stayed at The Mayflower. It is a beautiful, historic hotel in a perfect location. We had easy access to the Metro and we could walk to the White House. There were several affordable restaurants in the area. If I went back to D.C., I would again choose The Mayflower. We had a great time. So much to see and do. Have fun!

As mentioned, knowing your preferred budget will allow people to help you better.

The Cherry Blossom Festival begins around the third week of March so you will likely find hotel prices higher.

As people have said, there are numerous hotels with easy access to the Metro, but it would help to know how much you want to spend on your hotel.

This past June we stayed at the Grand Hyatt, which has an entrance to the metro right in its lobby. I was traveling with my parents, so I wanted access to the metro with as little walking as possible.

Having access to the metro right from the lobby plus its proximity to Penn Quarter made it an excellent choice for us.

I'm a big proponent of staying "in town", although I realize price can be an issue in a city like DC. That said, if you can swing it, I'd agree with DuPont Circle, Penn Quarter or Downtown. DuPont is a beautiful upscale residential neighborhood, but with a commercial street down the middle, great for wandering, eating, hanging out. Penn Quarter is lively, with bars and restaurants, hotels, the Verizon Center. Downtown is a few blocks from Penn Quarter and is more of a business-oriented area, but its proximity to the sites is outstanding. Ex. Hilton Garden Inn on 14th, right across the street from the McPherson Square metro.

The P in Dupont is not capitalized

Thanks, everyone. I am hoping to keep the cost per night under $200.

What are your exact dates?

You really can't beat the "Marriott Metro Center" for location to the Metro.

The $200 might be a little prob but I think they still have specials under $200.

Few blocks to The WH...kiddy corner to Cap City Brew Co....

Here you can see EXACTLY where a hotel is in relation to Metro station entrances -

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

Click on the station you're interested in (Gallery Place, Archives, Dupont Circle, and Metro Center would be my personal top choices). The hotels show up on the station area maps as "red squares" - you can even click on the hotel to check availability/price and book a room.

Flying into which airport?

For guaranteed under $200 look outside of DC at the Americana Hotel in Crystal City. Bare bones but got a lot going for it in the price range and location and a stop away from Reagan National. Check in town at the Connecticut Ave Days Inn. Both close to a metro.

Otherwise, as noted, your dates may drive the cost b/c of the Cherry Blossoms and the general popularity of DC as a spring break destination for families.

The Hilton Garden Inn at McPherson Square is a good suggestion downtown, on top of a metro and walking distance to the White House.

Dupont is a great neighborhood as described. It's on the red line so you'll have change trains to get to the National Mall, main destination for many visitors.

Penn Quarter is also good, with a metro stop and walkable to the mall. Check the Courtyard Marriott there.

Foggy Bottom is another neighborhood, more residential, but with some good hotels and access to the blue line on the metro which goes directly to the Mall. Walking distance to the Kennedy Center and to Georgetown.

>>The P in Dupont is not capitalized<<

Yeah, and?

You might want to try Hotwire (but be sure to put in "3 people" otherwise you'll get a room with only 1 bed).

My auto correct capitalized the 'p' in DuPont. See, it did it again.

Lokk at the Embassy Sites on 22nd St NW, a short walk to the Metro.

His spring break starts March 16. I was thinking we'd check in March 16 and check out March 19. We could go later in the week too.

I have booked the flights yet so I'm not sure which airport would be the cheapest.

Typically, Dulles and BWI are less expensive to fly into than Reagan National b/c it's practically in the city and it has a metro stop. Check though as you can sometimes get cheaper flights into Reagan. It may also be worth the surcharge for your time and $ using Reagan rather than the other two airports.

I looked at the Marriott websites and the hotels are all over $200/night for your dates.
Same with Starwood, Hilton and Kimpton.

The Holiday Inn Washington-Central/White House is available for $199/night on the Holiday Inn website.
The Holiday Inn National Airport/Crystal City is available for $122/night on the Holiday Inn website. I think that was advance purchase.
The Holiday Inn Rosslyn at Key Bridge is $177/night.

The last two are in Arlington County, VA across the river and both are within walking distance of a Metrorail station as far as I can tell.

If you don’t mind using a “blind” bidding site and paying ahead of time, I’ve once used Lastminutetravel and have seen it recommended a lot on TripAdvisor and a few times here.

On that website, there is a 4.5-star hotel in Dupont Circle/Kalorama/Washingto available for $167/night. It is probably the Dupont Circle Hotel which is really nice.

There is a 2.5-star hotel in Dupont Circle/Kalorama/Washingto for $115 which is the Days Inn Connecticut Ave. I stayed there. It was a clean and basic budget hotel. The Days Inn website might have a good rate for that hotel also.

The 3.5-star hotel in Dupont Circle/Kalorama/Washingto for $143 is probably the Marriott Wardman Park.

The way a person can figure out which hotel is which on LMT is by the photos and descriptions. You can Google the number of rooms or other descriptions and then match up the photos. You can also generally cancel up to 3 days in advance and get your money back. The cancellation policy is included with the rest of the info so double check it before using. I have not had an opportunity to test the cancellation policy.

Personally would not rec. flying into BWI or Dulles due to the complicating issues of ground transport for someone who does not know the area. Stick with reagan Airport.


Bardo has provided a very nice link to Metro/Hotel locations.

The L'Enfant Plaza hotel sits smack on top of the metro station.

Just booked our flights into Reagan - thanks for that recommendation. I am getting the sense that $200/night might not be realistic. Trying to talk DH into upping our budget so we can stay in a centrally located area

Also wondering if there are any 'must see' attractions that we might not have thought of. We are planning on seeing the monuments and some of the smithsonian museums. I have heard the spy museum is lots of fun.

I really appreciate all the help. It's hard to plan a trip into a city where we know nothing about the layout.

>> It's hard to plan a trip into a city where we know nothing about the layout.<<

Yes, I agree but DC is a very easy city to navigate as a tourist on foot or with public transpiration. You will be fine and you will be able to get around.

If I were you, I'd fairly quickly book a hotel in or near your price range with a res that can be cancelled. Might be your final place but in the mean time you can research other hotels. The longer you wait, the fewer options you'll have,

Assume the National Mall will be your primary destination for touring. At the Mall or quite near it will be many of the monuments, various Smithsonian museums, National Gallery of Art, the Capitol, Archives, White House, Spy Museum, Newseum,

How did your trip go, k12lima?