Hi All,
Money is a concern and a 1 bedroom suite/apt. for myself, husband and young son is preferred. Any suggestions?

What exactly is your budget, prices vary a lot and any hotel suites or apts are going to be very expensive in DC for a short-term rental. However, there are some decent apt. buildings in the NW DC area that rent short-term units, furnished, those would be a lot cheaper than paying a hotel for 20 days. Two I know of that have ST furnished units are the Woodner Apartments and the Chastleton, both on 16th St. The Chastleton would be great, in my opinion -- it's only a couple blocks to the metro and it's nicer than the Woodner, I think (I"ve been in it, it's a neat older building that's been renovated).

For suite hotels, those should be easy enough to find on various DC hotel web sites with a search-- I know there are the Carylyle Suites near Dupont Circle (would be my choice), New Hampshire Suites, and Capitol HIll Suites. HIgher up are Embassy Suites (several around town), as well as St James Suites near FOggy Bottom, and a few others. Those are nice, all right, but more expensive.

There are many students in DC. During the summer they often advertise to sublet their apartments, etc. You may want to check the university newspapers for information. Some universities in DC are Georgetown, George Washington, American & Catholic.

Washington Suites in Alexandria, which is about 8 miles from downtown DC, offers a very good rate of about $112.00 per night for a 1 bedroom suite with a sleeper couch in the livingroom...you also get a kitchen with stove, 'fridge, microwave, coffee maker, dishes, flatware, utensils, and drinking glasses...there's a telephone and television in the livingroom as well as the bedroom...full bath/shower...if you look up the Hotel Reservations Network on the internet, I think this deal is still available...this price also includes a breakfast of hot and cold cereals, rolls, fruit, juice, coffee, tea...the rooms are clean and the decor is tasteful.

THANK YOU ALL for the great info. We're hoping to keep lodging costs for the 20 days at less than $2000.00. I did find a place in Arlington that looks nice for $85/night through an online broker (Bizrate.com). Should I have any concerns about staying in Arlington? This is a once in a lifetime trip, so we're trying to make the best decisions.

Thanks again,
Michelle

Sorry -- I had that wrong -- it's Biz-stay.com. The Virginian Suites is the place I'm thinking of -- 1500 Arlington Blvd. Anyone know about it?

Michelle

Michelle, will you have a car? Advantage to places outside DC is that parking is usually free. Are you planning on using Metro to get around most places? I have not heard of this place but checked their website www.virginiansuites.com and it is very close to Arlington Cemetary and there is Metro stop there, so you should be able to park your car and get Metro passes to go all over DC. It is also mentioned in "Diplomat's Guide to Washington" and sounds fine. http://www.washdiplomat.com/01-04%20/c3_04_01.html

Have you tried Capitol Reservations? I stayed at the Best Western New Hampshire Suites right in Foggy Bottom for $79 per night. Includes an extensive continental breakfast.

Merilee must work for Washington Suites. It's in the worst possible location for someone unfamiliar with the area. It's not near ANYTHING (not even good restaurants), and the area it's in isn't particularly nice. And traffic around there is bad.

As for the Virginia Suites, I'm not sure exactly where that is, but Arlington Boulevard (or Route 50 as you'll more commonly hear it referred to) isn't a bad location, since it's a straight shot into the city, and I don't think 1500 is too far out. Are you close to a metro stop? That's key when trying to get around DC, since traffic's always a diaster. North Arlington's great, particularly around the Courthouse/Clarendon/Ballston neighborhoods. Lots of restaurants and bars, and easy access to the city.

Michelle,

I would try an apartment exchange. I am in Arlingon, and I think that there would be plenty of people my age that would be willing to rent their apartment for 20 days. You might want to advertise in the washington post.

I agree with JIm that Washington Suites out in Alexandria is not a good location, it's very bad. I think that's near Landmark Shopping Center. I don't know Virginian Suites, but the location is just north of the Cemetery, below Wilson Blvd. You couldn't really walk to Rosslyn metro from there, I don't think. Arlington is a nice place, at least near the metro stops (Ballston, Clarendon, etc) but I don't know what that area would be like). It is certainly close to the city from a driving viewpoint. Given the major busy highways around there, I just don't know that you could walk to metro. I drive to walk many days on Route 50, so I should know that area ... now that I think of it, that is a really busy major highway, the area where it curves into the city would be where that is. It would be a location not very residential, I wouldn't stay there myself unless I had to. I would far far far prefer to be in the city in a neighborhood close to a metro stop and where you can actually enjoy walking around, going to restaurants, seeing things. Since you say this is a special trip, I just think that could be really depressing. Maybe if you had a car, then you could use the metro lots on weekends when they aren't crowded. They do look pretty nice, but it wouldn't be like staying in central Arlington.

I had to go to DC at the last minute at the end of March and I wound up at the Washington Suites in Alexandria. On previous visits I have stayed at the JW Marriott on Pennsylvania Avenue. Washington Suites turned out to be a nice surprise in that it was seconds away from the entrance to I-395 which leads you to downtown DC and the sights. One exit on the right leads you to 14th Street over a bridge (Rochambeau)? and into the heart of the sights. If I took the exit left I crossed the Arlington Memorial Bridge and entered DC where the Lincoln Memorial is. You could take either exit. I didn't spend much time in my room or the area, but it seemed fine. There was a 7-11 on the corner and a few blocks down on the left there was a CVS and a shopping center with a market. I noticed there were several restaurants along each side of the road, but I didn't go to them. Parking at this hotel was free and their security was visible. I didn't take advantage of the free breakfast. I had a 1 bedroom suite with a livingroom, the kitchen was separate, diningroom, and full bath and shower combo. I did think driving back and forth would be a pain, but it wasn't. I live in NYC and often drive on the Cross Bronx Expwy and FDR and I think they're worse. I think it's a good bet for a family because you have a nice place to take a break and it's large enough that 3 people could have some "space" to themselves. I don't live in the DC area and I'm not there on a day to day basis so my opinion isn't as strong as some of these other posters, but I would recommend it for what you are looking for.

I live in Alexandria and I think you'd be wise to stay there. Some hotels are Sheraton Suites, Homestead Suites, and Embassy Suites in Old Town. Old Town is another place in the DC area to visit historical places and eat at good restaurants. If you stay in Alexandria there's 5 stations that serve the Metro into downtown DC along the blue or yellow lines. I work in DC and it's better to leave your car and not have any driving or parking hassles. Go to www.metroopensdoors.com for more details.

I also live in Alexandria, and I think you'd be wise to stay in north Arlington or DC, if access to the city is an issue for you. Old Town Alex is great and I love it, but it's simply quicker and easier to get downtown from the north Arlington metro stops, or driving.

Just stayed 4 days at Quality Inn Iwo Jima, 1501 Arlington Blvd (Rt 50) Arlington. Right across Rt 50 from us we saw the Virginia Suites. There was an elevated sidewalk crossing Rt 50 right from our hotel to where we could see Virginia Suites. We walked at least 8 times between Rosslyn Metro & our hotel, including with luggage as we arrived and left. I see no reason we couldn't have made the trip across the street. Maybe use a taxi when carrying luggage.

The area was mostly commercial/office, but with some high-rise, "pricy" apartment buildings. Was plenty safe. (no x in my e-ddress)

Wow guys -- I'm LOVING all of the information and "talk." Thank you again.

To "r-travels": How far was the walk to Rosslyn Metro. from your hotel (which was right across from Virginian Suites)? What was the cost of the Metro to the major DC sights? My husband thinks it might cost us each about $10 a day to ride around . . . what is the average amount you spent on Metro fees?

To Jake -- Thanks. I'll check out that website.

To All: I'm still looking around at options. You've all been great!

Michelle

You can find the metro fares between Rosslyn and other stops on www.wmata.com.

They have a $5 one day pass for unlimited rides on metro trains. You might not even have to spend that much because once you get downtown you can walk between a lot of sights. Have fun!

One thing with the $5 pass: you can't get it until 9:30 a.m. It makes sense to wait until then anyway, because the trains are packed during rush hour. It's a good deal, since you'd spend $5 in about 3 rides.

I buy a $25 weekly pass, you can use it all day for 7 consecutive days (and you don't have to wait until 9:30 to buy it). You will see that there are two different metro pass machines. You want the one that says PASSES/FARE CARDS. You can purchase with cash/credit or debit card.

http://www.wmata.com/riding/passes.cfm