BarbaraSue

We are a family of 6 from Southern California (Grandma 74, my husband and me, niece 18, son and friend aged 15) and will be spending the week of April 9 to 17 in Washington, D.C. I made the decision to stay at the Loews L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, but now I'm hearing mixed reviews and I'm having second thoughts. It looks like a good location, and at $125 a night the price was right (we'll need 3 rooms), but people say it's not a great place to stay. Anyone have any experience with The L'Enfant Hotel?

MRS_AR

Just returned from there on Tuesday. It was very quiet over the weekend, but fantastic views and the easy access to the metro means a great location.
Staff were very helpful and everything clean and tidy. Would happily stay there again.

AR

To add to what my wife wrote above, it seems that a lot of the negative comments posted about this hotel is in regard to it's location. There is not a lot about in the area, but the metro takes you directly into a small shopping area which has an elevator directly into the hotel lobby. Considering that the metro is only 3 stops from Metro Center station, then I think that the quiet location poses no problem.
Make sure you ask in advance for a room with a view. We had a stunning view and could see the whole Mall from Lincoln's memorial to the Capitol.

cmcfong

I have stayed there several times in the past and have always had a clean comfortable room. I particularly chose it because for the me the location,an easy stroll to the Mall and access to Metro, is perfect. I just booked my May trip there.

bardo

As others have noted. It is a very convenient for walking to the Smithsonian and the monuments. The area is also very safe. The drawback (for some people) it that there is no commercial activity (i.e. restauarnts/nightclubs/boutiques) in the immediate area. Many people find the Dupont neighborhood a more "happening" place. Dupont hotels are more in the $200 range though. However, for your group, L'Enfant should be just fine. As mentioned above, the Metro is right there should you want to explore a more exciting part of town. Unless having a ton of restaurants and sidewalk ambience is a top priority (thinking of teenagers), then I would keep your reservation at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel.

bardo

Addendum to my above post: Below are two maps that best illustrate: L'Enfant is surround by Gov't office buildings but is less expensive and steps away from major tourist sites. Dupont is livlier but more expensive.

http://www.stationmasters.com/System.../dupontci.html

http://www.stationmasters.com/System.../lenfntpl.html

Tess

Our family loved the rooftop pool at Loews when we stayed there 4 years ago. At that time the bathrooms had tv's (don't know if they still do)which was a huge hit for the kids. Rooms were spacious and clean and the staff couldn't have been nicer to our children. We thought the location was fine and having the Metro right there was handy. I'd stay there again.

4khansen

We stayed here a few years ago on our first trip to DC. My comments are very similar. The access to the metro was inside but after walking around the city and seeing the sights I think next time I would stay in the DuPont area using Priceline (my favorite way to get a hotel).

The hotel was reasonably convenient to the mall area (maybe a 5-10 block walk from what I can remember) and there was a fast food place or two downstairs in the plaza where the metro was located that we frequented quite a bit since our children were in the 7-10 year range (McDonald's). We did take the metro from the airport to the hotel so was one reason we liked the L'Enfant because of walking access. (although there were no elevators from the metro up to the hotel lobby so had to navigate some steps with luggage and all, so that was a bit of a hassle).

Didn't use the pool that summer because it was cool, damp and rainy all week. So didn't get a chance to.

It will work fine! A good hotel for the first trip to DC in my honest opinion.

Cher

Ditto on above comments ...

Excellent location for daytime sightseeing near Mall & Smithsonian, however absolutely nothing going on around there in the evening. You'll need to take Metro to another area for restaurants.

Metro is extremely convenient ... can go right from lobby into small shopping plaza one floor down and directly to Metro stop (without even going outside).