April School vacation trip - economical hotel near metro
 

Hi - My sister and I are taking my niece to Washington DC during April school vacation. Working with small budget, I am looking for recommendations for hotel/motel near the metro for under $100/night (does this exist?). We don't mind a metro being outside DC but would need to be very close to a metro station, in a safe neighborhood, and walkable to restaurants, preferably with free parking. Oh, a pool (indoor) would be a big plus! Am I expecting too much?

Any recommendations for a " to see" or "to do" list for a 13 year old would be great!

Thank you

Look at the Days Inn Connecticut Ave. No free parking or pool but it was definitely cheap and near the Metro.

Here is my trip report
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-sox-games.cfm

Would also suggest the Neweum and the Spy Museum

I just ran some random April dates in Quikbook and the closest I could come to what you're looking for is the Days Inn that tchoiniere refers to.

You aren't being realistic. If you kind something for twice that with those amenities, you will be lucky. Sacrifice a few of them (parking is going to be the big one to find free) and you can get closer to $150. Check out something like Kayak with your dates and just see what rates that come up. There really aren't any hidden gems at that price point.

If you can increase your budget to around $150 you'll have more options. Try places like Alexandria and Arlington in Virginia and Bethesda in Maryland. Good luck!

You're expecting too much, what you want is crazy for less than $100. I just tried to find one for last night and couldn't find anything for less than around $150 in DC, or near the Ballston, Clarendon etc metro stops. Most were around $200 (these are nothing special, chains like Marriott Residenence, Hilton Garden Inn, etc.). I think the cheapest reasonable I found was around $140-150 for the Melrose hotel near Wash Circle or the GWU Inn and a few others in the same general area. I found something for $111 but it wasn't near where I needed to be (Kennedy Ctr) and I don't think near a metro.

oh, I think the Hampton or Red Roof over near Chinatown weren't too bad in rates, but def. not less than $100. I don't know any hotel that gives free parking in the City, nor in the burbs near a metro. They all charge, although it's usually cheaper out in Arlington (like $12 versus $24).

We stayed at a Quality Inn in Arlington a few years back...don't recall what we paid, though, or if it had a pool. I think I got it through Quikbook. It was just a block or so from a Metro station, and I know we didn't have to pay for parking.

Recommend the Spy Museum for sure...great fun for that age!

I just checked...it's now a Clarion hotel.

If you are working on a small budget, then I would skip the Spy Museum (at $18 per person). There are many other better museums in D.C. that are free.
While I do like the Newseum, I think it's geared more towards those older than 13. I'd give it a skip as well.
If you want to go the top of the Washington Monument or tour Ford's Theatre, then I'd recommend going to their respective websites and ordering advance tickets. (There likely won't be many, if any, "same day" tickets available in April). The tickets are free, but there is a handling fee charged for advance orders.