We are looking at 3 hotels in DC and are trying to make a decision on which one we should choose. We will not have a car and will be there the first of November for a weekend. We want easy accessibility to the sights.

The hotels that we have narrowed down (based on price) are JW Marriott, Sofitel and Topaz.

You're doing well by going on a week-end, as hotel rates drop substantially then and you can get excellent packages.

We stayed at the Sofitel a few years back and loved the large room--but our bathroom was a bit dated. Possibly they've been renovated by now, however.

For easy accessibility to the Mall, check out the Loews L'Enfant Plaza, which is right across from the museums. Another advantage is that the hotel sits right on top of a metro station, and there are a number of small cafés in a sort of mini-mall.

Ask the hotel for week-end rates and/or look at what's available on capitalreservations.com, a good discount site.

I suspect the Sofitel that Underhill is referring to is not the current one in DC. They used to have a hotel across from the Hilton above Dupont Circle which has changed names and owners over the years, but is now the Churchill and has been for some years. The current Sofitel is fairly new (I think it opened in 2002), although in an older building shell/facade. I'd stay there myself, I like it and the location -- or the Topaz--I just think they both have more style than the Marriott. Nothing wrong with the Marriott, though, and it is certainly convenient. The Sofitel isn't too far from it.

You can't go wrong with any of these, I'd say, in terms of accessibility. I think the Topaz is the farthest from a metro stop.

The Sofitel is a wondeful hotel, newly redone, huge rooms, comfy beds, etc. It is an easy walk to the Monuments and metro stops. You could even walk to the Spy museum and Chinatown from there. But it's in more of a business district so not many places to eat at night.

The Sofitel on 15th St. at Lafayette Square opened in May 2003. It has lovely rooms and is a block or so away from the Metro. It's supposed to have a great restaurant, Cafe Ria. The Topaz (a Kimpton Hotel) is a little more hip and also close to a Metro. It's probably better located for dining and evening activities. The Marriot is huge just like the rest of the Marriots and a few blocks from Metro Center. Probably about the same distance from a Metro as the other 2. Its really a matter of your preference on style of hotel--if you want elegance, go for the Sofitel, if you want hip or cool, try the Topaz, if you want a large, chain hotel atmosphere-go for the Marriott. U might check out Trip Advisor and see how each is reveiwed.

If you're looking for something a bit smaller, the St. Gregory Hotel in the DuPont Circle area is really nice. For the price you'd probably pay for the Mariott, you can get a suite at this hotel, which connects to the M Street Bar and Grill, which will deliver to your room. The rooms are small but beautiful, the location is super and there is a life-sized statue of Marilyn Monroe (from Seven year itch!) in the lobby. It's not a run of the mill or chain hotel, although it is owned by a company that has a group of hotels in DC. It's near several metro stations, Foggy Bottom stands out in memory as one. We stayed there for a week when we picked up our daughter from summer school at Georgetown, and it was very convenient to the school.