My husband and I will be vacationing with my elderly parents for a week in the DC area at the end of October. We will have a rental car for the week so that we can do some day trips to places such as Mount Vernon and Charlottesville. Are there any hotels in DC proper that would be conveniently located, priced between $75 & $125 per night, have free or reasonbly priced parking, and are in a safe area?

If this is not available, would we be better off staying in a suburb (say Fairfax) at the Hilton Garden Inn (or similar) and driving in to DC those days we are siteseeing there? If we do this, will traffic eat up a lot of our time?

You are asking a lot. Your price is pretty low, so finding a safe hotel and that price with low-cost parking is going to be very very difficult. Parking is expensive in a big city because we don't have a lot of land, and therefore can't build lots and lots of garages.

My suggestion would be not rent a car until you need it. Instead of having one for the whole week, rent one when you go to Mt. Vernon and Charlottersville and pay for parking those nights. Otherwise, don't have a car since you won't want it in the city.

You could stay in the suburbs, but again you really don't want the hassle of driving into DC and finding parking. You are better off staying somewhere near a Metro and taking the subway in.

Thanks for the insite, MikeT. I should have mentioned that my parents have trouble standing/walking for extended periods of time. They really want to see the DC area while they can still get around to some extent. My husband thought by having a car, he would be able to drive and let them off so they didn't have to walk so far. Then he could worry about parking and catching up to us. Using the Metro could be an option, except I worry if it will be difficult for my parents to maneuver...stairs to climb? I'm also trying to keep the hotel costs down for my parents who are on a limited budget.

Parking in DC is a major PIA, as is driving. Using the Metro may not be workable if your parents have such limited mobility that occasional wlaking is a problem. Most stations have escalators and or elevators, though they are notoriously often out of service. When that happens due to scheduled maintenance Metro usually offers an alternative such as a surface shuttle from the next station back to the one with the elevator outage, but that doesn't apply when it is an unexpected problem.
Suggest you think about using taxis - they are relatively cheap in DC, with fare based on a zone system.
All that said, your budget is low. DC has gotten more expensive and the prices you are looking for are likely to get you (maybe) a budget property way out from the center of things. You might try Priceline but I would be surprised if you find much in DC on the usual booking sites in that price range.

Considering your parents physical limitations I would recommend either one of the hop-on/hop-off sightsseing trolley things. Or even a city bus tour.

Even with a car and ignoring the traffic and expense, security considerations often make available parking some distance from where you actually want to go - and even if you drop them off, you may not be able to do so in a place as close as in other major cities. Trolleys and buses seem to have more access than private vehicles.

Do not rent a car in DC - your husband will take forever to find a free place to park - or have to pay for a garage and miss most of what you're seeing.

Take the car rental money and put it towards a hotel - you did mean $75 to $125 each for 2 rooms didnt you - a room for 4 people for that price is a BIG issue.

Then just take cabs from one place to another - much easier on your parents legs, your husbands temper and your budget. (Withn the tourist area cabs are very cheap compared to either 4 subway fares or garage parking.)

Forget the rental car and parking -- put that money towards taxis instead; it will be mor convenient and ou'll probaby spend less. Taxis are very reasonable in DC, especially if you're just traveling between two downtown sites. Rent the car only for the days you'll be leaving DC -- there are rental offices for most rental companies at Union Station and several scattered offics throughout downtown.

You aren't being realistic. You can't get a super-cheap hotel with "free" parking in the city. Parking is never free, you pay for it one way or another, even in the room rate. Driving in the city to do tourist sightseeing is a bad idea from a lot of perspectives, including your impact on the residents and traffic. Just be prepared to pay for a garage in the city if you insist on driving in DC proper, and it may be a long way from where you want to be, so isn't much of a solution. I don't think the metro is very feasible for people with mobility problems, I think it's a very bad idea. The metro escalators can be scary even for people with mobility problems, some are extremely long and high. I don't have mobility problems and have vertigo or scary issues with some of them (ie, Dupont Circle). Traffic will obviously take up a lot of your time if you insist on driving in the city and to the city from a suburb.

We travel to Washington D.C. quite often and I would recommend that you use Priceline or Hotwire to find a reasonably priced hotel in D.C. Area and then take tours or use cabs. I do agree driving and parking is really difficult. We have used both Priceline and Hotwire in the D.C. Area and they have been very reasonable and in good areas. Good Luck!!

love:

holiday inn rosslyn va, its about 3 blocks tops from the metro and it has free parking. i haven't been there in a while but there seemed to be many restaurants just outside the building which could be a bonus for your elderly parents.

If anyone in your party has mobility limitations, the only answer is to use taxis for all your downtown activities. Get a centrally located hotel (Priceline areas: Convention center or Dupont) and use taxis exclusively, except for the day you rent a car for the drive to Ch'ville. Three central-zone taxi rides will cost less than a day's parking at a hotel, and will be immesurably less stressful. Even with free parking at a hotel, you'd still have a hard time finding parking at any price anywhere convenient to museums.