Family Group lodging near Washington
 

I am planning a June 17 week long trip for extended family. We need to sleep 13. We like to rent a house vs hotels so we have an area to eat, play games etc. The prices in DC are way out of my budget. We need to keep it under $1000 a night, the closer to $800 the better. What would be a nice area that we could metro travel to DC in about 30 minutes but have a nice area to return to with other touristy options or nature options? I am hoping to find an area we could lodge in and enjoy and go into DC two or three days out of the week. Thanks very much.

Try Old Town Alexandria or Alexandria just south of Old Town along the George Washington Parkway. Parts of Arlington and/or Falls Church might work as well.

I think your issue may be just in finding any 1 week rental house for 13 people in the DC suburbs within 30 minutes by metro (basically just outside the beltway). There are probably some, but probably also over your budget. Don't know, I live in the area and vacation house rentals for 13 people just doesn't connect. You might look into Annapolis. You may be able to get something within your budget right on the water. The historic district there is nice.

The problem then becomes getting to DC and back on your 3 days. There's only a bus which takes over an hour, and only during commuter rush hour, plus the logistics of getting to and from the bus. Not really feasible or desirable.

On the other hand, if you rented 3 cars for the week, the total cost would probably come to $40 per person or less for the week. Go to DC on the weekend and the traffic will not be bad, plus there is free parking on the streets. Even a garage is only an extra $20 or so. You'd also have more flexibility in getting around in general.

Agree with Weimarer that the challenge is the combination of size and close to metro. This house would do it for size and it is in a nice location, but not walking distance to a metro station:

https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p356389vb

Here's a place that might work: https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-re...6654vb#summary

Or this one: https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-re...342748#summary

I'd go for one of these and rent cars to drive in. All on the water and close to Annapolis. The A-frame on the water for $300 night looks fantastic if you don't mind shared sleeping quarters.

https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-re...0595vb#summary

https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-re...1326vb#summary

https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-re...0303vb#summary

Thanks for ideas!

You might look at the Wyndham Old Town Alexandria. It is a time share/hotel right near the metro in Alexandria. They have spacious 2 and 3 bedroom units with kitchens and living rooms which can accommodate 6-8 people each. So perhaps 2 units would work for you. The 2 bedroom units usually rent for about 200-250 a night. I have had good luck renting the units from timeshare owners at reasonable prices through ebay. Other sources to check include redweek.com and 5starresortsplus.com, vrbo , homeaway, etc. The only caveat is they will often book only a few months in advance. Do not bother with the normal hotel booking sites for the Wyndhams as they do not offer the 2 and 3 bedrooms on those sources and the prices are usually more expensive than renting from the timeshare owners.

You could also check out the Wyndham National Harbour. They also have the 2 and 3 bedroom units and there seem to be more units to rent there. It is not nearly as convenient for getting to D.C. as Alexandria but they do have a regular shuttle bus and also a ferry service. If you rent a car, this location might work better.