The kids (ages 11&13)have the 2nd & 3rd weeks of March off, and have never been to DC ...neither has my husband. I haven't been in so long, I have no clue where to stay. We used to stay at places like the Four Seasons (those were the days!) but now we're on more of a budget...we need two rooms, and the kids would love a pool. We will have our car, but hate city traffic/parking. Could we get something in close to the museums/monuments that's nice, but not more than 350-400 per night? Of the "suite" hotels, do any have pools/adjoining rooms? Which are the most pleasant?

By and large the hotels in DC are geared to businessmen. I'm sure there are pools but it's not common.

What we did a couple of times when my daughter was a subteen was stay in a place like Tysons Corner and commute to Arlington National Cemetery. Leave the car in their parking lot and take the tram. The tram stops at all the attractions. You can get on and off as you please.

The advantage of places like Tyson's Corner is that you avoid the traffic of DC. There are many restaurants that will be familiar to your children. And obviously it's plenty cheaper.

You asked about discounts. The Gold AMEX card allows you to use their special travel agency. They sometimes have rates that are better than the hotel, often not.

Some agencies that specialize in very high end travel, can sometimes get you an guaranteed upgrade, especially if you are a good customer.

Just being a regular at one of their hotels help to get upgraded. We were upgraded from a garden view junior suite to a full ocean view junior suite the last time we were at the Maui facility. They don't have a frequent stay program, but they keep track of your comings and goings.

Sorry the last post should have been elsewhere.

The museums/monuments area is miles from one end to the other, so there's no hotel that's close to them all. Why not consider a hotel that's a bit farther out but near a Metro stop? But not way out in Tyson's Corner, goodness sake!

Consider the Embassy Suites in Alexandria (right at the Metro) or Crystal City (about two blocks away). When we stayed a couple of years ago they were offering free parking for AAA members. And for under $200 per night you can get a suite with two beds in the bedroom, a sofa bed in the living room, kitchenette, pool, and wonderful huge breakfast. Heck, for your budget, you could rent two suites!

One possibility is the Key Bridge Marriott in Rosslyn (Arlington, VA). Rosslyn is a concrete city, but not a bad place to stay for convenience. It's right over Key Bridge to Georgetown (you can walk) and there's a subway a couple of blocks from the hotel that could get you to most D.C. sites in 10-15 minutes. It's also just a short drive to lots of good restaurants (especially ethnic) in the Clarendon area of Arlington. In addition, the Newseum (news museum) is in Rosslyn. They'll be closing soon to move to a site downtown, but in the meantime it's a great little museum. Diane Reem (NPR) broadcasts live from there on Friday mornings (I believe you need tickets, which are available free), and there are several interactive exhibits that kids love. (Mine especially liked the one where you got to pretend you were a sports broadcaster.) Good luck!

I would second the recommendation for the Embassy Suites in Crystal City, near the Metro, comfortable, pool etc.

P.S. I'm afraid the Newseum in Rosslyn is due to close on 3 March so they can prepare for their move. So you will miss it - pity.

Laurie -

I think you should stay in the city, park the car at the hotel and use the metro. The suburbs do not have the same life and flavor as DC and oftentimes have much worse traffic. In addition, the suburbs in DC are like all the other suburbs in America. Anyway, I went on quikbook.com and you can easily afford two rooms in a very nice hotel in the city within your budget. For example, during that time you could stay at the Phoenix Park hotel for $129 per room per night or the Hotel George for $165 per room per night. Both of these hotels are within a few blocks of the Union Station metro and are very close to Capital Hill. The Hotel George is especially nice. You could also stay at the Madison Hotel, which I do not know much about, but is at the intersection of 15th and M Street and costs $150 a night during this time. I would recommend the Hotel George for that great rate. It is a very nice hotel, great service, and you could actually walk to several major attractions and easily metro to the others. I don't know about the pool issue.

I live in the DC area. Stay at the Loews l'Enfant Plaza hotel. Slightly off the beaten path, yet central to all at the same time.

I had to laugh, stay in Tyson's Corner to AVOID DC traffic? Tyson's traffic is even worse than DC, and there's NO Metro stop. Avoid Tyson's unless you need to be in that area.

Might be too much, but we really enjoyed out stay at the Ritz Pentagon City. It is part of a 4-story mall with the metro right in front. Indoor pool, one level of the mall is food, movies, shopping ,etc. It was an excellent way to end a long day of sight-seeing. Of course the rooms and service were outstanding. Best bed I have ever slept in.

There are only a few hotels in DC with indoor pools (which is the problem, there are a few more with outdoor), but there are a few good choices which should suit your purposes. The ones I know with indoor pools are: Swissotel Watergate, Marriott at Metro Center, the Park Hyatt (on 24th St) and Embassy Suites on 22nd St. You'd have to check rates, but your budget seems very possible to me. All of these hotels have good locations, are near metro stops, and are nice, although I think parking is probably extra, it usually would be in the city. I would suggest the Embassy Suites on 22nd St as a good idea, I know they have connecting rooms (you'd have to check with others). The Embassy Suites in Chevy Chase Pavilion also has an indoor pool but their suites are not two bedrooms and I don't think they have connecting rms, but you could check (although I'd prefer 22nd St myself, anyway). I also prefer a location in the city for tourism. There are some other hotels with outdoor pools (like Loews, sev Holiday Inns, etc) but that won't do in March, I'd say. The Omni Shoreham near Woodley Park metro would have been a good choice as they have suites (some very large rooms with two queensize beds if that would work), a nice parking area, easy access to metro, etc, but their pool is a heated outdoor one, I'm pretty sure. (it's true Tyson's Corner has worse traffic than DC, I think that would be a terrible location myself).

Don't stay in the Tyson's area. There's way too much traffic, it's too suburban, and it's not near a Metro. The Embassy Suites in Crystal City is a good choice, and so is the Fairfield Inn in Old Town Alexandria. The Fairfield Inn is two (long) blocks from the Metro, and within decent walking distance to lots of restaurants and shopping in Old Town.

Hi Laurie:
I just read the replies and you are being given some good choices here...however, Madison Hotel looked like it was in a pretty desolate area and on the fringes of a not so nice area. We recently stayed at the St Regis for $189.00 and the room next to us was adjoining. The place was fabulous! The staff wonderful and the bed was one of the most comfortable I have ever slept in. Metro was just around the corner (Mc Pherson Square) and a few blocks from the White House. Good luck on your decision.

Wow! Thanks so much...I didn't expect such an active set of replies...I have good stuff to work with now. I think I like the idea of staying in the city, since the rest of the family has never experienced DC at all...it would be more interesting for them, especially since we live in the country, and the kids, at least, have a "rural" point of view.
Thanks again...LaurieH.

Staying in the city is the best if money is not critical.

Try Princeline.com. What can you lose. Their 4 star hotels are certainly a cut below the best but they could be very cheap.

The JW Marriott has an indoor pool that opens to an outdoor couryard (if it's warm enough). It is also very centrally located, 2 blocks away from the White House and a short walk to the Smithsonian museums.

Look into hotels in Old Town Alexandria. There are two Holiday Inns in Old Town and both have pools. The one on King Street is in the middle of the historic district and is close to the metro. The one on First Street is probably cheaper and I believe has suites. Also check out the Sheraton Suites (all suites w/ pool). Metro ride is direct and only a few stops into DC.

My family (w/ 3 kids) stays at Embassy Suites in Old Town Alexandria. It's right at the King Street subway station. Really nice hotel and very reasonable (don't miss the complimentay full breakfast and happy hour from about 5-7)