SallyJ

I am planning a trip for my family in June for my 2 teenage children (16 and 18), husband and me for 12 days.

This is what I have so far:

We are flying into New York:

3 days in NYC
3 days in DC
1 day in Williamsburg
and then considering ending it on a beach – North or South Carolina – Hilton Head?

What about transportation between NYC and DC and then thinking about renting a car and driving south to the beach and flying out of SC.

Any great hotel recommendations for NYC – Greenwich Village? or DC?

Thank you!

GypsyHeart

Hilton Head is a really far drive from Williamsburg. How about the Duck/Corolla beaches of North Carolina's outer banks?
Also, flying one way out of most South Carolina airports can be pricey (where are you coming from?) but Southwest flies out of Norfolk, VA.

Take commuter train rail from New York to Jersey and rent a car from there so you don't have to navigate the city. Or take Amtrak all the way down. Or be adventurous and take the $25ish Peter Pan buses.

nyer

Renting a car from NYC to DC night make some sense for 4 people..
But, price out the car rental now, and make sure there's no extra charge for dropping it off in a different city. Also, car rentals in NYC are expensive and sometimes scarce on weekends between Memorial day and Labor day, so if you see a good cancellable rate, book it now.

With 4 people and the luggage for a 12 day trip, I don;t know if its worth it trying to save money by renting outside the city--you'd still have to pay to get all of you there.
You won't want the car in DC if you are staying in the city. Parking is difficult and expensive,so no need to pay for another 3 days use plus parking. You could turn in the NY car when you arrive, and pick up a different rental car from DC to Williamsburg and beyond

MikeT

You could also close the circle a bit and go to the beach on the Eastern Shore at someplace like Rehoboth Beach. Then you could arguably drop your car off and fly back out of NYC.

longhorn55

There's also Virginia Beach--close to Williamsburg. If you get the rental car in D.C., you could easily drive back there from Virginia Beach and save on drop-off charges.

cheryllj

Absolutely go to Virginia Beach if you are already in Williamsburg (or Duck, if you're really adventurous).

That would be crazy to go all the way down to Hilton Head when there are great beaches much closer.

nytraveler

Greenwich Village doesn't have a lot of hotels - and many downtown hotels are very trendy - and VERY expensive. Also - are you looking for 2 rooms - or all to share one room (many NYC hotel rooms have just 1 double bed for 2 people).

Any idea of a hotel budget?

You might look at all the web sites now and reserve something cancelable - then try to do Priceline for 2 rooms when you get closer - since it's only for a couple of nights.

ellenem

SallyJ,

FYI: The only hotel really in Greenwich Village is the Washington Square Hotel.

kencolian

Make sure to make dinner reservations at Colonial Williamsburg. The evening programs there are good. You might want to add half a day in this area to see Jamestown. I would take the train between NY and DC then rent a car to drive to Williamsburg and the beach.

SallyJ

Thank you everyone for all the great suggestions you have provided!

As far as hotels in NYC, it would be great to find a large enough hotel room that we could all share. Any suggestions?

I am looking at Virginia Beach or Rehoboth as an option and if anyone has any hotel recommendations, that would be great. Our family is very active and we love bike riding, beach volleyball, windsurfing, water skiing, or trying something new, so if there are beach towns that are more geared to the outdoors, we would love some suggestions.

Any hotel recommendations for the DC area? We want to visit the major sights and have heard the subway is a great way to get around, so we can stay outside DC if the rates are a little better.

longhorn55

You might be able to save some money by staying outside of D.C. Look for hotels in these parts of Arlington, VA: Rosslyn, Courthouse, Ballston, Pentagon City and Crystal City. All of these areas have a Metro stop which will easily get you into D.C.

beanweb24

For NYC, check out the Affinia Chain (I like Affinia Dumont)...you can definitely get a room large enough for the whole family.

Tess

We did this same trip years ago with our kids and ended up at Virginia Beach for a couple of days. It was perfect for us and the kids had a ball. You don't want to spend your whole trip driving!

With a 16 and an 18 year old, Times Square would be a fun place to stay. Lots of energy there! Check out the Doubletree Times Square--each room is a suite (with two separate rooms), plus has a fridge and a microwave. We were on floor 37 and didn't hear any street noise.

SallyJ

Thank you for all the info!

Do you have any recommendations for a hotel in Virginia Beach?

Tess

Our stay was ten years ago and we ended up at the Holiday Inn Sunspree on the beach (to burn up HI points). The hotel was pretty basic but we loved the beach location. Imagine there are nicer, newer properties to be found by now.

laminmd

I live in the DC area and have two teens, ages 15 and almost 19 now. A few observations: 1) It can take up to 5 hours to get to Williamsburg from DC depending on traffic. It should only take 2.5 hours if you calculate the distance, but I am telling you the reality of the situation. 2) It hardly seems worth it to go all the way to Williamsburg for one day, especially if you want to be at Rehoboth Beach instead of Virginia Beach (IMHO, Rehoboth Beach will offer more of what you want based on your description of your family). Also, Williamsburg is EXTREMELY hot and humid in the summer, so if you really want to visit, go in the spring or the fall sometime. 3) Under no circumstances do you want a car in DC 4) There are some reasonable hotel options on the metro red line going out into the Maryland suburbs as well as on the orange and blue lines going into the Virginia suburbs. On the Maryland side, Bethesda is a great place with an urban feeling and lots of good shops and restaurants, but I'm not sure you would save any money versus using Priceline for a downtown hotel. Your best bet for DC area lodging is to spend a lot of time on Trip Advisor reading reviews. If you are interested in more personalized answers to your trip planning in this area (Washington, DC, Williamsburg, Virginia Beach, Rehoboth Beaach), let me know and we can find a way to exchange email addresses.

Anonymous

Look into the Embassy Suites in the DC area. The one in Chevy Chase sounds far away, but it's literally on top of the Friendship Heights Metro station. It's also part of a shipping mall, with handy stores and restaurants. Some of their corner rooms are huge. And of course every ES will offer you two rooms, kitchenette, and huge free breakfast.