Washington DC questions
 

Hello,

I will be visiting Washington DC as a tourist with a cousin.

We arrive on a Sunday early morning into Dulles. I will be making a day trip to Charlottesville on Sunday evening, returning to Dulles on Monday evening.

My cousin would like to stay back in DC on Sunday and Monday and visit the sights.

Can you tell me if Dulles is a good/safe location to stay, and is there convenient public transport from the city to Dulles?.

If not, could you suggest some good locations to stay which have budget accomodation and can get us back to Dulles airport, and also are near the tourist sights.

Thanks
Pat

While I often see hotels in Dulles area at low prices, most of them are not close to any Metro line. You can take the "5A" bus (www.wmata.com) from Dulles to the Rosslyn or L'Enfant Plaza Metro stations for $2.50 -- but keep in mind the bus does NOT have special storage for baggage, it's a standard "city bus". There are a number of hotels near Rosslyn that will cost less than in DC.

An older hotel that I stayed at in early June was the "Inn at Rosslyn". Formerly "Motel50", it was not at all luxurious, but it was clean, quiet and roomy .... maybe 1/2 - 2/3 mile from the Metro stop, but the owners would shuttle you for free. I think I found the best price for it at Orbitz, cheaper than I could negotiate by calling the hotel directly. Rosslyn is the first station outside DC you get to on the Blue or Orange lines, so you would not spend too much time on the Metro. The area is safe, but quiet, almost to the point of boring.

If you don't mind "dorm"-type lodging, there is a HI/AYH hostel in DC, near the MtVernon Metro stop, which would be inexpensive - and in an area that's becoming developed and more upscale than it once was -- see www.hiayh.org

Many people have had good luck using Priceline.com to get inexpensive DC rooms, often at very nice hotels. I avoid Priceline if it would be unwilling to share a bed with travel partners, as one is NOT guaranteed one or two beds in the room.

What price range do you consider "budget accomodations" and what are you willing to give up to meet your price cut-off? What is most important - location, price, area restaurants, vibrant street life, proximity to tourist sites, metro access?

Give your budget and list (in order) what is most important and the folks here will give you some recommendations for a perfect hotel fit.

The Dulles area is not convenient to anything except the airport and, while safe, is the dullest of areas to be based as a tourist.

As I understand, you'll arrive at Dulles, and rent a car which you will then drive to Charlottesville that night. You'll then drive back to Dulles where you will depart on Monday PM.
The car rental rates for Sunday and Monday will be good and will likely cover the cost of public transportation for the two of you. But you will then have a car that you will need to park somewhere on Sunday before you leave. I suggest he/she stays in DC for the main reason that's where the sights are in the short time he/she will have to see them. There is nothing in Dulles. But you will likely have to pay for parking for the day.

I didn't know if they had a rental to Cville or not. But if you do, asianpat, you should know that many of the car rental companies allow a car rented from one of the DC area airports to be returned to any of the others (Check first!). You might consider returning your car to Reagan Airport, where you'll be closer to DC. There are some inexpensive hotels near DCA & Crystal City. One such is the Americana, which might be renamed now, it is, or was owned by the same people as owned Motel 50 (on my previous post) (Yes, other Fodorites, I know many of you don't like this older place, but we don't know what the OP's definittion of "budget" is)

I stayed once at Red Roof Alexandria, and it was within walking distance to Huntington Station (if you don't have luggage). That and some other hotels/motels on Rt 1, Jefferson Davis Highway, are on a busline that serves Huntington Station as well. Go to redroof.com and click on "Red's Hot Deals" and see if price is reasonable when you are near your arrival date .. the sales are usually only for a two week period. Good Luck.