Hi all,

I posted this once before with a different title and got response, so I'm trying one more time.

There are 9 of us "girls" who grew up together, and we are all turning 40 this year. We mostly live in the MD and VA area with a few "outliers."

We will be going to DC the weekend of April 21-23 and are in search of hotels, restaurants, and any shows (comedy, musical, theatre) going on at that time. We all grew up in the area so have seen most of the typical sights. However, because of living relatively close, we have rarely stayed overnight or gone out for dinner in town - it is usually a day trip.

I am considering the Dupont Circle area, Woodley Park, or possibly Georgetown. As we would like 2-3 beds per room, the smaller boutique places seem out. I am considering the Homewood Suites, The St. Gregory, and the Embassy Suites at 22nd St. or Dupont Circle (are those the same?). Any recommendations among those or other suggestions to consider? We can afford a decent place $250-350 per night, but not luxury.

Dining suggestions? We do not want any chain restaurants, but something fun with good food and atmosphere. Again, we are willing to pay for a nice meal, but not looking for super special or fancy. Perhaps ethnic (for example, I really like Lebanese Taverna).

Considering shows...so far, neither Kennedy Center nor National Theatre have anything in particular scheduled for that time. Are there any good websites for checking out "what's on in DC for a weekend"?

Maybe we will consider the "Bike the Sites" tour. Any other ideas for group fun?

Thanks in advance.

I just got two 4 star hotel rooms in Dupont Circle for $80 per night through Priceline. I've actually stayed at this hotel, through Priceline, in the past, and know it's a great hotel at a great price.

You can buy up to 4 rooms at a time at Priceline. You'll want to buy all of them at the same time, if you use priceline, to guarantee that you'll all be staying at the same hotel. Might be a little more expensive in April, but not even close to your $250 - 300 you mention. If you go the Priceline route, after your winning bid, call the hotel and ask for rooms with two (2) beds per room. There is no guarantee, but I will tell you that I've done this over 100 times and never been turned down for 2 beds. I have heard of this being a problem in NYC, but that's a whole different thread.

Priceline is confusing to novices, so I would recommend the most travel savvy of your group to check out www.biddingfortravel.com before bidding on www.Priceline.com.

If you are afraid of Priceline, (some people hate to pay for things in advance and not know the exact hotel in advance), you can download a program called www.TRAVELAXE.com, which will show you the exact hotels and prices. Not nearly as cheap as Priceline, but Travelaxe searches a bunch of websites, e.g. hotels.com, etc., and gives you the lowest advertised price.

Finally, you may also want to check out www.Hotwire.com for hotels. It's similar to Priceline, in that you only know the class of hotel, area of town and price, before you bid, which just like Priceline means buy, your hotel room.

Have fun!

dfotravels

Thanks for the suggestions! I will check them out. I am the most "travel savvy" of the group...hence, I am the one doing all the research. This is generally a job I love (doing the planning), but I am finding it a little nervewracking due to the number of unrelated people with varying interests and budgets. Still, I know it will be a great time together!

Someone also suggested the Penn Quarter area is pretty hot right now....any hotels to recommend in that area?

Take time to do Sunday Brunch at Georgia Brown's. If you stay at Dupont Circle, you can take the subway to McPherson Square, and it's right there when you get off train. I believe they have a website. It's a Jazz brunch, the food is marvelous, low country cuiseine with a definite southern flair, and at the end, you get to take home a full entree off their menu. Maybe a little consolation for the husbands when you get back home Sunday evening!

I prefer Dupont Circle. Georgetown is not as easy to negotiate due to limited metro stops. Last year in April I got weekend rates at the Mayflower for $159 a night. (lobbyists go home for the weekend.) It is luxerious, but not in the league of the Willard, and has the advantage of being close to the metro and great restaurants.

Go to Chowhound.com for details on good food but I like DC Coast and Luna.

Have you thought about a Segway Tour. What a riot!

DC After Dark has great evening tours, and even though you are familiar with the sites seeing them in the evening is awesome. Pack some cheese, fruit, bread, wine and have an indoor picnic en-route. RLS

Thanks for the suggestions. We have decided to stay in the Dupont Circle area.

I looked into "Bike the Sites," but didn't know about the Segway tours. Do you have an email address or maybe I'll just google it.

I have enjoyed Georgia Brown's for lunch so the Jazz Brunch idea sounds really cool.

Any other dinner recommendations?

Also, the group seems to be interested in comedy....anyone recommend any particular comedy clubs or shows?

Many thanks!

Some dining options I like in/near Dupont:

*Pizzeria Paradiso
*Firefly (inside Hotel Madera)
*Heritage India

Also recommend a coffee and some browsing at Kramerbooks.

Don't forget Washingtonian.com for restaurant reviews and washingtonpost.com for events.

Kevin Nealon from Saturday Night Live and Tonight Show will be at the Improv during your dates. www.dcimprov.com

Lauriol Plaza has great Mexican food. Here's a link to their web site:
http://www.lauriolplaza.com/

When we lived in NoVA, my husband and I would priceline a hotel in DC every year for the weekend closest to my birthday, and we always had a such a great time.

Have you checked Arena Stage and Woolly Mammoth Theatre?

My pick for dinner would be DC Coast. Great food, good atmosphere. Somewhat expensive, but not crazy expensive.

Two good places for lunch are the Brickskellar in Dupont Circle and Luna Grill on Connecticut. Both very reasonable.

There's a Courtyard by Marriott in Chinatown. It's a fantastic location (about 1 or 2 blocks to the metro). I think the rooms were a decent size, but I don't know if they have suites. The rates were good, too. You could also check out the Red Roof Inn in Chinatown. I haven't stayed there, but I've heard the rates are good.

If you can get anything close to the rate above at the Mayflower, take it. Also, the Improv is right across the street and Dupont Circle is full of great restaurants.

How about a scavenger hunt? New Century Travel has one that can be downloaded....or you can customize it...a photo scavenger hunt with 3 teams....(your team in a DC police car.....shaking hands with a Senator....everyone wearing a security guards hat..... Etc.

Excellent ideas....we are going to need more than a weekend.

Many thanks!

I don't have any hotel recommendations, but how about Jaleo for tapas/sangria? It's made for a girls' night out!