Hotels for 1st Timer DCers Oct. 1 - Oct. 7 2006?

Hi would like recommendations for hotels for four adults making first trip to Washington, D.C. during the week of Oct. 1, 2006 - Oct. 7, 2006.

Criteria (flexible):

Need two rooms.

Love to be within walking distance of attractions, but willing to use Metro. Want the hotel to be in a generally safe locale; doesn%26#39;t have to be nestled within a vibrant nightlife area but at least have a Metro near enough to walk to safely.

Would like to cap at $250 a night max. Breakfast included like at a Embassy would be a plus but not a must.

I%26#39;m pretty adept at searching the Web and finding rates; the problem is more of a narrowing down of options. That%26#39;s why I would love some local input.

Also, is it worth paying less and having a lesser hotel room tax and staying in a suburb such as Alexandria, Arlington, etc. and using the Metro to get into DC? Also am thinking of taking a day trip or two to either Civil War monuments or Philadelphia, so probably would rent a car for one day. As for the DC component, want to hit the major sites and museums while there.

Hotels for 1st Timer DCers Oct. 1 - Oct. 7 2006?

Is your $250/night budget cap for a suite for the 4 of you? Or is that $250/night per couple per room?

As for location, I think the Dupont Circle or Kalorama/Woodley Park neighborhoods are great places to stay. For outside the District, I myself think Arlington is a bit more convenient than Alexandria, but Alexandria%26#39;s Old Town section is itself a nice place to spend some time.

Hotels for 1st Timer DCers Oct. 1 - Oct. 7 2006?

Hi TravelCubed:

If $250/night is for each room and you like the Embassy Suites chain, I%26#39;d recommend looking at the 3 conveniently located Embassy Suites - there%26#39;s one in Crystal City, VA (3 metro stops from the National Mall), one near Dupont Circle/Georgetown on 22nd Street, NW and one near the Convention Center on 10th Street, NW. If you don%26#39;t mind a long walk, the one at the Convention Center is close enough to walk to the attractions.

Otherwise, Jurys Washington Hotel at Dupont Circle is another good choice. It gets good reviews and it%26#39;s a nice, convenient location (if you can get it in your price range).

Other hotels that get good reviews on TA that might fit your price range are the Holiday Inn on the Hill (quiet at night, but close to tourist attractions during the day) and Residence Inn Capitol.

I%26#39;ve noticed that people have been having trouble finding cheap rooms for October, but if you%26#39;re looking to spend $250 for both rooms, you may want to consider a suite instead. The only one I could find doing a quick search was the Henley Park Hotel for $242 average/night for the week for a junior suite. It gets decent reviews and it%26#39;s a good location for tourist activities.

Good luck!

Sorry, I should%26#39;ve been clearer:

Up to $250 per room; each room will house 2 adults.

Obviously, if I can get cheaper that%26#39;s great.

I stayed at the Embassy Suites on 22nd Street NW. It was an easy 4 block walk to either Dupont Circle or Foggy Bottom metros and a nice evening walk (about 10 minutes) to all the restaurants and shops in Georgetown. Very safe, too. If you plan to rent a car and you stay at the Embassy Suites (or someone else near Dupont Circle), I recommend Budget Rental at 16th and L Street. It%26#39;s right by the Farragut metro stop and a quick car ride back to Embassy Suites or out of the city. Most car rentals are either at the airport or Union Station and this was so much more convenient than either of those.

Thank you all so much for your advice!

Another Embassy Suites option: the one in Chevy Chase, MD, an adjacent suburb of DC. Its prices are usually less expensive than the locations previously mentioned and it offers the same free, bountiful breakfast buffet, suite layout, etc. as the others. Plus, it%26#39;s located at the Chevy Chase Pavilion which has its own Metro stop [plus some restaurants %26amp; shops] so transportation into the District itself %26amp; major attractions is easy %26amp; hassle-free.

If you%26#39;re looking for other options [ES are not among the properties it includes], Quikbook.com is a reliable reservations/booking service which often offers deals better than the prices you%26#39;ll see at the hotels%26#39; own websites. Just FYI, DC hotel rates fluctuate wildly -- even within the same week -- so if those travel dates are not engraved in stone, you may find it worthwhile to tweak your arrival/departure dates a bit to see if that produces better pricing. Good luck!

I stayed at the Jurys Washington and I thought the location was unbeatable though the room was a bit small for the price. It%26#39;s a great area in its own right and next to a metro station.

I stayed at the Jurys Washington and I thought the location was unbeatable though the room was a bit small for the price. It%26#39;s a great area in its own right and next to a metro station.

I stayed in Alexandria and loved it. It was away from the hustle and bustle but because of the metro easy to get to and get around DC.

Well with lots of help in the form of the gracious replies to my post here, other postings in this forum, and the hotel reviews for DC here at TA, I%26#39;ve narrowed down my hotel choices to the following:

Chevy Chase Embassy Suites. It%26#39;d cost $3283.00 for two rooms for the week. This obviously includes breakfast. The Metro is on site. I currently have a reservation here but can cancel right up to the day before arrival with no penalty. Gets mostly good reviews.

Hilton Garden Inn, Arlington. Cost for 2 rooms would be $2588.89 but breakfast isn%26#39;t included. Cost would be $2791.53 if breakfast for two is included with each room. Gets great reviews, is close to Metro.

Hampton Inn and Suites, Reagan Nat%26#39;l Airport, Arlington. Cost for two rooms is $2207.87 and this includes Hampton%26#39;s On The House Hot Breakfast. Two Metro stations are nearby. This rates just a bit behind the Hilton Garden Inn, Arlington.

Which hotel would you go with? Keep in mind the costs of course but also all the other intangibles like area, convenience, etc.

I am leaning toward staying out of DC for the lower costs, recognizing the need to use the Metro more and thus offsetting the savings to a small extent. Does this strategy seem sound to you guys? I know there%26#39;s a great convenience to being able to walk, but it seems the Metro would have to be used to an extent anyway even if I stayed in DC. Plus the money saved on hotel could go on other things instead. Of course, staying outside means more time commuting. However, it seems the commute from Arlington is minimal.

I do thank those who suggested places such as Jury%26#39;s, etc. Their costs were a tad high (slightly higher or only slightly lower than the Embassy Suites at Chevy Chase listed above) but with no included meals.