Washington DC

[seb65]

This is probably off topic- but any suggestions where to stay that are family friendly (5 of us) and close to things (and yes, budget friendly)? If we travel via Metro, is it expensive? TIA.

 

[okeydokey]

We stayed at Springhill Suites in Alexandria Old Town. There was a free shuttle to the Eisenhower station a mile up the road. Free breakfast and the staff were very friendly and helpful. No pool at this location but a great hotel for us.

Spring hill has two beds and a pull out couch so it would be fine for five.

 

[fabfemmeboy]

This is probably off topic- but any suggestions where to stay that are family friendly (5 of us) and close to things (and yes, budget friendly)? If we travel via Metro, is it expensive? TIA.

The metro isn't too expensive, especially if you get a day- or week-pass that cuts down on the daily expense and caps how much you can be charged per day/week. The day passes are geared toward tourists and can't be used until after morning rush (I think around 9:30? It's been awhile since I looked). There are a few inexpensive hotels up in Silver Spring, which is right on the DC/MD border and a very safe area with lots of dining and transportation options - a Days Inn and Travelodge and a few others just a few blocks from the Metro station. You can also sometimes find deals in the Rosslyn area which is closer to everything and less expensive of a Metro ride. Since, unlike NY or some other subways, DC charges by distance rather than a flat fee per ride, how close/far you are from tourist destinations does matter. Family members of mine have also found cheaper deals by basically renting someone's apartment for the week - I forget what site they use, but it's a fairly big one, and you can often get much closer to the city center that way for less than a hotel out of town.

 

[ICF]

look into airbnb.com

We used them back in Oct and were about a 5 min walk from the Capitol....and less than that to a Metro station.

We are a family of four and stayed in a basement unit -- had a decent amount of space (not great, but much bigger than a hotel room) that had a kitchen and laundry too.

We got a pass to park our car on the street (nice as we drove to DC) -- but then the car never moved as we took the metro everywhere.

 

[gljvd]

we stayed at a Hilton in Chevy Chase . Its about 10 minutes out of DC via the metro.

 

[nkereina]

We've traveled to DC a few times and have always stayed on the outskirts and traveled via metro. We found the metro safe and easy to navigate, and was relatively cheap (on par with other subway costs). Most recently we stayed a hotel near Dulles airport and were able to take the metro into the city from there which worked well for us.

 

[chartle]

Subbing because I couldn't find a reasonable hotel near the Metro anywhere no matter how far I went. We ended up staying at a Hyatt House in a new development in Falls Church and wondered why it was so cheap. Well since we couldn't get near enough to the metro to walk we stayed on the week end.

Week end rate was $99, weekday rate was $249.

 

[HHMcG]

We always stay at the Embassy Suites - Washington DC (not Convention Center). I found the rooms very family friendly - living room and bedroom. I'm not sure of the current price but it includes breakfast and a nightly reception (including alcohol). Parking is extra and $$ but everywhere in the city was that way.

As a family of 5 we only used the Metro once. It can add up with 5 to buy for. If you are planning alot of trips a day pass might be worth it. We managed to walk and caught a bus for some of our sightseeing.

 

[okeydokey]

For the metro, you can buy a plastic card and register one for each member of your family. There is a website where you can calculate what a particular trip may be. You input your first and last stop and the time of day and it will tell you what the cost will be. You can reload the card quite easily at the machines at the Metro stations, every day even if you want to. The week long pass was Way more expensive then loading it in increments every couple of days.

However, it may take a week to get the card delivered in the mail to your house, so plan ahead.

 

[OKW Lover]

We like the Crystal City area. Very convenient to the Metro. You can find some good rates during the summer and on weekends.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

You can buy a SmarTrip Card at any Metro station; no need to buy one in advance.

http://www.wmata.com/fares/smartrip/

I would not recommend staying near Dulles airport. That's pretty far out from downtown DC.

 

[melanie987]

We are planning on stopping in DC and found this helpful!

 

[Judique]

This is probably off topic- but any suggestions where to stay that are family friendly (5 of us) and close to things (and yes, budget friendly)? If we travel via Metro, is it expensive? TIA.

Close to what things?

Do you mean the museums and monuments?

What direction are you travelling from? If travelling by car, this can make a slight difference.

Are you staying one or two nights on a weekend or for a week?

Usually better rates close in on weekends.

If you have an Amex card (blue/Optima) Hilton Garden Inns has a $30 off offer.

Give some more info....lots of help can be found here.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

This topic has been discussed here many times as well. Do a search of this forum; you'll find lots of good information.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

We also stay in the Crystal City area and have found excellent pricing in that area and the Metro is very accessible there as well. We always throw in weekend days during our stay as that gives a much better price throughout for us.

 

[sparkyboy]

We stayed at Rosslyn Marriott last summer - Purchased metro smart cards and nearest metro was about 3 blocks. Great location

 

[clori]

We stayed at Embassy Suites in Alexandria which had two beds plus a sofabed. It also had an indoor pool, free breakfast with cooked to order omelets, free drinks and snacks every night from 5-7pm ish. Our room also had a microwave and small refrigerator. It was right across the street from the King ST Metro which also had a free shuttle to Old Town Alexandria. We took the metro to/from the Raegan airport which was I think 2 stops away.

We got the weekly metro pass which was good for any time of day and it distance didn't matter. I did get confused at first needing to use the metro card both to get into and again out of the station. Our commutes were about 20 to 30 minutes at most and we did all the typical tourist attractions. We ate breakfast at the hotel and some dinners as well using the drinks so that helped keep food costs down. We arrived on Sunday and left Thursday.

 

[lindsmom]

We just stayed in Crystal City Residense Inn Capital View. It was fantastic. One bedroom suite, full kitchen, pool, huge free breakfast. Metro was 15 minutes into the city. We bought metro passes, "short trip" for 7 days. I think it was just over $30 per person, but we didn't have to track the amounts, add money, etc. None of our trips were more than the "short trip" requirements.

Metro was less expensive than renting bikes, and likely a hotel within walking distance is WAY more expensive than the price difference to stay outside of the city and ride the metro in.

Also, as another poster mentioned, weekends are significantly less expensive than weekdays, so try to start your stay on a Friday night.

 

[seb65]

Close to what things?

Do you mean the museums and monuments?

What direction are you travelling from? If travelling by car, this can make a slight difference.

Are you staying one or two nights on a weekend or for a week?

Usually better rates close in on weekends.

If you have an Amex card (blue/Optima) Hilton Garden Inns has a $30 off offer.

Give some more info....lots of help can be found here.

Thank you- Yes, we want to see the monuments and the museums. We are coming from Boston and hoping to go by train, but car is possible. We were planning on four nights. We are flexible, but I thought that weekends would be more expensive actually.
Thank you!

 

[seb65]

We just stayed in Crystal City Residense Inn Capital View. It was fantastic. One bedroom suite, full kitchen, pool, huge free breakfast. Metro was 15 minutes into the city. We bought metro passes, "short trip" for 7 days. I think it was just over $30 per person, but we didn't have to track the amounts, add money, etc. None of our trips were more than the "short trip" requirements.

Metro was less expensive than renting bikes, and likely a hotel within walking distance is WAY more expensive than the price difference to stay outside of the city and ride the metro in.

Also, as another poster mentioned, weekends are significantly less expensive than weekdays, so try to start your stay on a Friday night.

Thank you! I had no clue that weekends were cheaper, but I suppose it makes sense with lots of business during the weekdays.