WAS Hotels

A neighbor of mine is taking her son & 2 grandsons to WAS in a couple of weeks & she asked me about Amtrak. She is gonna go coach STP - WAS R/T. I don't know what to advise her on Hotels, can anyone help me with that. She's elderly & just lost her husband. She's doing this for a summer educational vacation with the Grandkids(13 & 15 years old). Any help will definitely be appreciated!!!

Thanx

PS: No Car!

I know that staying in Hotels outside the District on the Metro or MARC and VRE Lines in Virginia or Maryland can be cheaper, but perhaps the hassle of commuting may not be worth it!

Several of us have stayed @ the Phoenix Park Hotel across from Union Station when we got deals ( but it can be pricey during the week and during Government Events ) Google is your best bet here, every Chain there is has multiple DC Area Hotels/Motels, if they don't mind commuting there are nice places around BWI that have free shuttles to/from the Amtrak Station and now that MARC runs on the weekend its a cheaper option too!

On my only overnight trip to Washington two years back, I stayed at the Grand Hyatt at the Metro Center subway stop. It was a beautiful hotel, but there was no possible way that I could have afforded it without the special event rate that a convention I was attending had negotiated.

However, if you need inexpensive and centrally located and don't mind old and independent, I have heard good things about the Hotel Harrington for travelers on a budget. You might have her look into it.

Click ln the link for "Hotels near rail transit" in the 1st time questions forum for ideas. (Sorry I'm away from my regular computer now and can't link.)

Rail Freak said:

A neighbor of mine is taking her son & 2 grandsons to WAS in a couple of weeks & she asked me about Amtrak. She is gonna go coach STP - WAS R/T. I don't know what to advise her on Hotels, can anyone help me with that. She's elderly & just lost her husband. She's doing this for a summer educational vacation with the Grandkids(13 & 15 years old). Any help will definitely be appreciated!!!

Thanx

PS: No Car!

Click to expand...

There are many, many hotels in the DC area. Much depends on what her budget and price range is as hotels in the DC core tend to be expensive. August is a major tourist month, but with Congress and many upper level government managers on vacation, there is less demand from business travelers, so the hotel prices in DC may be more reasonable. The DC Metro system provides access from hotels at many locations outside of the city core. I would not consider hotels or motels only accessible using MARC or VRE as those are commuter train services with schedules aimed at weekday commuters, except to an extent, the MARC Penn Line service (which is useful for day trips to Baltimore from DC).

If the hotels in downtown or the city near Metro stops are too pricey, the hotels in Virginia near the Crystal City, Pentagon City, King St / Old Town Alexandria, or Rosslyn corridor Metro stops are good options for tourists. They are in VA, not DC, so they tend to be more affordable, but are close to the tourist parts of DC with the Metro providing direct access to the Mall, the Smithsonian museums, Capitol Hill, etc on the Yellow/Blue or Orange/Blue/Silver Lines. However, before booking a hotel in VA, DC, or MD, use google maps or similar to verify that the hotel is in walking distance of a Metro stop. Many hotels tend to stretch the definition of walkable or offer a shuttle service which may not be all that convenient or reliable. To ride the Metro, buy a Smartrip card for everyone and if in town for more than a day add a few bucks to it and more as needed. The Smartrip card can also be used for the DC Circulator buses which are useful for getting to Georgetown and other places not close to a Metro stop.

We arrived and departed on Amtrak into WAS a few years back. We stayed at the Hampton Inn, which if I remember correctly, was on the same street at Amtrak ... towards the center of the city.

We took at $12 cab to and from WAS to the hotel.

We caught the city bus, which had 2 stops nearby, or walked to the Smithsonian's ... which might have taken 15 minutes.

We did 2 city tours ... the City and Arlington tour, and the Washington Night tour. Both of these tours left from the WAS station .. again, a short bus ride from the hotel to the station.

I am booked to stay in the HI Hostel in WAS for a few days after I arrive in the USA. It might be an interesting possibility for your friend. There are folk of all ages, lots of teenagers, a family environment. You share sleeping rooms with others, and the youngsters might appreciate meeting others from around the world? Not everyones cup of tea, and sometimes a budget hotel can work out as cheap for 3 or 4 guests, as you pay per person in a hostel, but just pay per room in most hotels.

Ed

We are staying at the Hyatt Regency just a block or so from Union Station. $98/night for weekends when Congress is not in session or conventions. We have stayed here twice in the last year for this rate. Beautiful hotel, a short walk to Amtrak, Capitol Building and the Metro is just outside WAS station on west side.