DC in December...hotel help!!!
 

I'm taking my girlfriend to DC for a weekend in mid-December. One thing that she really wants to do is go to the Capitol and Supreme Court buildings. I was about to book the Mandarin Oriental but read some rather lackluster reviews on the property. I thought about the JW Marriott over on Pennsylvania as it has a very affordable spa that she could take advantage of (she'll just be finishing law school finals). I'm not opposed to doing something nicer than the Marriott though and giving up the points. Oh...and I'm asking her to marry me that weekend so something on the "romantic" side (in terms of hotel) isn't a bad idea. Obviously, this is a trip where I don't mind splurging just a little bit hehe. I don't really want to go with the Hay Adams or Willard as they seem to be a bit more on the older, pretentious side of things and we're still in our mid-20's right now! Any help/suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I like the Sofitel a lot nowadays and use that a lot when not using the Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown for guests.

Check out Hotel Monaco and Hotel George. Kind of hip, modern properties.

Well, there's absolutely nothing Christmasy about the JW...except for maybe the huge wreath they put up. So the romance factor is out the window.

I know you aren't keen on the Willard, but the hotel is beautiful at that time of the year. I don't know the locations of the other hotels you mentioned, but it is nice being so close to the White House and the whole display going on in the elipse.

You really need to decide what your after; I see 3 choices: chain (JW Marriott, etc.), old and elegant (Hay Adams, etc.), or boutique (like a Kimpton).

Sound like you might want to check out one of the Kimpton boutique hotels (as suggested above). I've stayed at the Topaz and was reasonably pleased.

Also, spend some time on TripAdvisor.com.

We stayed at a Kimpton (Prescott) in San Francisco and a few months ago and really enjoyed it. The only real incentive for going with the JW is points but I should have enough stays before December to move to gold status anyway...and that's obviously not what this weekend is about. I think the George might be a great hotel for our stay...and a much better value and experience than the M/O.

Check out TripAdvisor pretty carefully before you select a place. The Kimpton hotels can get pretty quirky, e.g., everything at the Rouge is red.

Interestingly, I stayed at the Prescott 2 years ago and had such a bad experience that they comped me to an additional night at any other Kimpton (which I used for a night out in DC).

That's odd. We really enjoyed the Prescott. Their concierge was extremely helpful with everything we needed. Being SFO newbies it sure made our trip more enjoyable. The bedrooms were rather small but the bed was great and we were always out and about somewhere.

For DC it's looking like I'm going to book the George. I had thought about Monaco but it didn't seem the reviews at t/a swayed me towards the George. Not to continue harping on this...but I really wish the M/O there had better reviews on service because I've always wanted to stay at one. Oh well...the George seems to be a good choice and, as much as possible, I want smooth sailing for this trip! :)

Overall its in a central location, but I don't love the block that the George is on. I would do Monaco or Mandarin - its all relative - a lower level Mandarin is still probably better service than most hotels. The downside to the Mandarin is that there is NOTHING in the immediate vicinity. Monaco is right in the middle of Penn Quarter - one of the best neighborhoods for restaurants (along with Georgetown and a few others).

When I stayed at the Prescott the desk clerk was most unhelpful and snooty. I had a coupon for a guaranteed upgrade and even though space was available the clerk refused to put us on the club floor. We were given a closet at the back overlooking a noisy rooftop parking lot. I would have rather stayed at one of the motels over on Van Ness.

Remember that DC is not the scenic and compact city that SF is. As pointed out above, some areas literally have no restaurants and no activity other than office buildings. Penn Quarter, Dupont Circle, Georgetown, etc. are more amenable to tourism.

Don't forget to see the monuments at night!

I'm not usually a fan of Bed and Breakfasts, but I had the opportunity to visit one just off Dupont Circle called Artist's Inn. It is pretty new and was recently featured in an issue of Washingtonian Magazine. Each room has a theme and some of them are very well done. The Dali room and the Da Vinci rooms were funky (in a good way). They have huge bathrooms with extra large tubs, flat screens and other modern amenities.

http://www.artistsinnresidence.com/

Not sure I see the problem with the George location for a weekend, especially when the tourists intend to go to Capitol Hill.

There's a nice Irish pub on the corner, a couple of good restaurants just up the hill at Union Station, not to mention the Monacle over by the Senate office buildings. For lunch, there's the buffet in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, though it might not be open in December with Congress probably out of session and lobbying being sort of out of season. If you go, be sure to get ice cream. Two Quail, kind of behind the Supreme Court, is an idine place at this time. It's OK, not great, for lunch.

The walk across the west side of Capitol Hill to the Mall is interesting, and the National Arboretum and the adjacent American Indian museum are special.

If you are there on Friday or Monday, call one of your Senators' office and see if they can do a staff-led tour of the capitol for you. The Senator won't be there on a Friday or Monday even if Congress for some reason is in session, so the staffers might have plenty of time. Find the phone number at www.senate.gov.

Mind the weather. It can get raw in December. Even in snow and ice, though, I still love to walk in Washington, especially around the Hill.

Another bump for AI
 

A friend of mine runs this place and it's truly lovely. I haven't stayed there, but he gave me a tour of the place, and I can guarantee you would find it romantic. One of the rooms has a tub that fills from the ceiling which is really neat.

The National Arboretum is elsewhere in Washington - see http://www.usna.usda.gov/

What you meant was the US Botanical Garden - see http://www.usbg.gov/ - and it is really lovely now...

Definetly go Kimpton - I'd recommend either Palomar (the restaurant at the hotel, Urbana, is really nice) or Rouge.

Two thoughts....

I've stayed at the JW over the last 25 years, it has declined from my favorite US hotel to the middle of the list, even with a current re-do. Part of the decline is the downhill slide of the attached "National Center" shopping area.

Given yourtwo targets, the Capitol and the Supreme Court, let me make a suggestion for soething a little different and convenient...The Phoenix Park, and a top floor room with the arched windows, overlooking N. Capitol and Union Station, small but comfortable, and with the bonus of the Dubliner, a better grade of saloon, passable pub food, and as good a breakfast as may be had anywhere. Especially at Christmas, I suspect it will offer a warmer sort of welcome than some more sterile and modern hotels.

I have a Monte Carlo (oversized bed, high shower heads) room resereved at Hotel Monaco right now but I'm totally sold on it. I have a friend telling me that I should stay at the Westin Grand...another telling me to go with Hotel George. I want to stay under $500 for the 2 nights so that only blocks out the Ritz, Hay Adams, and M/O's I think. At least I have time on my side to keep thinking about it. As always...thanks for the thoughts/suggestions.

I would stick with Monaco - if i recall correctly the street in front of the Monaco was closed last year about the 10 days prior to Christmas for a Christmas fair of some kind. This may be a pro or a con depending on your point of view and when in December you will be there.

I mentioned previoulsy that i didn't like the block that the George is on. Its conveniently located - short walk to Union Station and the Capitol, but its sort of a dumpy block and - i hate to say this - 2 blocks down from the largest homeless shelter / soup kitchen in DC. Very noble and worthwhile causes but maybe not what you want to walk past on your vacation (although you would generally walk the other direction to get to capitol, etc.).

$500 for club @ Ritz Carlton Washington on weekends

5 food & beverage presentations a day, said to have best service in town, sports club LA (dont remember their spa rates)

http://www.reddoorspas.com/locationdetail.aspx?state=DC is also a pretty well regarded day spa (RC GT is slightly more, MO is the best/most expensive)

I see I'm a little late to the party but I'd totally recommend the Monaco.

First, all of the Kimptons in DC are Great!
My company had their Christmas party at the Monaco two Christmases ago, and put us all up there. It was great! The rooms are comfortable and well appointed, if a touch small. But its in a gorgeous historic building. The hallways also made me feel a bit like I was in Alice in Wonderland (big couches, wide hallways, wide stripe wallpaper), but I found it charming. And the rooms come complete with an adorable fish in a fishbowl.

The location is also FABULOUS. You're right at Chinatown/Gallery place. There are TONS of restaurants, shops, the Verizon Center, etc etc etc. Its also an easy walk a lot of places. Its a few blocks to the (National) Mall, and not far from the Capitol. Or you can hop right on the metro.

As to the other poster's comment about the George - while they have a very nice restaurant, its not a place I'd want to stay for a romantic weekend. The hotel itself is nice, and it is near to the Capitol, but the immediate area is kind of dead and desperate on the weekend. Your closest food options should not be, Kelly's Irish Times (even tho I do enjoy it), the Union Station foodcourt, or the sandwhich place above the Ghetto liquor store.

The Monaco is just fab! Stay there.

I saw a special rate @ St Gregory for a 1 bedroom suite that would run the same price as what I'm paying for the Monte Carlo room @ Monaco. Other than Trip Advisor rating StG very highly...there isn't too much info out there about the place. Some places rate it 3*...other rate it 4*. The room is definitely bigger than the m/c room...is it any nicer though?

Thinking about this again, I agree that the Hotel Monaco is the way to go and is in a better location than the Hotel George for tourists' needs, especially for "younger folks."

Also, some of my favorite restaurants are within a block of the Hotel Monaco: Zola, Zaytinya, Jaleo. I find the restaurant in the Monaco, Poste, to be OK, but it wouldn't be my first choice in this area.

The Artists Inn Residence Bed and Breakfast is the place to stay at. It's quirky, surreal but yet manages to still be quite luxurious. The service from the staff is over the top and quite attentive.

My favorite room is the Ellington - but get the Dali if you can afford it.

Great, unbeatable location smack dab in the middle of Dupont Circle.

The Four Seasons is an awesome hotel in DC, The Willard would be another great choice!