OnABudgetDiva

I am not trying to stay in DC but in Maryland or Virginia. Where are some good places to find a decent hotel in area with some tourist activities? I am willing to stay up to 2.5 hours away. You guys on here usually have some great ideas.

Moy

Good luck. The area anywhere near there is virtually sold out, your best bet might be Baltimore or further. There's some nice tourist activities in Philly. Go check out the Liberty Bell. You may just be that far away if you want a hotel during that timeframe!!

mommafrica

Philly seems to be & is your only chance.

sc flier

The Westin Annapolis has rooms available on 1/20/09 for $399 or 10K Starpoints (SPG Category 4).

GrizShel

If you really want to save money, your best bet may be to stay in Long Island, Norfolk or Louisville and take a Southwest nonstop into and out of town each day you need to be there. This requires you take an express bus from BWI or IAD. If you want to go to DCA and hop right on the metro, of course you'll need to figure out which city has cheap nonstop flights on other ailrines into DC. For example, NW from Detroit, or DL from Atlanta (less likely to be cheap) might work.

If you really want to drive in (I don't recommend this, I think its going to be more trouble), you might have to go as far out as places like Williamsburg, Salibury, Troy, Hagerstown, Harrisonburg (I haven't checked but I suspect this is the case). If so, then, with added traffic jam time, you're looking at 7 or 8 hours on the road each day.

GrizShel

Now if you really can get this for 10,000 Starpoints, that's what I would do. That would be a real bargain given the way things are in DC that week. The commute from Annapolis is not that bad, there are train, bus, and metrorail options to take you in for the worst part of the commute.

Kagehitokiri

look at private rentals.

slawecki

I have pointed this out before. search waldorf and laplata md for motels. it is called southern maryland. all of calvert county should have rooms. find the ones that do not do a booking service. these places are within an hour of downtown dc. they are off the end of earth. no one in northern virginia has ever heard of them.

you will probably need a car to get to the subway.

Ztras

(Warning: Possible thread-jack. Mods, feel free to move this to its own thread.)

What do you think the airport situation on the 19-21 is going to be like?

Of the big three (IAD, DCA, BWI) which is most likely to run smoothly? Most resistant to bad weather, crowds, etc.

Thanks.

vatraveler

The night before or after or both? The Courtyard in Manassas has rooms on 1/20 for $179.

ColumbiaPete

I don't think one is going to be any better or worse than the others on those dates, especially the 21st. They will all be a madhouse!

ColumbiaPete

And you will be competing for parking at the subway station with the other 1.5 million people who will be trying to get into town via the same method.

OnABudgetDiva

I am flying into philly. My family is flying into Raleigh and staying near richmond. My dad has things he wants to do in NC that is why. This will be an adventure for sure.

Uniter

Some folks have reported finding award availability at Hiltons in Washington, DC that week.

slawecki

but the inaug is in dc last i heard. how you plan to get from 100 miles away to inaug on inaug day?