DC Area Motels

[HalifaxTravaler]

Hi there i am planning a roadtrip from Nova Scotia to North Carolina in may,i plan on spending a day in DC exploring the sites,I am wondering is anyone has any input on motels in the area, smaller chains,mom and pop type establishments,i am loking for something reasonably priced .I plan on getting on to the 295 Baltimore Washington Parkway (MD 295) just past Baltimore and going into DC that way,id like to stay close to the 295 and hopefully have access to public transit so i could maybe leave my car at the hotel.Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated thanks.

[froggie]

As a general rule, anyplace that is decent AND going to have reasonable access to Metro will run you at least three-digits a night.  I would also suggest staying somewhere on the Virginia side of the river, both because hotel taxes are lower and because it'll help traffic-wise for continuing your trip south.

[agentsteel53]

don't stay near DC; stay out in the sticks, past Frederick or Winchester or so.  Adjust schedule appropriately, and save about $50 for your night's stay.  Put $17 of that into a parking garage for the day and take the public transportation as you have planned.

[froggie]

He doesn't have to head that far out...whatever he saves in hotel costs (which given what I looked up would be at best $30) would easily be eaten up in gas and parking.  And if he's here on a weekday, he wouldn't WANT to be that far out.

[agentsteel53]

He doesn't have to head that far out...whatever he saves in hotel costs (which given what I looked up would be at best $30) would easily be eaten up in gas and parking.  And if he's here on a weekday, he wouldn't WANT to be that far out.

really, you can't get a good motel for under $60 these days in those towns?  I thought they'd be sufficiently out in the sticks.  I see motel 6es advertising $37.99 all over the country to this day, and I know the no-frills mom and pop motels are about $3-$10 a night cheaper than even that.

[froggie]

If low-end is your preference, you could.  I'll admit I checked hotels and not motels.  But then you'd still be eating up cost in gas/parking and eating time in travel/traffic, ESPECIALLY if you're here on a weekday.  And 7 days a week in Fredericksburg (95 South on weekends isn't much different than during the week these days).  Just not worth it IMO.

[agentsteel53]

I figured that at some point he'd have to make the commute from the motel to DC; since he is from out of the area and driving in, the 50 mile travel between the motel and DC is not an additional expense, but one already accounted for.

and I've gotten perfectly serviceable motels for $21 as recently as September, 2009.  Bed, shower, wireless internet, beer store half a block down the street... what more do you need?

[J N Winkler]

Laurel, Maryland used to have a cheap motel in the $30-$35 class.  But, mind you, that was in 1995!  Laurel also has a MARC station but I don't know whether this is within easy walking distance of the motel.  MARC will however take you directly to Union Station.

I also had no problem parking in the P&R lot in New Carrollton (just off the Beltway), but again that was in 1995 and on a weekend.  Ten years ago there was also--and may still be--extensive parking within a (long) walk of the College Park Metro station.  I have also managed to park curbside in DC near the Mall (again, on a weekend pre-9/11 only), but I am less familiar with garage options for public parking.  I'd suggest looking these up on the Web first.

[HalifaxTravaler]

thanks for the info.i dont mind paying up to 100 a night.I plan on arriving sunday afternoon/evening and explore on monday and continue onto NC on tuesday morning.

[froggie]

If that's the case, where you'll be here on a Monday, you DEFINITELY want to stay somewhere closer in near town.  If you don't mind paying low 100s (and lower if you reserve online, the way it looks), there are both a Courtyard-by-Marriot and a Holiday Inn near the Beltway/Telegraph Rd interchange that are within walking distance of the Eisenhower Ave Metro station on the Yellow Line.  That would allow you to park the car at the hotel and take transit into town as was your preference in your original post.  There are also a number of eating establishments (including a Ruby Tuesdays, a steakhouse, and IIRC a ColdStone Creamery) within walking distance as well.

As a side note, the cheapest gas in the region is typically off I-95 South in the Dale City area (Exit 158 in particular).

[HalifaxTravaler]

Hi again,sorry to be such a bother,but i am wondering if anyone has stayed at the comfort inn alexandria .It is located on south van dorn street in alexandria.The reviews i have found seem to be decent.the hotel has a shuttle service to the metro which i like.Just corious if anyone  has stayed there or knows the area thanks again.

[froggie]

I stayed there once, before I transferred to the area.  It was acceptable.

Pros:
- Generally meets your criteria (cost, Metro access, etc).
- Relatively isolated location (basically within the Beltway interchange) means you're only really dealing with hotel customers in the immediate area.

Cons:
- Location also means you're dealing with heavy traffic (both Van Dorn St and interchange traffic) to get in and out.
- No food within walking distance...gotta drive to get food.
- While Comfort Inn does have the Metro shuttle, there are other hotel options that are within walking distance.


If your preference is for Comfort Inn, then it should work for you.  That said, I'd still suggest either the Courtyard or the Holiday Inn at the Telegraph Rd interchange for reasons I cited before, plus one more:  it's faster to get into downtown via the Yellow Line (Eisenhower Ave station) than it is via the Blue Line (Van Dorn St station).