Just spent 3 days visiting the monuments and museums. As others have mentioned the location is in a pretty uninteresting office location just 4 blocks south of the Air & Space museum. The area seems pretty safe - no problems walking from Metrorail station to hotel. But it is very quiet at night and weekends. There is a commuter rail line just behind the hotel - I was lucky to get a room in the middle but sometimes I could still hear the low rumble. Not bad enough to disturb sleep.
You could walk 10-15 min to Capitol Hill, Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art. However, the main advantage is that it is only 1 block away from the Federal Center station which is on the Blue line. This line gets you to most of the tourist locations: Smithosonian, White House, Washington monument, Lincoln memorial, Pentagon & Reagan airport (DCA). There are no restaurants nearby - a pizza place next door, a sandwich / deli in NASA building opposite (lunch) and MacDonald's about 3 blocks north on 4th St. There's a supermarket a few blocks south.
The hotel itself is basic but good. Rooms are large and have a small kitchen along with cooking utensils, plates, etc. Microwave and medium sized fridge. Generally clean and slight wear on the furnishings. TV was a bit temperamental - the repair guy said that often unplugging the power will reset & fix things up. Staff are generally pleasant and helpful. Breakfast was included but basic - cereals, bread, make your own waffles, fruit and very average quality hot food eg. scrambled eggs (commercial prep), potatoes. Given the location & lack of alternatives, the breakfast was good enough to get you along your way.
I got a very good rate for January but I know this often doubles in other months. Overall, this is a good hotel for those with business nearby or family / tourists as the proximity to Blue line station is the clincher.
- Residence Inn Washington Dc
- Washington Dc Residence Inn
