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The Five Best Hotels Just Outside of Washington, D.C.

November 13, 2009 at 4:00 PM | by KatieK | 0 Comments

In many cities, a suburban stay equals hours on the train each morning and night. But Washington D.C. is small enough that its closest suburbs are often destinations in their own rights — from Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, to downtown Bethesda, Maryland. Throw in D.C.’s crime-ridden rap, combined with the suburbs-serving Metro, and suddenly it makes sense why so many D.C. tourists actually spend the night in a neighboring city (where, ahem, the residents have the right to vote).

Of course, this is hardly a secret; so if you’re looking to the suburbs for a no-frills deal, stick to family-friendly classics. Otherwise, here are our picks for five convenient suburban DC hotels that offer more than just a free (stale) breakfast.

Lorien Hotel & Spa in Alexandria: The newest of Kimpton’s vast empire in the DC area (the 11th!), Lorien Hotel opened last February with a dreamy color palette, clawfoot tubs, and a trifecta of food destinations from Chef Robert Wiedmaier. Even better, it’s just a couple blocks from the Metro on cute King Street, with all the antiques shops, crab-slinging restaurants, and ice cream parlors you could, er, dream of.

Hotel Palomar–Arlington: Ranked #1 hotel in Arlington on TripAdvisor, this, yes, Kimpton hotel also sits just a couple blocks from the Rosslyn Metro, with some rooms overlooking the Potomac and Georgetown (and from some you can even see the Washington Monument). Also: ultra-comfy beds, nightly wine tastings, pet-friendly.

Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City: Located, literally, at the front door of the Metro and Pentagon City shopping mall/district, this Ritz has emerged, more interestingly for voyeurs like us, as “ground zero of Washington scandal culture,” according to Washington Post gossip columnists a couple of years ago. Probably most famous is the 1998 Linda Tripp-Monica Lewinsky drinks session that resulted in Lewinsky spilling the beans about her affair with the prez. More recently, the hotel was reportedly a favorite rendez-vous destination for the DC Madam, the late Deborah Jeane Palfrey.

Bethesda Doubletree: Within walking district of the Metro in downtown Bethesda, this 269-room high-rise offers fluffy beds, some rooms that have been treated by PURE for allergy sensitive guests, and, naturally, those amazing Doubletree chocolate-chip cookies. Nothing too fancy but the place consistently garners good TA reviews and has a good location, especially if Bethesda and upper northwest DC are your scenes.

Aloft Dulles-North: OK so this one is the farthest out from DC — and the only non-Metro accessible choice in the lot — but if you’re going to have a car and are flying in and out of Dulles Airport, this might be a fun option. Opened last year just in time for inauguration, the hotel has the usual Aloft hallmarks: a funky, trying-a-bit-too-hard-to-be-trendy vibe, with platform beds, pool tables in the lobby, and the re:fuel food pantry.

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Return to » The Five Best Hotels Just Outside of Washington, D.C.

  1. Annabeh

    HotelChatter Member

    Re: The Five Best Hotels Just Outside of WA

    I found this surprising, since the economy-induced reduction in travel - coupled with the backlash by corporations against deluxe hotel entertaining - have hit luxury hotels harder than any other type of hotel, according to Robert Mandelbaum, research director for PKF Consulting. And that presumably would mean less money to offer the over-the-top amenities and service that they offered in good times. I have lived in the D.C. suburbs all of my life and it wasn't until recently that I truly appreciated my city. Of course there are downsides to the District such as; bad drivers (especially taxis i have been to a lot of cities in my life and i have NEVER seen a cabbie drive so slow and so stupidly) the metro is way over priced (although taxes are cheaper than other cities so its really only the tourists who are getting screwed) and there aren't any cool skyscrapers (buildings can't be taller than the Washington monument). But aside from this D.C. is booming with life. Night life is present in D.C. like never before. Plus the restaurants are second to none. There is so much to do and to see and there is a lot of cool stuff in proximity of the District. So if you don't want the bore of cities such as Charlotte and Columbus come to D.C there is much more to see than just the museums and monuments. And people are having their personal loan to enjoy this vacation.
    November 16, 2009 at 3:39 AM
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