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Grex > Travel > #73: Hellllllp! finding hotel room in Washington, DC | |
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| 25 new of 126 responses total. |
edina
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response 15 of 126:
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May 29 21:44 UTC 2007 |
Because when you're trying to get people out the door to go do
touristy stuff, it's easier to have a place where they can go get
breakfast. I love staying at a Hampton Inn or Country Inn, as I can
grab breakfast, as well as usually some granola bars for later, on my
way out the door.
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johnnie
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response 16 of 126:
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May 30 02:18 UTC 2007 |
re room stuffing / getting caught:
Any moral issues aside, I don't think getting caught with extra people
in a room is something to worry about. With 3 kids (albeit younger than
yours), we've "over-occupied" on trips, never got caught. As long as
you're not blatant about it (such as the whole group going to the front
desk to check in), there's so many people running around that the staff
can't keep track, or doesn't much care.
Of course, that will require that a couple of kids sleep on the floor,
and there will be competition for bathroom time, but that still beats
camping, maybe.
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johnnie
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response 17 of 126:
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May 30 02:43 UTC 2007 |
>Is there no way to put into a travel WWW site what my
>requirements are, so I don't have to explore a lot of individual pages
>in hopes of stumbling across one that offers what I need?
If you go to the web site specific for a particular hotel, you can
typically search for specific room types (one bed or two, non-smoking,
whatever).
That said, I doubt you'll find a place that meets your requirements for
much under $200/night.
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tod
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response 18 of 126:
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May 30 03:10 UTC 2007 |
re #0
Find yourself a Super 8 in a sleazy neighborhood. So long as you don't leave
the compound then you should be fine.
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cyklone
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response 19 of 126:
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May 30 03:41 UTC 2007 |
Jep. for cooking, get a business suite with a kitchenette. Look for a
place that caters to businessmen on weekly or monthly out of town
assignments. Then get cheap room at a Motel 6 nearby. The gals can stay in
the suite with the kitchentte (because they'll be the ones cooking ;). For
the guys, get a room with two beds. If the place won't provide a third
cot, take one of the two beds apart, tossing the mattress on the floor.
You, of course, get the full bed, and boys can fight, or flip, or
whatever, for the mattress v. the pad. It's an old trick I learned when I
did out of town gigs.
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richard
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response 20 of 126:
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May 30 14:03 UTC 2007 |
re #11 jep, I lived in D.C. for years. You have got to concede some
things to get what you want. Your wife should be willing to stay in
a "smoking" room. If somebody smoked in that room six weeks ago, you
won't know the difference. Kitchenette? In the city? Forget it.
The hotels want you to eat out. It helps their friends the
restaurants.
For what you want, you may need to look outside D.C., rent a car and
get a mom and pop motorlodge maybe thirty minutes or an hour outside
town out on the highway in maryland or virginia.
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slynne
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response 21 of 126:
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May 30 14:12 UTC 2007 |
You can rent cabins in rural places. I think the KOA in Harper's Ferry
has cabins for around $80 a night. It's not too far of a drive from
there to a metro stop plus if you are there during the week, you can
take a commuter train into town.
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richard
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response 22 of 126:
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May 30 14:16 UTC 2007 |
Or look in Baltimore, its only an hour away by cheap local commuter
train. Plenty of people commute from there.
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marcvh
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response 23 of 126:
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May 30 14:46 UTC 2007 |
OK, but the fare for Baltimore to DC is $7 each way per person, or $52.50
for a weekly pass. Multiply that by 6 people and it becomes significant.
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edina
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response 24 of 126:
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May 30 14:58 UTC 2007 |
Yeah, the MARC is not cheap. Besides, then you still have to pay for
metro, and then it's getting pricey.
I think the idea of a kitchenette in the burbs is a great one.
Especially if you're in a hotel that has a shuttle to the metro.
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furs
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response 25 of 126:
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May 30 15:23 UTC 2007 |
yeah, Marc is an expensive ho.
;)
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slynne
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response 26 of 126:
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May 30 15:29 UTC 2007 |
Yeah, wow. I just checked and the *one way* fare on MARC from Harper's
Ferry is $9!!! (but that is to Union Station). ON the other hand, one
can drive from Harper's Ferry or thereabouts to the nearest Metro
station. Harper's Ferry is a location I am suggesting just because it
is so pretty there and because there are some historically significant
places to visit there as well.
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slynne
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response 27 of 126:
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May 30 15:30 UTC 2007 |
resp:25 - HAHAHAHA. Yeah I guess if you want Marc to service you,
you'll have to shell out some serious bucks.
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jadecat
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response 28 of 126:
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May 30 15:54 UTC 2007 |
resp:20 Umm, if a person smoked in a room 6 weeks ago then yes- you may
still be able to smell it. Some people have a REALLY hard time dealing
with cigarette smoke. My father is one of them, and cannot sleep in a
room where there have been smokers. He also travels with a smaller air
purifier...
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marcvh
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response 29 of 126:
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May 30 16:12 UTC 2007 |
I do have a reputation to uphold. In general commuter rail is expensive
(even with significant operational subsidies) though still a lot cheaper
than Amtrak. Out here, for example, the Sounder Commuter Rail fare is
25% more than the equivalent bus fare.
I think that a kitchenette would work great for some types of vacations.
For a family of 6 to vacation at the beach, renting a cabin/cottage with
a small kitchen would be perfect; you just pick up some provisions at
the grocery store and you're all set. For visiting DC it doesn't work
as well, since most of the time you won't exactly be near your room.
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jep
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response 30 of 126:
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May 30 17:29 UTC 2007 |
I like the way some Grexers think out of the box! If you'd all come
over to M-Net, I'd give you some gribblies.
I like the idea of taking an electric skillet or griddle. That'd almost
have to violate safety codes for any place that doesn't have a
kitchenette, but it'd sure save a lot of money.
We'd want a kitchenette because, for at least one meal per day, we could
eat in the room and not spend money. We'd want a free breakfast
because, for one meal per day, we'd eat outside the room and not spend
money (even though the room costs more if a free breakfast is provided).
Also, it will take 1/3 of the time that going out to eat will take.
And we can take sandwiches for most of our lunches. We'd still be
buying snacks and drinks, no doubt. But eliminating the cost of 3
restaurant meals per day for 6 people is significant. McDonald's for 6
is about $40, Red Lobster tops $100, you're talking $200 per day in
saved meal money.
re resp:20: There are things you concede and things you don't. There's
always an alternative. If it's a choice between a smoking room and not
going, we won't go. But we're not alone in that kind of decision
making. Hotels have plenty of non-smoking rooms and do not charge extra
for them. Why would they? They're cheaper to clean and less prone to
damage and accidents.
re resp:23: Now that's the sort of tantalizing remark that I find
frustrating. Just how would you go about finding a hotel with free
shuttle service to the DC Metro, while maintaining a full time job and
everyday family life? Answer me that and I might send you some
gribblies through an inter-Backtalk banking transfer.
Thanks everyone!
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mcnally
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response 31 of 126:
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May 30 17:38 UTC 2007 |
What about renting an RV? If the trip goes badly enough you could sell
the film rights and make a fortune!
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edina
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response 32 of 126:
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May 30 17:43 UTC 2007 |
Ok, I looked at the Residence Inn in the Fair Lakes area of Fairfax -
they have a 2BR Suite (w/kitchenette) for $149 per night. They
include a free breakfast, 2 BR and a sleeper sofa - you can call them
to ask if they have a shuttle to the metro, but most places do. The 1
BR suite is $99 per night.
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tod
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response 33 of 126:
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May 30 17:44 UTC 2007 |
You can always get yourself a $10 hotplate and a $10 heat element to do your
own cooking. That's how we do Vegas, anyway. As for cold stuff, once you
get to town, go hit a cheapo drug mart and get the $3 styrofoam cooler and
then keep it stocked with ice from the hotel ice machine.
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marcvh
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response 34 of 126:
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May 30 17:57 UTC 2007 |
So, instead of going to see La Reve, do you just put on tights and prance
around in the bathtub?
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tod
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response 35 of 126:
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May 30 18:03 UTC 2007 |
The idea is that we save money on lodging in order to have more to spend on
entertainment. Vegas isn't exactly the place that wants you to hole up in
your room when you get hungry.
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marcvh
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response 36 of 126:
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May 30 18:10 UTC 2007 |
Sure they do! They'll be happy to bring you a $16 cheeseburger from room
service, or you can enjoy a $5 Snickers from the mini-bar. But if you
stay downtown, lodging and food is pretty darned affordable.
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tod
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response 37 of 126:
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May 30 18:31 UTC 2007 |
If you don't mind the 10 mile walk through the casino to get an ice cold coke,
sure. Sometimes, you just want to get up in the middle of the night and have
a coffee or a sandwich without having to trek through Gomorrah. Most of the
downtown hotels in Vegas do not even have coffeemakers.
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keesan
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response 38 of 126:
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May 30 18:40 UTC 2007 |
A small (1-burner) butane camping stove would be easier to transport than a
hotplate and could be used again for camping. How much extra does the 'free'
breakfast cost and does it consist of more than coffee and toast?
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tod
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response 39 of 126:
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May 30 18:42 UTC 2007 |
I'm not sure how well a butane camping stove would be received at the airport
baggage x-ray.
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