We stayed last night at the Inn at Dupont Circle, on 19th Street (near N) in Washington DC. We made a reservation here because Al's mom had been going to come along with us on this trip, and the Inn is very near the Dupont Circle stop on the Metro (easy access to downtown). As it turned out she wasn't feeling well, and the Inn could only rebook the room for Saturday night, so we figured we may as well stay here Friday night rather than lose the room money.
SUSAR score:
Amenities: 2 books and a couple Washington Posts in the downstairs sitting room. We hadn't brought any books, expecting there to be some, so we ended up watching Monk on TV. Meh. There were coffees & teas in the room, and desserts, juice, hot cider & coffee downstairs all evening, so that was nice; we did have some pineapple cheesecake and chocolate something, and hot drinks. A decent variety of toiletries, and fluffy bathrobes. Also, apparently you can get a free pass to Gold's Gym around the corner; we didn't have time to take advantage of that, but a nice idea. Parking was a little inconvenient (in a garage about 1.5 blocks away, but I realize it's the city. I guess I'll give the Inn a (3) despite the paucity of reading materials.
Aesthetics: This is an 1885 Victorian townhouse, very nicely kept. It was still decorated for Christmas, very pretty. I especially liked the front entry garden, hardwood floors, and breakfast solarium. Teddy bears and dolls I can do without, but it was less fussy than many Victorian B&Bs I've been in. Our room (the Crystal Room) was especially nice, gorgeous chandelier, private bathroom, window seat, etc. [There were not actually books on the shelf as shown in this photo from their website.] (4)
Sleep quality: I'm afraid we just aren't used to City noises; we both had a hard time sleeping what with sirens, late-night revelers, and early-morning garbage trucks, street sweepers, construction workers, and what-not. I'm not complaining… they're noises to be expected in the heart of a major city, but this is my sleep and my rating system, so they get a (3) on the strength of the comfy bed.
Food: Very good! Nina made our breakfasts to order… I had french toast with maple syrup, very cinnamon-y, and Al had an omelette with ham, tomatoes, and cheese. In addition there was a table full of yummy stuff: a cheese platter, sausage, ham, smoked salmon, coffee cake, freshly baked bread, coffees, teas, cereals, yogurts, cranberry & orange juice. We especially enjoyed taking breakfast in the bricked solarium, a charming little room with a plexiglas ceiling, tiled floor, and a burbling fountain. It was slightly chilly, being a rainy January day, but still nice. A (4) on the food, only because anyone is hard-pressed to compare to the Mill House Inn, which is my standard of B&B breakfast perfection.
Location: If we had ended up doing the tourist thing with Al's mom as planned, it would have been a great location. As it was, since all we were doing was taking Alex to school, it wasn't optimal, but still not bad, just a 15-minute drive down Massachusetts Ave. (4)
Staff: Carolyn and Nina were extremely pleasant and helpful, and the room was immaculate. Carolyn was very accommodating to our change in plans. (4) [In my world, a 5 would be all that, plus more personal interaction]
Value for the $: I think we ended up paying $185 +$15 parking (since we didn't need the 3-person accommodation). I don't think that's too bad for the area of DC we were in, but on the other hand the other two B&Bs we've stayed at in NW DC weren't nearly that expensive, and were nearly as nice. So, a (3)
Overall score is 3.6 out of 5, and I think we would stay there again if we wanted to be close to the city, so I would recommend it.
Where have the days gone? 