Need a hotel in Washington D.C.? We landed at Hotel Madera for the last four nights of our Washington D.C. vacation. It was a great hotel for my family.
Hotel Madera is a boutique hotel in Washington D.C.'s historic and stylish Dupont Circle neighborhood. It's located just a few blocks from downtown, but this hotel was the least touristy of the three Washington D.C. hotels we tried on this trip.
It is surrounded by upscale apartment buildings and is just down the street from George Washington University. The neighborhood is way cooler than we are, but we loved the youthful urban vibe.
We have stayed in several Washington DC hotels and Hotel Madera is currently my top pick. Here is our experience.
Our Room
Our room had two queen beds AND a set of bunk beds. If that wasn't enough for my family of four, we also had a pull out couch. The bunk beds and sitting area filled a nook behind the bathroom and had their own television. While still in full view, the kids had their own space, which made four nights in the same room a lot more relaxing.
My 12-year-old daughter tried the bunk bed, but found it too hard. She had plenty of other beds to choose from, and slept in one of the queens. My 9-year-old son thought the bunk beds were just right.
We enjoyed finding fun extras like board games, Xbox One, robes in adult and kid sizes and a yoga mat in our room.
Related: 3 Days in Washington DC With Kids
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Madera has one of the smallest front desks I've ever seen, but also one of the friendliest. They helped me with transportation, directions, dishes for pizza delivery, fresh board games and everything else we needed during our stay.
The only amenity we needed but didn't have was laundry facilities. There are no onsite machines for guests and laundry service was beyond our budget. There is no laundromat within a mile of the hotel. We finally just hand washed a few essentials in our room.
The Neighborhood
Hotel Madera has a popular onsite restaurant, Firefly. There are lots of other good local restaurants to choose from, as well as familiar chains.
We kept it casual at Pizzeria Paradiso, Potbelly Sandwich Shop, Domino's and Subway. Shake Shack is nearby, but we think that Burger Tap and Shake is even better. You can also pick up provisions at CVS Pharmacy a block away.
The National Geographic Museum and Embassy Row are within a short walk of the hotel. The National Zoo (pandas!) is just one subway stop away. The National Mall, Monuments, Smithsonian museums and most popular attractions are 1-2 miles away and easily reached by Metro or on foot.
Related: Review of Go City – Washington DC Pass
Getting Around
We walked and used Metro or taxi/Uber/Lyft to get to and from the hotel. Madera has complimentary car service within one mile.
Hotel Madera is located one block from the Dupont Circle station on the Red Line at Dupont Circle. It is also a reasonable walk (10-12 minutes) from the Foggy Bottom-GWU station on the Blue, Silver and Orange lines.
Complimentary bike loans (full-size only) are also available. Just ask at the front desk.
I DO NOT recommend driving your own car if you don't have to. This neighborhood is tricky to drive and there is nowhere to park. Hotel Madera does not have onsite parking and overnight parking rates are steep.
Conclusion
Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Hotel Madera and recommend it to families who will appreciate the convenient walkable neighborhood, family-size rooms and fun amenities of this stylish DC hotel.
Website: www.hotelmadera.com
Disclosure: Kimpton hosted my family for the purpose of review. Featured photo credit: Hotel Madera. All opinions are my own.
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