Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Huzzah for Hotels

Since we bought this condo, our holidays have mostly consisted of us driving home and splitting too-few days amongst multiple families and old friends. We miss them terribly, but it's not exactly a relaxing way to vacation. Husband started a new job in August, so vacation days are limited this year. For Thanksgiving, we'll be doing the usual rushed trip home, but we're staying home for Christmas. It didn't look like we could swing a proper holiday this year, but we finally earned enough air miles for two free tickets, so we cashed them in for two tickets to Washington, DC for a long weekend the first of November. However, finding a hotel has been a nightmare. I usually have no problem finding a decent deal, but apparently we're going on the most expensive weekend this fall. Even Thanksgiving weekend had better deals! I almost gave up and booked two separate hotels so we could get a decent rate each night, but I finally found a new deal today in our price range that fits our requirements (i.e., close to the sites and not flea-infested for under 200). Huzzah! We're going to have a proper holiday after all. We're staying near Dupont Circle where there are decent restaurants to visit in the evening, and it's only 1 mile away from the Smithsonian and other sites for touring during the day. I've only been to Washington once--two years ago for work--so I'm chuffed to explore the area more and at the height of fall when it'll be gorgeous. Now I can head back to the couch, relax with a book, and cough my little, er, lungs out.


p.s. If you're planning a future trip and you'd like the inside scoop on hotels, etc, check out Trip Advisor for honest traveler reviews and candid photos. It's great to know that 'quaint old-fashioned' hotel really means 'bed-bug-invested dive with no hot water and dirty carpet' before you book!

4 comments:

Jenny Beattie said...

Oooh, Angie, I'm soooo pleased for you. Washington DC, how wonderful. I'd love to go there. Your holidays back home sound like ours - rushing around like mad things fitting in all the relatives and friends. It's hard, and not particularly relaxing even though it's lovely seeing everyone.

Thanks for the link. I'm going to have a look at that site.

Yvonne said...

I love that 'getting a bargain' rush! Never been to Washington DC so you'll have to spill the beans when you get back. I love Trip Advisor too!

Lane Mathias said...

Well done on getting a good deal. Persistence always pays off and staying in seperate hotels might have dampened your holiday just a tad:-)

Hope your poorly lungs get better soon:-)
x

Angie said...

JJ, I'm very excited to see as many DC sites as possible on our trip. Should be beautiful this time of year too.
Our holidays at home are mad! I love seeing everyone, but we literally have to schedule people in for the short trips, which is crazy and not at all relaxing. That's part of why we're just going home for one holiday this year (limited vacation time being the other reason).
Enjoy the link!

Hellojed, I'm a bargain-hunter at heart thanks to m'dear old mom.
I loved DC last time I went, so I'm eager to see more. Tripadvisor is great!

Lane, I was worried I wasn't going to find anything, but in the end I'm glad I was persistent. Switching hotels would have been a bummer.
I'm finally on the mend, thanks!