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This will be in the Resort Reviews soon, but I wanted to share things here, as well. It's pretty long, so skip through the parts you don't want to read. 
Dave
We just spent 11 nights in a 1 bedroom deluxe room, Unit 603, as a private exchange arranged with another Tugger. I had called about a week before check in and asked for a Courtyard view on a higher floor. They had things ready to go when we arrived, and assigned us this light-filled, airy unit on the sixth floor. (There are seven floors in the building.) Check in was a breeze, and after a polite, friendly conversation with Shanea at the concierge desk, we were headed to our room. She wanted us to attend the sales pitch presentation, and the incentives were generous, but after I politely explained that I have sold all but one of my timeshares, that I’m not buying any more, and how I always bought my timeshares on the resale market anyway, she knew I wouldn’t be worth the trouble. She said, “So it doesn’t sound like this is something you’d be looking at buying, huh?” I said, “No, sorry. I’m done buying.” “No problem, sir. We just need to ask everyone.” And that was that. Nobody called or hassled us. We did see some salespeople escorting people around during our stay, and from overheard conversations, I could tell the usual sales practices are happening here. I’m glad I didn’t have to endure it.
The unit was very clean, and everything was in fine working order. We had no trouble during our stay. The “1 bedroom deluxe” is the larger side of a 2 bedroom lockoff unit. It has a full kitchen, with full sized range, refrigerator with icemaker, over-the-range microwave, and standard dishwasher. There was ample counter space, as well as an island and breakfast bar, all with granite countertops. The usual suite of countertop appliances were present, including a coffeemaker and two-slice toaster. Plenty of decent cookware, dishes, utensils, and flatware made cooking very easy. There was adequate cleaning supplies provided, and I’m sure they’d have given more if we’d asked. The only condiment provided was a tiny salt & pepper disposable set. If you plan to cook much, come prepared. (See below, about area shopping.)
Adjacent to the kitchen is a large dining table with six chairs. The living room had a pull-out sofa, two side chairs, coffee table, and a side table with lamp. A large flat screen TV and DVD player are on a credenza. A small linen closet provided an ironing board and iron that worked well.
The large bedroom held a king sized bed and one nightstand, with a smaller flat screen TV on a dresser. There is a small in-room safe in a closet at the foot of the bed, and a clock-radio alarm on the nightstand. The bathroom is divided, with one sink and a large Jacuzzi tub in the bedroom area. A separate room has another sink, commode, and large shower stall. It was all very comfortable, and made the two of feel very much at ease. The Courtyard side of the building is very quiet, and we didn’t hear any extraneous noises. After the many very full days spent exploring the DC area, it was nice getting a good night’s sleep. Laundry is available free of charge in a laundry room down the hall on each floor. One washer and two dryers, which worked very well, were always empty and waiting. We used it twice during our stay without incident.
There is free WiFi available in the unit, but speed is variable, depending on how many other people are using the bandwidth. In the daytime, it was fairly quick. In the evening, it often was too slow to be convenient to use. Later at night it picked up speed again. Plan ahead, and you’ll do fine. There is a free Business Center in the Lobby with computer free for the use, and a printer, handy for printing maps or airline boarding passes.
Parking is in the garage below the facility, shared with the Hilton hotel next door. There is convenient elevator access to the parking area, so it was easy to get around. Wyndham is actively selling here, so the entire facility was very well kept, and well run. Staff was very courteous and helpful, and went out of their way to assist with anything we needed. We would gladly stay here again.
One of the greatest reasons to stay at this resort is its location. Leave your car at home, unless you REALLY need it. The Metro station is across the street, providing easy access to the Washington DC metropolitan area. Fares vary depending on time and distance traveled, but it was easily managed through the Metro (WMATA.com) SmarTrip cards. Easy to use, easy to add funds onto the cards as needed, and available in a variety of versions, depending on your needs. We’d set up our online account ahead of time, and ordered our cards by mail from home, so it was easy to manage things online once we arrived.
The neighborhood around the resort is interesting, but can be a bit challenging. The closest (only!) grocery store is Whole Foods, about two blocks away. There are no convenience stores or drug stores within walking distance. There is a Starbucks Coffee stand in the Hilton hotel next door, and for this Seattle-area guy, it was very handy! Along King Street heading east from the resort there are any number of interesting shops and restaurants, all the way to the Potomac River in the heart of Old Town Alexandria, about a mile away. A free hop-on hop-off trolley runs down King Street, so there is easy access.
The closest “shopping mall” experience we found was four Metro stops away, at the Pentagon City stop: When you exit the Metro station you’ll be inside a fashion mall shopping center, with a variety of stores, including Macy’s and Nordstrom. There is a Harris Teeter supermarket adjacent to that mall, if you need to pick up anything (cooking spices, perhaps?) Since we relied on walking and the Metro, we found those handy to stop, on the way back to the resort from the DC area.
We enjoyed eating a few blocks down King Street at Hard Times Café (several kinds of artisan chili complement their sandwich dishes. Quite tasty!) Ernie’s Crab House, in the same block as the resort, had great seafood. Down near the other end of King Street, (actually on Queen Street) we found Bilbo Baggins Restaurant, with excellent eclectic menu choices and a huge selection of beer and wine. LaPorta’s Restaurant, walking distance about two blocks away on Duke Street, offers great homestyle pasta dishes. We found outstanding New York Style pizza at Quattro Formagii, about a block away. They have a full-service Italian menu as well, but we only tried their pizza. (The pizza delivery place that slips a menu under your door was not very good, and can’t be recommended. Trust me on this one!) And if you need your donut fix, a Dunkin Donuts shop is right across King Street. There were plenty more places to eat, but we’ll save those for our next visit.
The focus of this trip was Americana tourism - seeing the monuments and memorials in DC, as well as several Smithsonian museums. All are free to visit, and well worth the effort to get to them. Even though the Smithsonian museums normally close at 5:00, we discovered one or two stayed open till 7:00 on certain nights, on a rotating schedule. Check the Smithsonian website to see which museums are open later on the days you’ll be there. (This can be helpful to delay your return to the resort, since Metro fares are cheaper after 7:00 PM.)
Be advised that the DC Mall-area maps are VERY misleading: Things are very large, and very far apart! Even though it seems they’re right next to each other, the buildings are huge, and distances are farther than they seem, especially in Summer heat and humidity. Walking from one end of the Mall to the other seems like it’d be an easy thing to do, but it will take its toll. Plan accordingly!
In addition to seeing several Smithsonian Museums, we had arranged through our Senator’s office months ahead of time to get tickets for special things not available for the walk-in tourist. We were able to tour the White House, the Supreme Court, the Capitol, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (that’s the US Mint), and the Library of Congress. Tickets were free, but they required arranging ahead of time. In addition, we attended a Constituent Coffee meeting with our Senator, toured Ford’s Theater, the US Archives, and the Newseum, a special museum dedicated to news media. Very interesting!
We did rent a car for three days, picked up at Reagan National Airport (two Metro stops away.) This allowed us to take an overnight trip along beautiful Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park, to the town of Charlottesville, Virginia, so we could tour Monticello, the family home of Thomas Jefferson. It was truly worthwhile, and highly recommended.
A highlight of the trip was the last day with the rental car, when we drove out to the DC suburb of Chantilly, Virginia, near Dulles Airport, to see the Smithsonian’s “other” Air & Space Museum. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is a huge hangar complex with a huge collection of fascinating aircraft and other flying things. There were many things on display, including missles and satellites, the Space Shuttle Discovery, an SR-71 Blackbird spy plane, an Air France Concorde jet, and the Enola Gay, the B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb to end World War II. It was a great place to experience.
To put it all into perspective, we took a nighttime tour boat ride with Potomac River Boat Company from the pier on the Potomac at the end of King Street, up into DC after dark. The monuments are lit up, and provide a very different experience than how they appear in the daytime. The boat runs from Alexandria to Georgetown, and can be either one-way or round trip. Very worthwhile, and a nice diversion. If we’d had more time, we would have taken an earlier boat up to Georgetown for a nice dinner there, then rode it back to Alexandria after dark. Oh well – maybe next trip!
There is so much more to see in this area than what we had time for, we know we’ll be back. Unlike other trips where we’ve tried to “do it all,” this time we took our time, paced ourselves, we ate and slept well, and we took lots of time out to relax. It has been a marvelous vacation that has given us plenty to talk about, with plenty left for our next trip to this wonderful city.
Dave
We just spent 11 nights in a 1 bedroom deluxe room, Unit 603, as a private exchange arranged with another Tugger. I had called about a week before check in and asked for a Courtyard view on a higher floor. They had things ready to go when we arrived, and assigned us this light-filled, airy unit on the sixth floor. (There are seven floors in the building.) Check in was a breeze, and after a polite, friendly conversation with Shanea at the concierge desk, we were headed to our room. She wanted us to attend the sales pitch presentation, and the incentives were generous, but after I politely explained that I have sold all but one of my timeshares, that I’m not buying any more, and how I always bought my timeshares on the resale market anyway, she knew I wouldn’t be worth the trouble. She said, “So it doesn’t sound like this is something you’d be looking at buying, huh?” I said, “No, sorry. I’m done buying.” “No problem, sir. We just need to ask everyone.” And that was that. Nobody called or hassled us. We did see some salespeople escorting people around during our stay, and from overheard conversations, I could tell the usual sales practices are happening here. I’m glad I didn’t have to endure it.
The unit was very clean, and everything was in fine working order. We had no trouble during our stay. The “1 bedroom deluxe” is the larger side of a 2 bedroom lockoff unit. It has a full kitchen, with full sized range, refrigerator with icemaker, over-the-range microwave, and standard dishwasher. There was ample counter space, as well as an island and breakfast bar, all with granite countertops. The usual suite of countertop appliances were present, including a coffeemaker and two-slice toaster. Plenty of decent cookware, dishes, utensils, and flatware made cooking very easy. There was adequate cleaning supplies provided, and I’m sure they’d have given more if we’d asked. The only condiment provided was a tiny salt & pepper disposable set. If you plan to cook much, come prepared. (See below, about area shopping.)
Adjacent to the kitchen is a large dining table with six chairs. The living room had a pull-out sofa, two side chairs, coffee table, and a side table with lamp. A large flat screen TV and DVD player are on a credenza. A small linen closet provided an ironing board and iron that worked well.
The large bedroom held a king sized bed and one nightstand, with a smaller flat screen TV on a dresser. There is a small in-room safe in a closet at the foot of the bed, and a clock-radio alarm on the nightstand. The bathroom is divided, with one sink and a large Jacuzzi tub in the bedroom area. A separate room has another sink, commode, and large shower stall. It was all very comfortable, and made the two of feel very much at ease. The Courtyard side of the building is very quiet, and we didn’t hear any extraneous noises. After the many very full days spent exploring the DC area, it was nice getting a good night’s sleep. Laundry is available free of charge in a laundry room down the hall on each floor. One washer and two dryers, which worked very well, were always empty and waiting. We used it twice during our stay without incident.
There is free WiFi available in the unit, but speed is variable, depending on how many other people are using the bandwidth. In the daytime, it was fairly quick. In the evening, it often was too slow to be convenient to use. Later at night it picked up speed again. Plan ahead, and you’ll do fine. There is a free Business Center in the Lobby with computer free for the use, and a printer, handy for printing maps or airline boarding passes.
Parking is in the garage below the facility, shared with the Hilton hotel next door. There is convenient elevator access to the parking area, so it was easy to get around. Wyndham is actively selling here, so the entire facility was very well kept, and well run. Staff was very courteous and helpful, and went out of their way to assist with anything we needed. We would gladly stay here again.
One of the greatest reasons to stay at this resort is its location. Leave your car at home, unless you REALLY need it. The Metro station is across the street, providing easy access to the Washington DC metropolitan area. Fares vary depending on time and distance traveled, but it was easily managed through the Metro (WMATA.com) SmarTrip cards. Easy to use, easy to add funds onto the cards as needed, and available in a variety of versions, depending on your needs. We’d set up our online account ahead of time, and ordered our cards by mail from home, so it was easy to manage things online once we arrived.
The neighborhood around the resort is interesting, but can be a bit challenging. The closest (only!) grocery store is Whole Foods, about two blocks away. There are no convenience stores or drug stores within walking distance. There is a Starbucks Coffee stand in the Hilton hotel next door, and for this Seattle-area guy, it was very handy! Along King Street heading east from the resort there are any number of interesting shops and restaurants, all the way to the Potomac River in the heart of Old Town Alexandria, about a mile away. A free hop-on hop-off trolley runs down King Street, so there is easy access.
The closest “shopping mall” experience we found was four Metro stops away, at the Pentagon City stop: When you exit the Metro station you’ll be inside a fashion mall shopping center, with a variety of stores, including Macy’s and Nordstrom. There is a Harris Teeter supermarket adjacent to that mall, if you need to pick up anything (cooking spices, perhaps?) Since we relied on walking and the Metro, we found those handy to stop, on the way back to the resort from the DC area.
We enjoyed eating a few blocks down King Street at Hard Times Café (several kinds of artisan chili complement their sandwich dishes. Quite tasty!) Ernie’s Crab House, in the same block as the resort, had great seafood. Down near the other end of King Street, (actually on Queen Street) we found Bilbo Baggins Restaurant, with excellent eclectic menu choices and a huge selection of beer and wine. LaPorta’s Restaurant, walking distance about two blocks away on Duke Street, offers great homestyle pasta dishes. We found outstanding New York Style pizza at Quattro Formagii, about a block away. They have a full-service Italian menu as well, but we only tried their pizza. (The pizza delivery place that slips a menu under your door was not very good, and can’t be recommended. Trust me on this one!) And if you need your donut fix, a Dunkin Donuts shop is right across King Street. There were plenty more places to eat, but we’ll save those for our next visit.
The focus of this trip was Americana tourism - seeing the monuments and memorials in DC, as well as several Smithsonian museums. All are free to visit, and well worth the effort to get to them. Even though the Smithsonian museums normally close at 5:00, we discovered one or two stayed open till 7:00 on certain nights, on a rotating schedule. Check the Smithsonian website to see which museums are open later on the days you’ll be there. (This can be helpful to delay your return to the resort, since Metro fares are cheaper after 7:00 PM.)
Be advised that the DC Mall-area maps are VERY misleading: Things are very large, and very far apart! Even though it seems they’re right next to each other, the buildings are huge, and distances are farther than they seem, especially in Summer heat and humidity. Walking from one end of the Mall to the other seems like it’d be an easy thing to do, but it will take its toll. Plan accordingly!
In addition to seeing several Smithsonian Museums, we had arranged through our Senator’s office months ahead of time to get tickets for special things not available for the walk-in tourist. We were able to tour the White House, the Supreme Court, the Capitol, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (that’s the US Mint), and the Library of Congress. Tickets were free, but they required arranging ahead of time. In addition, we attended a Constituent Coffee meeting with our Senator, toured Ford’s Theater, the US Archives, and the Newseum, a special museum dedicated to news media. Very interesting!
We did rent a car for three days, picked up at Reagan National Airport (two Metro stops away.) This allowed us to take an overnight trip along beautiful Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park, to the town of Charlottesville, Virginia, so we could tour Monticello, the family home of Thomas Jefferson. It was truly worthwhile, and highly recommended.
A highlight of the trip was the last day with the rental car, when we drove out to the DC suburb of Chantilly, Virginia, near Dulles Airport, to see the Smithsonian’s “other” Air & Space Museum. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is a huge hangar complex with a huge collection of fascinating aircraft and other flying things. There were many things on display, including missles and satellites, the Space Shuttle Discovery, an SR-71 Blackbird spy plane, an Air France Concorde jet, and the Enola Gay, the B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb to end World War II. It was a great place to experience.
To put it all into perspective, we took a nighttime tour boat ride with Potomac River Boat Company from the pier on the Potomac at the end of King Street, up into DC after dark. The monuments are lit up, and provide a very different experience than how they appear in the daytime. The boat runs from Alexandria to Georgetown, and can be either one-way or round trip. Very worthwhile, and a nice diversion. If we’d had more time, we would have taken an earlier boat up to Georgetown for a nice dinner there, then rode it back to Alexandria after dark. Oh well – maybe next trip!
There is so much more to see in this area than what we had time for, we know we’ll be back. Unlike other trips where we’ve tried to “do it all,” this time we took our time, paced ourselves, we ate and slept well, and we took lots of time out to relax. It has been a marvelous vacation that has given us plenty to talk about, with plenty left for our next trip to this wonderful city.
! Great review! I read every word and was especially interested in how you found the "other" Air & Space Museum and was that always on your itinerary or did you find out about it while you were there?
