Why can't I find a cheap hotel in DC? Isn't Virginia pretty far out?

My boyfriend and I are 21 year old students from Scotland who are travelling some states this summer. We're on a budget, and we're looking for something for under $100 a night in DC.





The only places we can find are in Alexandria, Bethesda or a hotel at the airport.





Are any of these places decent enough to get into DC?





We're only there for two days, so wanna explore the proper DC, if there's good transport links from those areas to downtown then that's fine!





Thanks,





Lauren %26lt;3Why can't I find a cheap hotel in DC? Isn't Virginia pretty far out?
Depending on where the hotel is both Alexandria and Bethesda are near the metro which can take you to downtown quickly and easily. As far as the airport hotel - it depends on which airport. There are three in the area and both Dulles and BWI are very far from DC and would make for a really long trip into the city each day. If the airport you're referring to is Washington Reagan airport - that is close to DC and on a metro line. I would recommend using the metro trip planner linked below and entering the hotel's address and some stop downtown (Smithsonian, for example) to get an idea of how long the trip in would take you. A lot of hotels say they are ';close to transit'; and they're not really at all.





Alternatively, if you are comfortable with hostels there are some in downtown DC which are well reviewed and less expensive than a hotel. I haven't stayed at any personally but as far as location Hostelling International, District Hotel, and Gallery Inn will put you in interesting (and safe) downtown neighborhoods. You'll get much more of the DC feel here than staying in an airport hotel.Why can't I find a cheap hotel in DC? Isn't Virginia pretty far out?
We are at the peek of travel season right now so prices go up whether the hotel is worth it or not and your going to be in the north. It's going to be expensive there. I found that out the hard way!





I went to Boston and they don't know the idea of the word inexpensive. You just have to have a lot of research and that doesnt always help.
there are quite a few sites that you can search that will likely show you great hotels at the best prices available. check out the website BookMe and you will be able to compare prices on all the reputable travel sites in just a couple minutes. it's very convenient and will save you a bunch of time and money. Also, make sure you buy them online... otherwise they charge much higher fees for phone orders. good luck.
It depends on where you are in Va..pretty much any where in northern va and maryland are expensive. You will probably only find 200 plus per night hotels.





Bethesda and Alexandria are close...you can get in the metro....but those places are aweful full opf rude people
Alexandria is WAY too far! Bethesda, Rockville, Silver Spring, and Kensington are some close by areas in Maryland that are close to DC. All of these places have a public transportation system that can lead you to the metro. The DC metro site is http://www.wmata.com/





Bethesda is a bit expensive, but the other places I mentioned are a lot cheaper. Silver Spring and Kensington aren't as ';good'; neighborhoods as Rockville and Bethesda are, but they usually have the cheapest places. Check with whatever hotel you book on whether or not they have a shuttle that takes you to the metro. Also ask them your options in terms of buses and public transportation.





I believe Rockville, Silver Spring, Bethesda, and Kensington are all part of Montgomery County, MD, which uses the ';Ride On'; bus. Here is the web site for the bus system: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/tsvtmp鈥?/a>


It might be a pain to bus to the metro, but you will save a lot of money.





EDIT: This place is like $65/night, and offers a ';limited complimentary shuttle'; to the metro (I'm guessing the Rockville Stop on the Red Line, if you want to compare it to the metro's website's map). It doesn't have very good reviews but if you want cheap, you can't be too picky. There are tons of cheap places around Rockville...


http://www.hotels.com/property.do?positi鈥?/a>