NOVA Honeymoon Suggestions (Alexandria, Charlottesville, Mount Vernon: fit in, ferry, vacations)

[CaliTerp07]

Definitely wouldn't recommend staying at National Harbor, actually. It's not easily accessible to downtown at all. Even if you took the water taxi, you'd still have to take a bus/shuttle from the harbor up to the King Street metro. Better to just stay in Alexandria or DC and visit NH for the day if it's something you really want to go see (though personally, there's nothing there but a few overpriced restaurants...)

[TillyMarigold]

Originally Posted by weezycom

Unfortunately, it's not currently in business. A victim of the recession, looking for new owners and to be refurb'd.

Just to be clear, it's the Watergate that's not in business. The Mayflower very much is.

Personally, though, I find it pretentious and stuffy. My job put me up there last time I was in DC for work and I wouldn't choose to stay there again. I guess you could call it luxurious, but I just found it too much. For example, as I hugged the friend who dropped me off good-bye, the bellman grabbed my suitcase even though i'd told him I didn't need help, ran inside, and stood next to the desk waiting for a tip.

[marie5v]

Little Inn at Washington is a pricey but romantic BB. Popular with locals as well as tourists. Old Town Alexandria also a good idea - Morrison House is the most romantic place to stay, but there is also a new hotel down on the eastern side, Hotel Monaco, which I heard is nice. Also, you can metro into DC from Old Town. If you're on a tighter budget than those allow for and don't mind a little extra walking, the Westin Hotel in the newer business section is very nice (not as convenient to Old Town proper), and there is a very convenient Hampton Inn right on King Street near the metro that is not so nice, but not horrible either.

[GoHokiesGo]

Originally Posted by marie5v

Little Inn at Washington is a pricey but romantic BB. Popular with locals as well as tourists. Old Town Alexandria also a good idea - Morrison House is the most romantic place to stay, but there is also a new hotel down on the eastern side, Hotel Monaco, which I heard is nice. Also, you can metro into DC from Old Town. If you're on a tighter budget than those allow for and don't mind a little extra walking, the Westin Hotel in the newer business section is very nice (not as convenient to Old Town proper), and there is a very convenient Hampton Inn right on King Street near the metro that is not so nice, but not horrible either.

Another vote for a visit to the Inn at Little Washington, it's about 90 minutes southwest of DC. The restaurant is world-class cuisine and scenery in the area is beautiful, and there are several very nice wineries in the area. We went for dinner over the summer, and while pricey, it was quite an experience as well; the restaurant lived up to it's world-renowned fame.

Another nice one is L'Auberge Provencale in white post, VA. They also have a great restaurant on the property and are situated near several vineyards. I actually proposed to my wife here, and we had a nice stay at the B&B. The owner and chef are originally from the Provence region of France, so the whole place is decorated and themed around the French country-side.

If you have several days in the DC area, I'd actually suggest maybe hopping around to a few different hotels. Maybe a few days in downtown DC to visit the museums and sight seeing, then the VA country-side and wineries, then maybe hopping into Maryland for some of their historical battlefields and sites as well (VA also has a lot of battlefields too though). Break the trip into segments and try to see a little of everything. But make sure you have plenty of time to relax and enjoy your honeymoon too

[VM1138]

That's a good idea about splitting up the hotels. We were actually thinking of spending the first night in Gettysburg, then heading down to the DC area (Alexandria probably). Hopping around might make it a bit more interesting. Thanks for the input everyone.

[statecollege]

The Inn at Little Washington
Omni Bedford Springs Resort | Pennsylvania Golf & Spa Resort
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park - Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)
Friends of the W&OD Trail
The Mount Vernon Trail

[Alicia Bradley]

Are you primarily interested in DC stuff (museums, monuments, etc.) or rural VA stuff (battlefields, small towns with B&Bs, etc.)? Depending on how long your honeymoon will be, it might not be terribly covenient/pleasant to try to squeeze both of those goals into one trip... especially since you have to head quite a distance from DC to see anything in VA that's truly honeymoon-worthy, IMO (unless, e.g., you were locals trying doing your honeymoon on the cheap). Outisde of Old Town Alexandria, NoVA proper (essentially, places in VA from which you could feasibly commute to DC) isn't really worth seeing in a tourism context (especially on a honeymoon).. big box and indoor malls (some of them dead), chain restaurants (if you're lucky - a lot of the area is strangely devoid of any restaurants, minus a few grungy old-school places that have been grandfathered into the peculiar local zoning regulations), typical '50s-present suburban housing, etc.

How much time have you spent in the DC area?

[JD984]

Originally Posted by Alicia Bradley

Are you primarily interested in DC stuff (museums, monuments, etc.) or rural VA stuff (battlefields, small towns with B&Bs, etc.)? Depending on how long your honeymoon will be, it might not be terribly covenient/pleasant to try to squeeze both of those goals into one trip... especially since you have to head quite a distance from DC to see anything in VA that's truly honeymoon-worthy, IMO (unless, e.g., you were locals trying doing your honeymoon on the cheap). Outisde of Old Town Alexandria, NoVA proper (essentially, places in VA from which you could feasibly commute to DC) isn't really worth seeing in a tourism context (especially on a honeymoon).. big box and indoor malls (some of them dead), chain restaurants (if you're lucky - a lot of the area is strangely devoid of any restaurants, minus a few grungy old-school places that have been grandfathered into the peculiar local zoning regulations), typical '50s-present suburban housing, etc.

How much time have you spent in the DC area?

Nothing like a killjoy with a day off and a lack of appreciation for local restaurants (e.g., L'Auberge Chez Francois, The Inn at Little Washington, Trummer's on Main, Duangrat's, Ray's Hell Burgers, etc.)

Better tell the tourists and visitors they've all been wasting their time at Mount Vernon, Great Falls, Wolf Trap, Leesburg, Middleburg, Dulles Air & Space Museum, etc.

I honestly think that what counts as "honeymoon-worthy" for one couple may or may not count for another. At the end of the day, the company is more important than the destination. I always get the sense that you latch onto threads as an excuse to perpetuate your own dissatisfaction that NoVa isn't some Midwestern college town where you're never more than a quick bike ride away from a PETA protest and a raspberry-vinaigrette salad. The thread is three pages long and the OP is certainly on notice that there's a lot of suburban sprawl in NoVa, along with the region's attractions.

[TillyMarigold]

Originally Posted by JEB77

Nothing like a killjoy with a day off and a lack of appreciation for local restaurants (e.g., L'Auberge Chez Francois, The Inn at Little Washington, Trummer's on Main, Duangrat's, Ray's Hell Burgers, etc.)

Better tell the tourists and visitors they've all been wasting their time at Mount Vernon, Great Falls, Wolf Trap, Leesburg, Middleburg, Dulles Air & Space Museum, etc.

I honestly think that what counts as "honeymoon-worthy" for one couple may or may not count for another. At the end of the day, the company is more important than the destination. I always get the sense that you latch onto threads as an excuse to perpetuate your own dissatisfaction that NoVa isn't some Midwestern college town where you're never more than a quick bike ride away from a PETA protest and a raspberry-vinaigrette salad. The thread is three pages long and the OP is certainly on notice that there's a lot of suburban sprawl in NoVa, along with the region's attractions.

Frankly, I think there are plenty of PETA protests and raspberry vinaigrette salads in the DC metro area!

I've spent many vacations in the DC area and think it's a great honeymoon town ... then again I spent mine at Colonial Williamsburg!

[Flamingo13]

We went to a J.P. in Old Town - still haven't gone on a honeymoon (and that was 17 1/2 yrs. ago, LOL) - someday.......