DC Hotel Palomar Dupont Circle-Woodley Park

[slygirl]

This hotel is in a great location and is within walking distance from Dupont Circle metro station. Checking in was a breeze, and the front desk staff was polite and helpful. They gave me a King Executive Suite (Room 505), which overlooked P Street. Nice view, but you definitely don't want to walk naked in front of the windows, unless you are some kind of exhibitionist. This room was huge! With the right set-up, it could double as a meeting room. Although it is part of a suite, the other room was occupied by another guest and therefore the doors linking the two rooms were locked. The room was tastefully furnished with modern decor, but nothing too over the top. They have these really heavy animal print bath robes in the closet that you can wear during your stay (or purchase for $150). There was a wide screen TV with DVD player as well as a large executive desk that was very comfortable to sit at. Wi-fi had strong connection and I loved that you just use your email address to log in instead of your member number like other frequent hotel guest programs.

The bathroom, as well as the tub, was standard and had Aveda amenities. Water pressure was good and I also had a nice soak in the tub. Baths are always nicer when you're not the one cleaning the tub afterward. They have a list of amenities that you might have forgotten that you can request at the front desk complimentary, and other bathroom items that cost extra, but nothing too expensive. For example, aspirin I think was $2 and when I went to CVS, it retailed for $1.99.

Since everything around me was closed, I was pretty much forced to eat at their hotel restaurant, Urbana, which wasn't a bad thing. The great thing about this hotel was that the in-room dining menu prices weren't exorbitant and if you went down to Urbana, you would be paying the same price for the entrees, minus the service charge and the delivery charge. I went down to the restaurant and sat at the bar. It was fairly empty, but I had a pizza and a glass of wine. Being nearly empty, service was very good. James the bartender was great and I met a few interesting people. There is also an evening hotel social hour in the lobby where they serve olives and wine and guests of the hotel can meet one another (as well as their doggies!).

I had a friend of mine stay with me and we both forgot our toothbrushes, so we went to the front desk to request them. They didn't have any floss, but the security guard said he would find some for us. Five minutes later, there was a knock at our door, and he had found dental floss and gave us mouthwash as well! We ordered in-room dining: a fruit plate, chocolate cake, and tea, which turned out to be expensive once you factored in the service charge and delivery charge, but it was good eating as we spent most the night watching a DVD she brought from home. The majority of the fruit was not ripe, but the sweetness of the cake balanced that out.

In the morning, we found out the walls are thin as we heard TVs and kids screaming and sounds of "Housekeeping!" every 10 minutes. Also, the locked door that connected the room next door was open, even though I couldn't open it the night before, which I thought was weird. Checking out was also very easy. They slipped the bill under the door and since I didn't have any issues with the additional charges, I left my room keys at the front desk and was on my way. Overall, a really great way to spend Thanksgiving and I hope to return really soon!