Family Comforts in Residence Inn by Marriott Alexandria at Carlyle

The family and I have officially set off on our 2010 Road Trip Adventure. For this trip we have partnered up with Residence Inn Hotels*. The choice to do so was an easy one: Residence Inn offers some of the best options in rooms and amenities for traveling families such as mine.

I have reviewed The Residence Inn by Marriott Times Square here before, but I was curious about what other Residence Inn hotels have to offer families on the road.

The first stop on our road trip to Texas was Alexandria, VA. We had planned to spend the fourth of July in Washington, DC and were recommended the Residence Inn by Marriott Alexandria at Carlyle.

The immediate area around the hotel was very quiet, with very little traffic and hardly anyone around at all. It was clear most people had left town for the long weekend. At first I wasn’t sure if we were going to have anything to do. However, only a short walk away we found shops, a large AMC movie theater, and a variety of restaurants to choose from many with outdoor seating. Another wonderful convenience was that the metro (both blue and yellow lines) that take you into DC in 20 minutes were also a short walking distance away.

Though we didn’t tour Alexandria much, we did get to spend some time relaxing in our two-bedroom, two-bathroom suite. The suite also included a full kitchen, dining area, and small living room area with a pull-out couch. Note: though the hotel does offer cribs, they do not offer roll aways. Another note: the hotel welcomes pets, thus if allergic, please make this known upon your reservation.

The bedrooms were spacious and comfortable. The master bedroom offered a gorgeous view, which was the prefect spot for the surprise fireworks display the night before the 4th!

The bathrooms, also spacious, provided us with enough room to comfortably care for our little ones during bath time, teeth brushing, and all the joys of preparation for bed or going out.

Included in the amenities are the many things I love about Residence Inn hotels. Things such as laundry room, fitness center, parking ($15.oo a night, inside, and underground), a small business center, and a breakfast buffet every morning (eggs, sausages, fruits, breads, coffee, juices, etc.). But the one thing that I especially love (and this is one of those rare hotels that has understood the importance of this): free Wifi.

The truth is no traveler likes to feel like they are being nickeled and dimed for services that are such a huge part of every day life, especially traveling families who already spend more than the average traveler on other necessary things. For me, any hotel that has figured out a way to make this work not only for them, but also for their guests gets good marks from me!

I found the staff, specifically the breakfast manager and the front desk staff to be extremely helpful (yes, even staff that I didn’t know I was there to review).

I thought the space was welcoming and comfortable, and in speaking to some guests I was also impressed that so many were having a positive experience there. In our entire stay, the only complaint I heard from the people I spoke to, and some were while we were waiting for the elevator, was how long it took the elevators to reach some of the higher floors. However, I suspect that it had more to do with the traffic heading to breakfast in the morning as this was really the only time I experienced that too.

In the end what made our stay at the Residence Inn in Alexandria, VA a great one and what I believe traveling families like ours will also enjoy is the conditions and quality of the suites (the rate for our two-bedroom suite is $329.00 a night), the amenities, the location (which was great even if you didn’t want to take the metro to DC and just wanted to stay a bit more local), and the friendly staff. Everything was easy to access: from the under ground garage to the metro. In addition, knowing that everything we needed would already be paid for with our room fee eliminates the hassle of trying to figure out what needs to paid later. A huge help for busy travelers.

If you are planning an extended stay, or a trip with the family in or through the area as we were, Residence Inn in Alexandria, VA has a lot of what you would need to make your stay a hassle free and comfortable one.

Thank you to the Management and Staff at Residence Inn by Marriott Alexandria at Carlyle for their service and hospitality.

Residence Inn by Marriott Alexandria at Carlyle

2345 Mill RoadAlexandria, Virginia 22314 USA

Phone:  1-703-549-1155 /Fax :  1-703-549-1496

Hotel Review

*Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. Complimentary accommodations were provided courtesy of Residence Inn in Alexandria at Carlyle. The views and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. For more information please refer to the disclosure page.

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