Capitol Hill Vacation Rental townhome

This property was a great fit for our group of 5 adults and 4 kids (ages 9-12) who were in DC for a week-long educational vacation. The first and foremost benefit of this house is its location! Everything it seems was within a 5 block walk including the Congress, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, convenience & grocery shopping, dining, entertainment and access to Metro and bus lines. The neighborhood seemed completely safe – at least as much as any urban setting can be.

The galley kitchen though snug served our needs well. Each day, we cooked a big breakfast and packed lunches to eat while in the city. About half our dinners were cooked there with dining out and delivery on the other evenings. “Laundry Access” meant planning around a part-time owner-occupant in the basement unit, but it easily allowed us to get 5-6 loads done during the week.

There are three bedrooms and one full bathroom on each of the second and third floors. No problem for the kids but for adults accustomed to a private “master bath,” you may want to pack a robe or PJ's. Upstairs a/c is window units that all worked well for us. Abundant fire alarms gave us peace of mind, and the back patio was great too!

On the downside, there were a lot of stairs but again the location demands it, and in our case it was worth it. There was no air conditioning on the first floor, so we opened the front and back doors to take in the late spring breezes. Bedding reviews were mixed but after 10-12 hours of walking in the city, no one missed any winks either. Water pressure was weak but really not an issue for us once we learned to plan around it. (The delay timer on the dishwasher helped a lot.) Some of our group who are in the lodging business missed daily housekeeping but that affects any house rental - not this property.

In the end, our group felt overwhelmingly that the pros far outweighed the cons. Before we arrived, we were concerned that the period furnishings may be too fussy for kids, but by the time we departed, the only casualties were three drinking glasses – all broken by adults, I might add. The cost of the rental was significantly offset by the savings on food and rental cars. Plus, for a bunch of suburbanites, a 10 minute walk to and from the action each day and without having to find and pay for parking…priceless. The owners were so easy to work with too. We highly recommend this property!

We had a mini-family reunion in late April 2009. Nine people, age range 85 to 27. (There is sleeping space for more!) This was a perfect choice for the gathering. Location, location, location is right - it was great being just minutes (instead of a half hour or an hour) away from all the attractions we wanted to visit. A 30 minute walk in the mornings took me by the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, completely around the Capitol Building, and home again.

I endorse everything from the review by "familyofnine" except one item - the leak in the 2d floor shower apparently was resolved when we were there a week or two later.

The house is very spacious, very clean, and quite comfortable. None of the "musty" or "mildew" scents sometimes found with old restored places (that's important because my wife is hypo-allergic to those issues).

The wireless internet access is terrific, quite fast and easy. We had a number of computers and users and I never noticed any slowdown.

The flower garden front yard was just beautiful in April. The back yard deck/sitting/garden area was nice (small), and several of us had morning coffee out there.

The kitchen is small and tight, with limited counter space, but has all the appliances you want. The pots and pans are limited, but then no one does any serious cooking on this kind of trip anyway. There's a good full-service grocery store a mile or two away, at 14th and Pennsylvania. If you've got a car it's very convenient. Otherwise there are several little neighborhood stores and bodegas within 1 to 3 blocks range

Street parking for one car was fine - the owner let us use a neighborhood parking pass. Parking during the day was easy, when people in the neighborhood went to work. Parking at night-time was more of a challenge. Pay attention to the signs for street cleaning days - we saw a few vehicles left in the wrong place being towed away.

The living room is a bit formal, sort of "your grandmother's" style. We found ourselves mostly hanging out around the dining table, closer to the fridge and kitchen anyway.

One note that should be obvious - there are a lot of stairs in a 3-floor townhouse, including the front exterior stairs. That will be a limitation for people with mobility concerns.

All in all, I highly recommend the place. A lovely spot, it was a great choice and a great experience for our group.