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Checking in at the Avenue Suites D.C.
While I love living in Baltimore, I find myself in D.C. at least a couple times a month to discover new restaurants, boutiques, and events. It’s always fun to get out of your own backyard – so when fellow blogger Anna Elizabeth and photographer Jade Nikkole suggested we spend a weekend in the nation’s capital together, I said I was in!
We were super excited to make the Avenue Suites D.C. our home base because of its location. A historic neighborhood with cobblestone streets, Georgetown is lined with high-end shops and restaurants. It also has a soft spot in my heart – growing up, I would make trips to Georgetown with my parents to picnic on the lawn at the Washington Cathedral, or stroll the grounds of Dumbarton Oaks. Later, my Mom and I would make little shopping trips to the consignment stores on Wisconsin Avenue, like Secondhand Rose and the Christ Child Opportunity Shop. Senior year of high school I spent every Saturday wandering around Georgetown with a friend who had just started at American University. We would meet in DuPont Circle and walk along P Street soaking in the freedom of being in the city and the picturesque houses washed in the patina of old money. In college, as more of the little boutiques made way for big-name designers, Georgetown is where I spent my first surplus paycheck on a pair of Burberry sunglasses and Joe’s Jeans from Cusp.
This time around, Anna, Jade and I had sightseeing and food on the mind more than shopping! We planned our itinerary down to the hour, so that by the time we pulled up at the hotel we had already visited the National Arboretum, and we were ready with a list of delicious destinations downtown.
With my favorite Away carry-on – get $20 of your first AWAY bag with my referral link (discount reflected in checkout after you set up an account).
First, the Avenue Suites D.C. is situated right on the edge of downtown Georgetown, so it’s easily accessible and there’s room for several cars in front of the hotel where you can taxi and unload your luggage. This is critical if (like me) you stress a lot about parking.
From the moment we stepped into the hotel and were greeted by the staff, we felt completely at home. We were quickly ushered up to our two adjoining suites, where a bottle of champagne, bouquet of flowers, and cupcakes from Baked and Wired were waiting!
Both rooms had kitchenettes with dishes and cutlery, microwaves, mini fridges, and really nice coffee-makers (essential for me, because I need caffeine immediately after my alarm goes off). We took a few minutes to change, soak in our spacious accommodations, and resist eating the cupcakes before venturing out into downtown Georgetown, about a half mile down M Street.
We got a table at Ladurée where we people-watched and ate too many macarons, stopped at Grace Street Coffee for espresso, listened to street musicians, strolled alongside the canal down to the water to take in the Potomac at sunset, and dipped into a few stores to check out holiday items – taking photos all along the way, of course! We ended our afternoon on a sugar high back at the Avenue Suites D.C. After a quick change, we settled in for cocktails and pizza at the hotel restaurant, La Piazza. By this point it had become quite chilly and the fire was on in the lobby and on the patio. It was lovely to be able to enjoy our drinks by fire while we waited for our food.
Hands down the reason I like booking boutique hotels like the Avenue Suites is because they are so much more intimate than large chains. The Avenue Suites’ hotel lobby, La Piazza restaurant, and patio area are well-designed with cozy nooks that encourage socializing in public areas but also make you feel like you have your own little space to relax in. I especially liked this little area with its selection of coffee table books and marble-framed fireplace.
After dinner, we took our nightcaps up to the room to hang out some more before calling it a night – with two king size beds and two pull-out couches, it wasn’t difficult to get comfortable.
On day two, we woke up early to shoot content at the Jefferson Memorial (only a seven minute drive away and it’s simply beautiful in the early morning light) then met up with another blogger to shoot together at the Capitol. We made it back to the hotel just in time to enjoy that bottle of champagne and the cupcakes before checkout!
My favorite part of our stay was sipping my drink by one of the fire pits on the patio. There’s something to be said for outdoor space that’s functional in the wintertime – it definitely made me feel cozy. I also loved that the hotel was pet friendly. After checkout, I had a friend meet me in the lobby and she brought her dog, who was instantly plied with treats by Nico, the customer experience manager.
The Avenue Suites D.C. has such an amazing location, everywhere we wanted to go was a walk or short drive away. I can’t thank the hotel team enough for making us feel so welcome – from the flowers and treats in our room to the attentiveness of the staff, we truly felt like we had a home away from home.
If you enjoyed this post you might also like:
A Girls’ Weekend in Georgetown at The Avenue Suites DC
A Stylish Stay at the Gansevoort NYC
Photo Credit: Jade Nikkole Photography
