I will be back..From time to time....In the meantime www.fabdirect.com...
I will be back..From time to time....In the meantime www.fabdirect.com...
Member since:19.03.2006
Reviews:44
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Arriving at Washington's Union Station we noticed two things; It was HOT,the temperature it was nudging 100oF. The place was full of Boy Scouts!
We reached Washington at Jamboree time, where tens of thousands of Scouts converge on Washington for their jamboree in Caroline County just outside Washington. So navigating our way through sweaty Boy Scouts and trying to keep up with our Red Cap (station porter) we eventually made it out to the taxi rank. "whey-hedin Sur" , "PhoenixPark Hotel, please" , "Sure thang" The Taxi Driver had a wry smile on his face as he packed our luggage and we fell into the back of the cab , glad to be out of the heat. So we headed out into the mass of sightseeing buses and taxi's round to the left, off round the Capitol Building, back down Capitol St, and low and behold the Hotel infront of us. I could have thrown our case's from the station and they would have landed in the hotel lobby, it was that close. The taxi Driver left knowing that was the easiest 10 bucks he'd make that day.
The Pheonix Park Hotel -------------------------------- Now I guess most people would book this Hotel from reviewing the website, so we start there:-
Website ------------ At first glance the website looks like it was done back in the 90's, a little bit amaturish. The background buff and plain, it really does not grab your attention. In fact in my initail search for a hotel I discounted this hotel mainly because of the poor website. That said it is easy to navigate, with button menu for reservations,rooms,banquet facilities,dining,location map (terrible map) and "about us" section. At the top of the page is thier slogan in gaelic "Cead Mile Failte"- A Hundred Thousand Welcomes
(more on that later) Under which is the usual american blurb likening the hotel "to an 18 century Irish manor" . But they could really do with a going over from a good web designer, as you see if you go onto the reservation page, which is how we booked our room. Safe to say we had no problems there.
Outside and Lobby -------------------------- The hotel is located on the corner of the block on Capitol Street, a block down from Union Station, and the metro. In front of the hotel is a park that leads to the Capitol Building, 2 blocks down. Also 2 blocks down is a handy shopping mall. Most of the sites are walkable from the hotel if you like a good walk, or in the station forecourt there is a plethora of tours available. From outside the hotel looks like one of the 1900's tenament buildings common in the eastern seaboard. Only the white coving giving the red brick structure a modern look. The building is tall and narrow , covering 8 floors. There is a small car unloading area with canopy. Parking (public multi-story) is in the rear of the block. An impressive front door, large glass framed door with gleaming brass handles. And behind the door is a big framed doorman with a gleaming smile. Expecting the lobby to be a large expanse of marble and brass we were suprised how small it was. The reception desk is immediately to the right, with a small seating area to the left. The decor reminded me of a town house hotel in Bath UK ,being chinzy and fussy , with alot of wood panelling and large oil paintings. A well presented young woman greeted us, but on finding we were British she told us about the bomb attacks that had happened in the UK. It was a bit distressing to get the news that up to 500 hundred people had been killed (early reports on US news) Luckily an older woman overheard her young colleuge and came to our aid. She dealt with our check-in and offered the use of a private phone in her office to check home, as I work in the City alot of my colleuges would be affected. Nice touch. Our luggage was taken to our room by the bell hop who wanted to demonstrated just about every gadget going, I flashed a $10 he took the hint and left us to it.
Room --------- As we were only there the night we went for the standard room. The bathroom is situated by the door and opens into a huge room with His/Hers wash basin with full width mirror ,shaving mirror, makeup mirror, iron,ironing board and chair. No bath, but a large walk in hydro-shower. The Bedroom is small. The room is about 12x 16ft and once the queen bed is in it does not leave alot of room. There is a freestanding wardrobe, sideboard with mirror, fridge, and coffee making table. The TV is in a huge cabinet with storage underneath. The TV was on freeview and Nintendo games and controllers were present, but did not try. There were a few spare plug sockets and a broadband connection. Overall the room was clean, smelt nice(most important mrs scenic likes) but was dimly light, with a small window which faced the rear of the hotel. The suites face front and overlook a park. The bed was comfortable, and had a goodnight sleep, mainly due to the fact that there was no air con. plant buzzing away all night. They infact have the air con. plant in the basement and pipe the air around the building, and you control the air vents and fan in your room, it works well.
Dining --------
Pictures of Phoenix Park Hotel, Washington, DC
The Phoenix Park lit up
This is where The Phoenix gets a split personality. You enter the dining room from the lobby, the large oak door has a gaelic shield with "The Dubliner" the Irish Pub. Now imagine walking out of your chinzy hotel into an Irish Pub for your meal. The Bar was packed, it seemed that Washington's young and trendy like this format. We waited to be seated in the bar, and were about to turn tail and find something a little more refined when. "Hello Sir, how are we today" Gulp. The restaurant was busy as well, large groups had pulled tables together and we were offered a table for two in a corner. Being British and not wanting to upset our friendly host, we asked if he had a table in a quieter area, he suggested that we might want to go outside, they have a slightly raised area on the sidewalk, and although there was the usual street noise it was better than indoors with the sociable americans. It was clear the Irish Pub was a hit with the locals, it had all the Irish Pub decor and features, and by the time we left a folk band was in full swing. The menu promised much. A heavy Irish theme, with some local dishes thrown in for good measure. I went for the Deep sea Pollock with chunky Irish chips Mrs scenic went for the Chicken Salad. I've had Pollock before but not like this, the fish was dry and the batter it was cooked in was running with oil. The chips were by Mc Cain. We eat as much as we dared, put the meal on the room bill , and got out . We decided to have a stroll in the park opposite, it had cooled to a more bareable 75oF. As we crossed the road and headed into the park I noticed alot of street people gathering , so we gave that a miss as well . Breakfast is served in, yes you guest it, "the dubliner". The place was deserted, the smart people ordering room service of course. So for nearly half an hour we had the place to ourselves. Mrs scenic felt a bit delicate, she opted for tea and toast. I of course went all out for the Irish breakfast; Irish sausage, Irish bacon, Irish potatoes, "Would you like any sauce with that Sir" "Only if it's Irish" I replied, my English sense of humor lost on this poor soul. The only memorable part of breakfast was the tea, proper tea, like wot yer get in Ireland.Check out -------------- Our check out was more pleasant. The bill came to $359.25 about £200 @ 1.80 exchange rate We asked if we could keep the room until 14.00pm as we were booked on a train at 15.00pm which they were happy to do.
Prices --------
Standard rooms start this year from $409 our room last year was $299. The website states that prices reflect demand, this seems common practice in the US. book early!
Bi-level suites from $699 This room has seperate living room and two TV's
Penthouse suite from $899 Top floor with seperate bedroom, living, and dining room
The Dubliner you can get a three course meal for $40 per head
Getting there ----------------- Most people would be flying into BWI . Take the MARC (underground) north on the green line, change onto the red line and head east to Union Station.
Train station is 200 meters from hotel, turn right out of station, follow block down to lights, cross left, hotel infront of you.
the nearest interstate is I395.
Washington ----------------- You can "do" Washington in about 4 hours by tour bus. We are not the sort of people that have a tick list , and Washington is that kind of city. The flavour of a City or area is what we look for, and to be honest Washington was just a stageing post for us on the route across the US. If you would like specific information, please leave a message in my guestbook, and will be happy to help
Conclusion --------------- The Phoenix Park is a good 3 star hotel. Well located, with staff who try that little bit harder. They don't do themselves any favours with the out of date website, and the Irish Pub theme as the only method of dining must put off alot of people. But if you want a comfortable, friendly hotel, near the major attractions of Washington this could be for you.
Phoenix Park Hotel 520, North Capitol Street. N.W. Washington, D.C. 20001 044 800/824 5419 toll free 044 202/638 6900 044 202/393 3236 fax www.phoenixparkhotel.com
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Hey great review. Sounds like a decnet hotel. Washington is interesting, but sad to see how deprived some areas are. Anyway, thats 'off topic', its all about the hotel! Cheers, Dan.
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