Bed-and-breakfast inns for spring and summer

Thistle Hill Bed and Breakfast
5541 Sperryville Pike (Highway 522)
Boston, Va.
(540) 987-9357
Rates: $145-$195
Thistle Hill is also a wellness center situated on 10 pristine acres. Indulge in a dry blood-cell analysis, energy balance or aromatherapy consultation. Dinner is included in the price of many packages. On the menu: organic lobster or filet mignon cooked up by the inn owners and served in the great room of the main house.

There are three free-standing cottages along with two rooms in the 5,000-square-foot main house. Unlike many bed-and-breakfast facilities in the area, this one is relatively new. It was built in 1976.

Aaron Shipman House
Q Street N.W. near 13th Street
(202) 328-3510
Rates: $90-$250
Guests stroll in the garden or play the piano in this Victorian home built in 1887. The six guest rooms feature original wood paneling, stained-glass windows, antique chandeliers and a Victorian-style lattice porch.

A fully equipped one-bedroom apartment is also available for monthly stays. The inn also offers reserved off-street parking.

Adams Inn
1744 Lanier Pl. N.W.
(202) 745-3600
Rates: $75-$95
Adams Inn is one of the largest bed and breakfasts in D.C. with 25 rooms and a mix of private and shared baths. It sits on a quiet street just a couple blocks from the nightlife and dining strip of Adams Morgan.

It was fully renovated in 2002, and breakfast is served daily in one of the two houses that the Adams Inn spans.

Akwaaba Bed and Breakfast
16th and R streets N.W.
(866) 466-3855
Rates: $150-$190
This 1890s historic mansion in Dupont Circle features individually decorated rooms dedicated to world-renowned African American authors. The home has eight rooms with private baths including the Zora Neale Hurston Suite, the Langston Hughes Suite and the all-white-trimmed Inspiration Suite.

The bed and breakfast offers in-house spa services like a couples massage or more standard favorites like manicures or pedicures. The Whipped Cream and Pleasant Dreams package comes with champagne or cider served with homemade whipped cream and strawberries for $40.

Chester A. Arthur House
Logan Circle at 13th St. N.W.
(877) 893-3233
Rates: $115-$195
The moniker of this three-bedroom house is dedicated to drawing attention to “forgotten presidents,” but visitors will not soon forget walking to the White House from this opulent Victorian residence.

The house, built in 1883, with its mahogany spiral staircase, has been featured in a Discovery Channel special, was included on the Logan Circle Victorian Christmas House Tour and has been the site of many National Geographic Society Christmas parties.

Businesspeople will appreciate the location in Logan Circle, just blocks from the Convention Center and D.C.’s main business district. An elaborate hot cooked breakfast is standard fare here.

Bed and Breakfast on U St.
17th and U streets N.W.
(877) 893-3233
Rates: $110-$250
The Bed and Breakfast on U St. is located just three blocks from Washington’s thriving U Street corridor, where it’s easy to walk to restaurants, shopping and nightclubs. This Victorian-style house includes four individually decorated bedrooms with hardwood floors, carved wood trim, fireplaces and towering ceilings.

Meridian Manor
16th and U streets N.W.
(877) 893-3233
Rates: $125-$250
The owners of this manor also run the Bed and Breakfast on U St. across the way, and they seem to have an affinity for naming rooms after the colors of wall paint. The Chocolate Room is one of six bedrooms in the home; its walls are painted brown. The Suede Room features taupe walls.

An apartment is also available for longer stays. An additional $15 per night will get a road-weary traveler a garaged parking space.

Carriage House on Capitol Hill
3rd Street and South Carolina Avenue S.E.
(877) 893-3233
Rates: $120-$195
The Carriage House is unique in D.C. because it boasts a new main house adjoined to a historic, turn-of-the-century carriage house. The building is modern in its design but with Old World touches and antiques.

Guests staying in the two available rooms can lounge on the patio or in the garden or venture over to nearby Garfield Park.

Just five blocks away from the Capitol South Metro station, the location is ideal for tourists looking to visit the Capitol or for people conducting business on the Hill.

Inn at Dupont Circle
1312 19th St. N.W.
(202) 467-6777 or (866) 467-2100
Rates: $95-$215
One of the most notable things about this 1885 Victorian town house is the food made within it. The owners insist upon fresh fruit and organic meat. They routinely bake fresh bread in the light-drenched kitchen.

Astrologer Jeane Dixon used to own this home, featuring 12-foot ceilings, white marble floors and cherry-pine hardwood floors. Visitors without a car have no reason to worry, or sweat, because the Dupont Circle Metro station is just seconds away.

The Dupont at the Circle
1604 19th St. N.W.
(202) 332-5251 or (888) 412-0100
Rates: $160-$450
The name says it all: The Dupont at the Circle boasts a location a half-block away from the Metro, making all the area has to offer easily accessible. Seven bedrooms and two suites have private baths boasting claw-foot or Jacuzzi tubs.

To start the night off right, try the Simply Romantic package and enjoy champagne and a flower arrangement when you arrive. Men can indulge in the Metrosexual Special for a manicure, pedicure and facial.

The inn also provides concierge service — a rarity among bed-and-breakfast establishments in the district.

Swiss Inn
1204 Massachusetts Ave. N.W.
(202) 371-1816 or (800) 955-7947
Rates: $89-$149
The Swiss Inn is unique because it houses eight studio apartments in a turn-of-the-century brownstone.

Every room is decorated uniquely with modern amenities, a fully equipped kitchenette and a private full bath. The location makes this bed and breakfast convenient to the White House, Smithsonian museums and Embassy Row, among other favorite tourist stops.

The Windsor Inn
842 16th Street N.W.
(202) 667-0300 or (800) 423-9111
Rates: $99-$250
The Windsor Inn is one of the largest bed and breakfasts in the city, with 46 rooms. Art enthusiasts will appreciate the art deco lobby with original curved counters, moldings and floor tiles from the 1920s.

Guests can choose from twin-bed singles, two double beds or suites with queen-sized beds and a kitchenette.

Tourists exhausted from the days sightseeing can partake of complimentary sherry in the evening.

Woodley Park Guest House
2647 Woodley Road N.W.
(202) 667-0218 or (866) 667-0218
Rates: $80-175
Just two blocks from the National Zoo and steps from the Metro, the Woodley Park Guest House is a prime location for touring families. All 18 rooms were renovated in 2001.

The bedrooms are uniquely furnished with antiques, but bring to mind more visions of Middle America than Victorian England.

Swann House
1808 New Hampshire Ave. N.W.
(202) 265-4414
Rates: $140-$345
Walter Paris, an architect in the service of the British crown, built this historic house in 1883.

The Romanesque house has a sunroom overlooking a pool, so summer visitors have somewhere to cool off.

Couples can request a massage or a specially prepared, romantic dinner for two before heading off to experience all that nearby Dupont Circle has to offer.

The Richard Johnston Inn
711 Caroline Street
Fredericksburg, Va.
(540) 899-7606 or (877) 557-0770
Rates: $95-$190
The Richard Johnston Inn along with Old Towne Fredericksburg offers an ideal get away for a vacation, weekend retreat, business trip or conference. It’s located just three blocks from the Amtrak Station, and only an hour by train from Washington, D. C.

The seven rooms and two suites, all with private baths, have been decorated with antiques, luxurious linens and oriental rugs.

Monday – Friday, you can enjoy extended continental breakfast consisting of fresh fruit, home-baked goods, cereals, yogurt, coffee, tea and juices. On Saturday and Sunday enjoy full breakfasts.

The Ashby Inn & Restaurant
692 Federal Street
Paris, Va.
(540) 592- 3900 or (866) 336-0099
Rates: $145-$250
The 1829 Ashby Inn & Restaurant is located in the quiet village of Paris, Virginia one hour west of Washington, DC. The inn is at the very center of our country's dynamic first century. From George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette to Stonewall Jackson and John Singleton Mosby, the village has played an integral part in the lives of those who shaped America.

Paris is in the midst of Virginia's "hunt country," known and loved for the rolling hills and fields, magnificent estates, winding roads and stone walls.

The inn proper houses six guest rooms with private baths. From the two Dominion rooms on the third floor to the Fan Room with its private entrance, balcony and stunning views. All rooms are furnished with period pieces.

The Kalorama Guest House
Two locations:
Kalorama Park
1854 Mintwood Pl. N.W.
(202) 667-6369
The Kalorama Guest House
Woodley Park
2700 Cathedral Ave. N.W.
(202) 328-0860
Rates: $55-135
The Victorian inn, built in 1910, borrows from the European Bed and Breakfast tradition, but it feels distinctly American. The rooms are filled with bold touches: brass beds, Oriental carpets, green plants, and turn-of-the-century artwork. Guests can stay in lush rooms with shared or private baths or a two-room suite.

There is also a conference room available for the visiting business person. Both locations are situated just blocks from an array of ethnic restaurants, night spots, and antique shops. Kalorama offers a $20 off coupon for those that visit their Website: www.kaloramaguesthouse.com.

1890's Townhouse
East West and Light streets.
Baltimore, Md.
(877) 893-3233
Rates: $125-150
Guests who don’t mind a commute into Washington will be delighted with the 1890’s Townhouse. It’s located in Federal Hill, a neighborhood primarily of brick, late 19th century homes. Guests who want to get a taste of more local culture can walk to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

Of course, visitors won’t have to live in the 1800’s because the house has been renovated to provide all of the modern amenities. The furniture—antiques and modern furniture alike lends itself to the clash of time evident in this townhouse.