My wife and I stayed at the Madera this past weekend while escaping to DC for our first trip without the kids in this millennium. We had a great stay at the Madera. It's location is very convenient to all of the happenings in Dupont Circle and not a bad walk to all of the major monuments and museums.

The service at the Madera was excellent. The staff was friendly and helpful. The room was spacious and very clean. We arrived early and had no problems checking in. Although I did call them the day before and mention that we may arrive before the 3pm check-in time. Check out was at noon, which was great because it gave us a chance to eat a later brunch and take out time packing. Since we didn't have to leave the area until 2ish, they held our bags for us after we checked out so that we could continue to explore the city as though we were still on vacation and not be stuck sitting in the lobby until we needed to depart.

On Saturday night, after dinner at a Thai restaurant recommended by the lobby clerk, we had a late-night snack and desert at the restaurant in the hotel (the Firefly). The cheese plate was one of the better ones we've had, and we have cheese plates just about everywhere one is offered. Our waitress, Ivy, was excellent. She was fun, efficient, helpful, and polite. Everything you could ask for in a waitress. We also ate Sunday brunch at the Firefly. And although the prices were rather high, the food and service were once again excellent.

The only negative we ran into during our stay was the cost of their parking. At $35 +tax ($39.40 total), we felt it was way over-priced. I'm not sure what their reason is for the excessive cost, but it wasn't explained to us in any acceptable manner. There did appear to be cheaper parking garages in the area, but we weren't aware of them when we checked in. On the bright side, the valet was great. He was friendly and accommodating and packed our bags into our car for us while we were out, and did an conscientious job of it as well.

All in all, we would definitely stay here again when we visit the city. Even if we brought our children.

I visit DC regularly but this was my first stay at the Madera. Overall, I would give this hotel high marks. The staff was extremely friendly and the location right off of Dupont Circle was very convenient. The room showed a little bit of age but was nicely appointed and beautifully decorated in a very upscale fashion. Many of the rooms have balconies overlooking the street below. There is a restaurant (Firefly) in the hotel and although I didn't eat there, it seemed to be rather popular. Also, this is a pet friendly hotel, which I always consider to be a plus. The price I paid was OK, but if you can find good internet deals I would probably pick Hotel Palomar or Jury"s Washington first. If nothing was available for a reasonable price at either of those, then Hotel Madera would definitely be my next choice.

We only stayed for one night but wished we had more time. It was our first time staying in a hotel with our dog (she is a 2 yr. old lab) and we were nervous. Hotel Madrea was more than welcoming with a bowl of water waiting for the dog and a compliementary glass of wine for us!

Can not wait to go back for a longer stay!

After a long drive from New York City in a stressful rainstorm, we checked into the Madera Hotel and, suddenly, all of our worries immediately went away. The hotel staff is extremely nice and they appeared to be genuinly happy to see us. Our room, on the 6th floor was spacious, clean and pleasantly decorated. Our room featured two wonderful double beds, each with 2 soft feather pillows, 2 large square pillows and one funky zebra-print pillow. There was a regular-sized television, a CD player and an ipod docking station. There was a small area with a desk and couch and a lovely balcony overlooking picturesque Dupont Circle: a fantastic neighborhood with lots to see and do. To make up for the small bathroom, there was a medium-sized sink area with a mirror and a great makeup mirror.

This hotel was just perfect for our needs. Though it wasn't exactly cheap, it fit within our budget and was definitely worth every penny. To make things even more enjoyable, the hotel provides little perks like a bathrobe, wine glasses, free wifi, a cordless phone, a free wine hour in the evening and milk and cookies at night.

The hotel's location is centrally-located in the heart of Dupont Circle where we were within easy walking distance to great restaurants, shops and monuments. It is about a 15 minute walk to Georgetown and a quick Metro ride to the National Mall area.

I hightly recommend this hotel. It has a great vibe, a positive attitude and down-to-earth service. I will definitely stay here again.