Dupont at The Circle

I believe that while traveling, attempting to live like a local is way more fun. My boyfriend and I stayed at Dupont at the Circle for a week and we had a fabulous time exploring DuPont Circle like locals. Alan and Anexora — the owners — befriend everyone passing through and are a tremendous resource of things to do (botanical gardens, philips museum) and places to eat (DGS and Rasika).
Beyond the hosts, the room was amazing! We stayed in the Pinacle suite — it was romantic and peaceful — a perfect homebase. A bathroom to die for and great rooftop porch. The breakfast was just perfect — great coffee and really enjoyable to get to know other guests passing through.
A few comments from others that have recently stayed in the room:
— «We had such a wonderful time! The hot tub was perfect to soothe our sore muscles.» — Chloe & Graham, London UK, Nov. 2012
— «I live just 15 minutes away, but wanted different scenery to bring in 2013. The Pinacle Suite was perfect! Maria & David, Jan. 2013

The area of Dupont Circle, aside from the weedy, bum-​laden circle itself, is a lovely district replete with little shops, restaurants, green trees, stately brick homes, and majestic embassies. The B&B is right in the heart of things quite close to the Dupont metro stop, so it’s very easy to get to by taking public transport from Union Station.
The room itself was on the second floor, and consisted of two rooms. Sadly, neither of the rooms contained a bathroom, nor bathrobes for our eventual walk down the hall to the WC/​bath. (We should have asked if the room was «en suite»; we naively assumed that it would be.) Resh, the manager, was quick to point out that we’d be the only folk on the 2^nd floor, so privacy would be a given as we made our way down the hall to the «powder room.» That really wasn’t so, as the floor is actually shared by staff for laundry purposes, and, of course, those staying one floor above use it to come and go.
Our space was tidy, but lacking a wardrobe. (Read: no place to hang up clothes.) The cabinetry, filled with books and dvd’s, had loose doors that were kept closed by folded-​up sheets of paper, and magazine pages. –kind of a tacky touch. The bed, however attractive, had a really soft mattress, and I woke up after the first night with a sharp pain in my neck and upper shoulder.
Breakfast was not much to write home about. There were bagels, some fruit, and yogurt. However, the dining room table sat many, and there was nice conversation that filled the morning as we sat drinking coffee and juice. (One thing I thought odd was that the manager’s friend had joined us for breakfast, and seemed to be around the entirety of the day. He was never introduced, nor was it clear what his function was at the inn.)
The manager was asked about early morning transport to Union Station. (We’d needed to catch a train and the metro wouldn’t be up and running prior to our departure time.) He’d said that one could just stand outside and wait for a taxi, or he could make a call to someone whom he knew. (I wasn’t sure if this person was a taxi driver, or what, but I’d heard his name mentioned before as someone who was slated to drive another guest somewhere.) As we didn’t feel comfortable leaving our getting to the station on time to chance, we’d opted for his contact. The price quote to the train station from the inn was $ 20.00. Not knowing any better, we agreed. Both our phone numbers were given to the driver, so that he could make contact with us the morning of our departure.
At the appointed hour, neither of our phones rang. After waiting for ten minutes, we simply made our way out to the main thoroughfare just two blocks from the inn to find a taxi. In fairly short order, a cab pulled up and we were whisked away to our train. The cab fare was $ 9.25. A far cry from the twenty bucks we were being asked to part with from someone who couldn’t have been bothered to show up let alone call.
I’ll go back to DC, but not to Dupont at the Circle. Its informality and lack of attention to detail was not to my liking.

This place is OK if you’re just looking for a room to crash in that has a B&B ambience rather than a hotel. It’s not that great for a romantic weekend getaway — our room was nice and functional, but very tiny, and the bathroom was functional but nothing special. I generally expect to see some kind of better décor and/​or fancier bathroom at a B&B, that’s why you come to stay at them. The wi-​fi seemed weak, though it did work on my husband’s laptop (didn’t work on mine).
The house has an interesting history, as shown by the brochure in our room. It’s also very convenient to the Dupont Circle Metro, so we were able to use Metro to get there and get away and not have to find parking in Dupont Circle which is a major pain. Breakfast was OK, not memorable or anything.
Overall, this is an OK place, but since DC and Dupont area have so many B&Bs and little hotels to choose from, I think I would look for one with some more «special» touches next time. This place just kind of felt like I slept over in a spare bedroom at some stranger’s house.

This bed and breakfast is a gem in the middle of Dupont Circle. It is a Victorian style B&B with elegant rooms at affordable rates. It is located a block from the Dupont Circle Metro Station on the Q St. exit. Choose from nine rooms or at an apartment for an extended stay. In addition, a complimentary continental style breakfast is served every day for your convenience. I recently stayed here due to work and I absolutely loved it! Each room has a flat screen TV, Wifi, private bathroom, robes, and hairdryers. I recommend anyone in need of a room for a few nights to stay here. It is warm, welcoming, but best of all it is affordable.