West End

Located in charming Georgetown (cobblestone streets, beautiful row houses, C&O Canal waterways), this Four Seasons is a great option, particularly if the hustle of downtown doesn’t appeal. If you’re traveling with teens on the verge of college years, you can easily stop by the campuses of Georgetown University and George Washington University, which are both about a mile from the hotel, in either direction. The rooms here are contemporary, smartly designed, and very comfortable for traveling families (the hotel recently got a $13 million facelift). It has all the amenities you’d need for a family trip, plus babysitting services.

This is the second location of the popular Penn Quarter original, and it's stunning, from the teal booth pods to the giant glass walls and 3-D wooden ceilings, while remaining elegant and understated, quite like the excellent modern Indian menu. Don’t miss the super tasty Palak Chaat, crispy baby spinach, or the Dal Dhungaree, smoked lentils, which you’ll need a lot of buttery nann to soak up.