A Staycation at The River Inn

As much as I love my little apartment in Arlington, sometimes a girl just needs a break. Last weekend, I was invited by Modus Hotels to take a little staycation at The River Inn located in the quaint neighborhood of West End, and it was the relaxing mini-getaway I needed after the craziness that ensued last week!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Modus Hotels, it’s an amazing concept for someone who’s up and down the Mid-Atlantic as much as I am: they own upscale lifestyle-inspired hotels in D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia, and their properties are designed for the independent-minded traveler.  

My favorite part about The River Inn was some of the amenities they had available: it’s pet friendly (loved seeing all of the pups running around) and they have a Stock the Fridge program where you can pick items from Trader Joes and have them delivered to your room. They also have a super flexible check-in and check-out policy: not going to lie, I totally extended my stay until 2pm on check out day!

West End is only a 15-minute walk from Georgetown, and it’s a great place to stay if you want to visit the neighborhood, but don’t want to deal with the hustle and bustle of M Street. Here are some places I would highly recommend checking out that are only a short walk away from the hotel!

Where to Eat, Shop and Play:

• The Sovereign: The Sovereign is a great place to either grab dinner with friends, or stick to the bar for drinks. The beer selection is ridiculous: they have over 50 drafts and 350 different bottles available. They feature ingredient-driven Belgian dishes draw on French, German, and Dutch cooking techniques and traditions. 
• Georgetown Glow: If you’re headed to Georgetown this time of year, make sure to check out Georgetown Glow! This is a series of public art installations all around the neighborhood. They even have tour guides along the way that are happy to hand out maps and direct you to the next installation. It’s a bit of a walk to all of the locations, so I would suggest doing this on the warmest night possible. It runs until January 1st, and you can roam it nightly from 6-10pm.
• Lynn Louisa: This is one of my favorite local boutiques in the District! The selection of clothing is carefully curated, they feature some of my favorite brands such as Just Female, Frame Denim, Ganni and more. Plus, one of the owners has a Goldendoodle puppy that makes appearances in the shop sometimes. Just sayin’.
• El Centro: El Centro is one of those places you can head to any time of day: they have a great bottomless brunch, a fantastic rooftop for a low key afternoon with friends, and it’s a pretty good spot to go out at night as well. Plus, it’s Mexican, and we all know from my Austin trip that I can consume tacos 24/7/365 with zero regrets. I actually wrote about El Centro about 2 years ago here! 

Thank you to Modus Hotels for providing me with a complimentary hotel stay! All thoughts and opinions are my own.