BudgetTravel

Georgetown Suites, from $150 per room per night
The Georgetown Experience package includes accommodations at Georgetown Suites, where you'll stay in a suite with an HD flat-screen TV and a full kitchen (you can save money by preparing your own meals). Also included: 2 one-day passes (a value of $6) for the Circulator, a bus service with routes to the Smithsonian museums and the National Gallery of Art; complimentary parking; a continental breakfast; free wireless Internet service; and special coupons for two-for-one dining at participating Georgetown restaurants. Georgetown was settled earlier than downtown D.C. and is home to Georgetown University. The neighborhood has posh boutiques, restaurants, and beautiful historic townhouses. Rates start at $150 per room per night. Georgetowndc.com has six other packages currently good in the area. When Ongoing. Details Does not include taxes of 15 percent. Based on single or double occupancy. Kids under 12 stay for free. Contact 202/298-7800, georgetownsuites.com.

The Madison, from $270 per room per night
The Spy and Stay package includes two VIP tickets to the International Spy Museum (a $36 value), as well as breakfast for two and two movie passes to Regal Cinemas to see a movie of your choice (the hotel suggests Get Smart, to keep up the spy theme). You'll stay at the 391-room Madison Hotel, which has 24-hour room service, a spa, and a fitness center. It's also near the Air and Space Museum and the Washington Monument. Rates start at $270 per room per night. When Through Dec. 30, 2008. Details Does not include taxes of 15 percent. Based on single or double occupancy. Kids under 18 stay free. Ask for the Spy and Stay package. Contact 800/424-8577, loewshotels.com.

U.S. Capitol (Ron Chapple/Corbis)

For more ideas on what to do, see the official tourism site for the city.

Consider also visiting Alexandria, Va., a charming town on the outskirts of D.C. and connected by the city's metro system. If you book a two-night stay through visitalexandriava.com, you'll get a $25 Visa gift card per booking and a coupon book with more than $600 in savings at local restaurants and shops.

Read these guidelines before you book any Real Deal.

Getting There A recent Kayak search produced these round-trip fares to D.C. in mid-August: $144 from New York City (Delta), $159 from Cleveland (Continental), $168 from Kansas City (Northwest), $249 from Atlanta (Delta), $267 from Seattle (Continental), and $278 from San Francisco (Northwest).

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• BT Upgrade: A Private Tour of the Capitol in D.C.

• Humble Beginnings: Virginia's Historic Triangle