- 7 min. read
- all ages
Here’s a look at our 2-night stay at Eaton DC, a 4-star boutique hotel in downtown DC located at 1201 K St NW, Washington, DC 20005. From a Friday night movie party in their Cinema to a private yoga session, Eaton DC has the amenities for a perfect celebratory weekend for any occasion!
Special thank you to Eaton DC for sponsoring our stay for the weekend. Although they sponsored the stay, this is a truthful review with tips to host your own staycation or vacation at this boutique hotel conveniently located in downtown DC. Feel free to drop a comment on our IG reel with your own review/tips!
Friday Check-in + Parking
Check-in for Eaton DC is 3:00 pm! I was there right on-time to check-in and also to greet the decorator, Shannan, who created a Boho-themed sleepover in one of the two rooms. More about Shannan and her company, Teepee Jamboree, in a minute. Check-in was a breeze. The staff were personable and helpful.
Some things to note about parking:
- Valet parking is $70 and overnight parking in their underground garage is $35/day.
- There’s plenty of street metered parking though! And if you don’t mind walking a few blocks, there’s two-hour free residential parking in the neighborhood.
- Parking in DC can be VERY complicated! I’m a risk-taker so I actually parked at a meter and only paid half of the time. No tickets! That’s not to say you won’t get a ticket though.
- Also note that parking at meters is free on Sundays! There’s also no time limit for residential street parking on Sundays.
Prior to our stay, we sent an invitation to 25 of Liv’s friends for a Friday Night movie party at Eaton DC, hosted from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm. We ran into a bit of an issue with the food policy for the Cinema
Movie Party in the Cinema
Prior to our stay, we sent an invitation to 25 of Liv’s friends for a Friday Night movie party at Eaton DC, hosted from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm. Their cinema seats up to 50 comfortably and has a back row “VIP” section, which the kids LOVED.
We ran into a bit of an issue with the food policy for the Cinema, however. A normal kids party for us consists of pizza, juice and cake, especially when scheduled during core eating hours (breakfast, lunch or dinner). Unbeknownst to me, the Eaton Cinema typically doesn’t allow for outside food. They have a popcorn machine and operators, but anything outside of that is at the discretion of the hotel.
So we pushed the movie party start time back to 6:30 pm to allow time for kids to eat before arriving. We still had light snacks, juice and cupcakes to take home for the party goers, which parents appreciated.
The movie selection was Inside Out. The Cinema allows for movies that can be streamed through services like Disney Plus, Netflix and HBO Max. Note that they are not able to stream new/movies still in the theater due to licensing issues! The overall movie experience was awesome. The kids enjoyed it and were already in their pajamas ready for bed!
Boho-themed Sleepover from Teepee Jamboree
We had an overnight sleepover with 4 girls including the birthday girl. Each girl had their own teepee set up by Shannan, owner of Teepee Jamboree. Shannan is AMAZING! I was super excited to work with her and have admired her work for quite some time. Here’s her reel on Instagram about the party.
This party was unfortunately a last minute project for me so I was thankful Shannan was able to work with us. I reached out to her about two weeks prior-to and solidified everything about a week in advance. We went with a theme she already had in stock (Boho) since it was so last minute on my part. Her booking process includes a signed contract, set-up & take-down, customizations and add-ons. I will definitely use her service again in the future.
The balloons used on Liv’s teepee came from Upscale Celebrations. Since the party was booked last minute, Shannan wasn’t able to do any add-ons so I was able to book Upscale for the balloons. Again, another fabulous company to work with! Note that Upscale Celebrations is based in Loudon County, Virginia and I had to pick them up so the drive was about an hour.
Saturday Yoga + Planet Word Trip
Did you know Eaton DC also has a wellness center that includes a yoga studio, spa, infrared sauna, and small gym? On Saturday, we had a private, afternoon yoga session with instructor Kaya, who was awesome! Jack walked in like the expert he is and immediately showed off his tree pose.
We opted for a 30 minute session which took the girls + Jack through a series of simple poses and breath work exercises. Of course in being tweens they all wanted to show off their bridge poses and splits, which would normally be reserved for a more advanced class. We used the last few minutes of class for these skills.
The yoga studio is huge with large windows and plants for a very zen vibe. They also have daily workshops and classes that even non-hotel guests can sign up for. That R&B Yoga Playground sounds tempting!
After Saturday’s yoga session, we walked across the street to Planet Word, a museum all about language and words that’s free to visit! The girls had a blast during karaoke in Unlock the Music and loved figuring out hilarious phrases in Joking Around. This museum requires timed-tickets but they’re free to reserve online (recommended) or in-person.
Other things-to-do within walking distance of Eaton DC include:
- Franklin Park DC, huge park located across the street from Planet Word
- National Museum of Women in the Arts ($)
- City Center DC for shopping and artistic installations
- Museum of Illusions DC ($)
- Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, the only DC library with a built-in slide!
- Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
Restaurant Recommendations
We can’t forget about the food!
Friday night, we ordered Shake Shack via Door Dash, which arrived within 30 minutes. Saturday, we ate breakfast at Baker’s Daughter, which is the coffee shop located within the hotel. The girls had pastries while Jack had a bacon, egg & cheese croissant. The ice coffee I had was delicious! They have breakfast burritos and cold lunch items, like sandwiches and shrimp cocktail too.
For dinner, we dined at the French-American restaurant, Michele’s, which is also located in the hotel. Note about Michele’s, they have an unwritten kids menu; just ask the server. We ordered burgers and fries. Next time, we probably venture out of the hotel for dinner, especially with small kids in tow.
More food recommendations near Eaton DC:
- Paul French Bakery & Cafe; 1275 K St. NW
- The Peach Cobbler Factory; 1010 Massachusetts Ave NW suite 100
- Immigrant Food at Planet Word; 925 13th St NW
- Yardbird Table & Bar; 901 New York Ave. NW
- There’s also a Domino’s Pizza at 1300 L St. NW!
Check-out + Things-to-Know
Check-out for Eaton DC is at 11:00 am. We checked out on Sunday. If late check-out is requested ahead of time and rooms are available, they might allow late check-out, which at 1:00 pm.
Eaton DC is known as a cultural hub with many of their offerings being more so suited for a young 20s-30s crowd. They have a hidden speakeasy on the first floor and lounge on their rooftop that attracts many visitors overnight. They have extra security during those hours as well as a controlled method by which people use the elevators. We didn’t run into any issues with this. For more information and to book your next stay at Eaton DC, visit their website.
