The Willard sets a high standard, and mostly lives up to it, though at a price. First, if you want a hotel that is a block from the White House, this is one of only a few choices, and by far the classiest. We stayed in one of the "Willard Rooms" - larger than average rooms with two queen beds. This was the reason for our choice. These rooms are 532 sq. ft, versus about 250-270 sq. ft. for nearby but cheaper hotels.
The lobby, the staff, the amenities -- everything was really first-rate here.
My one complaint was that the breakfast at the Cafe du Parc was only fair, and very expensive. I had thought I'd booked the "with breakfast" rate, but had not (my mistake), and breakfast for four (two children) was $80-$100 each day. The waitstaff is expert at upselling: "Would you like some fresh fruit with that, sir?" This ends up adding substantially to the bill. And, of course, we spent more on 3 hours of babysitting for our grown-up dinner out than we did for dinner and a top-notch restaurant! The babysitter herself, of course, did not see much of that.
I would probably not take my kids there again -- it was somewhat wasted on them, but it is a glorious location and very impressive.
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