Best Hotels to Book Near the Air and Space Museum Parkway, Virginia

This stately hotel is the cream of the Chantilly hotel scene. As well as being just seven minutes from the center of town (and even less from the Air and Space Museum), it overlooks a large estate comprising woodland veined with hiking trails – handy for when you want some space of a different kind. Most rooms come with lush green views, but if you want to make sure you’ve got nature on tap, ask for a nature view room and wake to the morning chorus.

Plane spotters will love this hotel, a matter of meters from the tarmac at Dulles International Airport (and the Air and Space Museum). That said, it’s ideal for the regular holiday crowd, too, packing more than your standard airport crash pad. It has a full-service restaurant with a bar and a daily happy hour, a modest but well-equipped fitness center and an indoor pool. As for the rooms, think business neutral, with zebra crossing carpets, magnolia walls and dark-wood furniture.

Flying into Dulles sans car? The complimentary shuttle offered here should come in handy; it operates within a 5mi (8km) radius and stops at the Dulles Expo Center and the Air and Space Museum. When you’re not swotting up on out-of-this-world artefacts you can work up a sweat in the fitness center or swim some laps in the heated outdoor pool. Dry off in one of the super-fluffy robes before sprucing up for a drink at the buzzy bar.

What the Westin Reston lacks in proximity to the Air and Space Museum (a whole 12 minutes away!), it more than makes up for in proximity ​​to the shops, restaurants and bars of Reston. You’ll also be overlooking the baize-green undulations of the Reston National Golf Course, ideal for decompressing after a day pounding the pavements. Left your clubs at home? Relax with a dip in the heated indoor pool instead, and reward yourself with dinner and cocktails at the Harvest + Vine restaurant.

We love the vast central atrium of this Fairfax hotel, which is like an indoor plaza, with cosy seating booths, floating sculptures and floods of natural light. Grab a drink and a Deep South-inspired bar snack from its 703 Bar + Kitchen and sink into one of the comfy sofas for an evening of casual grazing. The bedrooms and suites are equally stylish, with luxurious bedding, granite worktops and blackout curtains guaranteeing a solid night’s sleep.

You won’t find a more charming, authentic stay than at this two-bedroom cottage on the outskirts of Fairfax. There’s a queen room and a suite to choose from, both of which are blessed with floods of natural light and have been beautifully furnished with period furniture, keeping the original polished floorboards and working wood-burning fireplaces. The suite comes with a vast bathroom, encompassing a marble-clad bath, shower, jacuzzi and sauna. Pre-order your breakfast the night before and have it delivered piping hot to your room in the morning.