Elegant Escape on Sugarloaf Mountain, 7802 Comus Rd., Dickerson. 4 guest rooms & suites with marble fireplaces, 12' ceilings, champagne, imported gourmet chocolates, 1½ dozen long stemmed roses, and heated towels. Turn of the century Georgian-styled mansion with period décor. Location: 3,500 mountain acres. Amenities: Massage room, veranda, stone terrace, gardens, hiking and biking trails. 301.874.4555 or 877.264.7328. email

Gaithersburg Inn, The, 104 Russell Ave., Gaithersburg. 2 guest rooms, both with poster beds in a Victorian home built in 1892 and furnished in a Victorian style. Location: On ½ acre in the Walker-Brookes Historic District four blocks from downtown Olde Towne Gaithersburg. Amenities: Wrap-around porch with wicker furniture, gazebo and landscaped grounds. Year-round. 301.330.1331. email The Gaithersburg Inn

Longwood Manor Bed & Breakfast, 2900 Dubarry Lane, Brookville. 3 guest suites with sitting rooms and one w/fireplace and screened porch in a c.1817 three-story Georgian manor house decorated in a traditional style. Location: 2 acres on a cul-de-sac in a residential area of town about 12 miles from Washington, D.C. Amenities: Porch, stone terraces, pool & spa, landscaped wooded grounds. Year-round. 301.774.1002 or 866.774.1002. email

Park Crest House Bed & Breakfast, 8101 Park Crest Dr., Silver Spring. 3 guest rooms in a brick three-story English Tudor-style guest house built in 1937 and furnished with European antiques and English art. Location: In an established residential area of Sligo Creek Parkway about 5 miles from Washington, D.C. Amenities: Porch, terraced English gardens, adjacent wooded park, stream & hike/bike trail. 301.588.2845. email the Park Crest House

Pleasant Springs Farm Bed & Breakfast, 16112 Barnesville Rd. Boyds. 1 room and 1 suite w/fireplace and private porch in a c.1768 restored log cabin cottage. Location: On 30 acres on a rolling hill in the country about 28 miles from Washington D.C. Amenities: Porch, rockers, gardens, woods, duck ponds, hiking paths, pastureland, wildflowers and grazing sheep. Lunch with notice. Seasonal. 301.972.3452. email Pleasant Springs Farm partial

Thoroughbred B&B, 16410 Batchellors Forest Rd., Olney. 4 guest rooms in a carriage house, two rooms feature whirlpools and fireplaces. Location: On a 175 acre horse farm estate on a golf course about 12 miles from Washington D.C. Amenities: Early 1900's farmhouse, restored slave quarters, porches, wrap-around deck, gazebo, barns, stables, pastures & walking paths. 301.774.7649.

American Inn of Bethesda, 8130 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda. 75 rooms, 1 suite, some w/Jacuzzis, refrigerators and/or kitchenettes in a five-story contemporary hotel furnished traditionally with antique reproductions. Location: Retail area of restaurants, shopping and theaters two miles from the Beltway. Amenities: Restaurant, lounge, outdoor pool & sundeck. Shuttle service & tours arranged.

Bethesda Marriott, 5151 Pooks Hill Rd., Bethesda. 399 rooms and 8 suites, some with balconies, patios, refrigerators or kitchenettes in a sixteen-story traditional hotel. Location: In a residential suburban area about ½ mile from the Beltway. Amenities: Restaurants, gift shop, lounges with entertainment, indoor and outdoor pool, whirlpool, exercise room & sauna. Room service. Packages.

Colony South Hotel, 7401 Surratts Rd., Clinton. 195 guest rooms and suites, some with Jacuzzis and/or balconies in a Colonial-style hotel furnished in an Old World style. Location: In a suburban area 5 miles from the Beltway. Amenities: Restaurant, lounge with entertainment, café, gift shop, indoor pool, health club, whirlpools, saunas, tanning booths, tennis/sports courts, walk trail & pond. Escape Packages.

Comfort Inn Conference Center, 4500 Crain Hwy., Bowie. 186 rooms and suites, all w/coffee makers, twelve w/one or two person whirlpool tubs and some w/kitchenettes in a modern full-service hotel built in 2000 and decorated in a modern style. Location: Situated at the U.S. 50 & 301 intersection about 18 miles to Washington DC. Amenities: Restaurant, lounge & outdoor pool. Packages.

Comfort Inn Capitol Gateway, 6205 Annapolis Rd., Landover Hills. 89 guest rooms and suites, four featuring heart shaped whirlpool baths in a contemporary five-story motel furnished with modern décor. Location: In a suburban area about 2 miles from the Beltway and 3 miles from D.C. Amenities: Adjacent restaurant and lounge & exercise room. Packages. Tourist information. Year-round.

Doubletree Hotel Bethesda, 8120 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda. 269 rooms & 6 suites w/king or double beds in a contemporary 15-story hotel built in 1971 and renovated in 2000. Location: Heart of downtown Bethesda. Amenities: Restaurant, wine bar, piano bar, lounge, rooftop swimming pool, state-of-the-art fitness center & lobby gift shop. Concierge and room service. Packages. w/fee

Hilton Garden Inn Wash. DC/Greenbelt, 7810 Walker Dr., Greenbelt. 155 guestrooms including fifteen suites, all with a microwave, refrigerator and coffee maker in a modern six-story hotel built in 2006. Location: In a business park just off I-495 and the Baltimore Washington Parkway. Amenities: Restaurant, lobby bar, swimming pool, whirlpool and convenience store. Evening room service.

Hilton Hotel Rockville, 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville. 298 rooms and 17 suites, some with decks overlooking atrium and some with Jacuzzis in a modern hotel. Location: In a suburban shopping area a few miles to the Beltway. Amenities: Restaurants, lounge, entertainment, gift shops, 8-story atrium with tropical plants, waterfall, gazebo, indoor and outdoor pool, saunas, whirlpool & fitness center.

Greenbelt Marriott, 6400 Ivy Lane, Greenbelt. 283 rooms and 4 suites in a modern seventeen-story full-service hotel. Location: In an office park setting ½ mile from the Beltway. Amenities: Southern-style restaurant, pub, gift shop, heated indoor and outdoor pools, health club, whirlpool, sauna, lighted tennis courts & jogging trail. Honeymoon, Romance Packages. Room service & van shuttle.

Legacy Hotel, The, 1775 Rockville Pike, Rockville. 162 guest rooms & suites, all with a coffee maker and refrigerator in a seven-story boutique hotel built in 1987, renovated in 2007 and furnished in a contemporary hotel design. Location: Retail area across from the Twinbrook Metrorail Station. Amenities: Phillips Seafood Restaurant, lounge & 24-hour fitness center. Concierge and room service.

Quality Inn & Suites, One Second St., Laurel. 96 guest rooms and suites, all with coffee makers and some featuring whirlpool tubs in a contemporary motel renovated in 2006 and furnished in a traditional style decor. Location: In the heart of historic Old Town. Amenities: Outdoor swimming pool, whirlpool, exercise room, outdoor deck, elevator & free coffee. Packages. w/fee