Gridskipper

Washington's most fabulous bed and breakfast is all about the details: every couch cushion, every well-placed bathroom knickknack, every framed masterpiece and every terrific little statue. "Eclectic" fails to describe… the lifetime art collection of four local gays who took this federalist townhouse and turned it into something gorgeous and one of a kind. Each of the six colorful bedrooms is a custom-arranged installation that promises the most personal stay in town. Homey smells waft up from the kitchen and breakfast ranges from the decadent to healthy but still tasty. [link]

Everybody in Washington has, at one time or another, stopped to stare at this imposing brick mansion on Sixteenth Street. Built in 1894, the house underwent constant reincarnation as the former embassy of Persia,… headquarters to America's Zionist movement, and a music conservatory run by the Toutorsky family. Now it's a B and B bedecked with golden griffins and dripping in crystal chandeliers. To counterbalance the grandiosity, the owner holds outrageous all-night parties to which the fortunate and freakish of DC are invited to dance, drink, and make merry among the mansion's five floors. Bedrooms are oddly European, as is the breakfast spread. (photo: Andrew Evans) [link]

The Ghanaian moniker "Akwaaba" (Welcome) represents a whole chain of East coast inns, but this Washington rowhouse is still wonderfully Washingtonian. Each room is dedicated to various African-American literary… heroes, including the homegrown poets of our nation's capital. Design is key, though don't read too much into it all (like how come the Toni Morrison suite has a shower, while Langston Hughes gets a jacuzzi tub for two?). Instead, grab a pile of books from the walls, curl up on Zora Neale Hurston's big brass bed, and just chill. (photo) [link]

Remember when "artist" was a euphemism for a flaming gay person? Well, that's the definition used by this chic, old-timey inn just near Dupont Circle. A few heterosexual dabblers may come and go, but for the most… part, this is the place where wealthy homos can put up their family and friends and impress them with all the fine fixings and a luscious breakfast that never lacks for flaky pastry. Whirlpool tubs? Of course. Oh yeah, there's also an art gallery with real art and melting Dali clocks painted on the walls. (photo) [link]

So the name's a little ridiculous, but branding mishaps aside, the Intown Uptown Inn does have enough taste and soul to qualify as funky and worth the dough you'll shell out for one of these rooms with a view. Most… encouraging is the transformation of Victorian architecture into something modern, warm, sunny, sophisticated, and yet still cozy. Both the "bed" and "breakfast" are meant to indulge and titillate, and you're far enough away from downtown to pretend that you really are getting away. [link]

The Swann borders on a traditional B and B but shakes things up with the range of design matched with a contemporary attitude. No room resembles another, which means Aunt Belinda gets her boudoir, 'lil Jimmy gets… his happy place, and mom and dad get to feel sleek and alone. If you're single and looking, you're only two blocks from all the 17th street clubs, so go crazy. A few nice extras include a swimming pool, a massage service, and a roof deck with a view of the dog park below. (photo) [link]