The location is fantastic! You can’t beat it. It’s on a beautiful, tree-lined street near DuPont Circle. Just around the corner within an easy walking distance are several wonderful restaurants: Bistro du Coin, La Tomate, Bistro Bistro, Pizzeria Paradiso and a Starbucks, of course. We had great dinners at all these restaurants and also a nice breakfast at the Café DuPont in the Hotel DuPont. The Phillips Collection museum is just one block down the street (if you like Renoir, you have to go there!). The Ivy Mansion is a nicely remodeled, well-maintained older home. We were in the third floor suite. It was very clean, spacious, and the bed was very comfortable. The bathroom has double sinks and a great shower with lots of different shower heads. This room also has its own A/C which helps on the warm, humid days. We met Dana, the owner, briefly and she was very helpful and gave us a lot of great tips on where to go for dinner, etc. Unfortunately, she had to leave our second day there, but she left us with pretty much everything we needed for our stay and gave us her number to call with any questions. The breakfast is just help-yourself cereal, English muffins, fruit, and yogurt, so the main thing is to be aware that if you want a big breakfast, you will have to go out. I would definitely stay at the Ivy Mansion again.

My first comment: if you stay at Ivy Mansion make sure you know its street address! We didn't, and when we arrived at night we had awful trouble finding the B&B because we didn't have an exact address for the bus/tax driver to enter into his GPS. We had the address from the website, which is a corner, but the B&B isn't actually on a corner so we were very confused.
Apart from that, we enjoyed our stay. Dana was out of town but still very friendly and helpful. Our room was spacious and had everything we needed, although it lacked some nice finishing touches (e.g. the soap dispenser was just about empty when we arrived). We heard people in the upstairs rooms, but I didn't hold that against it.
The location is excellent - the metro is a few minutes walk away, and there are very pleasant cafes and restaurants within 10-15 minutes walk.
When I hopefully return to DC, I'd stay in Dupont Circle again and would definitely consider the Ivy Mansion.

Dana was very kind & accommodating. She has a lovely place and knows her city. Great location and one of the best areas for dining in DC. One of the best spots is the French "Bistro du Coin"... literally a block away. Great atmosphere, cafe style, great menu, great desserts, reasonable.

I stayed in the Ivy Mansion from January - March 2011, after returning from a foreign service posting abroad. The room I rented fell within the limit of the Home Service Transfer Allowance that I received upon my return to Washington, and negotiating payment with Dana, the proprietor, was a breeze. In addition, Dana’s bookkeeper provided me with timely receipts for reimbursement purposes. The B&B was perfect for my temporary stay in Washington—with kitchen access, washer and dryer on site, and linens provided, everything I needed was on the premises. The room was cozy and private, and the location was perfect—right off Dupont Circle, and steps from the Red Line Metro and countless restaurants and bars. This B&B would be a great fit for other medium-term residents of Washington, DC.