Rating New Orleans bed and breakfasts

La Belle d'Esplanade

I was sitting on the front stoop of our historic New Orleans bed and breakfast inn this morning, just watching the world go by.  On one of the more picturesque streets in the city, there is plenty traffic, vehicular and bipedal, passing riverside to lakeside, or from City Park to the Faubourg Marigny.  

A tour bus passed and I waved.  A bicycle tour paused at Gayarre Place across the street and I waved when the guide pointed in my direction.   The 91 Bus pulled up to its stop on the corner and a matronly lady wearing pearls and carrying a clutch purse stepped off.

The corner of Esplanade Avenue and North Miro Street

She walked up to the statue of Clio that stands on its pedestal in Gayarre Place and then she looked in my direction.  She waved at me through the oak trees that line our street.

The view from Gayarre Place

"Bonjour, Matthieu.  Do you speak French?" she said after walking over.

"Bonjour, ma gentille femme.  No, I don't.  How do you know my name?"  

I offered my right hand, ready to deliver the firm kind of shake that denotes honest character.  She insisted on exchanging kisses on each cheek, so we did that instead. 

"I've read about you on l'internet," she said.

We've had some new reviews posted on Trip Advisor and this nice lady from Quebec had read them while staying in her hotel on Canal Street.  

She has been in New Orleans for a week.  She told me that while she loves the city, she wished she had booked a room somewhere a little further from the French Quarter and the Convention Center.  

She was sitting alone at breakfast at her hotel this morning when she decided to see what other options were available besides the international chain hotels that dominate the market.  She logged onto the site of the Professional Innkeepers Association of New Orleans and the picture of La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast caught her eye.  "C'est la maison orange avec des volets bleus," she said.  It caught her eye, so she read our reviews.

"Qui est correct," I replied.  "It's the orange house with blue shutters."

As our guests, and regular readers, and casual skimmers of this blog who have scrolled through the archives, know, our bed and breakfast has only been open since September, 2012.  As of this writing, we are ranked #26 out of the 148 New Orleans B&Bs listed on Trip Advisor.  It has been a steady and pleasant climb.  We are proud of what we've accomplished over the past couple of months.

A very orange house

2216 Esplanade Avenue is downtown in the New Orleans sense.  It is on the "north" side of Canal Street.  It is not in the French Quarter and it is not in the Central Business District.  It is very nice in our part of the city.  It is close to the "action" while being a part what passes for peace and quiet in New Orleans.  Somebody is happy on every street in New Orleans at every hour of any day.  When you are happy, you have to dance.

Two of the most prestigious bed and breakfasts in New Orleans are one block away on either side of us: The Degas House and Ashton's.  Also in our neighborhood are the excellently rated, HH Whitney House, and the Five Continents Bed and Breakfast.  Though our website isn't fancy, La Belle Esplanade is in good company.  The people who stay with us seem to think so.

Our Lady of Dourgenois

To our guests who have written reviews on Trip Advisor and on BedandBreakfast.com, Frau Schmitt and your humble narrator have only two words:  Thank you.  To our guests who have not written online reviews, we also have two words:  Thank you.  It has been our pleasure to serve as your hosts during your stay.

The lady from Quebec and I sat in the lobby for awhile.  She asked me where she should go for dinner for a real New Orleans meal.  I recommended Liuzza's, as I always do.  

Roll a world map out on the floor and connect these cities:  Little Rock, Arkansas; Sydney, Australia; Stockholm, Sweden; Hohhot, Inner Mongolia.  I have recommended Liuzza's to people from all over who live within that quadrangle, and nobody has been disappointed yet.  Not a bad record for a six months.  

The lady from Quebec said she was going to Liuzza's tonight.  "Vous ne le regretterez pas," I told her.  She won't regret it. 

She is planning on visiting New Orleans again next year, for Jazz Fest.  She plans to stay at La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast.  

The sun always shines on Esplanade Avenue

"I look forward to seeing you again, then," I told her, and I meant it.  "Make sure you book directly through our website: whaleheadking.com."

With that, we parted company, kissing cheeks again.  She looked at the inn again, "If only I had known," she sighed in perfect French.

A votre sante