Top places to stay in New Orleans

There are plenty of nice places to stay in New Orleans

Let me admit at the outset that I'm biased.  Let me also point out that a bed and breakfast experience may not be the best fit for everyone visiting New Orleans.  There is someone in our neighborhood who illegally rents out a house nearby.  This weekend, he or she had rented it out to a group of hip hop promoters.  They are nice enough, but they parked their trucks on the front lawn and made enough commotion for me to notice that someone had taken over the corner house and the corner was not as peaceful [empty] as it normally is.

That house sleeps 12-16 and rents, illegally, for $1000 a night.  Needless to say, it is rarely rented out for romantic getaways or by thoughtful people looking for an authentic New Orleans experience in a real neighborhood.  The usual clientele can be distilled in two words: frat party.  They usually aren't too much bother.  They spend all night on Bourbon Street and all day passed out and snoring.  

Where thoughtful people choose to stay in a real New Orleans neighborhood

Anyhow, one of the other house's temporary tenants was banging on our front door.  "How much does a room go for, here?" he asked.  "It depends on the season," I answered.  "How about tonight?" he asked.  "We don't have anything tonight.  It's Valentine's weekend.  It's a busy time now."

"Yeah, it's busy.  The NBA All-Stars are in town, too," he told me.  I already knew that.  50,000 extra people are in town for this, along with star crossed lovers and people celebrating honeymoons and anniversaries.  Krewe de Vieux and Krewe Delusion are also parading tonight, kicking Mardi Gras season into full swing.  Nice timing for everything all around.  

"We've got some friends coming at the last minute and they're going to have to sleep on our floor," he told me.  "Are you sure you don't have any openings?" he asked.  Unfortunately, we have been booked up for months.  We are a small boutique operation.  We only have five two-room suites available.  

I don't want to dissuade anyone, but we can only offer our inn five suites a night.  Any more and we would be breaking the law.  We don't rent out the storeroom.  The best way to check availability is through our website, which is being updated as I write this.  The worst way to check availability is to bang on our front door.  

We'll be unveiling the new website in about two weeks if you choose to follow this blog that long.

New furniture in our Clio Suite

If you can't stay at La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast, we want to direct you to bbnola.com, the official site of the Professional Innkeepers of New Orleans (PIANO).  If we are full, you can find bed and breakfast accommodations for the dates you'll be staying there.  Check us first, of course, but if you want to go there first, our availability will also show up.  We're card-carrying members.  We are professionals.  We are also members of the Convention and Tourism Bureau. 

If you want to stay somewhere illegally, there is always airbandb.  There is an interesting article on Slate that details the pernicious influence of illegal rentals on property values and the fabric of neighborhoods.  A lot of cities are starting to prosecute the websites that list these "share rentals."  New Orleans is, too, in its usual way: inefficiently and ineffectively.

I admit that before we became professional innkeepers, when I was just a guy on the street looking for a cheap deal instead of a good deal, I was attracted to the "sharing economy."  If you don't mind sleeping in a room where a woman was murdered, short term rental listings may be for you.  Nobody has ever been murdered at La Belle Esplanade.  It is an unhaunted place full of good memories.  

We don't rent our inn out to sleep 12-16 drunken frat boys.  So, if you are 12-16 drunken frat boys, or 6-8 drunken frat boys with 6-8 drunken sorority sisters, or any mix in between that I don't want to think about, we aren't the place for you.  Try airbandb or vrbo (vacation rental by owner) or craigslist.   I'm not going to link to them.  You know how to find them.  

If you are older or more mature and you want a catered concierge introduction to New Orleans, we are ready to host you as guests in our boutique bed and breakfast inn.  Not tenants.  Not customers.  Not a sideline income stream, but as guests in our city in our neighborhood, and in our home.  It is a labor of love.  Home is where the heart is.

6F Clio Suite front door

I fully realize that legitimate rentals are offered on short-term "sharing" rental listing websites.  I also know that illegal rentals that look legitimate list there.  They are beautiful properties and they are less expensive than professional inns.  There is one in our neighborhood a few blocks away.  They are less expensive than we are.  Want to know why?

When we got our permit from the city, we had to conform to local zoning for our neighborhood.  We were inspected by the City of New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits.  We have a working sprinkler system throughout the house and our fire extinguishers are inspected and certified annually.  We are licensed food handlers who keep our credentials up to date through continuing education.  I am a professional tour guide licensed by the City of New Orleans.  We run an inn because this is our chosen career.  We are not renting out rooms to fleece gullible people looking for a deal.  We pay taxes as responsible citizen business owners.  Everything is transparent and on the books.

We do offer a deal.  When you stay with us, or any other licensed bed and breakfast in New Orleans, you are getting more than sweet dreams.  We are not the cheapest option but we try to be the best option.  We know you are spending hard-earned money to stay with us.  We want you to leave feeling your money was well spent. 

Breakfast for three

You can spend as much per night staying at the Roosevelt Hotel.  We've never stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel, but I tell everyone that if they are in that neighborhood, they should at least walk through the lobby.  It's beautiful.  We had lunch in the Fountain Lounge the other day.  It was wonderful.

If I were visiting New Orleans, I wouldn't necessarily want to stay in the Roosevelt Hotel, though.  It is top of the line.  You get what you pay for and you pay what you expect.  At La Belle Esplanade, you get what you pay for, and you get things you don't expect.  It's a boutique operation.  We are just two people who love our city and we want to share that with you in a way that makes good memories.  If you are interested, you know where to find us.  We're right in the middle of Esplanade Avenue, one of the most beautiful streets in New Orleans.  I can't say that about the Roosevelt Hotel.

The camera doesn't lie

We look forward to meeting you.

A votre santé,
La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast.