Where Smart People Stay in New Orleans

A parade went by our house recently

If you are thinking about staying at our inn, I'm not trying to flatter you by implying that your one of the smart set.  Plenty of smart people stay in the French Quarter.  They also stay in the Marigny, in the Bywater, in the Central Business District (CBD), in the Garden District, and in those indistinct neighborhoods that get collectively lumped together as being in "Uptown."

We live in Downtown, which means we live on the downriver side of Canal Street.  We are not in the French Quarter.  I should say that again and italicize it in case some people don't understand that.  We are not in the French Quarter.  We are a located a mile away.  The Quarter is about a 20 minute walk.  We live on a beautiful street, so most people don't mind, but if you don't like to walk and you want to spend all of your time on Bourbon Street, you should probably stay in the French Quarter.  If you want to spend all your stay walking around the Garden District or on Magazine Street---you should stay in the Garden District.  We are not in the Garden District.

I know it is more expensive to stay in the French Quarter and that you'll probably have to stay in a hotel or an illegal short-term rental apartment you found on Air B&B.  You really can't fault us on our location when we make it perfectly clear that we are not in the French Quarter when we explicitly say this, even on our website.



I'm the first to admit that we are not the cheapest accommodations in town, especially if you are newlyweds in your salad days, but we aren't the most expensive either.  We try to offer good value for the money spent.  We don't try to nickel and dime you.  We offer plenty of lagniappe.  

New Orleans itself does a lot of the heavy lifting making your stay memorable.  Our job is to be ambassadors to this wonderful city we call home.  That's why we spend so much time in the morning chitchatting over breakfast, making recommendations and trying to explain what you've seen the day before.  What's important to us is that you understand, at least a little, of what it's like to be part of this grand social experiment we call New Orleans. 

The same picture twice.

As a small boutique operation, we only have five suites available at any given time.  That means we can only really accommodate 10 people each night.  We've been rated the #1 B&B in New Orleans for a year now (which isn't something we like to brag about---it won't last forever) so we tend to fill up early.  If we don't have anything available when you're thinking of visiting our fair city, please check out bbnola.com, which the site for the Professional Innkeepers Association of New Orleans (PIANO).  Every room and suite listed on that site belongs to a licensed B&B in the city and they are serious about providing an experience above and beyond what you'll get in a hotel.

Some people prefer a hotel and they try a B&B for the adventure of it.  Most of the time, it's a rewarding experience.  Some people, however, belong in a hotel.  We tend to win those people over but, again, remember, we are not in the French Quarter.  We are in a real neighborhood where people live.  It's not like the neighborhood you live in (I feel pretty confident saying that) but it is a typical New Orleans neighborhood.  Nobody in New Orleans goes to Bourbon Street every night to catch beads tossed off the balconies by drunken tourists.  Nobody.  People who live here have other things to do, much richer and more rewarding things.

Did I mention a parade went by our house recently?

If you are looking to learn what it is like to live in America's most unique city, consider staying in a B&B.  If you are looking to learn what it is like to live on Esplanade Avenue, in our part of town, think about staying with us.  If we don't have a vacancy, there are five other B&Bs on our street a pearl's throw away.  If they don't have a vacancy, the whole city is your oyster, really.  You won't leave disappointed.

A day spent in New Orleans is better than a week spent in most other places.  I feel pretty confident saying that, too.

À votre santé,
La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast.