Le Pelican Suite at La Belle Esplanade

Louisiana's state bird is the pelican.  If you've ever seen a Louisiana state flag, you know it features a bit of heraldry known as "A Pelican In Its Piety."  Underneath the image of a mother pelican piercing her breast to feed her three young fledglings is a banner that reads the Louisiana state motto:  "Union.  Justice.  Confidence."  These are words by which every Louisianan, native or adopted, strives to live.

The sitting room in Le Pelican Suite at La Belle Esplanade, New Orleans, Louisiana.

New Orleans is in Louisiana, of course.  You'll find pelicans here.  I see them in City Park, at the end of our street, all the time.  They are majestic.

Le Pelican Suite at La Belle Esplanade is not full of stuffed pelicans, either taxidermy or plush toys.  While there are pelican motifs throughout the suite, the name, like the Louisiana state motto is more an aspirational guide to the decor.

The symbol for the 1984 New Orleans World Fair was a cartoon pelican but you won't find any evidence of that at La Belle Esplanade.  Our suite is all about romance and comfort.  

The entrance to Le Pelican Suite, which is located on the second floor of this colorful mansion, is a short vestibule with the private bath's entrance on one side.  After the vestibule is a sitting room, a comfortable place for two people to hatch plans for the day ahead, and an equally comfortable place for one person to read this blog while his or her partner is taking a private bath.

There is also a bedroom, of course, that features an antique plantation-sized bed.  To call a bed "plantation-sized" is bed and breakfast talk for "slightly larger than a full-sized bed."  No one ever complains the bed is too small.  You have never slept in a bed this well made in your life, unless you happen to live in a museum.

A capacious antique plantation-sized bed with all the trimmings.

Besides a sitting room, a bedroom, and a private bath, Le Pelican Suite also has a private balcony that overlooks the neighborhood, surrounded by oleander.  Oleander is the tree and flower that official represents New Orleans.  It smells sweet as ambrosia when in bloom.

All the usual amenities one would expect from a five-star, five-suite hotel are available.  If you have any questions, please write to us at labelleesplanadebb@gmail.com.  We'll be happy to answer any question.  That is what we're here for.  Tailored recommendations are our reason for being.  We are New Orleans goodwill ambassadors.

You can stay in a bland hotel room on an unnamed floor, Room 128, 239, whatever, or you can stay in a quirky colorful suite with room to move around and things to study: fine art, fine antiques, and that certain je ne c'est quoi that makes New Orleans such a special place where good memories are made.

La Belle Esplanade has been ranked the #1 inn in New Orleans since April 2014, according to TripAdvisor, and the #2 inn in the U.S., AND #16 in the world.  639 5-star reviews as of this writing, 12 4-star reviews, 651 reviews total. 

That's not bad for a small artisanal hotel with only five suites.  Personalized service and recommendations are the bedrock of our reputation.

The ceilings are twelve-and-a-half feet tall.

When you visit New Orleans, you should get off the usual tourist radar.  Good memories are made in New Orleans.  The best memories are made on Esplanade Avenue.  You belong at La Belle Esplanade.  Check our website, see what we offer.  Price is what you pay; value is what you get.  You pick a lot worse places as the headquarters for your New Orleans adventures.  Believe me.  I live here.  I know.

Here is a video of your humble narrator talking about some very granular New Orleans culture in Le Pelican Suite's sitting room:

Have a great New Orleans day today, wherever you may find yourself.  When you're ready to visit this wonderful city we call home remember five words: La Belle Esplanade dot com.