We will be in New Orleans for a week in March. There will be 4 of us. We would love a nice hotel in the Quarter. We will have our own car, would like free and secure parking if available anywhere. Our son will be with us, he is 18yr old, bringing a friend also. Want somewhere that we feel safe with them walking around without us and staying in the room without us. We normally stay in 4 star rooms but would like to save some bucks. Any help would be greatlyyy appreciated. Thank you

Check out the Chateau Sonesta. It's about a half-block out of the Quarter...but that usually means you save about 30% on the room vs. French Quarter.

If you're staying a whole week they might give you a better rate. check their online specials then give them a call.

The Chateau Sonesta is in the French Quarter, not out. It will also charge you $30 a day to park, so add $200 for parking! Ouch. This is typical of nearly all downtown or Quarter hotels.

Le Richelieu Hotel doesn't charge to park. It's not four-star but maybe 3 instead. Gets generally good reviews.

The 18 yr olds should be just fine provided they not be overwhelmed by the experience and keep their "street smarts." I only say this because it's not hard to find young adults making jackasses of themselves on a daily basis in the Quarter.

Addendum: try B&Bs. You can get two rooms or a large suite for about the same price as a hotel. Free breakfast and free parking at most, too. I don't know of any in the heart of the Quarter but the Faubourg Marigny, Garden District and Mid City all have nice B&Bs which are easily accessible to the FQ.

Also, resist the urge to book on Rampart Street because of price. There's a reason hotels there are cheaper.

I agree. Rampart is not the place to stay. Parking is an issue in the Quarter. Don't even think of trying to find on street parking. That animal is extinct. We never can find a place to park except in the lot by Cafe DuMonde. I enjoy the Hotel Monteleone but parking there is about $25 a day. You might check one of the nearby parking garages & see if their week rate is cheaper. Just do a search for parking garages New Orleans French Quarter.

I second the Le Richelieu. I've stayed there twice, and it's close to Bourbon Street and in a safe neighborhood.I felt very safe walking around at all times of day or night.The staff is very friendly and helpful.They do have a parking lot, but don't know if they charge for parking. You'd have to ask.

www.lafitteguesthouse.com

We stayed at The JW Marriott... just on the other side of Canal Street and we found plenty of overnight parking on the street for free. You just need to move your car in the morning. If that works for you, it will save you considerably. You are about 3 blocks from Bourbon Street. JW was decent and the rooms are running about $100 - $120 per night.

I know you said you wanted to stay in the Quarter, but I'll throw this suggestion out there. Back in '97, my wife and I went with another couple and stayed at the Pontchartrain Hotel (http://www.pontchartrainhotel.com/) in the Garden District. It was right on the streetcar line, which will take you right into the Quarter. It used to be a women's apartment building, and the rooms are kind of small but with nice antique furniture. We got a military discount, and I think it was around $125 a night. The Garden District would be much quieter than the Quarter and the riding on the streetcar is a neat experience.

I recommend the Villa Convento on Ursulines Street in the Quarter. We stayed there in December, and found it a perfect base for exploring; I don't think it has parking, but you could check. The owners were friendly and let us keep our luggage there for a day when we needed a place to stash it before our flight home, even though we had check out a week earlier. We loved our brick-wall room with a balcony, and they were sprucing the rest of the place up during our off-season stay. It was also inexpensive. You can see their rooms on their web site: http://www.villaconvento.com/