jill

My husband and i are visiting New Orleans for the first time in late November and would like to stay at one of the best hotels in or around the French Quarter. I found two, Le Meridian and Ritz Carlton. Are those the best two and if not, does anyone have better recommendations?
Thanks,

John

Ritz Carlton, Windsor Court and Omni Royal Orleans are generally considered to the city's best hotels. All are in or are close to the Quarter.

If you're coming Thanksgiving weekend, be aware that the Bayou Classic football crowd makes Canal Street a real mess. The Ritz is on Canal, and the Windsor is closeby.

susan

John is right. For a first trip, the Bayou Classic would not be good timing as the French Quarter will be very congested. The "best" hotel is subjective. If you want the best "New Orleans hotel" the Omni Royal Orleans, or my current favorite, the Royal Sonesta are good bets. If you want the best non-New Orleans hotel, the Windsor Court wins. The hotel is fabulous, but it has no NO flavor at all...and why go to New Orleans without really experiencing it?

Pete

Another suggestion is the newly opened Maison Orleans, managed by the Ritz Carlton and in the same building as the Ritz Carlton. It's a beautiful hotel! Check out its web site, www.maisonorleans.com Enjoy New Orleans!!

Meg

Having stayed at many New Orleans hotels prior to moving here, my husband and I treated ourselves to a week-end at the Ritz Carlton here a few months ago. While it was very nice, it does not compare with other Ritz Carltons in which we have stayed. I have recently heard that they are at risk of losing their Ritz Carlton affiliation but don't know how much weight to put on that. I always loved the Windsor Court, but it really has nothing to do with New Orleans. The rooms are very comfortable and the service is always good. I've stayed at Le Meridien once and had something stolen from my room by an employee - but it was my own fault and nothing was ever proven, so it was just a lesson learned. The hotel was comfortable, though - and it's well-located.

There are many great B&B's and even vacation rentals if either of those interest you. Hope you have great trip.

ed

I wouldn't recommend the Ritz in New Orleans. Not the best location. Try some of the others mentioned above.

julie

Ed, what do you mean by 'not the best location'? We are booked there for November. Is it in a questionable part of town?

melinda

We were stranded at the Windsor Court for 10 days during the recent attack and it was a wonderful oasis from all the hustle and bustle of New Orleans. Cannot say enough on the service and huge suite we had. Windsor Court is like old money...very refined. Had wonderful meals at Emeril's Nola's, Pelican Club and Bayonna. E-mail me with any questions. We ended up having to drive home from New Orleans to Seattle as no flights ever surfaced for us.

Andy

The Windsor Court hotel is right outside of the French Quarter and consistnently ranks in the top hotels in the US, if not the world. The W Hotels are very nice as well. One is on Poydras street (larger hotel), just outside the French Quarter, and there is one in the French Quarter (smaller hotel) on Chartres street. The International House hotel is also not too far outside of the French Quarter.

Meg

The Ritz Carlton is located in the French Quarter, but it's on the edge of the Quarter on the Canal Street side away from the river. It's not in the midst of the tourist area of the Quarter. I usually recommend hotels in the lower Quarter (closer to Esplanade than to Canal), but there aren't any big hotels like you've mentioned in the area.