New Orleans girls trip! Suggestions please!
 

Hi all! I will be heading down to New Orleans in August (yes I know it'll be hot!) to celebrate one last hurrah for my girlfriend who is getting married. There will be 5 of us girls.

Any ideas where we should stay? We've narrowed it dwon to these three:

Hotel Monteleone
Royal Sonesta
Chateau Sonesta

A pool is important. And we want to be close to Bourbon (not necessarily right on it tho, but definitely walking distance). Any thoughts on these??

We all like to party (but we're far from being 21), so we'd like to try some good restaurants and do some sightseeing too, maybe a ghost tour or something similar. Any ideas, comments, suggestions would be great!

Katie, I am partial to the Monteleone but can not speak to their pool, although I believe it is on the roof. There are many posts on here re: NOLA & the food. Find some of the more recent ones as things have changed since Katrina. What kind of food 1st & are you looking to splurge. I'll find a couple of good ones & top them as well.

Hi Katie -

All three hotels are very centrally located and would be very good options, however if you don't want to be ON Bourbon St, then forget the Royal Sonesta. It is located right on Bourbon St.

The Royal and Monteleone both have excellent bars (the Carousel Bar at the Monteleone is interesting)and I haven't been there in a while but Desire Oyster bar at the Royal was very good.

I know for sure that both the Royal and Monteleone have swimming pools. Not really sure about the Chateau Sonesta.

There is plenty to do...although you already know it will be hot! The streetcar is available so that gives you lots of options. You can also do walking tours of Uptown and the French Quarter.

Thanks for the replies! I'm glad we picked some good hotels to choose. I think we'll go with the Monteleone or Royal Sonesta. The Chateau is cheaper, but the pool isn't as nice as the other two.

As for food, I've been looking on here and there's almost too many recommendations! We'd like to have one night a fancier dinner night to treat the bride. Something close by, not terribly expensive, but not a regular rowdy bar either. Any type of food is good. We'd like to experience New Orleans!!

Are there places near these hotels to get good inexpensive breakfasts and lunches? And stores around to buy some treats for the room??

I recently ate at Muriel's in Jackson Square. It was nice and the food was good.

http://www.muriels.com

I am partial to Cafe Beignet which is only a few blocks from Monteleone (for breakfast) or The Royal Tea Room if you just want something real quick. You'll want to hit Acme just for some oysters, some beans & rice, a beer (Dixie)& the show (make sure you sit at the bar). For lunch, go to Central Grocery for a muffaletta (or a variety of other joints) they are pretty good from anywhere. Pick up a Po' Boy, your choice. Also try Dominiques (for Dinner), more of a locals hangout but something for everyone.

THe Monteleone is a nice hotel. It is well located in the Quarter, close enough to the action on Bourbon but removed enough to not be as noisy as being on Bourbon. The pool is on the roof and is ok. The bar and the restaurant are quite good. You won't be too far from Canal Place for shopping as well as Royal street shops.

Galatoire's is in the same block as the Monteleone but over on Bourbon. Classic NOLA eaterie and very good food.

http://www.galatoires.com/

NOLA is in the Quarter on St Louis and is one of Emeril's places. Food is very good. Also good for lunch.

http://www.emerils.com/restaurant/2/NOLA-Restaurant/

Also on St Louis is Johnny's Po-Boy for IMHO the best po-boys.

http://www.frenchquarter.com/dining/po-boy.php

Brigtsen's is in the riverbend neighborhood. Take the St Charles streetcar and walk about four blocks.

http://www.brigtsens.com/

There are tons more but that should get you started.

You're coming at a great time to take advantage of some summer specials.

You'll be able to dine at 5 star restaurants for cheap if you take advantage of this deal:


http://www.neworleansonline.com/news...arysummer.html

With the beginning of the summer season in New Orleans, once again more than two dozen of the city’s famous restaurants are running their money-saving specials for lunch and dinner. It is known as A COOLinary Summer, and participating restaurants will offer three-course lunches at $20 or less and three-course dinners at $30 or less between July 1 and September 30.

This special event highlights the city's unparalleled lineup of restaurants and introduces foodies from all over to New Orleans unique Creole and Cajun cuisines, as well as to world-famous steakhouses and seafood bistros.

The participating restaurants, 28 in all, are as follows:

7 on Fulton
Bacco
Bayona
Bombay Club
Bourbon House Seafood
Brennan's Restaurant
Broussard's
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
Cafe' Adelaide
Commander's Palace
Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse
Dominique's at the Maison Dupuy Hotel
Grand Isle
La Cote Brasserie
Le Cafe
Martinique Bistro
Maximo's Italian Grill
Melánge
Michaul's Live Music Restaurant
Mr. B's Bistro
Palace Cafe
Pascal's Manale
Red Fish Grill
Restaurant Cuvee
The Pelican Club
Tomatillos
Tujague's Restaurant
Wolfe's in the Warehouse

Fantastic! Thank you for this info. Which restaurant(s) do you recommend the most on this list? We're staying at the Bourbon Orleans and will be walking everywhere . . .

I should add that we'd like to try some good ole fashion New Orleans cookin . . .

The Commander's Palace is THE place for your best meal...not cheap, but worth every penny. Would suggest reservations.

Someone already mentioned Johnny's for lunch po-boys...they are great.
Also, check out Mom's for either lunch or dinner.

Check with your hotel for the local tours. We took the ghost tour that starts at the vodoo shop at night...was great!

For something different, check out one of the cooking classes on Cajun food that are offered. You get to eat what you make and it's a good time as well.

I second Commander's Palace as the best restaurant on the list.

Just take the St. Charles Streetcar to the Garden District and it's a short walk from there.

One note:

You must tell them when you are making reservations or before you get seated that you are wanting to participate in the COOLinary New Orleans special so they can give you the special lower priced menu.

Hi everyone,

I believe Commander's Palace only participates in the COOLinary for lunch. Please verify on their website.

Thanks everyone. Looks like you are right, Versailles. Commanders Palace only has the COOLinary special for lunch.

What would be everybody's 2nd choice for dinner to take advantage of this special???

Just a warning - do not walk on the side of Canal Street that the projects are located. In you are walking down that street be sure to walk on the opposite side. In one day 5 woman were hit in the jaw so hard they had to go to the hospital. One of those women was a member of our church and that is how we heard about. The hospital told her this was happening. We just happened to be walking back to our hotel on the good side of the street and had no problem.

This was not this past year but still it is something to remember.

I took the City of the Dead tour which was going to the cemetery. Very interesting tour but we were told not to leave the group - not even to step behind a tombstone.

Cafe du Monde for beignets!!!

Katie in answer to your question about dinner. Bayona would be my suggestion. Chef/owner Susan Spicer is apparently cooking again quite a bit.

Katie - Lots of good recommendations above.

One of our favorite places on the list is Pascale's Manale. Classic old NO neighborhood restaurant in the Garden District. It's on Napolean about 2 blocks off the St Charles Street trolley. Famous for its oyster bar and BBQ shrimp (this is NOT the southwestern variey; it's a butter/pepper sauce, the shrimp are huge, and it's excellent). We also think they have some of the best crabmeat remoulade in town. Reasonable prices.

Thank you all for such wonderful suggestions! I'm going to try and narrow down our dinner choice, won't be easy!

We also would like to do a cemetery tour. I've seen a lot offered on-line, any particular tour place that is better than the others?

Funnily, when we travelled to New Orleans, we narrowed down our search to exactly the three hotels that you have in mind.

We ended in the Monteleone and loved it. The pool is on the rooftop and nice enough. There is also a gym with breathtaking views over the city.

Here some restaurant recommendations:

- ACME Oyster House is a casual, fun place to go. The quality of food is amazingly good (for the price) and the ambiance is very special. For your party, it is the right place to have fun and to have a pitcher of Abita beer. Low-priced.
www.acmeoyster.com

- Tujague's is probably the most authentic New Orleans food experience. The ambiance is historical, with a quaint mirrored bar, and you will be served a wonderful 6-course menu, cooked according to recipes from 1856. Medium-priced.
www.tujaguesrestaurant.com

- Commander's Palace. When Tujague's comes closest to how it was in a downtown restaurant in the old times, Commander's Palace comes closest to how it was to dine in a plantation house. The ambiance is a bit more posh. The cuisine is very traditional creole and somewhat heavy. Expect dishes like turtle soup and bread pudding. Medium-high-priced.
www.commanderspalace.com