Feeling overwhelmed with the variety of choices! My husband and I are headed to NO for 4 nights in September. We would like to stay under $125 per night. So far, we found a deal of $125 at Monteleone (sans balcony), which I know has received great feedback on this site and tripadvisor. We would prefer a place with character. After searching through most B&B's, they seem to be all in the Garden area, which we do not want to stay in. Ursulines B&B is the only one we found in the FQ. ANy suggestions?

How about Le Pavillon? It is a beautiful, old hotel just a couple of blocks from the Quarter. Don't know your dates, but I just pulled up a $92 rate on Travelocity. Just try to avoid the city on a weekend that the Saints are in town, as it will be crowded, and sometimes rates and/or min. stay requirements kick in at hotels. Good luck finding a room with a balcony for less than $125/night.

I think it's more fun to be in the Quarter. We love the Omni Royal Orleans (great location and pool area). It is truly a New Orleans classic like the Monteleone which does get grand reviews. Iberville Suites is another one which gets good reviews but is on the edge of the Quarter next to the Ritz and Bourbon Street. You may want to also check out Royal Sonesta on Bourbon. I'm not familiar with Ursulines B & B but it's probably near Esplanade which would not been as convenient. Hope this helps.

Not an answer, but a question. Is the Cornstalk Fence Hotel still around? If so, is it still nice? We used to have our out of town visitors stay there when we lived near NO years ago. It had load of NO character, a good price and a great location in the Quarter.

We always stay at the Ramada Inn on Bourbon. We'll be there the 26-29th of September and I think the cost is 170.00 a night so it might be higher than you're looking for. The hotel is centrally located and the balcony rooms are too much fun for people watching. Check with the main Ramada reservations and also with the hotel themselves for any special promotions that might be available.

Check with the Villa Convento on Ursulines Street (they have a web site). It's not too expensive, in my experience, and we had a second floor room with a balcony that we enjoyed. Plenty of character.

Thank you!. I researched all of your suggestions and decided on Hotel Monteleone because we got a fantastic rate. We were able to get a king bed for $99 during the week and $109 for the weekend (Sept rates). I just booked directly with the hotel and asked for a special rate.

I know there is not a balcony, but the reviews seemed too good to pass up this great deal!

I am also in the process of collecting info on what to do while in NO! It is my hubby's 34th birthday, we LOVE to eat and people watch! That's why I know NO will be perfect. We are coming from NYC and really looking forward to visiting! Can't wait!!! Keep the suggestions coming

Chiming in a little late, I know you've made your choice, but for anyone else with the same dilema we stayed at the Place d'Arms hotel last month and had a balcony room. We had a terrific stay and the balcony was wonderful. The location was almost perfect. The only complaint I have is that I wish the buffet breakfast had more choices.

basingstoke - reguarding the Cornstalk Hotel, it is still there. Not sure how nice it is these days though. We stayed there 5 years ago and were less than happy with it. I love old houses and historic buildings and expect (and enjoy) the quirks, but were issues that have nothing to do with it being an old building - like an uncomfortable matress, threadbare sheets and no extra blankets availible. The air conditioning was blasting, but our vent was broken with no way to close it, so we froze at night - silly me for not bringing flannel pajamas to southern Louisiana in late May - LOL.

Hey- I know the OP booked a room already, but I just wanted to chime in that I saw (on a rival travel site) that the Marriot French Quarter has a special rate of 99$ through the end of September. I stayed there once- it was very nice (a little bland, but nice with a good view of the city).

For JennaJ- If you want to really dine (and people watch while waiting for your table (no reservations) check out Dick and Jenny's. Simply the best meal I have had in years! The dive bar down the street, 45 Tchoup, is fun for playing darts and hanging out. The owner is a doll- used to be the bartender at Parasols.

And don't forget to take a stoll along Magazine St to check out the shops. My favorite street in NO.

J_Correa--thanks for the suggestion. We had actually checked out Place d'arms and it was full!

BlueSwimmer--We will definately check out your suggestions, as they are right up our alley!

JCorrea- thanks for the reply. I am really sorry to hear that - once it was really nice.

My stay at the Cornstalk was 5 years ago though, so things might have changed since then. We thought the house was neat and the location is really good, so I think with some changes, it could be a really nice place.

We live close to NO on the gulf coast. Pre Katrina we loved the Bienville House. Haven't been post Katrina because of the crime but it used to be our favorite hotel in NO. We finally decided to book a weekend. I called today to book a room at Bienville House and they wouldn't honor the coupon I found on the internet but quoted a room for $119, which is about the same as their pre Katrina rates on a slow weekend. The female I talked to was very curt and dismissive which is a far cry from the old Bienville House. I DID read several reviews on trip adviser that were critical of the staff. Incompetent, rude staff seems to be the recurring theme of reviews I'm reading about hotels and restaurants post Katrina. Anyway, Bienville House is a great location but if you will be there during the week, there is construction being done on the courtyard so it will be noisy. If you book a room with a balcony overlooking Decatur be prepared for a lively night of partying from the House of Blues (is it still there?) and the firehouse across the street (actually fun to watch because the firemen set out lawn chairs and get quite a show from varying levels of inebriated passersby.) FYI, the Bienville House used to be/are owned by the Monteleone folks (which we also love and has plenty of charm, if it's your final choice, you will be very pleased, tho rooms are small). We have friends who just booked a room at the Royal Sonesta which has VERY LIVELY balcony rooms overlooking Bourbon Street. The discount rate for this weekend, Aug 3 was $149 when they booked. As for the other posts, I will comment after we return. I would be a tiny bit concerned about staying on Poydras but we have friends who just came back from a weekend in NO and said they stayed at Le Pavillon and said they felt safe walking to the French Quarter. I also agree with the post about the convento ursuline place, I have walked by it pre Katrina and it was a little sketchy at night even back then, slightly off the beaten track with lots of homeless in doorways. PS. most French Quarter hotels have PLENTY of character, so don't feel obligated to focus on a B&B to get "character". As far as what to do, we always love a river boat ride, the walking tour you get for free at the convention and visitors bureau web site, a walk along the riverwalk, a ride on the streetcar which is very limited at this time. You have to go to cafe du monde for beignets and coffee. I cannot recommend the restaurant Bayona highly enough if you are a foodie. It has always been our favorite restaurant in NO. It is similar in price to most restaurants but is SO much better. Also, we've always liked NOLA on St. Louis. It's an Emeril restaurant, we don't care for Emeril's OR Delmonico's, but we have always been pleased with NOLA. They used always to have a fabulous bread basket with 3 to 4 different breads all baked on the premises. We love Commander's Palace for sunday brunch. Even if the food is not always the best, the atmosphere is unparalleled. We've heard great things about JacqueImos, a cab ride, but haven't been there. I've never had a bad meal at the small restaurant which is now Stella! at the hotel Provincial which also is a fun place to stay. Actually, I've seen famous people there on several occasions if you're into that sort of thing. We stayed at Cornstalk Fence 20 years ago and it was cute and well located but very, very tiny, creaky and VERY, VERY noisy. PLEASE try Bayona, if you want to save $ go for the prix fixe lunch on Saturday, ~$20 per person. I DON'T want this place to go away! J. May. Good luck.

The Cornstalk has tiny rooms, you can find better for the $$$. A place I will suggest after the fact is the Hotel Ste. Marie. Nice little balcomies & right off the main drag. I also favor the Monteleone, I mean, how much time are you going to spend in your room anyway ?