Savannah and NOLA
 

My adult daughters and I are traveling to Savannah and New Orleans looking 3to4star hotels with pool free parking and centrally located.
Also any MUST SEES in both cities
Good places to eat
Recommendations for any river boat ⛵️ cruises in both cities��

For restaurants in Savannah, we liked the Crystal Beer Parlor for local, inexpensive fare, and the Pink House for more upscale.

Skip the riverboat tour of the river in Savannah. It's boring. Most of the scenery is industrial and not the least bit interesting.

What is the hotel budget?

I just stayed at the Windsor Court in New Orleans and loved it; nice pool and top location. But I know of no hotel there with free parking, not even the ones near the airport.

For restaurants you have to give more of an idea of what you want, there are dozens upon dozens of great ones in New Orleans and lots in Savannah, too.

Here is my report on my 5-night stay in New Orleans last March; I liked these restaurants: HERBSAINT, SHAYA, KENTON'S, COCHON, FELIX'S, LUKE'S.



http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...food-quest.cfm

I'm never sure quite how to answer must-see questions. I know what would be the most iconic photo ops. Jackson Square? Streetcar to Audobon Park? For Savannah, touring the squares, snapping a photo at Forsyth Square at the fountain?

They're both great cities that reward exploring by foot. Any restaurant advice I might give sadly is a bit dated, but I can say that I had some pretty terrific meals in both!

When I was in NO years ago I took a riverboat cruise from downtown to the zoo then back downtown. It was wonderful.

You won't get free parking in central NOLA. Despite its small size, New Orleans has all the characteristics of a big city - central downtown with tall buildings, major hotels and sizable incarnations of them, congested downtown area, major city pricing for lodging and amenities, and the attendant scarcity of downtown real estate with which to build a "free" parking lot. Given New Orleans's crime it's daft to park in an open lot overnight, anyway, so the hotels offer parking for a fee that offsets their use of cameras and security devices. You're not going to a Choice Inn off an interstate in the sticks.

"Must sees" don't exist. What you want to do is about YOU not everyone else. There are TONS of suggestions and resources for New Orleans. Your interests (other than a river boat cruise [and swamp cruises are better because you'll see gators]) are unstated, which provides no basis for suggestions.

We've taken a couple of cruises on the Natchez in NOLA and it was fun. http://www.steamboatnatchez.com/jazzcruise.html

This is all about New Orleans (haven't been to Savannah - yet)

In New Orleans, I think you'll just have to consider the cost of parking to be part of the cost of your hotel - I don't think free hotel parking exists in the central areas of the city.

For well-located hotels with a pool, check out Place d'Arms, Chateau Le Moyne, and Hotel Provincial. I've stayed in all 3 and really enjoyed them and their pools :) I am sure others have other recommendations also.

Good places to eat...how much time did you say you have? ;) This could be quite a list. On our most recent trip, we particularly enjoyed Kingfish, Muriels, Trinity, Jacque-Imos, and Napoleon House. For breakfast, Stanley, Envie Espresso Bar and Cafe, Ruby Slipper Cafe, and Pulp and Grind.

Thanks so much everyone. Lots of good ideas ��

Hi Nancy,

Looked back at my trip reports for Savannah and New Orleans; glad these trip reports are serving a purpose all these years later by allowing me to tell you where I had some stand-out meals. They're apparently still around and seem to get decent reviews still!

New Orleans--Adolfo's, Gumbo Shop; I'm also a fan on St. Charles Tavern just because it saved me with their late night eat such as shrimp po-boys on a few occasions and the waitress remembered me from one trip to the next! Not fine dining though exactly...
Savannah--Boar's Head, Belford's

Here's hoping you have some memorable meals in these two cities known for a distinct cuisine! Best, Daniel

Second the Gumbo Shop in NOLA.

Also, if you like oysters, Drago's Seafood in the Riverfront Hilton has yummy chargrilled oysters. We inhale at least a dozen every time we're in NOLA.

It's been so long since we've been to Savannah that I can't recommend anything there.

How come I only see typos after posting? "a fan *of*" "*late-night eats*" Be sure to tell us after where you went and what you enjoyed!

In Savannah, both the Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express on Bay street have roof top pools with great river views. Right across from each other.

Free parking centrally located, Fuggetaboutit!

For hotel browsing, I prefer booking.com and search for properties rated an 8 or 9 by the guests. You can either book on that site or search for better pricing directly with the hotel or through other sources like hotels.com, etc.

For city parking we use spothero.com. We used it it heavily in Chicago, and just used it in DC, and have booked it for an upcoming NOLA weekend.

GinnyJo--I also use booking.com, although I often start with tripadvisor.

Thanks for the recommendation on "spothero" I'll get the App!