hampsterbrain

Bienville House Hotel, Maison Dupuy or Le Richelieu? We are only going to be there for a short time. We arrive late Fri night and leave Sun afternoon. Any input would be appreciated!! Thanks!

doxungirl

The Bienville House and the Monteleone are very nice and in great locations on Decatur and Royal Streets respectively and close enough to stroll to Bourbon night or day. Le Richelieu is also a very good hotel, but the location is a little further from the center--still in the Quarter and it offers free parking! which really makes a difference in the total price of the stay. The Monaco has gotten good reviews, but I personally haven't stayed there--I don't like the proximity to Canal Street; I prefer to be right in the middle of the French Quarter. I don't know anything about the Maison Dupuy. I think I would go
Monteleone, then Bienvill House, then Richelieu..

hampsterbrain

doxungirl-
Thanks for your reply! I made a back-up reservation at the Hotel Monteleone. I can always cancel if something better comes up. Seemed liked the best deal since I got a rate of $109 versus the $459 it was listing on other sites. Are there certain streets I want to stay off of? Is Canal one of them? Thank you!

Wayne

I'd also recommend Monteleone. As for the streets to avoid, none of them are particularly dangerous during daylight hours. But if you've never been in New Orleans before, you might be shocked at the rather seamy crowds along Canal Street and in some of the other areas within or bordering on the poorer districts. Not to be racist, but when I walk down Canal Street I can only imagine that I'm in Johannesburg, South Africa. The shops have mostly become cheap discount places, and the only place along Canal near the FQ worth visiting for shops is called Canal Place, an indoor, generally upscale set of stores. Good luck.

hampsterbrain

Wayne-
Thanks for your input about Canal Street. I'm from Chicago so I'm not really the scared tourist type but it's good to get a feel for a city before you visit.

snowrooster

Interesting comments about Canal St. It is definitely more of a local shopping area/hangout than a place tourists would wander. I am always surprised so many people recommend the Ritz in NO on this site. I'm sure it is a lovely hotel being that it is a Ritz, but given it's proximity to Canal; with there being so many fabulous hotels in the FQ, I can't imagine staying there.

We stay at Royal Sonesta so I can't comment on your hotel options, but it is really great to be right in the heart of the quarter.

starrsville

I love the Hotel Monaco in SF! One day I will stay at all the Monaco's. I usually stay at the Dauphine Orleans in NO. Great location right at the FQ without noise. The BEST rooms are the few rooms on the courtyard across the street from the main hotel. A true NO experience.

hampsterbrain

Do you think the rates will drop between now and June since it gets so hot there? The Hotel Monteleone was the only hotel I saw with Summer Rates. Do you know if any of the other hotels mentioned (such as the Dauphine) lower their rates for summer?

Wayne

If you were quoted a shockingly low price (compared to others) you might want to ask the hotel if it's for one of their non-renovated older rooms, or one that might have some other less desirable characteristics, like next door to a noisy area. I know the Monteleone was renovated not too long ago, but they might have left a few of their rooms as is. Wouldn't hurt to ask them, anyway. Good luck.

doxungirl

All of the hotels in NO cut their rates deeply in the summer months, mainly to draw in tourists during the hottest time of the year. Go to New Orleans.com and some other sites to find out about the summer discounts (along with the "Papa Noel" rates that they have in the winter.) You should be able to find lots of great rates for June.

JohnNewOrleans

In 2004, June was a very busy month due to conventions and "deals" were hard to find. Not sure what 2005 looks like yet!

snowrooster

We went 4yrs ago in July and are going back this July (anniversary). Last time I booked the Royal Sonesta a couple of months in advace for about $140 a night, which is a pretty good rate and I was quite pleased. A week or so before our trip, I checked the Royal Sonesta website and they had a July special under $100 a night. I realized I'm going to be taking a risk, but I'm going to wait this time. I'm accepting the fact that the rates at the hotel I want might not drop, but there are a lot of great hotels in the Quarter so perhaps I'll get to try another. Right now I can get an avg rate of $165/night via expedia. We'll see!!!

hampsterbrain

Ok, I think I'll stick with the Hotel Monteleone. It's not like we'll be in the room much anyway. Looks like I got a good rate, it's a great location, and the pool looks really nice too. Hopefully we'll have time to use it. Thanks all for your suggestions! I'll post a trip report when I return. HB

benj

Hamp,
Do check out the Carousel Bar in the Monteleone. It is so unique. My parents would go there back in the 50s when they came to NO. I love the atmosphere of the place. Makes you think Fred Astaire will come dancing out of the lobby.

hampsterbrain

Benj-
I thought that was another reason we should stick with this hotel. the bar looks really neat.

benj

The rooftop pool is interesting as well. Our company had its Christmas party in an upper floor meeting room & it was really nice.

Have a great time!