Wondering where to stay in New Orleans for 5 star luxury? We found the perfect place!
We believe the hotels on Canal Street, offer the greatest location when deciding where to stay in New Orleans and what to see.
Jump to:
- Astor Crowne Plaza
- Valet Parking
- Room To Breathe
- Bourbon Street
- Anything Goes
- Hard Rock Cafe
- Time To Explore
- Dining Out
- Take A Tour
- Hurricane Katrina
- Frenchmen Street
- New Orleans Taxis
- Overall Opinion
Read on!
Canal Street, New Orleans.
Whilst on a recent road trip from San Antonio, Texas to Orlando in Florida, New Orleans or ‘Nawlins’ was a must. We hadn’t researched where to stay in New Orleans enough which is unusual for us. So we turned up there with only a vague idea of which hotels we would like.
On arrival we found our way to Canal Street in the French Quarter and figured the best places to stay in New Orleans would be close to Bourbon Street. After several tours up and down looking at New Orleans hotels and with nowhere to park we spotted the Astor Crowne Plaza hotel. I recalled from the research we had done that we would love to stay there but it was too pricey. By chance the only break in traffic where we could pull in was right outside.
Hotel Foyer – Crowne Plaza
Astor Crowne Plaza – New Orleans Charm
I entered the lobby with it’s good old fashioned New Orleans charm and general air of cool and calm. After hours of driving from Texas it felt inviting and luxurious. With my fingers tightly crossed behind my back I approached the reception desk.
The Crowne Plaza is a 5 star hotel with 5 star prices and two years have passed since our stay. But thanks to a quick online check for Room Key discount and a pre mardi gras offer we struck lucky. With help from a very kind and patient receptionist we paid around $140 dollars per night. Considering that a deluxe room with two beds is usually around $250 dollars we were more than happy to stay.
Valet Parking
Valet parking is the only parking option available at this hotel, this was another $47 per night plus taxes. The convenience more than made up for it though and was our first experience of this kind of parking. Having already driven around for ages it was quite a relief to not get back in the car again. We literally stepped out of the car and gave the keys to the valet. A doorman took our luggage from the boot and we swanned back into the hotel like we were royalty.
Room to Breathe
Our room was pleasant and comfortable but in need of the upgrade it has had since our visit. But the best part of American hotel/motel rooms is having two beds rather than one. An idea I would love to see more of in the UK. The luxury of tossing and turning or making like a star without offending your other half is a glorious feeling. What better way to start your day than with a good old stretch before your feet hit the floor?
We had all the usual amenities you would expect from one of the best places to stay in New Orleans. Free wifi, aircon, HDTV with premium cable channels and of course the spacious luxury granite bathroom. We weren’t too far away from the lift to all floors so mobility wasn’t a problem. Happily, of all the hotels in New Orleans with pools, the Crowne Plaza is one of them. However as it is outdoors it is only open from 1st April to 1st November. They do have an excellent fitness center on site though and it’s open all year round to burn away those calories. Click here for deals and reviews on the Astor Crowne Plaza.
Bourbon Street in the French Quarter
Travelling through the southern states of America in February means it’s dark by 5 o’clock. Feeling hungry we started getting ready to go out in search of something to eat. Then we heard it – a steady bass beat suggesting someone was having a party. We headed out of the hotel and almost immediately came across Bourbon Street. Wow! It was party central.
Anything Goes In NOLA!
Every bar had different music blaring out into the street and not the jazz we were expecting. Most of it was rock and pop with just a smattering of Jazz bars. It was fantastic. You could buy a drink in one bar and walk off into another bar with the same drink in your hand! No one seemed to mind. In fact everyone was doing it! We also noticed that smoking in these bars was also acceptable. Because the hotel was so close and there weren’t any hills to worry about getting around this part of the french quarter is relatively easy.
Hard Rock Cafe
Before we got too carried away we thought an evening meal would be wise. We’d only walked one block up Bourbon Street when we came across the Hard Rock Cafe on the corner of Bourbon and Iberville Street. I have to admit to being quite a fan of Hard Rock Cafe. We’ve been in several of their restaurants now and they never fail to disappoint. After diving into their Original Legendary Burgers we felt better equipped to tackle the night ahead.
New Orleans 3 for 1’s!
Now on the subject of bars, a word of caution! The music is very loud and you have to shout your order across the bar. Everytime we ordered a beer for Dave and a margarita for me and were given 3 beers and 3 margaritas! It was pointless arguing and this happened in almost every bar the length of Bourbon Street. 3 for 1 is clearly very popular and it probably goes without saying we were out quite some time!
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By this point it was clearly time to go bed. Happy and more than a little tipsy on 3 for 1’s we tottered back to the hotel.
One thing is for sure, you’re going to see some rare sights in New Orleans at night. From the macabre to the plain mad. They seem to have it all.
Time to Explore
Sunday Morning in New Orleans it was time to explore the area – A gentle stroll down Canal Street led us to the Mississippi River. A huge expanse of water that snakes through no less than ten states all the way up to Minnesota.
As you approach the waterfront you’ll see Harrahs Casino. As gambling is illegal in Louisiana , quite how that happened no-one seems to know. But there is definitely a casino there. Another testament to the strangeness of New Orleans.
We took our time and found the walk to be relatively easy but there were plenty of places we could have stopped for a breather (and a coffee or cocktail) if we had needed to. The sun was shining and it was a comfortable 70 degrees with a light breeze so not too much of a challenge.
Dining Out
When deciding where to stay in New Orleans access to a wide variety of food is a must. We are not wildly experimental when it comes to what we eat but we always try to sample the local offerings. And they were everywhere! All the usual American cuisine alongside Gumbo and Po’Boys. We did draw the line at biscuits and gravy though, it just didn’t sound very appealing after a night out on Bourbon Street!
The Palace Cafe on Canal Street serves a wonderful breakfast. If you want to add a New Orleans flavour you can have Alligator Sausage, biscuits & gravy or grits. It offers authentic Creole cooking at its finest with a huge selection of seafood dishes. But also a good 12oz Filet Mignon if that’s what your taste buds desire.
A quick browse through The Palace Cafe Menus will give you an idea of their extensive selection. They are definitely well worth a visit for good food and good service.
Take a Tour of New Orleans
Two days isn’t really enough to explore the whole of New Orleans but that was all we had. The best way to see as much as possible was to take a bus tour. There were loads to choose from but we opted for Cajun Encounters morning city bus tour. It was on a mini bus rather than a double decker which we thought would be more friendly.
Barter!
Most of the tours charge around $50 but on a quiet day in February you can often barter them down a bit – we got ours for just under $40. Our morning tour took us around the whole city with particular attention paid to the French Quarter where Hurricane Katrina did her worst.
Hurricane Katrina
A Personal Experience
Our guide had lived in New Orleans most of his life and had escaped the hurricane along with his wife. Returning at the first opportunity to take food for the local pets left behind. He described the lawless state the city was in immediately afterwards and how he carried his gun for protection.
Lives Lost
He talked us through the still abandoned ‘shotgun houses’ and the markings painted on the front of them. Many of these showing the number of dead bodies within who hadn’t got out in time. A truly devastating and dark part of New Orleans history.
We drove through the Garden District and also walked around St Louis Cemetery where every vault is above ground. This is because the city of New Orleans sits below sea level and each one holds several bodies. The hot climate turns the above ground vaults into ovens efficiently decomposing a body within 12 months. This rapid decomposition continuously makes room for more occupants.
Morning Call Coffee Stand
We then drove on to see the huge mansions on St Charles Avenue before stopping at the Morning Call Coffee Stand. Established in 1870 it had a long history of serving locals with chicory rich coffee and beignets. Beignets are a french market donut made on site and they are delicious. Feeling adventurous hubby ordered a Gator burger which was far from delicious and not to our taste at all. Still, you don’t know if you don’t try. The restaurant was clean, friendly and very busy with chic bistro style furniture. I would recommend the Morning Call Coffee Stand in the grounds of City Park and will return.
A More Leisurely Afternoon
For the rest of the day we stayed within walking distance of our hotel. We wandered back up Canal Street stopping off for frozen cocktails in little bars. Enjoying the afternoon sun we meandered in and out of designer shops and enjoyed the breeze from the Mississippi. By this time we were fast running out of steam so a cozy nap back at the hotel was in order. We still had a long night ahead.
Frenchmen Street
If the scarce existence of traditional jazz on Bourbon Street disappoints you then take heart. All is not lost. Head over to Frenchmen Street covering over two blocks of live music with over 20 bars, restaurants and clubs. The entertainment available here needs a bit of planning and offers live music tour, dinner packages, burlesque and more.
A good browse through their website Frenchman Street Live beforehand will tell you everything you need to know. If I had to choose between a night on Bourbon Street and a night on Frenchmen Street then I would definitely choose the latter! Frenchmen makes Bourbon Street look tame.
New Orleans Taxis
We were given lots of warnings about getting into taxis in New Orleans and heard horror stories about getting mugged and worse. To be on the safe side get hotel reception to organize a taxi for you and get their number (or the drivers number) for coming back. If you’re feeling energetic and mobile then it’s a good 20 minute walk and perhaps not something you should be doing if you plan on staying out late. Like any city in the world you need to keep your wits about you and be safe.
Bamboulas
One place you must visit is Bamboulas. They have live music, authentic drinks not weakened to sell to tourists and friendly staff. If you haven’t yet tried the great American classic fried green tomatoes then this is the place to do it. They’re open from lunchtime right through until late night and are extremely popular with the locals. Accessibility is good as they have wheelchair access so no worries there.
Overall Opinion
As brief as it was we loved our time here. When deciding where to stay in New Orleans we reckon the Crowne Plaza is top of the list. If we had taken the time to research it more we would have stayed longer than we did. There is so much to see and do and we only covered the basics on our whistle stop tour. But we will be going back some day to sample more of the best places to stay in New Orleans.and hopefully take a paddle steamer up the Mississippi. That is certainly something to look forward to. The tolerance and feeling of welcome we got from the people of New Orleans was memorable and gracious. Thank you.
If you’d like more information on visiting New Orleans with photo’s, deals and reviews click here.