New Orleans Travel Forum

My husband has a conference in march in NO and I want to come along. Most of the recommended hotels near the convention center are booked (except for the Hilton riverside) so he got us a room at the royal sonesta hotel..It this a nice hotel? we are on a budget, he company will pay for the room, but we also need to find some great cheap places to eat and drink,, that hotel is way too pricey to eat at.. Any ideas would be great..

the royal sonesta is right in the heart of the french quarter! *this* is the location you want to be at! it might get a little loud being on bourbon street but the entire quarter is at your disposal. tons of great restaurants, all different prices. drinks are usually cheap in NOLA as well. i remember many $1 beer specials. frozen margarita walk-ups. trust me, just go and walk around the quarter a bit, no need to plan this ahead of time, there is tons to eat, drink and see on a budget :)

HAVE FUN!!!!

The Royal Sonesta is nice. The only criticism I had was that there was a faint smell of cigarette smoke in my non-smoking room. But since I was there only one night and was exhausted, I didn't make a big deal about it. The bellmen were very helpful.

i havent been to new orleans now in close to two years, but i did stay @ the royal sonesta before, nice place...depending on the location of your actual room IN the hotel, it can be a bit noisy so take earplugs for sleep time but thats the ONLY drawback...i cant remember the name of a BBQ place to eat on St Charles, close to St. Charles & 4th street i believe, next to a hotel named Avenue Garden, it's REALLY good and affordable, less than $10 gets u a huge meal....there is a zydeco bar that has a great happy hour, cant remember the name but the music is good and the drink specials are good....u will have SO much fun at this location...good luck!!

voodoo BBQ is d place on St. Charles

Thanks for your replies. We can also stay at the hilton riverside. Which would you stay at? Someone told me that it was unsafe for me to be walking around bourbon street while my husband is at the conference, is this true?/ Any other suggestions for some great and cheap places to eat and drink? the voodoo place sounds great!!

i would say, be as cautious in new orleans just like any other city....at night, be cautious to not go into too many of those nooks & crannies of the french quarter, but bourbon street itself is well lit, you can walk from bar to bar REALLY easy, they're all really close to each other....dont be afraid, however to venture off bourbon street, some of the best places i've had fun in were on magazine street and the fabourg marigny area and some little places on st. charles...i'm sure there are more locals who know even MORE places than that, but just sharing my limited experience here....you'll find cheap food on bourbon street (which is kind of too bad 'cause cheap price usually means cheap food, and there are some AWESOME restaurants in that city!!) an easy place is the acme place for fried oysters and such...you'll be FINE!! you're gonna have a blast!

the hilton riverside will be further of a walk for you to get to after hanging out in the quarter. you would have to leave the quarter and pass canal street and go up a block or so.

on the other hand, the royal sonesta is centrally located to the area you will most likely be hanging out and doing your touristy things in and there will be people all over.

i stayed on poydras street once and while it is definitely within walking distance to the quarter, i personally don't like THAT walk back even more, no one is around. i would definitely just suggest staying at the royal sonesta especially if you are planning on walking around alone. bourbon street can get a little fun and crazy, as it is the touristy area. but like the person above me said, my favorites are others which are more calm and a bit less touristy. i love decatur and royal. go check out bourbon and see what it is about, but definitely go discover the other streets. go walk to the river. get a coffee at cafe du monde (or my favorite rue de la course), watch the street performers, buy some pralines. go see the st. louis cathedral. go to the french market and buy souveniers :) there's tons to see and do :) and most of it is off bourbon.

look on a map and learn the boundaries of the quarter. again, as already stated, nola is just like any other city, use your best judgement and you should be fine. but like i said, if nervous about walking around alone esp at night, keep it to the quarter. royal sonesta will be the quickest way home.

any other questions, please feel free to ask. nola is my favorite place in the world. will be going down for my 6th time in just another couple months.

its a wonderful place. don't be nervous :)

and to repeat what the poster above me said, especially at night, avoid the nooks and crannies of the quarter. they are right. nooks and crannies means, if you are on a lively street with lots of people, stores open, etcetcetc, if you come to a street that is empty and quiet and dead, just leave it til the morning. as long as you are around lively areas and other people you should be fine.

Bourbon Street at night is probably the safest place to be. It's lively, well lit, and full of people, and there's a reassuring police presence.

I'd opt for the Royal Sonesta over the Hilton Riverside because it's closer to the action.

Well, we decided to switch hotels and stay at the Country Inn and Suites at Carlson. It is a few blocks from the quarter. It sounds like a nice hotel and more quiet when we need to sleep. Any thought about this? will it be a safe walk to and from? thanks for all the help so far.

i stayed right near there on poydras my first time in nola. it is out of the quarter and across canal, like i said i wouldn't love walking that alone at night, but during the day no worries. it's a fine area, you just want to avoid dark emptry streets at night no matter which city you go to. but itis a quick walk and youll get better sleep for sure.

You were much better off at the Royal Sonesta. The Royal Sonesta is a nicer hotel for one and in a far better location. The Country Inn Suites are in a bit of a sketchy area near the casino. Plus if you want to venture out, you will have to sprint with traffic across Canal Street and then walk a few more blocks just to get anywhere. It will not be any quieter because of traffic noise.

If the company is paying, I would certainly stay at the Royal Sonesta.

The Royal Sonesta is a great hotel & located right in the center of all the Bourton Street action. If you want a quieter room, make sure to book one near the back (pool area) rather than one with a balcony that fronts Bourbon Street. The service was wonderful; friendly housekeepers, bellmen, bartenders, etc.

A reasonably priced restaurant in that area is The Gumbo Shop (630 Saint Peter Street). You could also try Mother's (401 Poydras) near the Convention Center, Cafe Maspero (601 Decatur Street) or Central Grocery (923 Decatur Street) for muffulettas.

Oh shoot. I thought it would be better to stay a few blocks away. Now I dont know what to do.. One of the reasons we changes is because someone told my hubby that driving in the bourbon st area would be hell and he needs to drive to the convention everyday for a few hours.. is this true? I think we could switch back, the reviews for the carlson were so good that is why we switched. Thanks for all the help so far.

they are right, you don't want to be driving in that area. actually, i don't know...are cars even allowed on bourbon???

wherever you stay, it's fine. you aren't too far away from the quarter. like i said though, just keep your wits about you if walking around alone at night :)

You can drive down Bourbon in the day time, but can only cross over it at night. The traffic really isnt very bad. At mardi gras its a mess, but compared to any other major city, its not bad at all. How far away will your husband be that he needs a car rather than to just take a taxi?

He will be going back and forth to the convention center. His company pays for a rental car. My dad is having a fit that I am going to visit NOLA. He said I am going to the murder capital of the USA. geez, dad thanks, I am really getting excited now..

No, I think actually Baltimore is the murder capital of the nation. And we still had a great time at VT's Baltoberfest.

The convention center is really not that far. A rental car, plus parking fee's, is really quite a waste. He could actually WALK to the convention center, but it would be a little bit of a walk, from the French Quarter. His company should reimburse him for cab fare, just as they would a rental car. It would cheaper for them as well. The Central Business District, as well as the French Quarter, really is a very small area, all of which is walkable.

When you see the limited parking available, as well as the very high garage pricing, you will see how frivilous a rental car would be.

Hotel is nice.. Parking at any hotel in the city will be up to or at least $30.00 a night. A cab would be cheaper for your husband to go to the Convention Center.
For eating, if you want a great burger or even steak, Yo Momma's Grill across the street fro Pat O' Brien's right off Bourbon. I'm not sure about during the week, but I know Sat and Sun Cat's Meow has 3 for one drinks. The Gumbo Shop is tasty. Central grocery for the best muffalata's Superior Grill down St Charles Ave is also a good place, Cheesecake Bistro, and I find reasonably priced for the amount of food you get on your plate. Most places around the city will have Happy Hour's so go enjoy your drinking. lol We know places in Metairie, and other surrounding areas where there is good food, people, and reasonable prices for drinking, I guess a traveler would call it off the beaten path.

I have been in the Quarter 25 times at least. You most definately need to take the advice of the other folks...get back to the Sonesta ASAP. Ditch the rental, get a cab. R/T Airport to Quarter is about 50 bucks. To the convention center from the Sonesta 10 bucks with a tip...do the math. Here's the deal as I see it. I have been fortunate enough live and travel around the world. I could go anywhere for my 20th anniversary coming up. Guess where we are going? The Quarter and the Sonesta...You have a chance to get one of the most romantic memorable experience paid for (mostly)and I am just saying sleep s hould not even be on your radar! I have taken my children there w/ no problem. My wife and I were "escorted" off a balcony for throwing beads...no problems from anyone. Just "stay inside for 30 minutes sir"..Take this chance and run with it. Final advice: Do a Brunch on Sunday.. If you can you MUST make that happen. Have a great time!

out of all the place ive been in the world nola is my most favorite as well.

good advice! :)

ok all this new orleans talk just made me book a trip there.

im going back this weekend.

:D WAHO!O!

Good -- I like to see people supporting New Orleans. I'm going back in April. :)