Fixin' to take a joyride to New Orleans in January. Any recommendations for hotels near station or the Quarter?
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Last time I was in NO (before Katrina), I stayed at a downtown Holiday Inn, which was just a few blocks down Loyola St from NOUPT, between the station and the Fench Quarter -- I'd stayed there previously also, and always thought it was a nice hotel. I do not remember what the room rates were, however.
Posted by rresor (Member # 128) on :
Several years back, my wife was at a conference in NO and stayed at a Comfort Inn in a restored old building in the Warehouse District that was nice and quite reasonably priced. It's also not too far from NOUPT.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Mr. Kisor, presuming this inquiry is not of the frequent "where can I find a cheap hotel in XXXX?" genre, the Hyatt (presuming it has been returned to service since "Kat came a callin'") appears close to NOUPT and may well have "rooms with a view".
I presume that as a sane and rational person roundly my age, your trip is planned AWAY from the Mardi Gras nonsense (March 8).
But then, I'm not really one to ask about New Orleans; of course "I've been there' (thanks to NO, I'm a published TRAINS photographer), but on my last visit during Feb '04 laying over on a ORL-1-NOL-58-CHI itinerary, I didn't even leave the station premises.
No wonder I gave no consideration whatever to extending my CHI-59-JAN-58-CHI joyride last June to include NOL (and an extra $300 of expense for meals and lodging).
Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
GBN, I was going to twit you about the Mardi Gras comment, but then realized that I agree with the sentiment. Age has crept up on us, but the upside of that is so has our good sense.
I checked out the Hyatt -- it's still being renovated and no reservations are being accepted.
Tripadvisor has the Drury Inn and the Omni Royal Crescent at No. 1 and 2, respectively, among the reviewed hotels.
Both of those seem to fall within my up-to-$150-a-night price range. I need just the Hemingwayesque clean, well-lighted place with decent nearby eateries and free wi-fi in the rooms.
Anyone with experience of those?
On the other hand, I'm a member of the Hilton and Wyndham points plans (stays in those chains earn double points on my new Guest Rewards credit card) so I'd better check those out as well.
Posted by City of Miami (Member # 2922) on :
You might consider the Queen & Crescent which is midway between Amtrak and the Quarter. I have not stayed there, but have seen it recommended here. I walked by it a couple of weeks ago and it looked like a vintage 3* hotel. If you're interested I can PM you a list of 'locals' type wonderful restaurants from my recent trip.
Posted by Railroad Bob (Member # 3508) on :
Mr. K- thanks for getting this thread started; applies to me also since I am planning a NOL trip in January as well. Could be our paths might cross? Mr. GBN can either recommend or warn you about meeting Mr. Bob in person-- he's had the experience already a time or two... ("Run Henry and don't look back!")
As to hotels, years ago the Amtrak crews stayed at the "Chateau LeMoyne" in the Quarter; I believe it was Dauphine Street. This was the Holiday Inn in those days, (80's) perhaps it still is. I remember it was just fine; had all the amenities and a great location! Another tack you could take are the little B and B's sprinkled throughout the City; either in the Quarter proper or along the streetcar line (do not call it a "trolley" please) through the Garden District along St. Charles. I'll try to do a little research on the B and B's-- and report back here...
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
quote:Originally posted by Henry Kisor: .........Both of those seem to fall within my up-to-$150-a-night price range. I need just the Hemingwayesque clean, well-lighted place with decent nearby eateries and free wi-fi in the rooms.....
I don't know, in New Orleans it seems to me a place with a little 'character' would be more fun, if a little less predictable, assuming you're not there during Mardi Gras.
Since you're likely not going to New Orleans to watch trains, I'd stay in a hotel you could use as home base that was an easy walk from the great restaurants, shops and parks.
For me that would be the French Quarter (but not Bourbon st.) or the Garden District. RR Bob's idea of a B&B sounds intriguing. If you want a proper hotel, I'd suggest the Royal Crescent's sister - Omni's Royal Orleans - a better location and a real NOLA landmark. Of course it's special to me since we spent the 2nd night of our honeymoon there and a return guest over the past 40 years.
Posted by RussM (Member # 3627) on :
Just back from a trip that included one night in New Orleans, and the Sunset Limited to Los Angeles. I stayed at the New Orleans Marriott on Canal St., mainly because it was cheap ( $ 84). I thought the room was nicer than the more expensive Hotel Monteleone where I had stayed previously. Ate dinner at the Red Fish Grill on Bourbon St. (great dinner, but expensive), and breakfast at the Cafe du Monde. The taxi charged a flat rate of $ 10 to take me to the RR station. Enjoyed the Sunset Ltd. trip, but the track across Texas seemed rougher than I had encountered on other western Amtrak routes. I was aboard on Thanksgiving Day, so we did get a traditional turkey dinner. The train ran on time, or early, along the entire route, but was a bit late into LA due to a lengthy hold near Colton Crossing in California.
Posted by a meyer (Member # 4954) on :
Mr. Kisor, In 2008 I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express French Quarter on Carondelet. An older building. Not bad but not great... It was good enough for one night and I didn't have any problems.
Last summer I stayed at the La Quinta at 301 Camp St.. This hotel was much better and a good price.
Both were close to Canal Street and about midway between the train station and French Quarter.
For both, I took a taxi from the train station because it was late at night (late trains..).
The next morning, I walked back to the train station which wasn't too far in good weather.
I would give the La Quinta another visit when I'm back there but would only stay at the HI Express if nothing else in my $$ range was available.
Posted by mgt (Member # 5479) on :
I have yet to stay in an unsatisfactory La Quinta. As far as my wife and I are concerned this group offers all that is required for a comfortable stay in city centres, more rural areas and near airports. Their shuttle arrangements are usually very generous also. The included, rather than free, breakfast offers a good variety.
Posted by HillsideStation (Member # 6386) on :
We've been to the "Big Easy" four times as a vacationing couple, and I made numerous visits between '87 and '90 when it was one of the cities under my watch as regional manager for the no longer existing Red and White airline. The hotlels at the airport are just that; hotels at the airport. In the city we made our first and largest mistake staying at an Embassy Suites property. Fool me once shame on you...I didn't take a chance to have to say fool me twice shame on me. The last two trips have found us at Drury Inn & Suites at 820 Poydras Street. We have been VERY pleased with the product and staff from the GM (Palistine Riles) to the folks at the desk, to those cleaning the rooms and providing the buffet.
The place is SPOTLESS. Rooms, common areas, where ever.
Enjoy your trip. Best regards, Rodger
Posted by Railroad Bob (Member # 3508) on :
quote:Originally posted by palmland:
quote:Originally posted by Henry Kisor: .........Both of those seem to fall within my up-to-$150-a-night price range. I need just the Hemingwayesque clean, well-lighted place with decent nearby eateries and free wi-fi in the rooms.....
I don't know, in New Orleans it seems to me a place with a little 'character' would be more fun, if a little less predictable, assuming you're not there during Mardi Gras.
Roger that, palmland-- if going to the Big Easy, I sure would not want an "airport hotel" or anything too sanitized. Yeah of course we need clean and vermin-free, (wouldn't want that much character) but surely you'd want a place that had the N'awlins "vibe." While I have not been there post-Katrina, I'm sure the place is still doing what is does best-- being one of America's most unique, colorful, and gastronomically excellent cities steeped in a wild history. I want to stay somewhere where at least some of that rich character comes through like a good absinthe just strained over a fresh lump of sugar into a proper glass! Bottoms up, guys! By the way, absinthe is BACK in certain locales, if you know where to look. Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
You said it much better than I, RR Bob. Chain hotels are great when you're driving from A to B, but not in a place like NOLA. I particularly like the small ones with a nice courtyard. Great on a warm morning for that first cup of French Market or Community coffee.
Posted by Trainut (Member # 4052) on :
I will concur with HillsideStation. The Drury Inn & Suites at 820 Poydras Street is one of the best lower priced bargains. My wife and I have stayed there the last 3 times we were in NO. To get the best price be sure to book on the Drury hotel webb site. https://wwwc.druryhotels.com/Reservations.aspx Haxe a great trip
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
The Omni Royal Orleans, 621 St Louis at Royal, is in the nicest part of the French Quarter, by Jackson Square. I did not stay there but I went in there and checked it out when in New Orleans(March 2009) and liked what I saw (though I did not visit any rooms). They seemed to have reasonable prices on weekdays even in season but prices seemed to skyrocket F-Sa night. On the down side, at busy times (e.g., a Friday or Saturday, when the CONO gets in) the taxi fare from the train station this far into the Quarter might be a little higher because of narrow streets and traffic congestion in the quarter. Other days would probably be better, although on Mondays an awful lot of museums etc. are closed; some restaurants also closed Sunday nights. So a non-holiday Tuesday would be a good day to arrive if you stay here.
As for the the Holiday Inn, that is where we stayed. There is more than one--the one recommended to me, that we stayed in, was the Holiday Inn French Quarter, 124 Royal btw Canal and Iberville (not the Le Moyne one). The price was right, and the location pretty convenient, but in the more commercial part of the Quarter, by Canal St, where many of the chain hotels are. It would have been OK except that it was very hectic and full of noisy spring breakers (as was the whole Quarter, I'm afraid).
Friends of mine recently stayed in the Hotel Monteleone just a bit further into the Quarter. It is a big famous older hotel--I recall reading about it in books set 1930s, 1940s. . . My friends liked it and got a great rate, but it too was quite hectic looking when we passed, on a weekend in March.
Other friends of mine who liked to splurge on a romantic older hotel used to stay at Soniat House, 1133 Chartres St btw Ursulines & Gov Nicholls. That is an inn-type place that has even been in some movies. My friends have not been there since Katrina, however. Anyway, I think that will be pretty pricey--though you never know, on weekdays. Might be lower in January too, I'm not sure.
Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
Thanks to everyone for the good advice. I shall now consider it carefully.
Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
Made the bookings just now.
CONO in January. Two nights in NOL.
There was one change: My wife wants to go, too. Her idea of a nice place to stay rates above mine in the luxury department, so we chose the Omni Royal Orleans on the southern edge of the Vieux Carre. (The early-week rates are not punishingly above my $150 limit, and the hotel is ranked No. 5 by TripAdvisor.)
Of course she will want to eat at nobby restaurants, even though my wallet belongs to po' boys.
Posted by train lady (Member # 3920) on :
Henry just found the hotelwe stayed in and loved. Hotel Provincial on Chartre st. It is very reasonble,lots of antiques, a good restaurant and good service. we found our ac was leaking so they put us in a huge room with a balcony overlooking one of the courtyards. Talk about character!!You might want to check it out. www.hotelprovincial.com. your wifewould love it.
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
The restaurants ARE pricey, but one way to save is to go for a big lunch instead of dinner (and have a light dinner). Be sure to reserve if there is a particular one to which you want to go (although maybe January isn't too bad yet).
Enjoy yourselves!
Posted by ehbowen (Member # 4317) on :
Henry - If you want generous portions for a modest price, seek out Cafe Maspero at 601 Decatur Street. A former New Orleans native tipped me off about this place, and I loved it.
Another don't-miss in NOL, especially for breakfast, is the Camellia Grill a short walk from the St. Charles streetcar line station at Carrollton Avenue. Try one of their omelets...bet the two of you can't finish one split between you.
Posted by City of Miami (Member # 2922) on :
Try to go to Croissant d'Or for coffee and yummy whatevers. It is charming and caters to locals. It's on Urseline St. just above Charters St. near the nunnery.
Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
The spouse and I are in New Orleans as we speak. So far we have tried the provender at several beaneries recommended by habitues of this forum:
1. Cafe du Monde. Splendid, and the beignets are so good that you forget they're bad (for you).
2. Camellia Grill. Someone said that an omelet was so big it would feed two people. Wrong. It was so big it could have fed 3 1/2 people. (And it was delicious.)
3. Cafe Maspero. Excellent redbeans & rice plate at a very reasonable price. The house merlot is both inexpensive ($4.50/glass) and tasty.
The train ride down was OK except for a fight with the roomette bed (the latch that supposedly keeps it flat was uncooperative, giving me the sensation that I was attempting to sleep on the edge of a ski jump). Sleeper attendant fine when he was at work (he seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time in the dining car). Diner crew superb. More on this later.
Posted by smitty195 (Member # 5102) on :
I haven't checked RailForum too much lately, and it looks like I missed this post. I was going to recommend the Omni, but as I read further down, it appears that this is the hotel you selected. My parents were just recently there and enjoyed it. They are picky travelers, and money is no object (wish I could say the same!)....So If they like a hotel, I have learned that I will like it too. Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
Smitty, the Omni is excellent, if pricey (but we are here during the lowest of the low season). They charge ten bucks a day for Internet access, though, and I'm not impressed with that.
New Orleans is suffering through an extraordinary cold snap (below freezing, high winds). We took the streetcar to the Audubon Zoo yesterday only to be told at the admissions gate that we could see no animals because they were all locked in against the cold. Except for the river otters. Every Orleanian we met was muttering darkly about the weather.
Last night we decided not to go out in the cold again, choosing instead to eat at the hotel restaurant, the Rib Room. Talk about expensive. The tab, with one glass of wine each, came to well north of a C-note. However, the blackened salmon and black drum turned out to be extremely good. This was one of the few hotel restaurants we've patronized that almost lived up to the price.
Posted by Railroad Bob (Member # 3508) on :
Hello Henry- glad you're having an interesting time in NOL, even tho' it's cold. Thanks for trusting me and others on the Camellia Grill-- hehheh. Yes, big omelets.
I think I know the "fix" on that roomette bed that kept flipping up; too bad I wasn't in your car. The trick is to make sure the two little latches underneath return to their original position when the bed is down. Sounds like they weren't all the way up, and that's why the bed kept springing up. Any good sleeper attendant should have been able to fix that in 30 seconds.
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
For those looking for another mid-winter getaway, I can recommend Williamsburg, VA. We just returned from a post New Year stop there. Like New Orleans, the rates were relatively low at the on site properties like the Williamsburg Lodge and the Inn.
A blazing fire in the lounge kept us warm and we had the colonial village to ourselves. Even had a chance to chat with 'Patrick Henry' warming up in the Inn's bar.
Easy to get to as well - an NEC regional will take you to the very nice station less than a mile from the historic area. You can make a connection with the Cap in DC. If that train is running late, a later train runs to News on the weekend.
Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
Thank you, RR Bob. I should have called the attendant, but it was about 3 a.m. and I did not want to awaken my spouse in the rigging above -- she sometimes has trouble sleeping when the train is pitching and bucketing at 79 mph.
The crew on the trip home was also excellent. The CONO is not a terribly interesting train scenery-wise except for the hour between New Orleans and Hammond.
The only real excitement was the trio of dogs (two German shepherds and a black Lab) and their Amtrak cop handlers in the lounge car between those two towns. They debarked (excuse me) at Hammond and the dogs did their sniffy thing in the baggage hold of the baggage-coach before departure. No idea if they were actually looking for something or if it was all theater. The conductor rolled his eyes and waggled his eyebrows when I asked what was going on.
Posted by City of Miami (Member # 2922) on :
I had a muffaleta sandwich at Cafe Maspero and I thought I'd have a heart attack there was so much meat on that thing. I think it was 6 bucks.
I just heard on the radio that Kay Bailey Hutchinson is going to honor after all her pledge to retire when the current Senate term expires in 2 yrs. Been in politics 19 yrs, she has ....it's about time she gets out. She's supposedly pro-rail - maybe since she doesn't have to worry about re-election she can actually get something done that will be of benefit to TX.
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("Run Henry and don't look back!") ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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but surely you'd want a place that had the N'awlins "vibe." While I have not been there post-Katrina, I'm sure the place is still doing what is does best-- being one of America's most unique, colorful, and gastronomically excellent cities steeped in a wild history. I want to stay somewhere where at least some of that rich character comes through like a good absinthe just strained over a fresh lump of sugar into a proper glass! Bottoms up, guys! By the way, absinthe is BACK in certain locales, if you know where to look. ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)