Additional Hotel Options in New Orleans

Windsor Court Hotel

In the adjacent M Bistro, the traditional Creole cuisine was startlingly delicious. I relished my remoulade, chock full of fresh crab and shrimp atop perfectly fried green tomatoes. And the blackened redfish, a dish that could have felt hopelessly dated, burst with flavor. Considering the quality of the live music and the excellent food, it was surprising to find the M Bistro relatively empty.

After collecting a nightcap in the Club Lounge, we contentedly returned to our corner suite, embellished with oil paintings, fresh flower arrangements, leather ottomans, a dramatic half-tester king bed and mirrored French armoires. Views took in the entire French Quarter. The marble-clad bath had an impressively deep soaking tub, single vanity and a rather compact separate shower. Rooms on the club floor have similarly lavish décor and baths, but lack the living/dining space.

We didn’t take advantage of the spa with its 22 treatment rooms, nor the extensive (but windowless) fitness center, nor the small “resistance” swimming pool, but we’ll make time for them when we return for a longer stay. Those seeking a taste of old New Orleans, as well as the amenities of a larger hotel, could hardly do better than the Maison Orleans

The Ritz-Carlton, Maison Orleans 94 Club Room, $369; Club Executive Suite, $1,500. 921 Canal Street, New Orleans. Tel. (504) 524-1331.

Roosevelt New Orleans

Just across Canal Street, Waldorf Astoria spent some $145 million renovating the landmark 504-room Roosevelt New Orleans hotel, and its soaring beaux arts lobby now looks extremely spectacular. John Besh’s Creole-influenced Italian restaurant, Domenica, serves delectable fare to a mix of chic locals and tourists, and the art deco Sazerac Bar still makes the best Ramos gin fizz in the city. Alas, the accommodations did not fare as well in the renovations. Our Luxury Suite was big, but it lacked warmth. The walls were scuffed, half the space in the living room was simply wasted, and furniture chiefly comprised unstylish reproductions. The hotel’s Guerlain Spa offers some refuge, perhaps, but not so the filmy outdoor swimming pool. Come to The Roosevelt for the restaurants and bars, by all means, but unpack your bags elsewhere.

Roosevelt New Orleans 82 King Suite, $449; Luxury Suite, $549. 123 Baronne Street, New Orleans. Tel. (504) 648-1200. 

Illustrations ©Melissa Colson