Commanders Palace, what table?

I am looking to book a table for lunch at Commanders Palace, a highlight of our trip.How far in advance would I need to book, its for October and also which area should I ask for. I have been in the main dining room but are there other areas. Any info and tips greatly appreciated. Thanks

Commanders Palace, what table?

The garden room upstairs is where you want to be. It is absolutely beautiful. Okay, I also need a suggestion. As you can tell, we love the garden room. However, I can no longer climb stairs. Would we be better off in the main dining room or the patio room for lunch?

Commanders Palace, what table?

Get reservations now for October.

Garden Room #1 choice for sure and ask for a table near the window. I would opt for the Patio Room next if you can%26#39;t walk upstairs. (Double check that they can%26#39;t get you up in a service elevator). Wherever you end up dining at Commander%26#39;s, get there early and have a leisurely drink in the kitchen bar and look for the next TV chef.

Thank you so much for your helpful suggestions. I shall be booking today. We are going for lunch, is the garden room open then and canyou get the 25c martinis in the kitchen bar and where is it. Thanks again

Garden Room is definitely open at lunch. Don%26#39;t know whether you can get the 25 cent martinis in the bar. It is a weekday lunch special, so probably not.

Seeking Evening Tours

I am arriving this Wednesday afternoon and am looking for some nightime tours of New Orleans. I have looked over the older topics in this forum and have gone to many of the tour websites. However, most of the suggested tours start before 5 pm, even the cocktail tours, which is a surprise. My conference daily schedule does not end before 8 pm each day.

Seeking Evening Tours

If your conference runs until 8, you will have some issues finding many tour companies to accommodate. The ghost/vampire tours nearly all start between 7-8pm. City ordinances regulating the size of tour groups also specify their ';end'; times, I think, and I%26#39;m guessing it%26#39;s around 10-10:30 so the tour has to start by 8!

Seeking Evening Tours

.

database

Monteleone Vieux Carre Suite or Royal Orleans Petite Suite?

The price is the same and I am having a difficult time choosing between either a Vieux Carre Suite at the Monteleone or a petite suite at the Omni Royal Orleans.

I like style; however, the most critical elements for my happiness are uber cleanliness and everything being in great shape (no wear/tear). I was rather set on the Monteleone but recent TA reviews have me rethinking this. An aggravating factor against the Royal Orleans is the ';Petite Suite'; seems to be simply a large(er), lackluster room with a sitting area.

Does anyone have recent experiences with either of these specific room types at the Omni or the Monteleone? I appreciate your help.

(BONUS QUESTION: Should I consider just a city view room at the Ritz and save my money for dining and fun?)

Monteleone Vieux Carre Suite or Royal Orleans Petite Suite?

The rooms are not big AT ALL at the Omni. I know I had an upgraded room my last visit but can%26#39;t recall whether it was Petite Suite or not. It was surprisingly small. However, I like the hotel a lot, mainly due to location (perfect Quarter area), staff (very attentive and some who have been there many years), and the rooftop pool and terraces. which offer the greatest views. I stayed there maybe a year ago and unless they have had recent renovations, the condition looked like your description of the Monteleone ...showing a little wear and tear and kind of faded decor. You might query them about any recent upgrades as I heard they have done some things on the roof. The Ritz has undergone a well known recent renovation . I%26#39;d be really surprised if you came away from there disappointed.

Monteleone Vieux Carre Suite or Royal Orleans Petite Suite?

PowderHound,

I%26#39;ve stayed at both Omni Royal and Monteleone. Both are fine but I have to say that the rooms themselves may not be to your liking based on what is most important to you.

I respect that we all have things we value most when we visit other places. Though I%26#39;ve never stayed in a place that grossed me out, most FQ Hotels will have some wear and tear. When you stop and consider that the entire neighborhood is like a well-loved antique, the wear and tear becomes a more charming characteristic.

That being said, you might want to consider a B%26amp;B. You could find exactly what you%26#39;re looking for in a smaller place where people pour their heart and soul into your comfort. It would be worth reading the reviews on these two places: La Maison Marigny and B%26amp;W Courtyards. I can only claim to have stayed at the latter but if you read the reviews, you%26#39;ll see nothing but raves. Close attention is paid to furnishings, mattresses, luxurious linens, decor--and then you%26#39;ve got the wonderful hosts on top of it all. There is nothing lackluster about these places.

At least you know exactly what you need--as you said, the most critical elements for your happiness. My own visits to New Orleans are greatly enhanced when I make sure I%26#39;m in the kind of environment I need.

I had a Vieux Carre Suite at the Monteleone last month. It was a very nice room(s). No cleanliness issues and I don%26#39;t recall any ';wear/tear'; issues either.

I%26#39;m not sure what recent reviews on TA would make you rethink the place. It has an average rating of 4.5 out of 5.0.

I took a quick look at the reviews and the recent ones are overwhelmingly positive. (Including my own from August 7th)

The negative reviews, my opinion only, may be from people who booked the lowest priced rooms, which often don%26#39;t have a view. And one person seemed to be ticked off at parking prices so a negative review of the hotel was given.

Thank you so much for your replies.

I was rattled by the 9/4/07 TA Monteleone review; however, I concur that remarks were not qualified by the room type.

Additionally, I appreciate that the charm of the Quarter is defined by the nuances of age and tradition; to obsess on perfection (sterile perfection, perhaps) will diminish the whole wonder of the FQ experience.

I have definitely come to the point that I trust many of you Trip Advisors have encountered: obsession with finding the perfect accommodations. I can admit this but I am not slowing the hunt :)

I even dabbled with scrapping the suite quest (insert ';obsession'; here) and just going for a great priced room at the Monteleone (king deluxe) or Omni (queen deluxe). That is where the Ritz becomes a standout except for location.

(Personal note: I am sooooo glad I have booked all remaining 2007 and early 2008 trips. This one is really challenging me).

You DO have to read between the lines a bit on some reviews. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and on any given day someone is going to be unhappy with a hotel for some reason i guess, but you have to read more than a couple of reviews to get a sense of a place, imo.

(I recently read a review of a hotel in a national park and the reviewer gave a ';1'; rating because the place didn%26#39;t have a TV and because she was bitten by flies while out hiking lol)

I stayed at the monteleone recently and would stay there again.

However,noting your criteria, I would not recommend it to you.

(a drink at the carousel bar you would still LOVE!)

You did mention style, you may want to look into the W french quarter or the place I want to stay next time I%26#39;m in town . The Loews

on poydras. The Loews has a very stylish lobby and bar and the

vibe was cool.

Have fun.

Powderhound: Loew%26#39;s is a great suggestion. Don%26#39;t underestimate its location. You are a surprisingly short and safe walk from the Quarter but also just on the edge of the warehouse district which is becoming as interesting as the Quarter.

I always, always, always recommend the Monteleone. It%26#39;s my favorite hotel in the FQ hands-down. There are no cleanliness issues that I know of, but the ';no wear and tear'; critical element - that could not be guaranteed - it is a historic hotel and there may be some minor wear and tear - to me this is not a huge deal. But if it is to you then I would book at the Ritz. Uber clean without question and it is close enough to the FQ to walk there. I am sure the Loews is a nice choice too but it%26#39;s a little further out.

Any wear/tear issue at Monteleone is very minimal. The same can be said of Omni Royal.

New Orleans in Mid-November

Hi. I was in N.O. last Christmas and loved it. I enjoyed the Christmas spirit, decorations, activities down there. I%26#39;d like to go back again this year, but, can%26#39;t make it in December. I%26#39;m guessng most of the Christmas holiday decorating and activities don%26#39;t start till after Thanksgiving. But, maybe I%26#39;m wrong. What%26#39;s N.O. like in mid-November? Thanks!

New Orleans in Mid-November

Celebration In The Oaks in City Park runs November 23 through December 30, 2007. The Christmas lights and exhibits are fun to see while riding in a mule drawn carriage.

Weather should be great in November. Fall is convention time in New Orleans so it should be lively.

New Orleans in Mid-November

Greetings, neighbor.

One slight difference between Dec and Nov is the prices range. Hotels seem to have about three price ranges -- highest, of course, in Carnival and Mardi Gras, medium range in spring and fall, and lowest prices in the hot summer. But that lowest range also includes December, somewhere around Dec 7 or so until day before New Year%26#39;s eve.

But then, check all the web reservation sites, and then before ordering call the hotel directly and boldly (but politely) ask what discount rates they are offering. Halloween is another higher priced spread, and Thanksgiving weekend itself may be higher rates for the long weekend holiday, but somehow Christmas is not. The rest of November, earlier and later, would vary depending on whether there are large conventions in town. Ir your eac dates are stil flexible, check online and call the hotels and frankly ask which days have lower prices. As at any time, sometimes just asking gets you a lower rate.

I love New Orleans in December, too.

Mid-November....not so many Christmas lights but still very festive.

Driving into the Quarter one day in mid-November, I saw people wearing tank tops because the weather was in the 80%26#39;s. The next day brought a very cold, rainy, low 50%26#39;s. Pack your luggage for anything.

My advice is this: if you have a chance to go at all, take it.

pimple treatment

St.Louis for wedding/reception?

Hi, I%26#39;m getting married in New Orleans next summer.

I%26#39;m still trying to figure out the best location for a courtyard ceremony %26amp; reception.

I%26#39;ve read up on the reviews for the St. Louis but they%26#39;re mostly hotel stay centric.

Has anyone recently been married there, or been to a wedding there.

Can you recommend any other locations in the Quarter that have courtyards?

Thanks,

C

St.Louis for wedding/reception?

A business associate had his wedding there and was very pleased but I wouldn%26#39;t rec. staying at the hotel. The food and courtyard are just terrific. Try doing a search as several places do weddings and I think the Maison Dupuy also does them.

St.Louis for wedding/reception?

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it.

I was not planning on staying at the St. Louis after reading the reviews on here.

No way at all, LOL.

But from what I have found, it does seem like a good place for a wedding.

It fits better into our budget than the Maison does.

Still nervous though, that%26#39;s why I would like any feedback I can get.

I%26#39;m planning a scouting trip later this year %26amp; I%26#39;m trying to line up a few places to look at.

Thanks,

C

One of the St. Louis Hotel reviews on this site deals with a wedding, I believe. Scroll through them and check it out. It wasn%26#39;t good.

Generally, I%26#39;m very skeptical that a hotel with such a wretched room/service rating can be counted on to deliver a high quality wedding. It%26#39;s a very important time for you and I wouldn%26#39;t chance it, personally.

I%26#39;ve seen weddings and receptions at the Royal Sonesta, very nice. The Courtyard at the St. Louis is also fairly nice but it doesn%26#39;t compair to the other. I think that the St Helen is suppose to have a nice Courtyard. It%26#39;s more of an adult hotel than most others in the Quarter. I would also check the Chateau Sonesta. The only thing that may pose a problem is I believe that the pool is in the courtyard.

Sierra, First of all, congrats on your upcoming wedding.

Another place you might consider is the Princess of Monaco Courtyard on Royal Street. Beautiful courtyard and they do reserve it for special events. They also offer a carriage house and banquet room. I%26#39;m not sure of the pricing though but the website below provides some pictures and a way to contract them about the pricing. If they also serve food during a reception, you can%26#39;t go wrong here. I had dinner there my last trip and the food was superb. Small menu, but what they prepare, they do it right.

http://www.princessofmonaco.com/

Best of luck on your planning.

Thank you all for replying, I appreciate all of the responses.

I have sent emails out to all of the hotels that you all have recommended.

Zmyst- Thank you %26amp; I have already put The Princess Monaco on the top of my list.

If anyone has any more ideas I%26#39;d appreciate it.

Just as an FYI, we%26#39;re having about 50 guests %26amp; we%26#39;re looking for a courtyard for the ceremony %26amp; the reception, preferably in the Quarter.

-C

We got married at the St Louis hotel in April 06 and had our reception there. Everything was absolutely perfect. Obviously the gorgeous weather and an outstanding jazz band had a lot to do with it but they treated us very well at the St Louis. We had an attendant in addition to the organizer who helped us the entire time. The food was outstanding too. Not sure which package you were thinking about going with but the one we had was excellent and more than enough. I wouldn%26#39;t recommend staying there either for your wedding and all but I don%26#39;t think it%26#39;s as bad as made out to be. We had some family there and they didn%26#39;t complain. I can only say good things about the St Louis and it%26#39;s staff. I highly recommend having your reception there. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

While a guest at the Royal Sonesta, I watched a wedding in their courtyard and it looked beautiful. The windows of the lounge look out into the courtyard and I even had to stay and have another drink so that I could watch the whole thing because it looked so lovely. I know nothing about their prices or arrangements for weddings, but the Royal Sonesta is my favorite place to stay.

I forgot to mention that I had stayed at the St. Louis years ago and the rooms were fairly dumpy then, but things might have changed. So I thought I%26#39;d look at the current comments on it. The second review was from someone that had a wedding reception there and maybe you should read it. They ended up ordering pizzas for their guests.

The food at the St. Louis Hotel weddings provided by the staff of the Louis XVI restaurant is just terrific. The Louis XVI is a part of the St. Louis hotel and one of my favorite restaurants. As I indicated before though I would not stay at the St. Louis hotel. They also have a nice room area for those that the warmth in the courtyard might be bothersome.

Reasonably priced dinners

I am in New Orleans for a few days. I am looking for a restaurant with atmosphere that is not a tourist trap and that I won%26#39;t be spending $100 for a dinner for 2. All kinds of food is OK. French quarter is preferred but we will travel if it is worthwhile.

Reasonably priced dinners

I%26#39;m not sure exactly what you%26#39;re asking but you can get good casual meals at places like EAT, Louisiana Pizza Kitchen, Port of Call, etc for $25-30 for two.

Reasonably priced dinners

Breakfast options:

Clover Grill

Petunia%26#39;s

Lunch/Dinner:

Port of Call

Praline Connection (on Frenchman St.)

Yo Momma%26#39;s (another good burger)

Napoloeon House (not too tourist-trappy)

Fiorella%26#39;s

These are all casual and hit the spot depending on what you%26#39;re hungry for.

Yo Mama%26#39;s has the best homemade hamburgers (with a salad or bake potatoe) and gumbo for abour $8 each, just off Bourbon at the 700 block.

Country Flame has fair steaks for $12-$15 Iverbille at Exchange.

Zydeco BBQ just behind the Bourbon Cowboy has great food from $10- $15.

There%26#39;s much more if your interested. Click my name and it should show some of my pass postings on this matter.

I know my views are out of whack(i live in manhattan) but i think your choices are greater and more varied than you might think.

for dinner I would stick with a more casual atmosphere, Acme oyster

gumbo shop and coops cme to mind right away. Also, and I think this is a nice little secret, but remoulade on bourbon st. is owned by

Arnauds and they share I believe, the same kitchen. So, the turtle soup, and shrimp Arnoud are the same but the prices are cheaper.

The only thing I hope is you resist the temptation to eat at a chain.

The local food is wonderful and plentiful and worth the research.

Enjoy!

';Fiorella%26#39;s';

shudder...never again...

Mona Lisa on Royal (between Barracks and Gov. Nicholls)

Lola%26#39;s on Esplanade (Near City Park)

Cafe Degas on Esplanade (Near City Park)

Jacques Imo%26#39;s on Oak (Riverbend)

Casamento%26#39;s on Magazine

Mandina%26#39;s on Canal

Adolfo%26#39;s on Frenchmen (Above Apple Barrel Bar)

Reading your posting I%26#39;m not sure if you are looking for good inexpensive dining or if you are looking for ';fine dining';. Another place I would recommend for the good inexpensive dining is Oceanana just off Bourbon at St Louis (I think St Louis, either that or the next block, the 500 block). Everything I mentioned is in the good inexpensive places line of dining. All are in the Quarter, very short walking distance apart.

I suggest you give the Superior Grill (Mexican) a try. It%26#39;s located at 3636 St. Charles Ave.. Their web addresss is www.superiorgrill.com. (Bkfst/Lunch/Dinner menu and prices included).

The atmosphere is nice, both indoor %26amp; outdoor dining, great service, and a varied menu. It%26#39;s about 1 1/2 miles east of the French Quarter on St. Charles Ave. It fits your criteria very nicely.

pimple treatment

Some questions for the experienced travelers!

Hello,

My husband and I are visiting NO in January for few days. We are so excited and want to make the most of our time in NO. I haven%26#39;t been to NO since 1997 and my husband has never been there!

We would like to catch a very early flight to NO, but we cannot check into our hotel until 4pm. We don%26#39;t want to carry our luggage around for hours!

Has anyone else had this problem? Any ideas? I don%26#39;t think the hotel does early check-ins.

Also, has anyone done those swamp boat tours? Any reviews?

Thanks so much! This forum has been so helpful!

Some questions for the experienced travelers!

every hotel I%26#39;ve stayed in NOLA has allowed me to drop off my bags and then check in later. I always try to take an early flight there too to get the most time there as possible.

I%26#39;m not sure about the swamp tours but I%26#39;m sure someone here can answer that for you.

Have a great time!

Some questions for the experienced travelers!

Hotels will have a safe place to store your luggage until you can check in. In 27 years of visiting, I%26#39;ve only waited it out once. I%26#39;ve always been able to get into a room earlier than check-in so you might get a pleasant surprise.

I am excited for you. Have fun!

Hotels will check your bags but for swamp tours in January there won%26#39;t be much to see as the big attraction is in hibernation (alligators)

I recommend Dr. Wagner%26#39;s Honey Island Swamp Tour near Slidell, LA.

I agree with the others. Contact the hotel and ask about luggage storage for early arrivals. Also ask if they will allow early check-in IF the room is available/clean. If they say no, change hotels. For whatever reason, some NOLA hotels (the Astor Crowne Plaza has been mentioned in several posts) refuse to budge from the published ';check-in time'; even if rooms are available.

I don%26#39;t know that I would take a swamp tour in January. My husband and I went once in March, and even then it was too chilly for the alligators to be out. Plus it was a very cold trip for us on the boat.

Thanks so much - that is great advice. Maybe we will skip the swamp tour! Or we will just have to come back and visit again in the warmer months!

I have never come across any hotel anywhere in the world that doesn%26#39;t have luggage storage for early arrivals, but I suppose it would be worth an email or phone call to confirm...

One advantage of touring a swamp during Jaunary is that there%26#39;s very little foliage and you can see things you%26#39;d normally miss because of the dense vegetation. One disadvantage is that alligators are in hibernation during that time.

Don%26#39;t forget the most hotels will also store your baggage after check-out for a late departure. That way you can spend even more time in New Orleans.

a chance for revenge