I am looking for a small hotel in the FQ with the charm that NO is famous for and I have come across these 2 places and having a hard time deciding between these 2 hotel. I am having a difficult time finding many reviews on the hotel so I need your guys help. Has anyone stayed at these hotel recently? Please give the me good, bad and ugly.
Olivier House or Biscuit Palace
I%26#39;d choose Biscuit Palace based on reviews I%26#39;ve read on this forum, although why these two in particular?
Lack of reviews is generally a red flag for me, particularly when so many NOLA hotels and B%26amp;Bs have dozens of reviews on tripadvisor.
Olivier House or Biscuit Palace
Well we were thinking of these two because of the charm they seem to have and we need a room that has 3 beds or 2 beds and a pull out sofa. Both of these places of 2 bedroom suites that suit our needs.
If someone can suggest another place that would fit our needs that is $150per night or less I would welcome the suggestions. We will be visting NO the first week of Dec. and we would like to stay in the FQ so we are walking distance to everything.
Does anyone have any suggestions for another hotel? I have been looking for a while and can%26#39;t seem to find anything thats fits our needs and budget. Thanks. :)
jiffer, my family had the same dilemma, there will be five of us coming to New Orleans in December and we needed something bigger than a regular hotel room. We found a suite at a b%26amp;b called Suite Jazz on Frenchmen. The rate was a little higher than we could afford, but the proprietor worked with us on the rate, and got us a rate that was in our budget. I have never stayed there and there are only a few reviews of her place, so I don%26#39;t really know how it will be, but it looks wonderful on the website. It is on Frenchmen Street, which is right outside of the French Quarter, but within walking distance.
I haven%26#39;t stayed at either Olivier House or Biscuit Palace, but the Biscuit Palace has a great location and it would have been one of my choices, but we couldn%26#39;t get a room there, they were already booked for the time when we would be there.
If you want to check out Suite Jazz, their website is suitejazz.com
Another suggestion would be Hotel Villa Convento. It is a small family owned hotel in the quiet part of the French Quarter, but still very close to everything. They have a few loft units that might meet your needs. It isn%26#39;t a fancy place, but we have stayed there several times and always enjoyed it. It definitely has charm, and according to legend, it is the building referred to in the song The House of the Rising Sun.
If you%26#39;re a light sleeper, you may ask the proprietors of both Suite Jazz and the Biscuit Palace about street noise. I can%26#39;t imagine being on Frenchmen at night (and above Snug Harbor, I think!) if I was a light sleeper. Ditto for Biscuit Palace and it%26#39;s proximity to Cafe Lafitte and their sometimes blaring sound system.
May not be an issue for you at all but probably worth the quick e-mail to the owners!
cajunwave, you are right about the noise at Suite Jazz and I was going to mention that but forgot. The manager at Suite Jazz warned us that there would be noise from Snug Harbor and that if it would bother us, then this might not be the place for us. We decided that would be perfect for us....since we are traveling with kids who can%26#39;t get into a lot of music places, the opportunity to hear music from where we are staying is appealing to us. But, it is definitely something to consider if you are a light sleeper.
I noticed th4e Bicuit House Hotel as its side is across the street from a B%26amp;B where I stayed several times. Came across it on line this spring, when I was looking for a room with kitchinette, casual, etc. Alas, three emails and two phone calls I coujld never catch get them or get a return call or message. That asnwered that.
You say 150 in December? You can get a very nice rom for about 89,unless that 150 budget is for a suite for a number of people.
I emailed the Biscuit Palace and the owner got back to me within a day. Also we are looking for a 1 or 2 bedroom suite with 3 beds or 2 beds and a pullout sofa. There will be more 4 of us in the room so we a need a little more room then a standard room.
I stayed at the Monteleone hotel the last time I was there and would love to stay there again but the room prices for a suite are out of our budget. We are open for any suggestions. We would like to stay in the FQ because this is the first stay for some of the girls in our group and we wont have a car. Most of the activities we would like to do are in the FQ.
jiffer--
I have stayed at both Biscuit Palace and Olivier House. No complaints about either, though I have been a repeat guest at Olivier House for many, many years. I still stay there when I am not a houseguest elsewhere.
Olivier House is owned and operated by a wonderful family. This is a very family-friendly place. They will accommodate you to your specifications...just let them know what you need. December is low-season and a wonderful time to visit. Rates are much lower.
That being said, here is my advice: Request a courtyard-facing room. The view is lovely and it is much more peaceful. Street-facing rooms are louder with the powerful subwoofers used in the clubs on the intersection of Bourbon/Toulouse Streets. Any noise you might hear in the courtyard area would not be disruptive to your family%26#39;s sleep. Any hotel near a popular club would have the same dilemma.
There are many rooms that would suit your needs. Large rooms with 2 double beds and living areas. Suites with downstairs living areas with sleeper sofa and upstairs loft furnished with two double beds. Others still with two bedrooms. All rooms come with mini-frig and microwave. Others have kitchenettes or full kitchens.
I have read the reviews. The one that stands out most is the most negative. I found the words ';threadbare'; and ';mold';. I wrote my own review of the place sometime in 2004 or 2005. My first stay was almost 20 years ago. My most recent stay was in March of this year. I%26#39;ve never seen mold. The carpets have been replaced more times than I can count. As with all properties in the Quarter, upkeep is ongoing. For a home that was built in 1838--with visitors coming and going every day of the year--I think they%26#39;ve done a fine job. It was good enough for Francis Ford Coppola until he purchased his own home in the Quarter.
I love this house for many reasons. I prefer the feel of a home-away-from-home. I am not a high-maintenance person. I don%26#39;t need someone to open doors for me or carry my luggage. I love that there is a fire in the fireplace in cool seasons. I love that people gather to sit and talk in the courtyard in warm seasons. I loved the guy who stepped outside his door and onto his balcony one afternoon to play his harmonica for those of us who sat beside the pool. I love that the lady in housekeeping calls me ';darlin';. I love those quintessential, ';only in New Orleans'; moments.
I hope this helps. December is a magical time to be there.
I have friends who stayed at Olivier House several years ago and still talk about the roach infestation in their room. I have no idea if it was confined to one part of the hotel or if systemic, but they were pretty grossed out. And they are people who visit NOLA several times a year so the occasional bug doesn%26#39;t bother them a bit.
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