Living in Seattle, I have many Husky fans heading to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans I’ve had so many requests on where to stay and eat I am going to publish some pertinent posts from the past. I love the Pontchartrain in uptown. In the French Quarter I love staying at the Hotel Monteleone. Here’s my post on the Pontchartrain from a few years back:
So, the Zsa-Zsa’s {my girl pack} and I are getting ready to hit Mardi Gras again this year. I’m excited to share with them my favorite home away from home in New Orleans, the Hotel Pontchartrain. Originally built in the roaring 20’s as a luxury apartment building, this place is filled with history, sophisticated comforts and foundations for FUN!!
As a a guest, you’ll find special treats and details that make you feel comfortably indulged…. for instance, these pink terry robes that are every bit as cozy as they look, I LIVED in mine when I had time to relax in my room while attending the IFBC during my last stay. This, combined with elegant, yet old~worldly upholstered furniture, the entrancing Santal 33 bath products, great service and other special details made me feel like I was staying at some wonderfully glamorous godmother’s eclectic mansion for the weekend!
The hotel is a popular place for locals and visitors alike. If you choose to venture out of your room you can enjoy incredible, live music at the Bayou Bar. Join in the fun around the piano or just sit back and enjoy top-notched performers from afar.
Or, push the button and head upstairs to the Hot Tin for one of the best views in town.
This hot spot is stuffed with eclectic furnishings and is the perfect place to soak in the lights of the city with the panoramic view from the open deck over a cocktail or a glass of wine.
The location is the perfect segue between the boisterous French Quarter and the refined Garden District of New Orleans. It’s right on the St. Charles street car line, which means you can ride the most charming transportation in town to get to the French Quarter, The Lafayette Cemetery #1, The National WWII Museum, downtown, Commanders Palace and beyond with ease.
It is within walking distance of Audubon Park, an urban oasis where you can walk, run or rollerblade around a lake filled with waterfowl with Spanish Moss dripping from all of the trees overhead, ride horses, play golf, soccer and tennis, visit the zoo, insectarium and even have lunch and a work out in the woods. Also, Tulane University {which is what brought me to New Orleans} has a beautiful campus with a number of sculptures and a very famous Mardi Gras Tree, filled with beads.
In fact, Tennessee Williams stayed here as he wrote “A Streetcar Named Desire”, he was inspired by the rambling, clanking sound of the wooden cars rolling by. There are pictures of him in many of the rooms, most of which have headboards upholstered a shade of velvet inspired by the Spanish Moss and palms of in nearby Audubon Park.
Brunch is BIG in the Big Easy, and The Jack Rose, on the main floor of the hotel serves a great one, as well as a fun cocktail hour and dinner each night, the dining room oftentimes pours out to this gorgeous sitting room that is so uniquely inviting, homey and interesting.
A place to which you’ll always want to come home.
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