In the fall of 2021, we stayed for 6 nights in New Orleans. We planned on spending most days eating and listening to live jazz, so we decided to stay outside of the French Quarter.
We learned on previous trips that most of the great restaurants weren’t located within the few blocks experienced by most tourists and if we wanted to really visit the Crescent City, we’d have to visit more than just one area.
After much searching, we found an apartment outside of the tourist corridor in the Milan neighborhood suitable for the four of us. It was within walking distance of the St. Charles Streetcar and we felt like we were miles away from the madness of the French Quarter.
Located a 15-minute drive via Lyft or a streetcar ride away from the French Quarter, we found our oasis. Located on the ground floor, we entered the apartment through a separate back door. Once inside, there was a long hallway and a path to the kitchen and pantry. One thing we noticed was the very low ceilings, which were prominently listed on the Airbnb listing.
There was a full kitchen with a stove, dishwasher, fridge and microwave. We never cooked with all of the places to eat in New Orleans but we did make coffee every morning before leaving the apartment.
The “master” bedroom was located off the main hallway.
I call it the master bedroom because it was the only one with an ensuite bathroom.
The hallway also included a washer/dryer combo.
Unfortunately, the owner informed us that the washer wasn’t working and they were waiting for a replacement part (which never arrived during our stay, dang COVID!!)
In the living area was a large dining table, which Sharon and I used as YMMV Headquarters.
We spent much of our time inside watching Black Panther on Disney+ and catching up with Yellowstone on Paramount+ on the large screen TV. The couches were very comfortable.
Off the end of the hallway was the second bathroom for the other two bedrooms. Not fancy but serviceable.
There were two more bedrooms at the end of the unit.
There was also a game room with an Xbox and several games. The sofa folded out into a bed if you needed even more sleeping space.
One of the selling points for us was the onsite hottub.
While there was supposedly a curfew on soaking in the tub, we broke it on at least one night of our stay. We were respectful and kept the noise down, unlike our behavior when staying in the middle of the woods. (We did laugh at the Magis Puppy which we recognized from our stay at the Andaz West Hollywood.)
Final Thoughts
Looking back at the trip, I have mixed feelings. It was by no means the best Airbnb property we visited.
Having a family living above us was evident from the children running around each morning, but necessary to rent an Airbnb in New Orleans.
Knowing that the option was booking two hotel rooms in the city, I’m glad we looked for an alternate. Spending several nights sitting in the hottub or watching TV around the sofa beats spending the night in a hotel bar or sitting on a bed in a hotel room.
Being outside of the French Quarter, we could take the streetcar to Camelia Grill or drive 10 minutes to Commanders Palace. If you’re only visiting for a few days, it would be better to stay in the French Quarter and get a ride to farther out locations. For longer stays, I’d suggest looking into staying in one of the surrounding neighborhoods.
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
1 comment
airbnbs are more hit than miss. sadly airbnb has wound up being the single most damaging thing to ever happen to our beloved neighborhoods in this city. it has made property values so far out of reach that it has developed a very serious lack of affordable housing for those who truly need it. it ruins the fabric of neighborhoods by turning them into deserted areas that only populate with tourists on the thurs- sunday schedule. quite often tourists who populate these airbnbs find themselves in neighborhoods they are not prepared for. stay in a hotel…. they offer better security for the guests, provide badly needed jobs, pay taxes that help support infrastructure, education and other services that provide for the residents. most airbnbs are owned by rich, greedy, landgrabbers who artificially inflate real estate prices to the detriment of locals and dismantle the very neighborhoods tourists love about new orleans!