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Whether you want 19th-century grandeur, jazz-age chic or a more modern boutique hotel, New Orleans has a great selection of places to stay. We pick 10 of the best
The Sinclair Gas Station
New Orleans does 19th-century grandeur well but it's refreshing to find some less-conventional architecture, such as this renovated petrol station, which dates to 1918. The interior mixes modern leather and steel design pieces with retro posters, and the lofted bedrooms are a pleasing part of the artist-owner's aesthetic sensibility. Two bathrooms, a luxurious kitchen and a hot tub add to the sense of meticulously planned luxury. It may be in residential mid-city but rent a bike and you can be at the beautiful Bayou St John or downtown in no time.
• Dumaine Street, booked via airbnb.com. Sleeps four from $400 a night self-catering
Hotel le Marais
French Quarter accommodation options include a wealth of famous names and big historic properties but also this unassuming and quietly impressive boutique hotel. It not only adds a dash of colourful modern design to a neighbourhood marinated in its own past but it generously piles on the extras that are sometimes missing from the big chains: breakfast, Wi-Fi and bottled water are all included. Comfy rooms have plush lilac and purple fittings, and though the madness of Bourbon Street is only a plastic bead's-throw away, you're tastefully set back from the excess.
• 717 Conti Street, +1 504 525 2300, hotellemarais.com. Doubles from $139
Hotel Modern
A parrot called Scarlet the Macaw and a chilled glass of wine make checking in at this design-focused addition to the Lower Garden District a delight. The rooms occupy a tower overlooking Lee Circle and atmospherics are provided by the streetcar trundling across St Charles Avenue. In the rooms, vintage pieces and carefully curated libraries add to the charm, as do striking wrought-iron bedsteads. On site are a couple of welcome additions to the city's dining scene: modern-southern restaurant Tivoli & Lee and much-vaunted pre-prohibition cocktail lounge Bellocq. All in all, it's an innovative property for a sometimes stubbornly traditional city.
• 936 St Charles Avenue, +1 504 962 0900, thehotelmodern.com. Doubles from $109
Breads On Oak Guesthouse
What could be better than waking up every morning to the aroma of freshly baked bread wafting through the window? This 100-year-old self-catering house comes with a fairly irresistible USP: its own bakery, selling artisan breads and all manner of sandwiches and salads to keep you from having to use the kitchen. Oak Street is a thriving uptown neighbourhood that is witnessing a spurt of restaurant and boutique openings and it's only a few blocks' walk to the streetcar line for excursions downtown. The three bedrooms sleep up to seven people and there is free Wi-Fi and a peaceful courtyard.
• 8640 Oak Street, +1 504 324 8271, breadsonoak.com. The whole house is rentable from $145 a night, one week minimum self-catering
Frenchmen Hotel
There's still time to appreciate the famous old jazz clubs of Frenchmen Street, even as it changes. Locals fear it is becoming the new Bourbon Street but venues such as the Spotted Cat and d.b.a still show class musical acts. A few steps from the thick of things is this affordable slice of the Marigny neighbourhood. The rooms are built around a courtyard pool and feature exposed brickwork and canopy beds. The staff instantly become your friends and will happily regale you with their favourite spots for gumbo or swing dancing over complimentary coffee or wine.
• 417 Frenchmen Street, +1 504 945 5453, frenchmenhotel.com. Doubles from $79, continental breakfast included
Ashtons B&B
Few bed-and-breakfast owners treat the breakfast half of the equation with such unabandoned decadence as Patrick and Karma Ashton. You could fill up for the day on the feasts they serve, which rival local expensive restaurants. Bananas Foster waffles or Mardi Gras eggs Benedict, anyone? The house is an exquisite Greek Revival mansion (built in 1861), all high ceilings, chandeliers and spacious parlours – an atmospheric quality that seeps through to the rooms themselves. From its tranquil Esplanade Avenue location, a pleasant talk takes you to City Park or the French Quarter.
• 2023 Esplanade Avenue, +1 504 942 7048, ashtonsbb.com. Doubles from $149
Fleur De Lis Mansion
There's a hint of rock'n'roll hedonism permeating this otherwise historic mansion in the Lower Garden District. The whole building can be rented but so can individual themed rooms. If mirrored ceilings and louche decor are your style, the Champagne Room and the Hollywood Bungalow will make you happy, as might the 12-person hot tub in the courtyard. The shared outside kitchen boasts a barbecue pit and projection TV, though it's easy to wander out to the art galleries and hip eateries of the Warehouse District, and it's only a few minutes' walk on from there to downtown.
• 1216 Annunciation Street, +1 504 220 4044, fleurdelismansion.com. Doubles from $85, two-night minimum stay on weekends
The Lookout Inn
The rise of the Bywater neighbourhood has been irresistible in recent times, with new businesses opening up on streets where, 10 years ago, you wouldn't really go as a visitor. Eclectic is an overused term but is apt for the suites here: choose from Mardi Gras, Elvis, Mission and Bollywood. All have spacious bathrooms, and flair: with flying dragons and carnival masks gracing the colourful walls. You're almost surrounded by new restaurants, where you'll mingle with locals rather than the tourists. Oxalis, Maurepas and Booty's are among the best, and Satsuma has inventive breakfast options.
• 833 Poland Avenue, +1 504 947 8188, lookoutneworleans.com. Suites from $95 room only
HH Whitney House
Many people come to New Orleans to wallow in its history, to live out their A-Streetcar-Named-Desire fantasies sipping mint juleps under the oak trees. The greens and golds of the Scarlett O'Hara suite at the HH Whitney House would be a suitable backdrop for this, the four-poster bed overlooked by a portrait of the eponymous heroine and a clawfoot bath waiting at the end of a balmy day. There are five rooms and suites, looking out over Esplanade Ridge, a pleasingly old-fashioned district. City Park and the Fairgrounds are a leisurely saunter away.
• 1923 Esplanade Avenue, +1 504 948 9448, hhwhitneyhouse.com. Doubles from $75
Jazz Quarters
Tremé has enjoyed a heightened profile since the HBO show, and now happily welcomes visitors overflowing from the neighbouring French Quarter. This newly renovated B&B celebrates the musical heritage of the neighbourhood, its nine cute cottages named after musicians such as [Harry] Connick and [Louis] Armstrong. The rooms have queen-size beds, chandeliers and luxury linens, as well as their own kitchens. Communal breakfasts are served on a sun-flecked terrace and if you need to walk off your morning meal, Louis Armstrong Park is just across the road.
• 1129 St Philip Street, +1 504 523 1372, jazzquarters.com. Rooms from $115 B&B
Paul Oswell writes for a range of travel publications and has written a guide to free activities in New Orleans
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