Spa day in NOLA

Any recommendations for affordable massages/Spa Day in NOLA after a long day of business conferences near French Quarter? The big hotel chains charge a small fortune. Thank you for sharing.

Spa day in NOLA

I love Belladonna Day Spa on Magazine St in the Garden District, a short cab ride away from the French Quarter. I also like Earthsavers and Spa Isbell on Magazine too. http://www.belladonnadayspa.com/

There%26#39;s been some talk on this forum of Ofadean Spa in the French Quarter. I don%26#39;t know much about that place, but you might want to check it out.

1st Trip to NO: final thoughts

So yes, you can add me to the list of people who loves New Orleans. It was everything I thought it would be, was hoping it would be, even more.

The music, the street performers, the artist, the food, the ambiance, just great!!

How anyone can be bored on vacation in NO is beyond me. I was there for a week %26amp; 1/2, and I didn%26#39;t have a chance to do everything I wanted to do (even without getting sick), let alone everything there is to see and do. And I only made it through 1/2 of my list of restaurants I wanted to try, there%26#39;s just not enough hours in the day.

Bourbon St: I enjoyed it very much. Where else can you get 5 different kinds of music in a 1 block radius. I didn%26#39;t see anything rude or disgusting or anything like that.

And nobody ever mentionned that for every 2 bars on Bourbon, there%26#39;s a souvenir shop. :)

Speaking of souvenirs, yes wait to buy them at the French Market. Everything is cheaper. Exception: those souvenir t.shirts you see 4 for 20$, they are the same price at the souvenirs shops or at the market. I even saw them 5 for 20$ a couple of times at the stores.

Souvenirs at stores: if you see something you really like, especially if it%26#39;s something a bit on the expensive side, make a note of where you saw it and the price and keep checking. Most stores have the same items, but at different prices. I bought a couple of glasses, and I saw those same glasses 5$ more each just 2 doors down. Same thing with a picture frame I bought.

Getting around: it is true that you can walk everywhere%26#39;s in the French Quarter, everything is close to each other. Fixing the sidewalks would be nice though, at least start with filling in the holes, never mind cracks. You gotta watch

you%26#39;re step as you%26#39;re looking up at buildings. Walk slowly. :)

Safety as a solo female traveller: I never felt unsafe, or even uneasy. I was never approached with malice or even by drunk people. Granted I was never out later than 11, 11:30pm but still. I stayed on the major streets in the light when walking after dark, had no problems what so ever. There%26#39;s always people around.

Funny thing: I was going back to my hotel one day, it was late afternoon, with a Pat O%26#39;s hurricane in my hand. A guy approached me very nicely and asked if he could maybe have a sip or 2 of my drink (he had an empty cup in his hand). I was so surprised and burst out laughing so hard that I did give him a bit. You%26#39;d expect something like that at night, but in the afternoon??? Too funny.

Oh, almost forgot. I bought a fabulous painting on my last Sunday at Jackson Square, so I have a permanent reminder of my trip on my living room wall.

Will I be back?? DEFINITELY!!!! When, as soon as possible. I do feel cheated out of the FQF as I missed 2 days, but I%26#39;m sure it would be great fun to be there for halloween too, soooo..... Gotta look at the budget, make some cuts somewhere%26#39;s so I can save up more money as fast as possible. :-)

Now I know what it means to miss New Orleans.

1st Trip to NO: final thoughts

I enjoyed reading all of these. Thank you.

1st Trip to NO: final thoughts

Thanks so much for your very detailed and awesome to read TR! I especially appreciate the feedback about being a solo female traveler, since I%26#39;m going on my first solo trip anywhere soon. I%26#39;m already thinking about getting some friends together for Halloween, though. :) Hmmmmmm...I think I%26#39;ll do some searching on the forum for that next!

Thanks again, Porelly!

Awwwwww porelly, I am so glad your trip was everything you wanted it to be. Except for the getting sick part. We really wanted to meet you, so I am sorry you didn%26#39;t make it to the M%26amp;G.

And to think, we were in the parade that passed right by your hotel! If I had known to look up, I would have seen you then!

Time to start planning your next trip. In the meantime, get the little book ';Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans,'; by David Rutledge. It will mean a lot to you now.

We%26#39;re already planning next years trip to the FQF. And my husband and I are going down this fall too.I just can%26#39;t stay away long.

I enjoy reading these reports-Its always a learning experience. Anyone buying the souvenier t-shirts please take a look at the quality of the t-shirt and usually 100% cotton and a brand name helps-and first time washing have the shirt inside out. Some of the real bargain shirts just don%26#39;t last and some bargains are truly bargains.

Thanks for your lovely trip report series! There%26#39;s still a lot left for you to do here, so come on back soon!

porelly, I%26#39;m so glad that you enjoyed New Orleans and are planning on going back. You are right about the potholes in the street, I had a sprained ankle that hurt for 3 months after my last trip to New Orleans.

I hope you are able to make it back for Halloween, that is always a great time to be in New Orleans!

Porelly, I%26#39;m missing NO after reading your report. Thanks for sharing.

thanks for these thoughts! I am so glad you bought some local art. Come back soon! :)

Great reports, some of the best I have ever read. I%26#39;m glad you had a great time and that you%26#39;ve fallen in love with the city. Hopefully you will get to come back again soon.

Loved reading your reports and I%26#39;m going to miss having a new chapter. I was so glad that you New Orleans met your expectations....I fell in love with it on my first trip, too. Thanks for sharing the fun!

place to stay?

i will be going to alexandria, LA for the first time on my own and i want to know where is the best place to stay pineville or alexandria in a hotel or inn, nomore then $50 per night. i want a place thats got the shops/mall in walking distance as i do not drive and i am a female who will be threre on my own for 2 weeks so i am worried about being in a deserted/dangerous place alone.

place to stay?

There aren%26#39;t any hotels within walking distance of the Mall or larger shopping centers. Alexandria isn%26#39;t exactly a pedestrian friendly town. If you don%26#39;t drive,you%26#39;re going to have a hard time getting aound. Most all of the hotels are located off of busy highways or roads with no sidewalks.

I%26#39;m also not sure that you will be able to find something in Alexandria for less than $50/nt other than Motel 6.

There are some newer hotels in Pineville that are close to a couple of shopping centers, but again, these are located on busy highways with no sidewalks. Try the Days Inn or Sleep Inn in Pineville. Both are close to some fast food places, and across the higway from the shopping areas.

place to stay?

I actually found afew hotels that cost around $40-$50 anight on hotels.com and expedia. I was thinking of going to Super 8 on Old Boyce rd, Ramada limited, days inn pineville or days inn alexandria. i found great deals for those hotels including flight on expedia so iam not sure which one is best.. I am real worried as i dont drive, i guess i will be stuck stranded after flying 10 hours to get there! Basically i am going to visit my fiance who is in USP Pollock, so i will have to take a taxi there too and i am even worried about being in the cab with the driver incase he turns crazy on me or something... i heard i can book a female driver but they aint always available and i guess i will need a driver the whole time there to just get around

I STRONGLY recommend that you choose the Days Inn in Pineville. Of the places you mentioned, this would be in the most secure area, and it is within reasonable walking distance to shopping, grocery stores, restaurants, etc. Pineville is also closer to Pollock, so it would save on cab fare.

One more thing: The City of Alexandria bus service runs in Pineville as well as Alexandria. There is a bus stop at the Pineville Wal Mart, which is close to the Days Inn that I recommended. This bus can take you to the main terminal where you can catch a bus to the Alexandria Mall, etc.

Here is the link to transportation schedule for Alexandria/Pineville:

cityofalexandriala.com/community/city_serv/s…

Good luck with your stay.

Thanks for the advice. Ok, days inn pineville does sound better from what you said, and its not on a highway rd with no foot path to walk? Do you actually live in Alexandria? I should be going in May, do you think the cab drivers are safe? i guess anyone can switch anytime, its just a chance to take. So i will only need the cab to take me to and from usp Pollock, and from the airport, thats if I can get the bus ok to get around to the shops... I went on that site, checked metrobus but cant find no routes around pineville, it just says virginia, DC or maryland?

Also, i just checkd the reviews on this site at the hotels, well it seems like all the hotels got bad reviews, but iam sure it seems like they make it out to be worse then it is? i hope so!

I live in Pineville and work in Alexandria. The hotel is on a busy road, but it would be much easier and MUCH SAFER to walk around this area than the others you mentioned. The hotel is within EASY walking distance to McDonalds, Burger King, and Pizza Hut restaurants. Across the road is a shopping center with more dining options, convenience store, department store, general merchandise store, etc. A large WalMart Superstore is less than 1/2 mile from the hotel, and is surrounded by several restaurants/shops.

I%26#39;ve never taken a cab locally so I don%26#39;t have any personal experience to share, but they should be OK. We%26#39;ve never heard of any problems with cab drivers/companies.

If the website is showing you DC information, then you%26#39;ve pulled up Alexandria Virginia instead of Alexandria Louisiana. If you copy and paste the link in your browser, it should come up directly to the LA site.

Ok I got the right site now! So definetly i will stick with Pineville. are the buses quite frequent, if im reading the table right its every 12 minutes, but is it a certain bus number you need? and there is an actual bus stop by walmart, its not like your on a road waiting about for it? Also how is the weather, Is it worth needing sun block? lol. Surely i hope its warmer then london!

Sorry, but I haven%26#39;t ever taken the bus, so I don%26#39;t know any more than what the website tells you. There is a bus stop at Walmart, because I see it when I go there to shop.

The weather now is really nice, and won%26#39;t start getting REALLY hot until late May/early June. It%26#39;s pretty much in the mid 70%26#39;s/low 80%26#39;s now during the day, and 50%26#39;s-60%26#39;s at night. (That%26#39;s Fahrenheit temps, I don%26#39;t know what that translates into for Celcius.) Let%26#39;s just say it%26#39;s cool at night and pleasant to warm during the day. Bring an umbrella because rain is common during the spring and summer. It%26#39;s always humid, so be prepared for that.

Bring your sunscreen, as it will be quite sunny %26amp; hot here in May.

makeup class

Best Night of the Week - Frenchman St.

We%26#39;ll be in NO Wednesday, May 6 through Saturday, May 9. Just wondering if any certain night of the week or another is better on Frenchman St.

Best Night of the Week - Frenchman St.

I prefer Friday and Saturday nights on Frenchmen St - usually that%26#39;s when my favorites perform at Snug Harbor - but there%26#39;s always good music abound. The other days of the week I prefer the Uptown scene.

Best Night of the Week - Frenchman St.

Thanks for your quick reply....I was quessing that the weekend was best....I know we%26#39;ll hear great music no matter when or where we go, but just didn%26#39;t want to miss out...

Thursday is pretty good too.

Thursday night head to Vaughn%26#39;s (Bywater) or Le Bon Temps Roule (Uptown) :)

I think Thursday- Saturday are the best nights - Frenchman is such a great area that so many tourists miss completely!

I dunno, Supreme. I think the tourists have fully discovered Frenchmen. We went out Saturday (granted, it was Jazz Fest) and the street looked like Mardi Gras on Bourbon.

Thanks for all the tips!!!!

Walter Wolfman Washington places at D.B.A. on Wednesdays.

Are places open on Frenchman on Sun/Mon nights? Any music on those nights?

Yup, you%26#39;ll find music on Frenchmen pretty much all seven nights of the week i.e. Snug Harbor, etc...

Unfortunately ignorant Canuck heading to New Orleans.

I am disappointed to say I know virtually nothing about New Orleans, and have just found out I am heading there in September for my wife鈥檚 office trip. Any hints tips suggestions on what to do/expect would be great I%26#39;m not involved with accommodations so here%26#39;s for hoping. First things first should I be concerned about Hurricanes? Please assume I know little to nothing about this place and help a sheltered guy out. Thanks.

Unfortunately ignorant Canuck heading to New Orleans.

Well may I say welcome to New Orleans. You will have a great time. How many days will you be there? September is hurricane season so that will be a concern however there is always lots of notice with hurricaines so you will know if one is in the area well before you fly down. Bookmark this site and check often in late August.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Unfortunately ignorant Canuck heading to New Orleans.

no worries AB, you%26#39;re going to have a great time! there are really tons of posts here for restaurants, music and all. If you%26#39;re staying in the french quarter I would recommend (? how long the trip is) getting over to the garden district and maybe doing a walking tour? a lot of the great music venues are outside of the FQ, maybe check w/ the hotel when you get in if they have a calander or check online. what days are you staying???

Education is the way to fix ignorance, so you%26#39;re on the right track by visiting TripAdvisor! :-) There%26#39;s no real ';hints tips suggestions'; better than READ THROUGH THIS FORUM. So much great advice has been dispensed here.

September is prime hurricane season so best to keep an eye on tropical weather before you leave Canada. Keep in mind that in most years hurricanes don%26#39;t come anywhere near us. It%26#39;s just the rare ';direct hit'; that causes issues.

Thanks for the %26#39;cane info. Looks like I will be down there for sept 24-28th. Hotel will probably be the Monteleone, looks nice, has anyone ever been?

I just got back from my 1st trip to NO, and it was fabulous!! This forum is a great information tool.

I%26#39;d suggest reading past trip reviews for ideas of what to do, where to go, and what to eat. You%26#39;ll see that a lot of the same suggestions and places get mentionned over and over again, which means they are great!

That%26#39;s a great hotel in the quarter.

Yes you should be concerned about Hurricanes--Pat O Brien Hurricanes !!! They are very potent!!

http://www.patobriens.com/home.html

You are going to love New Orleans!!

you are going late in Sept, so you have a better chance of missing the Hurricane warnings. I%26#39;ve been to New Orleans the past couple of years in late Sept and have watched all the hurricane warnings on tv, and have fortunately avoided one every time. So hopefully you will miss them all too :)

The Monteleone is one of the nicest hotels in the French Quarter. It has a great rooftop pool, and the fabulous, revolving Carousel Bar inside. Also, it has a great location with plenty of restaurants around, including Mr. B%26#39;s Bistro across the street!

There are some very good replies so far. I would have to agree that the hurricane drinks would be a bigger concern than the hurricane weather. List your dates and we can recommend some hotels if needed.

Best Wine Shop

Coming in for Jazzfest and looking for best wine shop in terms of selection in city. Would like nice selection of wines in the $40-$80 retail price range. Anyone have any leads?

Best Wine Shop

I guess I%26#39;d try Martin Wine Cellar at 3500 Magazine.

Best Wine Shop

If you are staying in the FQ, Vieux Carre Wine and Spirits is in the 400 block of Chartres. Good prices and extensive selection.

As mentioned, Martin (Metairie and Magazine Street locations) is also a great wine store.

Thanks for input--you triggered my memory--although Martin%26#39;s is physically larger we liked selection better at Vieux Carre.

Much thanks

Anyone have any experience with the New Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar %26amp; Bistro right near Jackson Square?

Baton Rouge or Mobile after New Orleans

Hi, We are visiting New Orleans in a few weeks. We have planned 1 week there and then want to take the other week to visit more places. We%26#39;ve never been there and are thinking about a loop from NO to Baton Rouge, then east to Slidell...Or we could go out hwy 10 to Biloxi and on to Mobile. Any thoughts? We are a couple in our 40%26#39;s and love doing tours, art, food, wine, outdoors...we want to do as much as we can while we are there, we%26#39;ll relax when we get back home :)...Anyway, love to hear from anyone who has any ideas and suggestions.

Baton Rouge or Mobile after New Orleans

Personally, I would go out to Biloxi and Mobile from New Orleans b/c there%26#39;s more to do down that route, unless you haven%26#39;t factored in any plantation tours yet.

Baton Rouge or Mobile after New Orleans

I agree with the Biloxi/Mobile suggestion. Much to see and do along the way!

You indicated that you%26#39;ll be here ';in a few weeks';. Not sure of your exact dates, but if you%26#39;re here May 19-23, check out the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience www.nowfe.com It is a definite ';must'; for lovers of food and wine, and showcases many of our cities%26#39; finest chefs in one setting!

I was in NO in December and I went to Biloxi and Mobile while I was there. It is sad to see where the hurricane struck, but Beauvoir is open, the Gulf is pretty, and there is Bellingrath Gardens on the way to Mobile. I think there is a place right past Biloxi called Ocean Spring which I heard was nice, but I didn%26#39;t visit. There are also casinos in Biloxi. The Mississippi Visitor center on the border is a good place to stop for information and they even give you free soda!

Thanks for the suggestions everyone...And yes we are going to the food and wine event, i%26#39;m very excited about that. Have you been before? Is it pay one price then sample all the wine and food you want? We are hoping to sample lots of local foods. Do know where most of the wineries are from, I%26#39;m sure lots of them will be from my area, but was wondering the other areas that will be pouring. Any info you have would be great.

Lynn, yes, we go every year. But visit the link from my previous post to see the listing of different events that make up the entire ';experience';. There are dinners, Royal Street Stroll, Grand Tastings, and a Sunday brunch event. We typically go to one of the Grant Tastings...last year on the floor of the Superdome, and as a frequent visitor to your part of the country, can definitely say that we%26#39;ve run into a few people here in NOLA that we also visited with during visits to Sonoma and Napa counties!

Each event has a different price, and some sell out! You can purchase your tickets online, so if you have a heart set on one event, definitely buy in advance. Feel free to send me a PM with more questions.

If you are going the Mobile way I would suggest 45 extra minutes and go to Pensacola and visit their white sand beaches. There is a church tour at Malbis just along the way, the Battleship Alabama Park also along the way and the Naval Station Museum and old forts in Pensacola (also the beach).

Here%26#39;s the plan:

Go east on I-10--get off at the Bay St louis exit to 90.

Travel along the beach and see katrina aftermath. Stop for lunch at Mary Mahoney%26#39;s cafe in Biloxi. Casino? Continue on 90 to Ocean Springs. See Walter Anderson Art in museum. Get back up to I-10 and continue to Mobile,see the Battleship on the causeway. Eat at Original Oyster House on the causeway or Felix or Ed%26#39;s. Continue on causeway (2miles?)to Meaher Park, $1 or 2 and walk the boardwalk in search of a gator. get to 98 east and come to Fairhope --pier. park,shops food. Continue 98 east to Foley , turn south on 59 to Gulf Shores or orange beach and see the gulf of mexico.

I have left it up to you to decide where to spend the night(s)

If you%26#39;re going to visit casinos in Biloxi, the Beau Rivage is my favorite - it%26#39;s essentially the ';Bellagio'; of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. There is a new Hard Rock Casino right next door as well!

http://msshipisland.com/Home_Page.html

this leaves from Gulfport

I went to Mary Mahoney%26#39;s and thought it was a nice place. They have a nice outside courtyard to eat it. I missed the Bay St. Louis area, but wish I had seen it. The destruction I saw was very sad.