Inn on Bourbon... good choice?

I%26#39;ve been following up on hotels I%26#39;ve seen recommended on this forum.

Haven%26#39;t yet found the right rate/date/location combo that will work.

Staying for 3 nights in early Sept. (just in time for Southern Decadance... should be interesting).

I found availability at the Inn on Bourbon, Ramada Plaza, 541 Bourbon Street. We need to largely take non-walking tours...but my daughter could walk a few blocks. Is this close to French Quarter/Jackson square/tours etc.

In general...good location?

Thanks again

Inn on Bourbon... good choice?

We%26#39;re staying at the Inn on Bourbon Aug 9-12.It will be my first stay at the Inn. My sis-in-law highly rec the place. She and her hubby will be meeting us there. The Inn is in the middle of the Bourbon nightlife. How old is your daughter? The Middle of Southern Decadence coud be a bit much for a child, I woud think. When we bring the kids we usually stay on St Charles or Canal. These Streets are a little more removed from the revelry, but require more walking to Jacson square(unless you take the streetcar).

The carriage tour is a must! You will find the mule drawn carriages at Jackson Square.

Inn on Bourbon... good choice?

My daughter is a very young and inexperienced 23. She has some walking disabilities so we%26#39;re really looking for a place where we can perhaps take short walks to some sights...plus a lot of tours. And we will definitely catch the mule carriage ride...I hear it%26#39;s great.

I have also been looking at the Astor Crowne Plaza and the Le Richelieu. I thought that being right in the midst of the French Quarter would make things easier and a bit more convenient for short walks and catching tours. Maybe it would be just as good a few blocks away...hard to guess what will be best. As far as Southern Decadance...any thoughts on what to expect? We will mostly be out during the day and early evenings.

At this point, finding similar rates at the Inn on Bourbon, and the Hotel St. Marie on Toulouse street. Can anyone comment on pros/cons of these two?

I think I%26#39;d pick the St. Marie over the Inn on Bourbon, which is very much a ';party hotel'; by reputation. Lots of drunks in the middle of the night, which appeals to some but not to me and, as it sounds, not to you. St. Marie is just a block off of Bourbon so the location is very good.

Southern Decadence can be tame or can be raunchy. Probably best to avoid St. Ann/Bourbon and you%26#39;ll likely miss it completely. May see a few guys in ';chaps'; or some other skimpy outfits walking through the FQ but you may also see that on any given day. :-)

The Decadence parade on Sunday (I think) is usually pretty funny. Drag queens (both pretty and not-so-pretty) and funny costumed groups make it an entertaining 30 minutes or so. It%26#39;s not a big production but it%26#39;s very ';only in New Orleans.';

Some years, religious protesters try to disrupt the Decadence weekend. They can be more annoying than the event itself, especially when they have bullhorns!

CajunWave...thanks for the tip on the parade. It sounds like a hoot. My daughter might be slightly aghast at it, but she will sure have stories to tell. If it turns out to be excessively raunchy, we can always leave. I can see some great photos out of this trip.

And thanks re. the hotel tip. So the Hotel St. Marie is pretty central for walking, catching the mule carriage and other tours? (my daughter can only walk a few blocks)

I second Cajunwave. We originally had reservations with Hotel St Marie. The lady named Barbara was helpful and very nice. However, my sis-in-law thinks the Inn on Bourbon better fits our needs. The rates at the St Marie were lower than what we will pay at the Inn. We are staying in interior king rooms which should be more quiet than balcony rooms.We are going simply for the party scene since it is an all adult trip.

My kids and I really liked the Imax theatre located at the Aquarium. Maybe your family could catch a movie. It is nice and cool, which is a welcome break from the heat.

Southern decadence! I would love to see it!! Drag queens intrigue me

The St. Marie is 1/2 block north or Bourbon St. at 827 Toulousse and is an excellent location. Now a closer hotel to tours such as Grayline (at Jax Brewery) would be the Place D%26#39;armes which is on St. Ann and just steps away from Jackson Square. It is also close to Cafe Du%26#39;monde, the 1850 House, presbytere, cabildo, cathedral, and the louisiana tourism office on St Ann. Its also a short walk to the riverfront streetcar.

Conzo, a word of advice regarding the carriage rides. We have done them many times and they can be a lot of fun, and a great way to learn a lot about the French Quarter....if you can hear your guide. Make sure that you go at a time of day when the streets aren%26#39;t really crowded, or maybe ask your driver not to take you down the really busy streets. On the last buggy ride that we were on, we literally could not hear a word that the driver was saying. We were there during French Quarter Festival, the streets were packed with people, it was very noisy, and we picked a bad time of day to take the ride (about 7 p.m.). I think if we had gone earlier in the day it would have been much easier to hear the guide talk, as there wouldn%26#39;t have been as much street noise to deal with.

Also on the carriage rides...just hang by the area that the drivers and mules are standing and listen to the drivers hawk their tours...pick out the one that you hear and understand the best.