Nashville to Austin via New Orleans!
A week ago, I never would have guessed that I’d be writing about New Orleans, Lousiana. We ended up here on a whim. We were on our way home to Austin from an Empower Network event in Nashville, Tennessee. When we reached Memphis, Kristian said, “Maybe we should go home by way of Mississippi and Louisiana instead of Arkansas…?” To which I replied with gusto, “YES!!!!” We literally took the next exit, turned around, backtracked 5 minutes, and were on our way toward Mississippi and then on to New Orleans.
The Maison Dupuy
On the way, we made the decision to stay at the Inn on St. Peter in the French Quarter, which was favorably reviewed on TripAdvisor.com. Unfortunately, when we arrived, the entire hotel was undergoing renovations. We passed a cute hotel on the way into the French Quarter called The Maison Dupuy, so I gave them a call. They quoted me a surprisingly low rate, so we decided to take the room, sight (and review) unseen. Turns out, it was a fabulous choice.
With no obvious parking on the street, we decided to use the hotel valet at $42/night. Ugh. Oh well, it will just make our hotel stay more like the price I was estimating it would be before I called. The lobby is elegant, with tapestry sofas and chairs, glass, brass and other “antique-y” interior decorations. There’s a small restaurant right off the lobby, too.
We’re assigned to the 4th floor. The Maison Dupuy is configured into a square with the courtyard in the center, which will be a common layout among the hundreds of structures in the French Quarter. After a smooth ride in the elevator, we arrived on the 4th floor. The hallways feature beautiful oriental carpets and wainscoting their entire length. Nice touch!
The room itself is pretty standard, with a few elegant details such as a marble countertop in the bathroom, super soft linens on the beds (our room has 2 full-size beds), shutter-style closet doors, and gold-framed artwork. My favorite part of the room is the view. Our room is on the interior of the hotel, overlooking the courtyard which beholds a large, ornate fountain and a stately pool. Our nearly floor-to-ceiling windows, at one time, opened to the outside, with a peculiarly short, wrought iron railing – the only thing keeping one from plunging to the brick patio below. Ouch. No wonder they sealed the windows shut.
On the outside, the architecture and building materials of The Maison Dupuy make me feel as if I’m on the set of Downton Abbey. The hotel has a fitness room, which I plan on using while I’m here. The rectangular-shaped pool uses a salt water filtration system – an unexpected surprise! Not only are you more buoyant in a salt water pool, but from what I hear, it’s more healthful than a chlorinated pool. The Maison Dupuy scores big points for the salt water pool!
Throughout our stay, the valet service was exceptional. All valet staff we encountered was super duper friendly, attentive and fast. On several occasions, they offered advice as to where to dine, play or just stroll.
One day, we arrived back as housekeeping was still tidying up our room. The gal was so pleasant and polite as she quickly, but thoroughly finished. The sprinkles on the cake.
The Maison Dupuy Restaurant: Bistreaux
The restaurant inside The Maison Dupuy is cleverly named, Bistreaux. The online reviews are all over the map, but we decided to try it for convenience’ sake. I ordered the salmon which was doused in a balsamic concoction. It was overly sweet and salty for my taste. Just a little balsamic vinegar goes a long way! My kids ate the truffle mac ‘n cheese, which we all tried and liked. Kristian snacked on an appetizer of fish tacos. It really was snack sized, so he ended up ordering another skillet of mac ‘n cheese. Overall, I would eat there again, but I will warn that the reviews addressing slow service are absolutely correct. The young-ish guy that was serving us may as well have been using a walker to get around. So. Slow.
Overall, I highly recommend The Maison Dupuy for it’s convenience, affordability, quality and service! We can’t wait to go back to New Orleans and explore some more!
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