My Favorite Airbnb: A New Orleans Apartment With Two Balconies

16.02.2024 - 23:35 / cntraveler.com / My Favorite Airbnb

There is a yellow house in New Orleans—a pretty pile in Marigny (French Quarter-adjacent) that is home to my favorite Airbnb: a pied-à-terre on the building’s second floor with two balconies, ceilings higher than heaven, and a wealth of period hardware and finishes so fabulously abundant you'll remember them forever. It’s also the perfect distance from Frenchmen Street: the walk takes less than five minutes but nary an errant all-night note will reach your ears so long as the windows remain closed.

I’m here with my friend Sydney for a three-night stay that I was motivated to plan upon learning of Commander’s Palace—the storied Garden District establishment that’s been run by the same family since 1893—and in particular of the 25-cent martinis they are known to sling at lunchtime. That such a deal, which is undeniably excellent, prompted me to plan an entire trip and spend hundreds of dollars in the process, can say whatever you want it to about me. I am Irish.

I invited this friend of mine to come along because she sincerely appreciates food and this trip was going to revolve around eating it, not only at Commander’s Palace but here, there, and everywhere. From my research, which consisted of asking colleagues and friends for restaurant recommendations and then pinning them on Google Maps, I quickly discerned that my intended meals spanned all areas of the city, so instead of staying near the culinary scene, I chose to stay near the nightlife so that potential late nights could end in short walks.

One of the beautiful balconies overlooking the neighborhood.

You'll find this Airbnb on Esplanade Avenue in close proximity to the aforementioned Frenchmen Street and its rows of live music venues whose jazz performers can often be found in off-hours wandering the strip with instruments in hand. Those who are interested can also make the longer walk into the French Quarter or to Bacchanal (recommended unanimously by each of the dozen people I asked) along the river with ease. We did not end up staying out late a single night of our stay in New Orleans in large part because we ate ourselves into food comas every night, but also because the digs were so sweet that it was hard to find a reason to leave them behind.

When I booked this Airbnb, it was brand new and had no reviews from previous users. I feared that it was too good to be true: the listing’s price point was too low for the amount of space and style it purportedly offered. I booked it anyway out of laziness and greed. From the time that we retrieved the keys from a lockbox outside the front gate to the moment one of said keys turned in the lock, I was clenching my jaw, nervous that what was behind the door would not resemble the pictures. I had