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quarter since future hotel development
“...classic Creole dishes — creamy sauces,
fresh seafood and rich desserts define
New Orleans’ cuisine...”
126 WDT MAGAZINE SPRING 2017
was banned in 1975. Maison Dupuy
combined five brick townhouses, all
centered on the French Quarter’s largest
courtyard — a classic design element in
homes here. This charming courtyard
becomes a neighborhood gathering
spot once a month when local craft-
speople and cocktails combine to raise
funds for local charities — we were there
for the lighting of the Christmas tree all
benefiting the Salvation Army. (www.
maisondupuy.com.)
Then we moved to Hotel Le Marais,
on Conti between Bourbon and Royal
streets, an upscale boutique hotel that
recently remodeled itself to be the
most up-to-date in the French Quarter.
This is a modern hotel with touches
of old-world charm where every staff
person becomes your friend. That
welcome cocktail of choice on check-in
sets the Big Easy tone from the get-go.
Conde Nast readers in 2016 put Hotel
Le Marais among the top four hotels in
New Orleans, “one of the rare boutique
hotels that manages to at once evoke
the charming, old-world essence of the
Big Easy, all while reminding guests
it’s set firmly in the modern age (gratis
Wi-Fi, heated saltwater pool).” (www.
hotellemarais.com.)
Both French Quarter hotels made walk-
ing our preferred mode of transporta-
tion. We could easily amble to most of
our restaurants of choice as well as our
sites of leisure activities, which naturally
included some holiday shopping.
The French Quarter is loaded with
kitschy souvenir shops or even those
fabled voodoo emporiums. But stroll
down Royal Street and you’ll find some
Galatoire’s, one of the city’s longtime
beloved Creole classics, held an auction the
week we were there for locals who wanted
to secure a table for New Year’s Eve.