New Orleans on a $500 Budget

I read somewhere a while back "Don't wait until you can afford it to go on vacation." Makes sense from where I, and most budget conscious travelers, sit. So...with that philosophy in mind, this past May my husband and I took a week's worth of pay and said "To heck with it! We're going to New Orleans!" We'd been tentatively planning to go to Louisiana for several months, but were never really sure we would be able to make the trip. Even still, I booked reservations for two nights in the French Quarter, then crossed my fingers that something wouldn't get in the way of us going-that 'something' usually being of the financial sort.

To save money, we opted to drive the almost 500 miles from Fort Worth to the Baton Rouge area, where we would be staying with family our first and last night in LA. The drive was long, but it was very enjoyable to sit back...relax, and just take-in the changing scenery as we covered the miles. In the end (we only got lost twice...by the way) we arrived at our destination having made it on a little less than a tank of gas. In our case, it amounted to about $60.00 for a fill-up, and we were driving a big Chevy truck.

Dog-tired and road-weary, we fell in for the night; our adventure would begin the next day when we made our way to New Orleans. We could hardly wait! So...bidding our family a temporary adieu, we gathered our maps and headed south.

I must admit, after about an hour on the road, the hardest part of the trip was finding our way through the maze of streets that make up the French Quarter (a printed street-map helps immensely), but in the end...we arrived safely in front of the St. Ann-Marie Antoinette Hotel to unload our bags onto the baggage trolley provided by the hotel; powered entirely by my husband. Although the St. Ann was mostly a 'no frills' hotel; for $55.00 a night, it was rather charming...historically speaking.

The up-sides of our budget hotel stay? Our room was clean and sufficient, sunlit with French swing-out windows revealing a charming private courtyard-garden below; plenty of towels; a friendly staff of hotel-hosts; the hotel bar The Library served 2 for 1 drinks from 4 'til 6, though our new N.O. friend Lisa the bartender extended the hours for us; the hotel's garden courtyard pool, trickling fountains and bistro style setting offered peaceful privacy in the heart of a city that never sleeps; the Free continental breakfast was sufficient if you made it before the gluttony guests; The catering manager Gus was such a nice person to have a chat with...a pleasant start to our day.

There were such lovely architectural features as the many stained-glass windows flourishing The St. Ann throughout, the plant-life and ambiance were worth more than we paid, and there were no hidden fees (be sure and ask about taxes, surcharges, and fees...secure your total before-hand), since we booked directly with the hotel instead of with a bargain travel site-a big money-saver in the long run. But all in all, the biggest plus of this hotel was that it is centered between the party-hubs of Bourbon and Royal...on Conti Street-right in the heart of it all. You can't beat that with a swizzle-stick!

As for parking, it seemed a little steep at first ($15.00 a day for hotel guests), and is located a few blocks away if you take the long way around. Us...? We took the short cut-compliments of the Central Parking Valet-through the St. Ann's sister hotel, the St. Louis Hotel located at 730 Bienville Street...just a block away, then directly through another parking garage until we came out right across the street from The St. Ann once again. Needless to say, it saved us having to walk what would've seemed like a mile.

As for the 'not so great' end of our hotel stay...? Well, I must admit, all in all, if you want to be in the middle of party-central for as little as $55 a night, the St. Ann-Marie Antoinette Hotel is the way to go for the money, with very few negatives: no coffee maker, fridge, or microwave in our room; no help with baggage loading/unloading; ice and cola machines are on separate floors; phone in room rarely worked (fine if you have a cell); hot water is rather 'iffy' at times. If you want frills and luxury, contact St. Ann's sister hotel the St. Louis, or the many other hotels in the French Quarter and nearby.

One we discovered while out for an evening stroll was Chateau Hotel several blocks southeast of Bourbon and Conti at 1001 Rue Chartres, closer to the French Market district in a quieter cubby of the district. The desk-clerk there was more than courteous, letting us take a brief tour of the grounds and the garden courtyard pool. We were quite impressed indeed, and decided then that, us being of the older...more laid-back set, we'll likely take to the quieter end of town the next time we take off on another New Orleans road-trip. I'm looking forward to it already!

Our Budget: How We Kept It Around $500 -

Fuel Costs -

*Highway Travel: $140 round-trip. TIP: While In-town, keep the car parked and walk everywhere. It saves $$$.

Hotel Cost -

*St. Ann-Marie Antoinette Hotel: 717 Conti St., NO 70130. Phone: 800-535-9706, www.stannmarieantoinette.com; $152 for two nights (including taxes & fees); $31 for parking...totaling $183.00

Food & Drinks -

*Drinks for the road:

--12 pack of soft drinks and Ice...$3 to $4

--Bottled water $3.00

--Two 12 packs each of beer and non-alcoholic beer $31.00 (bought before-hand to keep tourist-priced beverages to a minimum in N.O.) we poured our drinks into plastic cups (no glass or bottles allowed on streets) when touring Bourbon street and The French Quarter and saved BIG $$.

*Homemade sandwiches for the road-trip and treats bought before-hand.

*Road side snacks: about $10

*Drinks at The Library (hotel's bar): approximately $40.00

*Dining out in N.O. (you have to taste a bit of the local cuisine) for two guests, not including tip:

--Beignets & coffee at Café du Monde...$5 to $6 dollars (This is a must while in N.O., and the street musician was quite talented and enjoyable)

--Breakfast take-out from Déjà vu...approximately $14.00

--Lunch w/ drinks on the Riverwalk...$25.00

--Dinner w/ drinks at The Market Café...$25.00 w/ tip, New Orleans jazz music on the terrace nightly

--Drinks bought on street...$10 to $20 dollars (most bars have a take-out window for beer to-go for around $3 each). You save big $$$ if you bring your own cooler-tote and pour your drinks into a cup. Though with this choice, you contribute little to the recovering New Orleans tourist economy.

Sub-Total w/o Extras:$501.00

*EXTRAS: Gifts & Souvenirs...about $50

GRAND TOTAL: $551.00

--Fun & FREE things to do in New Orleans-

*Ride the Ferry and enjoy the view of Riverboats passing...close-by and in the distance; experience the Mississippi River free of charge. Contact: Friends of the Ferry www.friendsoftheferry.org, 525 Pelican Street, NO 70114. Phone: 504-363-9090; Runs Daily 6am to 12:15am.

*Scout the streets and browse the shops of The French Quarter and The French Market districts; there is so much to see and do for little to no money!

*See the sites and architectural gems-there are so many to see in New Orleans.

*Snap photos of your surroundings in and around The French Quarter; document life after Katrina in this surviving city.

*Take a relaxing swim in your hotel's pool or hot tub (our hotel did not have the latter).

*Sit by the pool and read...write; have a bite to eat or a bit of conversation.

*People watch-I can never get enough of this.

*Use your imagination! The sky is the limit. But mostly...just relax: Enjoy Life and a Change of Scenery!

--More Information-

*New Orleans Official Website: www.neworleanscvb.com or Phone: 800-672-6124. Other helpful New Orleans Websites: www.neworleansonline.com; www.neworleans.com or Phone: 504-309-1004 or 504-273-5204. Get your complimentary copy of New Orleans Visitors Guide (small enough to fit into your shoulder bag); chock-full of information about this historic city, including a handy full-color street map.