Review: Place D'Armes Hotel in New Orleans

Finding a hotel in a good location in New Orleans, Louisiana can be tricky now if you are not familiar with the city. The Place D'Armes Hotel is on St. Ann Street in the center of the French Quarter, near Jackson Square, so you will be within walking distances of many of the city's best attractions. The hotel has a lot of local character as it is made up of eight 18^th century buildings that have been restored and transformed into a hotel. Rooms average about $140 per night at the Place D'Armes Hotel. The inside of the hotel is very attractive. Much of the original wood- and iron-work is still there. Our room had brick walls and wrought iron furniture. The hotel looked exactly the way I had pictured an authentic New Orleans building to look. Keep in mind that some of the guestrooms do not have windows and you should request one that does if that bothers you. Since the buildings are old, the walls are fairly thin and it is easy to hear conversations taking place in the rooms next to yours. Also, the bathrooms are quite small. There is a courtyard with tropical plant life surrounded by the buildings comprising the hotel so it is a relaxing place to get away from the city for a few minutes. There is also a swimming pool on-site. The hotel has a romantic vibe and lends itself more to couples traveling together than business travelers. However, it does have wireless internet and photocopy/faxing services if you need to get some work done.

There is a 24-hour concierge service which I really appreciated because they were able to give us suggestions of places to visit at all times of the day and night. We were out one evening and decided to return to the hotel just to ask the concierge what else we needed to see that night.

The Place D'Armes is near Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral which made everything we wanted to do within walking distance. It was nice not to have to call a cab every time we wanted to go somewhere. The area felt safe and I was comfortable walking around at night.

The hotel offers a small complimentary breakfast of coffee and Danish each morning but there are several local restaurants easily within walking distance if you prefer something more.

Overall, the hotel is charming and has much character but with that you must accept that it is not perfect and completely up-to-date.