Do yourself a favor and book Natalie's guest house for your next trip. No, it's not downtown, and no, it's not near the French Quarter, but you won't want to miss staying in the serene neighborhood of Black Pearl, and Natalie's listing is perfect.
She's thought of just about everything you'll need. Oftentimes during our stay we opened a cupboard thinking, "I wish I had..." and *ta-da* there it was. Having a mini kitchen was great - we walked to Whole Foods and stocked up on food for days when we weren't going out for dinner (or for a quick bite before going on the trek to Frenchmen St.).
And, this place is clean. Not just clean - SPARKLING clean. No bugs, stains... nothing. We were pleasantly surprised as her property is over 100 years old.
The patio furniture in the backyard was nice to sit out and have coffee at, which is what we did when it wasn't too cold outside. The guest house itself is nicely insulated, so when it was 40 degrees out, we didn't need to turn the heat on as the building kept heat in nicely.
The neighborhood was quiet and the streetcar was a 5 minute walk away. Natalie lives in a great area, and we spent the majority of our time on the upriver side of Lee Circle. The Singleton's mini mart down the street made us a poboy even after the kitchen was closed, and apparently Saturday is pho day there, and it sells out before 1pm! We can't get enough of the Black Pearl/Riverbend neighborhood.
We would stay there again in a heartbeat!!