We had a wonderful time staying at the Lemon Tree Manor in the Bywater district of New Orleans. Susan met us out front to show us around, and gave us a big New Orleans welcome. The apartment was spotless, impeccably decorated and so warm and inviting. You can tell Susan puts a lot of care and thought into this place - every detail is perfect, from the fresh cut flowers in vases in every room, to the soft sheets on the very comfortable bed, to the ceramic doorknobs she fastened to the original glass paned doors. The apartment is impeccably decorated - I want her to come do interior design at my house!!

She really goes above and beyond as a host, and even left coffee, tea, milk, popcorn and homemade chocolate chip cookies for us. We mentioned that we were going to a music festival the next day and she left lawn chairs out for us which was so thoughtful! We loved making coffee in the morning and sitting out on the porch, looking at the beautifully designed garden, it made us feel like we were in a tropical paradise. Dink (Florence), the co-owner and neighbor is very sweet, and is available if you need her (as is Susan who is only a few houses away) but you feel like you have ultimate privacy.

Susan gave us some great recommendations to eat and drink, and we really enjoyed the Bywater neighborhood. It felt sort of like the Williamsburg of New Orleans. It's only a 15/20 minute walk from the French Quarter, but there are so many great spots close by you really don't need to venture to the tourist zone! We had drinks at the Colony (an old restored mansion turned into a bar and pool club) and ate and drank at Bacchanal, which had incredible food, a very cool patio and live music. We also went to Vaughn's Lounge, a fun dive bar that had a drag show the night we were there (also has live music), and Mimi's in the Marigny. Definitely don't miss Elizabeth's which is one block away and has the best southern brunch! Fried green tomatoes with poached eggs, yum!

I would recommend the Lemon Tree Manor to anyone I know going to New Orleans, and will definitely plan on staying here again when I come back, which will hopefully be soon!