My husband and I planned this trip basically as a late honeymoon (we got married during COVID last year and were busy with work so we waited a year to take our honeymoon). We had planned on staying in one of the 4 or 5 star historical hotels in the French quarter but a lot of them still seem to have level of service impacted because of COVID. Many stated they weren't offering room service, had mask mandates in lobbies, had gyms closed, etc so I didn't want to pay the $200-$400/night pricing and feel like I wasn't getting bang for my buck. So, we looked to Air BnB. We wanted to be as close to the French Quarter as possible without actually being in it and having to deal with the noise at night that comes with that. We ended up picking this place because the photos looked decent and we saw that it was close to the trolley car service going into the French Quarter. So, the rationale was that this place seemed a little pricey for the space we were getting but we'd be able to save money on Ubers by using public transit. Once we got to the city and learned about the public transit and the fact that masks are required regardless of vax status and that certain lines seemed to be closed the whole time we were there, we never used it so that bonus to this space was moot for us. Obviously this is not the host's fault and didn't figure into my review but just a heads up for people considering the space.
The main issues I had were that the pictures really don't show the wear and tear on the space that exists. There is no weather stripping under the front door so light comes in from outside, from under the door, and there's nothing keeping insects or sounds out. So, I could hear every word of conversation from neighbors outside and was woken up multiple times by sounds that I jumped up at because I thought they were inside the house. This is a shotgun house with other apartments in the same building so other people have to walk very close to the front porch to get in and out of the side gate that leads to their space and that happened quite a bit. Adding weather stripping to the door would take someone who knows what they're doing maybe a couple of hours of work and seems like a pretty easy fix so I can't imagine not doing it. There's also no door knob on the front door- just a nail that's been driven into the door to hold it closed so you can lock it before leaving. Not the end of the world but just added to a bit of "run-down" feel.
The bed is basically a mattress on a metal frame. I don't think there was a box spring. It was fine but I could definitely feel the metal springs/coils underneath the mattress and the bed and it creaks when you get on it. I will say there are lots of extra blankets there and that came in handy.
The shower temperature was fantastic. Lots of hot water. The shower pressure was not amazing. I have thick, curly hair and I had to sit in the shower for a good 15minutes just to get the water through my hair and it took me a full 15min to get shampoo rinsed out. Like the weather stripping under the door, this just seems like a trip to the hardware store and a super easy fix away from being a really great shower. It seems like it just needs a new shower head.
The place just needs a general facelift. Countertops have been broken and look to be glued back together. Lighting is all pretty harsh. It just felt run-down and none of it was the end of the world but we'll just say that it wasn't especially comfortable or relaxing and wasn't quite what I wanted out of a vacation with my husband. Now, if I'd been in college and ready to rough it in order to spend a weekend drinking on Bourbon St, I would have been happy as a clam but it just wasn't the vibe we were looking for on this trip.
Something else to keep in mind is that while there is street parking very available, that doesn't mean that you necessarily want to park a mid-priced or newer car on the street. My husand has a 2018 Chevy Colorado truck (nothing fancy and certainly not a luxury vehicle) but it was out of place in this particular neighborhood. That plus our Texas plates made us worried that we might be a mark for crime because the area definitely didn't feel "residential". Nothing bad happened so I've made the conscious decision not to figure this in to my rating of the space and it's not the host's fault. But, my husband was anxious during the day to get back and make sure his vehicle hadn't been broken into. So, if you're driving into town, just keep this in mind.
I'll also say that the Holiday Inn in New Orleans is about the same price point as this so I expected a similar level of comfort with a little more local flavor but for the amount of money that this place cost (a little over $600 for 3 nights, tax and fees included), we would have personally been more comfortable elsewhere.
I hate to leave this review because the host was lovely and very receptive and she was very available. A weekend of home improvement on this place would have the ability to really upgrade this experience. Either that or cutting the price 20%-30% would have made the price more in line with what I felt like I was experiencing. Again, if I'd have been a college kid here for Mardi Gras or Spring Break, I