Our group of 7 had an phenomenal stay at Diane & Ben’s NOLA Darling to celebrate my 30th birthday!
Don’t be intimidated by the area, the neighborhood is very quiet and the neighbors are beyond friendly!
The house was spotless, stocked with basic essentials, pop, water, and snacks. The a/c worked wonderfully, given that it was in the 90’s outside with tremendous humidity our entire trip. Showers had good water pressure and maintained temperatures during all 7 showers each day. If you are afraid of bugs and lizards, bring someone who isn’t. They can and WILL get inside; we had quite a few of each decide they wanted to join our stay.
Months before we were scheduled, Diane was very informative and helpful about things to do and what to expect during COVID Restrictions in the city. That remained the same upon arrival.
Our airline changed our flight to have us arrive four hours earlier than originally planned (which we booked at a specific time to avoid toting our luggage around before check-in). When I asked if we could just drop our bags off early, Diane was more than happy to accommodate.
Much to our surprise, they didn’t only allow us to drop our bags, but allowed us to begin our stay early! Ben stayed at chatted with our group getting to know us and offering several suggestions to eat/drink. When we mentioned needing to go get some forgotten toiletries, Ben mentioned there were some in the house already, and then brought more to the house for us!!! We all purchased the 3-day Jazzy Passes which allow unlimited use of the buses and street cars for $9.00. The house is very close to a bus stop that goes straight down to all the sights. McDonald’s and Burger King are close, and so is Sammy’s for some amazing Po Boy’s.
The incredible hospitality didn’t stop at check in, however. Our transportation to a swamp tour fell through and they were willing to take our group there. We would have taken them up on that, but due to Hurricane Sally coming in, it was hard to find anyone transport back once we were done.
All in all, Diane and Ben are the type of people who make it their priority to ensure their guests are comfortable and have everything they need. We even invited them out for drinks!
When any of us come back to NOLA, we’re going to plan our trip around the availability of this home, so we can stay here.