Lundi Gras: French Quarter overview
February 23, 2009
The wonderful cathedral of New Orleans
So, it all began with a walking tour by the French Quarter. One thing that I liked about New Orleans is that there were lots of places to eat in the streets... unlike other american cities. The architecture and the streets in the French Quarter really reminded me of latin american cities. You can tell the spaniards and french built this old part of the city. The cathedral is marvelous, unique in style, and the Plaza de Armas is magnificent.
However, the fun part of the trip started when I walked by Bourbon street. It was about 5 PM and things were already getting wild over there.
Balconies at Bourbon St.
One thing I have to say is that as soon as I got there, I noticed a lot of people wearing cheap bead necklaces, and I -dumb enough- bought a couple for 12 dlls at a local store. How could I imagine I would end up with a hundred of 'em later on! The first time I saw people throwing beads at the audience was from the balconies in Bourbon St. Then I saw it during the parades... and it was crazy!
Later on, I just had a couple of beers at a local bar... and since things were starting to get really crazy, I headed back to the hotel. It was impossible to walk in Bourbon St., as it was so crowded, but I finally could get out. I was exhausted, and Lundi Gras was over, but the party had just begun!
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Good location, bad service
Well, since I was going to attend the Mardi Gras at New Orleans I wanted a hotel to be close to the French Quarter. The location of La Quinta Inn was unbeatable in that sense. I just parked my car, and never used again until I left.
I think it would have been a great stay, if it wasn't for some annoying, incidental things that happened.
1. First of all, I was very surprised that the door to my room was wide open when I got there. I noticed that it had a piece of wood stuck underneath it. I tried to remove it but it was really hard. I went to the front desk and they said they called somebody to fix it. As you can imagine, it was very uncomfortable to be inside my room with a wide open door, so I told them I would go for lunch in the meantime. I got back, and they hadn't fixed it yet. This started to become annoying. I asked for another room, but the receptionist said the whole hotel was full. So, I had to leave my stuff in the car and headed for the French Quarter. I came back at night and it was finally fixed.
2. Another disappointment was that when I finally got to my room at night, I noticed there was no wireless internet available. Now, this made me upset, because it was advertised in hotels.com that they offered this service, and that's one of the reasons -besides location- that I chose this hotel. I called the front desk again, and they just apologized for the inconvenience. They said that wireless internet was available at the lobby. Duh, I was too tired for that so I went to sleep.
3. I took the elevator the next morning and it smelled terrible. Somebody threw up the night before and they didn't do a good job deodorizing it. It was disgusting. I had to hold my breath through 12 floors plus the extra time added every time somebody stopped the elevator, and refused to get in because of the smell. This was terrible!
4. When I was going to check out, the staff tried to charge me for valet parking, and I didn't use it. I complained and they told me they would fix it. However, I checked my bank statement two days later and they actually made the charge. I called to complain and the lady apologized and said they would remove it.
Well, as good things I have to say the room was very nice, with a flat screen TV and a very nice desk. The bathroom was clean and comfortable as well. I have no complaints as far as the room itself, but all these unfortunate situations is what made me give this bad review. I'm not sure how often these things happen over there, but all I can say is that my stay could have been better.
I think it would have been a great stay, if it wasn't for some annoying, incidental things that happened.
1. First of all, I was very surprised that the door to my room was wide open when I got there. I noticed that it had a piece of wood stuck underneath it. I tried to remove it but it was really hard. I went to the front desk and they said they called somebody to fix it. As you can imagine, it was very uncomfortable to be inside my room with a wide open door, so I told them I would go for lunch in the meantime. I got back, and they hadn't fixed it yet. This started to become annoying. I asked for another room, but the receptionist said the whole hotel was full. So, I had to leave my stuff in the car and headed for the French Quarter. I came back at night and it was finally fixed.
2. Another disappointment was that when I finally got to my room at night, I noticed there was no wireless internet available. Now, this made me upset, because it was advertised in hotels.com that they offered this service, and that's one of the reasons -besides location- that I chose this hotel. I called the front desk again, and they just apologized for the inconvenience. They said that wireless internet was available at the lobby. Duh, I was too tired for that so I went to sleep.
3. I took the elevator the next morning and it smelled terrible. Somebody threw up the night before and they didn't do a good job deodorizing it. It was disgusting. I had to hold my breath through 12 floors plus the extra time added every time somebody stopped the elevator, and refused to get in because of the smell. This was terrible!
4. When I was going to check out, the staff tried to charge me for valet parking, and I didn't use it. I complained and they told me they would fix it. However, I checked my bank statement two days later and they actually made the charge. I called to complain and the lady apologized and said they would remove it.
Well, as good things I have to say the room was very nice, with a flat screen TV and a very nice desk. The bathroom was clean and comfortable as well. I have no complaints as far as the room itself, but all these unfortunate situations is what made me give this bad review. I'm not sure how often these things happen over there, but all I can say is that my stay could have been better.
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