Hotel Mazarin

Carved from two 19th-century townhouses on Bienville Street, Hotel Mazarin sits a block off Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, close enough for late-night jazz but insulated by thick original brick walls. It's a fit for couples and repeat New Orleans visitors who want Quarter proximity without Quarter noise.

Rooms carry marble bathrooms and iron or wood shutters original to the buildings; upper floors get courtyard or rooftop-terrace views over the Quarter's low skyline. Evening wine service runs in the lobby, and the fitness center stays open around the clock for early risers before the heat sets in.

Jackson Square and the Mississippi riverfront are both under ten minutes on foot.