In the French Quarter, family-owned restaurants that date back 100 years mingle with the omnipresent beat of jazz and go cups filled with neon drinks. It’s a full sensory experience: Hear the clip-clop of horses pulling carriages, smell the sweet scent of freshly made pralines, see the wrought-iron railings that characterize the balconies here, and taste Creole classics like seafood gumbo and spicy boiled crawfish. Don’t miss Bourbon Street, famous for its raucous revelry.

Several cruise lines leave from New Orleans, on their way to far-flung destinations like Mexico, Belize, and the Bahamas. How can you make an itinerary like that even better? By adding on a few days in New Orleans before or after, of course (in our opinion, the best port of all — not that we’re biased or anything). Depending on the cruise line, Kimpton Hotel Fontenot is only a few blocks to about a mile from where the ships dock, so you can go straight from land to sea with no hassle.

For those who are visiting New Orleans hoping to deftly combine business and pleasure, you’ve come to the right place — Kimpton Hotel Fontenot is within easy reach of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. With 1.1 million square feet of space and a reputation as one of the best meeting venues in the country, our city’s convention center is always hosting something interesting.

As home to our beloved New Orleans Saints (who dat!), the modernist Caesars Superdome is an indelible part of the Crescent City’s skyline. In addition to hosting regular-season football games, the Superdome has witnessed Super Bowls, Final Fours, college bowl games, and much-talked-about concerts (think The Rolling Stones and Aretha Franklin). From the Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, it’s less than a mile walk along Poydras Street, lined with skyscrapers and historic buildings.