Sleep With Ghosts, Sip With Locals

While in New Orleans, we have danced, explored voodoo and stuffed ourselves silly with delicious food. But we have to sleep at some point, right? This week we show you two truly unusual places to stay while in New Orleans. Honestly? I can’t decide which one is more interesting!
- Cris

Hotel Peter & Paul

Guilt Is Not Included

Have you ever fallen asleep in church? We won’t tell anyone. The Hotel Peter & Paul is your chance to sleep in (a decommissioned) church without feeling guilty. If you’re looking for a stay in New Orleans that feels like a storybook come to life, Hotel Peter and Paul is your spot. Located in the heart of the Marigny neighborhood, just a short stroll from the French Quarter, this one-of-a-kind boutique hotel occupies a former 19th-century Catholic church complex. The transformation is stunning - equal parts reverent and whimsical.

Each of the four buildings - the schoolhouse, rectory, convent, and church - has been lovingly restored with an eye for detail. Think stained-glass windows, original hardwood floors, and carefully sourced antiques that nod to the site’s past without feeling stuffy. No two rooms are alike, and that’s by design. Some have soaring ceilings with vintage chandeliers, others feature clawfoot tubs or velvet settees. It's not just accommodation - it’s an experience.

The hotel’s on-site bar, The Elysian Bar, is worth a visit in its own right. Set in the former rectory, it’s moody, elegant, and unmistakably New Orleans, serving craft cocktails and creative small plates in a space filled with candlelight and conversation.

Guests rave about the quiet ambiance, the attentive service, and the feeling that they’ve discovered a hidden gem. It's ideal for travelers who want something more personal and memorable than a chain hotel, whether you're in town for jazz, food, or just the magic that is New Orleans. It does not matter if you are Catholic, Muslim, Straight, Gay, or any other label because all are welcomed here. This reservation does not include Catholic guilt.

Staying at Hotel Peter and Paul feels like living in the city’s layered history, with all the comfort and style of a modern retreat. You’ll leave with more than photos—you’ll leave with stories.

Check out the photos!

Know Someone Who Is a Great Dog Dad?

Dog Dads are some of the best people. This Father’s Day, send a heartfelt (and hilarious) treat for the man who picks up the poop.

One box. Two kinds of cookies. Endless tail wags.

Half the cookies are for him. Half are for the dog. All are made with love - and safe for sharing. Because dog dads deserve a little love too. This one-time cookie box was created by a company dedicated to happiness for both pet parents and pups. These are selling out quickly so order yours before your neighbor does. Ships June 11 for Father's Day delivery.

The Columns

A Time Machine With A Pulse

Stepping into The Columns is like walking into a Tennessee Williams play, if it were staged inside a Gilded Age mansion and served stiff Sazeracs on a wraparound porch. Perched along stately St. Charles Avenue in the Garden District, this 19th-century beauty isn’t just a hotel - it’s a time machine with a pulse. It's moody, it's ornate, it's a little haunted (probably), and it’s exactly the kind of place you go when you want your trip to New Orleans to feel like a novel you don’t want to finish.

From the outside, The Columns looks like something out of an oil painting. Massive Corinthian columns, floor-to-ceiling windows, and wrought iron balconies hint at the Southern grandeur inside. Once you step through the heavy front doors, the atmosphere wraps around you like velvet. The wood is dark, the ceilings are high, and the chandeliers seem to float. There's a grand staircase that makes you want to make an entrance, even if you're just heading down for a cocktail.

And oh, the cocktails. The Columns is just as famous for its bar as it is for its beds. The front porch - yes, that porch - is the place to be at sunset, where locals and travelers alike sip old fashioneds and watch the streetcars roll by. Inside, the bar is lush, intimate, and brimming with atmosphere. It feels like secrets have been whispered here for a century, and you’re about to overhear one.

Upstairs, each of the 20 guest rooms is uniquely styled - think four-poster beds, vintage rugs, and stained-glass accents. There’s nothing cookie-cutter here. Even the creaks in the floorboards feel like part of the charm. Some rooms overlook the oak-lined avenue; others feel tucked away and private, like your own little Southern hideaway. It took me a few days just to process that this hotel began as a family home. My style is more Mid-Century Modern or full blown Modern and so the contrast boggled my simple brain.

This is not a place for sterile, corporate overnights. The Columns is for romantics, history buffs, and curious souls who want a little bit of soul with their stay. It’s the kind of hotel where you’ll plan to check out early, but stay for another drink, another story, and another evening on that magic porch.

Do people actually sleep in these hotels? I keep looking around every corner and up at every ceiling. I’ll sleep when I get home.

See you next Wednesday.

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