The Hotel St. Marie in the heart of the French Quarter puts guests only a half-block from the rambunctious and deliciously decadent Bourbon Street nightlife. The area and hotel are renowned for the second-floor balconies where people view the goings-on and toss beads to passersby in the street during Mardi Gras and throughout the year. Guests can stroll just five blocks to the Riverwalk Marketplace, a collection of quaint shops and cafes on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River.

Upon entering the hotel, guests are greeted by angels on the ceiling, beneath the central glass table and on the wall tapestries. The hotel's brick-and-stucco exterior, gas lamps and shaded courtyard give the place that certain "old New Orleans" ambience. From the upper floors, guests can drink in the area's cinematically beautiful metal roofs, chimneys, smoke stacks and attic windows.

What's more, many of the Big Easy's to-die-for restaurants are located just outside the Hotel St. Marie's front door. Even the hotel's restaurants are no slouches. The hotel's Hillery's on Toulouse and the Bistro Moise feature street and courtyard dining with diverse menus that include shrimp and oyster brochette, filet mignon with a three-peppercorn demi glace (No, Thibodaux, demi glace is not the actress), chicken grillades with red brown gravy, shrimp remoulade and other Cajun and Creole delicacies. Why, they're enough to make Boudreaux stand and shout, "Ay, Yee]"

Meanwhile, most of the 103 guest rooms feature balconies overlooking the Bourbon Street action or the hotel's tropical courtyard and pool. They feature regional antique-style furniture, artwork and modern amenities, such as dial-up Internet access.

The Hotel St. Marie's historic appeal, superb location and competitive rates are perfect alternatives to the larger corporate hotels whose names roll more readily off the tongues of tourists.