The Big Easy Done Right at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans

Like many, I recently came down with the flu. It was, as expected, horrendous. My entire body felt completely depleted. In addition, I suffered from cabin fever, having been cooped up in my house as I recovered.

Just as Beth March sought healing in the seaside air, I needed a fabulous hotel STAT. My criteria? Somewhere luxurious. Somewhere close. I needed a spa and incredible food. One choice quickly presented itself as THE choice: New Orleans, naturally. More specifically, The Ritz-Carlton, of course.

We really don’t talk enough about how positively spoiled we are that NOLA is a mere one-hour(ish) flight away from Houston and Dallas. I packed my carry-on (rare, but it happens) with needlepoint and my Kindle and hopped the quick Southwest Airlines flight from Dallas Love Field. Healing — in the form of piping hot gumbo and the sounds of street trumpeters — awaited me.

The Ritz-Carlton opened in New Orleans in 2000, after a $250 million renovation of the historic Maison Blanche Building. Ideally located on Canal Street in the French Quarter, the hotel’s decor resembles the Garden District’s antebellum mansions. She’s grand and layered, with 528 guest rooms serpentining through her hallowed halls. (The hotel is a perennial PaperCity-staff favorite, and my colleague Megan Ziots wrote a terrific 72-hour guide to the Crescent City a few years ago with The Ritz-Carlton as her home base.)

Club Pours Only

I stayed in a Club King room, which includes Ritz-Carlton Club privileges. If you’re planning an upcoming trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras and wondering whether the Club-level rooms are “worth it,” allow me to answer that question affirmatively. Yes, they are! The rooms are spacious, bright, and beautiful, and well-appointed. The Ritz’s decor always captures the spirit of the place without ever creeping into cliches. As a Bath Person, I should mention that the Italian marble bath (paired with the necessary accoutrements like bath salts) revitalized me. In hindsight, I realize I should have ordered beignets from in-room dining to enjoy from the bath. Supremely decadent, the powdered sugar could cascade and disappear in the water.

In the Club’s spacious salon, library, and parlor, guests have access to complimentary beer, wine, and cocktails, as well as continuous food offerings that rotate throughout the day. Every morning, I opted to take my breakfast in the Club, as I poured over The New York Times between bites of a gooey cinnamon roll (served hot, of course).

Never one to turn down a decadent tea service, I enjoyed afternoon tea in the Davenport Lounge on the afternoon of my arrival. Perched on a plush sofa with a harpist performing nearby, both my pinkies and my spirits were UP as I indulged in warm scones with swaths of clotted cream. On Wednesday through Sunday evenings, Jeremy Davenport performs in his eponymous lounge, a fun gathering spot where I witnessed more than a few festive gaggles of gals enjoying espresso martinis and a bit of good old fashioned gossip. Davenport Lounge is located adjacent to M Bistro, the Ritz’s farm-to-table restaurant that serves authentic New Orleans cuisine. They call the three velvet-draped, semi-private tables in M Bistro the “Cheater’s Booths.” Cheeky!

Cast a Spell of Relaxation

As I mentioned, my respite required a spa. Thankfully, the Ritz’s 25,000-square-foot spa is the largest in the city and offers guests the opportunity to connect with the city’s “mystical spirit, charming warmth, and defining essences.” In addition to a cafe and boutique, the spa boasts an impressive 22 treatment rooms for its more than 100 therapies.

I’m a “When in Rome” type of traveler, so I chose the Voodoo Ritual. The treatment delivered on its promise to “cast a spell of relaxation.” In a voodoo-inspired setting, the therapist utilized traditional vetiver-scented oil during the 90-minute massage. For the duration, I existed in that liminal state between asleep and awake. Is there anything better?

Now, let’s eat.

Turtle Soup, Please

With the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans located in such a prime location, naturally I also ventured off-property for a few incredible meals. No one leaves NOLA underfed, after all.

• I’m embarrassed to admit I’d never dined at Brennan’s, a New Orleans institution, so I made a reservation for dinner for one. This year, the restaurant celebrates its 80th anniversary, and I understand why visitors flock there. It’s beautiful and delicious. I started with the Turtle Soup, ate every bite of the Rock Shrimp Boil for my entree, and finished the night with New Orleans Bread Pudding. I regret nothing. (Bananas Foster is the dessert move at Brennan’s — they quite literally invented it in 1951 — but sadly, I’m allergic!)
• I texted my friend Lily Barfield (of Lily’s Vintage Finds and The Marlene in Houston), who said that Clancy’s is her absolute favorite restaurant in the world. So, to Clancy’s (once a neighborhood po’boy shop in the 1940s), I went for lunch! The “refined creole” restaurant is charming and elegant, complete with uniformed servers and white tablecloths. Between the fried eggplant, linguini noodles drowning in butter and pesto with sun-dried tomatoes tucked in, and lemon icebox pie, I left satiated and with every intention to return.
• Lastly, upon the recommendation of a new friend in NOLA, I went to Manolito, “a little cradle” of the daiquiri in the French Quarter, on my last night for black bean soup and arroz con pollo on their quaint patio. The evening breeze felt unseasonably warm, and I eavesdropped on the intimate conversations around me. Bliss.

My trip delivered on all fronts. I returned to Dallas refreshed and rejuvenated for 2026, and I’m delighted to report that I now call The Ritz-Carlton my new home-away-from-home in New Orleans. Whether you’re headed to The Big Easy for Mardi Gras or simply need a getaway somewhere conveniently-yet-decidedly posh, the Ritz-Carlton awaits.