1.
Windsor Court Hotel Rating: 4.5 Pearls
Celebrities, royals, and discerning travelers choose the Windsor Court for its classic style, attentive staff and big rooms. While there's plenty to do on the property -- including afternoon tea, a tour of the hotel's art collection, or drinks at the Polo Lounge -- the Windsor Court is quietly located near all the French Quarter action. The rooms are showing their age, but they're in the process of getting a complete overhaul.
2.
Hotel Monteleone Rating: 4.0 Pearls
The 600-room Hotel Monteleone has made literary history and cocktail history, but it's no museum piece. In 2010, the hotel refreshed its guest rooms and baths, and there's more to come -- bar room and bistro expansions, as well as a makeover for a ballroom and several meeting rooms, should be finished by December 2011. On the upper floors, the hotel offers some of the city's most exhilarating -- and romantic -- views.
