My Happiest Birthday Ever!
My husband had a feeling I was disappointed since my kids had plans and wouldn’t be with us on my 50th birthday. So, to cheer me up, he surprised me with a trip to New Orleans (a city with true significance for us)!
He booked us a suite with a King bed and a huge living room, plus a second ½ bath….and who was waiting for us in the “drop dead gorgeous” lobby when we arrived but our son and daughter!
My husband and I met at Tulane University in New Orleans. We came back for a reunion or two, but over the years, we hadn’t been back. We had our first date in The Roosevelt Hotel’s restaurant way back when and I was so excited to stay there for real!
Staying there was a dream come true. (It’s that breathtaking!) I was an art major, and I used to walk through the hotel lobby just to look at all the art deco accents, columns, and furniture. It features high ceilings … crystal chandeliers … luxuriant carpeting … and captivating art.
Three words: Rich! Historic! Charm!
And our room was just as lovely and comfortable as the lobby. First, let me talk about the bed. Beautiful. Big. And comfortable!
Next, the furnishings. Just wow! This room was not thrown together. Every item seems to be lovingly collected to create a sense of comfort and elegant style. Usually my family likes to keep it simple. But sometimes ya gotta live it up.
The bathroom was lovely. Rather elegant, really, with the sink in a separate room. A nice touch.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the pool, spa, and fitness center. The outside pool was perfect with lots of lounge chairs for relaxing and sunning. There were even private cabanas (if you wanted to create a bubble of solitude).
The spa had experts on staff to provide relaxing massages and beautifying facials. Perfect for folks who enjoy self-care. And the fitness center was impressive. The exercise equipment was first class and they even provided yoga matts for folks into that sorta thing.
Our kids were dying to see the infamous Fountain Lounge (the scene of the crime/our first date) and order something delicious. I got the Shrimp and Grits, my husband and son ordered burgers, and our daughter had the Little Gem salad with grilled chicken. When we were done, we ordered the beignets with Nutella and raspberry sauce. Everybody shared, and everything was scrumptious!
Now that we were fed, it was time for my next surprise: our kids booked us a Walking Tour of the French Quarter! We hustled on over to the meeting spot, which wasn’t too far from The Roosevelt.
We were greeted by our tour guide, Scott. He was so knowledgeable and funny! Told us lots of things that even my husband and I didn’t know about this wonderful, kooky place that we have loved since college. Scott kept us laughing and moving, stopping to point out historic places, architecture, ghost stories and more. So much fun!
After that, we went back to the hotel for some down time before we headed out to dinner at Oceana. This place was wonderful! Our server, Jonathan, offered terrific suggestions and was very attentive to us. We got gator bites as an appetizer for the table, and I got the crab cakes for dinner – so yummy!
I stepped away for a few minutes, and when I came back, there was a slice of cake with a flaming candle on top. Best birthday ever.
On our last day, we went on a Swamp Tour in an Airboat so we could see gators up close. It was amazing and terrifying (in the best way possible). I’m just glad they didn’t know about our gator bite appetizers!
I loved my birthday weekend in New Orleans! I loved getting to enjoy the people, culture, and non-stop fun of the Big Easy with my wonderful husband and kids. Most of all, I’m so glad we stayed at The Roosevelt.
The Roosevelt’s perfect location made it easy to enjoy everything that New Orleans had to offer. This iconic hotel has beautiful rooms, stunning architecture, and attentive staff. Worth every penny.