If you're after a hostel that's not a full-on party house nor a sterile dorm, you'll find a good balance at Marquette House. The female dorms are located above the main hostel building off Carondelet Street and the male dorms are located behind in adjacent mini buildings, where there are four to six dorm beds downstairs and the same number upstairs.
Marquette House doesn't pretend it offers lots of amenities, but it does the job as a decent and generally clean hostel. The outdoor garden area with vending machines is a great bonus and an awesome area for socialising. Pay telephones and lockers inside the office area are also a plus.
The dorm rooms are generally clean and lacking in carpet, which helps rid them of the musty/stale smell you might find in other hostels. There are toilets upstairs and down in the male dorms, with a large bathroom upstairs. Cleanliness generally depends on who you have staying in the dorm, but the staff have taken all the steps necessary to rid the dorms of roaches and seem very willing to keep the dorms as tidy as possible.
Since Hurricane Katrina, everything is changing, or as the t-shirts point out "Re-New Orleans." Bad areas have become good and good areas have become bad. The great news is Marquette House was in a good area to start off with and it has remained so. The bad news is the streetcar to the Garden District is no longer running, so you'll have to catch the bus instead -- which arrives and departs until 11 p.m. in front of the Chase Bank in St. Charles Street.
There are several awesome bars located nearby, including the combined laundromat/bar Igors on St Charles Street. If you're arriving via car than you'll find plenty of free parking in front of the hostel and it's generally safe to leave your car there for several days (just take note that Carondelet Street is one-way when arriving).
The hostel office is shut between noon and 5 p.m., but access is still available. They do require a key deposit. Walk-in room rates are much more expensive than the internet rates, so you'll save a fair amount by booking online. At the time of writing, the hurricane-damaged kitchen and common areas were still under repair and no self-catering facilities or indoor common areas are available at the hostel.
— Avis exclusif de Hostelz.com
December 2006
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