We've been to New Orleans but never during Mardi Gras, what's the hotel situation like? We stayed at the Hotel Monte Leon before, and it was alright. Is it too early to book a room? Or too late? Any advice on what part of town to get a room?

The best advice I have is don't give the quick talking shoe shiners the time of day. Ignore em and they go away. I saw one talking to one group for ten minutes or more while I was slamming beers at one of those hole in the wall beer stands. Crazy.

Did a quick check on hotels through our hotel listings, where you can check on availability for many of the hotels, and found that most of them are already booked for the peak days of Mardi Gras, especially the weekends.

If you're wanting to stay in the quarter during Mardi Gras, you're going to have to hurry like crazy to get a room... otherwise, check in the Warehouse District... it's close and has its own restaurants, bars, and shops.

Try the Royal Sonesta. Its right on Bourbon and it damn rocks! We were in NOLA for Mardi Gras in 97 and we just stumbled from the hotel to the street and let the crowd take us and we'd end up back at the Sonesta two or three hours later without even trying. Then we'd hit the toilet in our room and fill up with more beer! Everybody else was begging to use the bathrooms in restaurants or waiting in wicked long lines at the clubs. The room was expensive but the easy pee break alone was worth it!

Is THAT how people do it?! I took a trip to Mardi Gras waaay back in '81, and we spent most of our time standing in line for a beer or a place to drain the beer! Like they used to say, you don't buy beer, you rent it.

:)

If I ever head back to Mardi Gras, and believe me, all that firm flashed flesh makes me want to, I'm going to get a room in the Quarter and enjoy the party with a empty bladder!

that's the way Yossarian you gotta stay in the quarter! if you don't you'll be trying to find a dark alley for release! and I hear they arrest you for that, except I don't know how they could catch everybody.

Not having much luck with hotels in the Quarter during Mardi Gras. Any other ideas?

Yes! Find yourself a good, clean-cut girl, fill her full of Hurricanes. Then encourage her to take you back to her room and get to know each other "in the biblical sense." Now you have a room!

Don't know if it'd be worth it not CottonEyeJoe but you can look into gettin' a room over in Slidell or in Metarie. You gotta worry about gettin' a DUI then though. Or you could take a cab I guess. Didn't try a cab when we was there course we didn't have to!

you could try in Jefferson at the hampton inn, 5150 mounes st, harahan,la 504-733-5646 - got the room through hotel kingdom.com - staying there 2/10-2/13 for $135.00per May need to walk or get a cab to french quarter but at least it is a room to stay let me know

I'll check into the hampton inn. It sounds like the best bet so far. Thanks nana!