Hotel Peter & Paul, informally known as the ‘Gingham Palace’, is in the heart of the Marigny neighborhood, between the French Quarter and the Bywater. It’s a charming neighborhood full of shotgun and camelback homes filled with creative types.

We’ve converted four mid-to-late 19th-century buildings – a School House, Rectory, Church and Convent – into a campus-like experience in the middle of a very residential neighborhood. We painstakingly restored the property and developed it into a multi-dimensional experience. You can wander around the hotel for hours, stopping along the way for a coffee, cocktail or ice cream, perhaps even a yoga class in the former Church.

For Coffee:

The iconic Cafe Du Monde has the best New Orleans coffee. Make sure you get a beignet too. And to avoid the obnoxious line, go late at night! Also try Croissant D’Or Patisserie (pictured) where the interior is a dream. I love sitting in that room with a pastry and day dreaming.

For Breakfast:

See 'What Not to Miss'.

For Lunch:

Lunch at Elysian Bar at the hotel is really special. Sit outside on the terrace or in the parlors. Casual lunch options include Killer Poboys, Central Grocery deli for the Muffuletta, Satsuma for a healthy menu and St. Roch Market, which has so many options. For a sit-down lunch, Commander’s Palace for the 25¢ martinis... Enough said.

For Dinner:

Magazine Street in the Garden District of New Orleans, and Royal Street in the French Quarter, have some of the best antique shops in the city. There are also myriad options for buying art, books, clothes and food. I would buy a treasure from Maison de Provence - she always has the best goodies from France and Sweden.

Music is everywhere in New Orleans. Frenchman Street, a few blocks east of the French Quarter, has so many different options for spots to stop in, as well as just walking around and experiencing live music on the street.

The Music Box Village (pictured) is a very cool venue in the Bywater, open-air and off-the-beaten-track for sure. I also like Tipitina’s, a world famous music venue, and Three Keys at Ace Hotel in the Central Business District.

Check their websites for live programming and tickets.

My all-time favorite breakfast typically requires staying at Soniat House, but mornings there are a gem in my memory of trips to New Orleans. Homemade biscuits are brought to your room, or served in the courtyard with a hot stone underneath in a beautiful rattan basket, replete with chicory coffee, freshly-squeezed orange juice, delicious butters and jams.

It is an experience you must try at least once in your life. There is nothing else like it, considering the setting. Call and see if they will let you experience their breakfast, even if you’re not staying.

I also love walking through Crescent Park - stroll up to the Bywater and stop at the Rusty Rainbow, a Corten bridge designed by British architect, Sir David Adjaye.

At the end of the walk, you'll arrive at Bacchanal, the sister restaurant to The Elysian Bar. A wine-shop-cum-dining experience with a low-fi backyard oasis, and live music always. You have to experience it believe it.