This hotel is in its third century of service to its guest. They have featured distinguished guest of a "who's who" list. Eight U.S. Presidents Coolidge, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Ford, Bush and Clinton have all stayed at the Fairmont. Royalty and world leaders, Hollywood's biggest celebrities and superstars have called this elegant hotel home during their visit to the Crescent City.

The Fairmont New Orleans was also the model for the Arthur Hailey's novel, "Hotel" and some of the characters were based on staff members of the hotel at the time of its writing.

Speaking of business at the New Orleans Fairmont, they have it covered for you. A quick trip to their business center on the Mezzanine level offers an arsenal of services from photocopying to secretarial services.

Business being aside, we were here to enjoy the sites, sounds and romantic experiences that makes New Orleans a perfect romantic get away for all ages. I believe you could spend a lifetime in this city and never run out of romantic encounters. The Fairmont Sazerac Bar is a great place to begin your experiences. It is a classic example of art deco décor with four acclaimed Paul Ninas murals. It is still famous for its signature Sazerac and Ramos Gin Fizz drinks and remains one of the city's favorite spots for gathering after work and special events or before concerts and theater events. The Sazerac is claimed to be the worlds first cocktail. It was first mixed in a French Quarter bar in New Orleans' Exchange Alley in 1859. The name originated from a particular brand of imported cognac favored by the New Orleanians --then it was Sazerac-de-Forge et fils.

There is much to do at and round the Fairmont. There is a beautiful pool located on the fourth floor which we enjoyed very much that first evening. It is open to a cityscape sky at night, and it sets a mood of intimacy and relaxation. Also, located on the same deck are tennis courts and a nicely equipped exercise room, all for the guest to enjoy.

We feel the need to mention ...

A part of what makes the Fairmont New Orleans so great is her staff.

Shortly, after our check-in, I visited the concierge desk and was introduced to Rob, one of the Fairmont's concierges.

Rob, is possibly one of the most personable concierges I have meet in a long time. I explained to him that our anniversary was just around the corner, what events would he suggest for us to share during our visit? In a matter of minutes he had laid out a very romantic itinerary for us to experience, including an in room massage for my wife.

The staff at the Fairmont seem to enjoy their service to others. For this reason alone, I highly recommend the New Orleans Fairmont.

First Stop ... "Mardi Gras World"

Just a short walk, from the Fairmont, down Canal Street to the Riverwalk area, where you are ferried across the Mississippi River. Once across the river a shuttle meets you at Algiers Point and takes you to Mardi Gras World. What exactly is Mardi Gras World? It is where they make the costumes and floats for the Mardi Gras. You quickly learn that Mardi Gras is only one of over 50 parades that occur in New Orleans each year.

This is a go behind-the-scenes of New Orleans' Mardi Gras. You take a walking tour within the structure of one of the world's largest fleet of carnival floats.

We have traveled to New Orleans several times and each trip keeps getting better.

At Mardi Gras World, we learned a lot more about Mardi Gras and what it takes to put on such a parade. Here, we learned the meaning of the Mardi Gras colors: Green is for faith, Gold is for Power and Purple is for Justice.

This is a view of the city from the river ferry on the return trip to the Fairmont Hotel. We headed back to the Fairmont to relax in our room and for a quick dip in their beautiful pool before we continued our exploration of the Big Easy with a steamboat ride, on the beautiful Natchez steamboat.

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