At the edge of New Orleans’s French Quarter sits the Bienville House, a boutique establishment that embodies the French Quarter’s European elegance. Curl up in one of the lobby’s vintage rose-colored sofas, positioned beneath a decadent chandelier, and plan your day. The subtly beautiful guest rooms, decorated in subtle sage greens and buttery yellows, are outfitted with fine Old World touches such as four-poster beds and romantic balconies. The piece de resistance at Bienville House is the lovely courtyard pool, surrounded with flagstones and tropical-inspired palms and overlooked by wrought-iron balconies. If you’ve always wanted to learn how to make delectable New Orleans-style dishes – or just love to eat them – venture downstairs to the Louisiana Heritage Cafe and School of Cooking, where Chef Joseph Faroldi puts his creative stamp on Louisiana favorites including blackened catfish.