Last weekend, we headed to New Orleans’ chicest hotel in the Central Business District for a staycation. Located in the former New Orleans Public Service Inc. (NOPSI) building, The NOPSI Hotel opened its doors last year after decades of being vacant with a gorgeous renovation.
The building is a special one. It’s one of those places that our parents and grandparents still have fond memories and stories of to this day. You can feel the Nola history all around you as soon as you walk in.
On Friday, we headed to the hotel’s casual-yet-sophisticated restaurant, Public Service. With a farm-to-table menu honoring the Gulf Coast’s hard-working fishers and farmers, the restaurant features contemporary cuisine in an open-display kitchen highlighted by a modern raw bar and open-flame rotisserie.
We started with oysters on the half shell, and the black bean hummus. The oysters were literally bigger than our hands! For our mains, we split the rotisserie chicken and the Gulf market catch with a side of Mac N Cheese (O.M.G).
Then, we headed to the hotel’s rooftop bar, Above the Grid, for a few after dinner cocktails. 😉 We had so much fun! The bar has quickly become a weekend hotspot. We chatted the night away to jams by DJ Otto overlooking the best view of the city’s skyline. We couldn’t help ourselves but to crash pretty early thinking about the amazing room we had awaiting us, and slept better than ever.
We woke up early excited for brunch and to spend a day by the pool in our private cabana. But, first coffee. We walked over to adorbs local coffee shop around the corner, Merchant to grab a coffee. Then, we were back to Public Service to sample their brunch menu. Our fave was the Crab Cake Rex: jumbo lump crab, a poached egg, avocado, smoked corn, roasted red pepper, aged balsamic, and hollandaise.
After brunch, we headed to the pool. We had the most perfect day ever! The private cabana was a peaceful oasis for us to sit and chat when we needed a break from the sun, looking out at the city skyline and enjoying a cold bottle of champagne.
After a day in the sun, we took a nap in our comfy beds and freshened up in our room. We headed downstairs to Under Current, the gorgeous classic lobby bar with iconic vaulted ceilings for a martini. The creative cocktail menu pays homage to 1920’s prohibition era libations with a focus on gin and champagne specialties. They have seven specialty tonics and an enormous selection of gin. Don’t miss their Friday happy hour from 4 – 6 😉
After that, we were off to explore the neighborhood. We walked to the French Quarter where we stumbled upon the cutest little Mexican spot off the beaten path called Cuñada, where we had the literal best jalapeno margaritas and guac we have ever had. It’s so funny how being on a staycation can open you up to places in your own city you have never even heard of! Before heading back to the the hotel, we went for a late night slice at Crescent City Pizza Works – the best slices in the quarter. This pizza is seriously good even when you are not tipsy.
The next morning, we were feeling a little lazy so we ordered breakfast in bed and binged on Bravo. We wanted to get as much time in the cozy beds as possible.
Sadly, we had to check out eventually! We enjoyed one more cheers with a view before heading back to reality on the beautiful Easter Sunday.
Everything about the NOPSI from the service to the friendly staff and luxurious comfortable rooms made us feel like princesses. It was so nice to be able to enjoy the city from this perspective. We will be back soon!
Want your own staycation? We are partnering with the NOPSI to give away a two-night stay in a Deluxe King Room during Red Dress Run weekend August 10-12. Plus, you’ll get breakfast for two daily at Public Service (an $80 value), Red Dress Run registration for two and two Bourbon St. balcony passes courtesy of Bourbon Balconies with an open bar!
Enter here and we will announce the winner on April 26th. The last day to enter is April 25th.
Good luck!
XO