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PLACE OF WONDER

The mystical, magical Hotel St. Vincent in New Orleans

BY SARA GAE WATERS

The city of New Orleans has that little something that can accurately be referred to as “magic.” Steeped in history and lore, there is no other American city like it. Exploring the city is an endless adventure, not only a visual and culinary feast but also a call to wander. In the lower garden district you’ll fnd all of this captured in one place: the Hotel St. Vincent.

Built in 1861, this red brick building beckons you with a spacious veranda on the front, furnished with outdoor wicker seating, hanging ferns and palm trees. Once through the doors, the sumptuous interiors entice you to linger and discover what is around the next corner.

Mid-century furnishings, mood lighting and layered materials communicate a sense of wonder and approachable elegance. Another veranda of the Paradise Lounge awaits, as well as a Saltillo enclosed swimming pool and other intimate outdoor spaces equipped with lush, tropical plants and fountains. Te hotel has two full-service restaurants — the beautiful San Lorenzo with its banquette seating and coastal Italian menu, and the French-Vietnamese style cafe and bakery Elizabeth Street Cafe.

COURTESY OF HOTEL SAINT VINCENT

Suites and rooms are furnished just as uniquely as the common areas and with custom designs in each layout; some with salmon-colored velvet curtains, others with red lacquered millwork. Te mix of vintage art and objects and use of color and saturation is expertly executed. Voutsa wallpaper and Fine Paints of Europe are found throughout, as well as Carrara marble.

Attention to detail is the order of the day at Hotel St. Vincent, and you’ll fnd it from a well-crafted cocktail at the Paradise Lounge to the vintage ’70s Murano glass chandeliers. Hotel St. Vincent is a destination in itself, and a banquet of beauty in every possible way.