When I made it down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, my girlfriend and I ended up staying in the Olde Town Inn (http://www.oldetowninn.com/Welcome.html)on Marigny Street because everything else was booked. Running us around $80 a night, this place was affordable, but it was way the hell out there.
Upon arriving, we were greeted in the office by a team of the most relaxed dogs that I have ever seen. The woman in charge couldn't have been nicer, telling us what was happening that day and even drawing a map for us so we knew where to go. Then she and one of her dogs, lead us upstairs to our room.
Situated on the second floor, our room had a beautiful view of the courtyard area. The room itself was a picturesque room with a ceiling fan, AC unit, private bathroom, dressers, closets, and even a little living area. But we didn't have time the first day to explore the room, we had Bourbon Street calling our names.
The next day we awoke to a fresh, free breakfast of bagels, muffins, coffee, tea, and an assortment of juices. Nothing like waking up and have a free, great breakfast. The food was also served in a small enclosed lounge area with a microwave and sink, if you wanted to bring food back and heat it up.
All in all, this place was amazing and totally worth the money, however the distance to Bourbon was a little unbearable. It was something like a 20 minute walk to the end of Bourbon, with the bars another 10 minutes away or so. But the Olde Town Inn was nice and a good place to stay if you can't stay in the French Quarter.