This was our first trip to New Orleans. It was also our first anniversary. Our stay at Ashton's Bed and Breakfast was definitely the highlight of our ten day road trip. We spent two nights with Patrick and Karma in September. My husband and I had seen their home on the internet and called them for availability. Patrick was very helpful on the phone and e-mailed immediate confirmation with directions. I saved the directions as a Word document and had my laptop on as we drove directly to the house. Patrick came down the steps to greet us.

As he showed us around the home, which is breathtaking, he offered us the Napoleon Room in lieu of the Hearth Room. This room really worked out far better for our situation and I really appreciated his consideration. The room was spectacular. The bed was as good as my bed at home (and significantly better than anything I've been on in other accommodations). The bathroom was perfect and had doors between it and our bedroom. There were beautiful antiques within the room and we really appreciated our own controls of the temperature within the room. Another thing that we really appreciated was being away from the extreme traffic and noise. New Orleans doesn't close down at night, but noise keeps us awake. We didn't have trouble sleeping at all.

We were fortunate to be able to eat dinner with Patrick and Karma our first night in New Orleans at Mandina's on Canal Street. I had the soft-shell crab almandine and it was soooooooo goooooooood. My husband had trout almandine. We learned so much history about the city and the restaurant during our dinner.

The next day, breakfast was magnificent, poached eggs served on a bed of spinach and artichoke with hollandaise sauce, fresh fruit bowl and freshly squeezed orange juice. Patrick supplied us with maps and advice for our adventures that day. That evening he suggested we try the Red Fish Grill. It was superb, as were the beignets and café Au Lait at Café Dumond.

Our last breakfast were the Bananas Foster on belgian waffles and they were delicious. Before we left, Patrick gave us suggestions for buying pralines at Southern Confectionary as well as directions to several plantations on the way to Baton Rouge.

All in all, we rate our stay with Patrick and Karma as a 15 on a 10 scale. Thank you so much for a very special experience! We'll be back!

On all my other New Orleans visits, I have stayed in the French Quarter or the Garden District. The Quarter hotels were nothing special, but the Quarter is a great place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live (or stay) there. This time, I was coming for my first Jazz Fest, so I thought I would pick someplace closer to the Fest. After extensive research, I found Ashton’s B&B, and boy am I glad I did.

This place is amazing! The location is not in the Quarter, but close enough. The distance is walkable (seven or eight blocks to the Quarter, and another five or six to Jackson Square or the market), but we took a cab most of the time (average cost was $7 per ride one-way). They even have a speed-dial button on the in-room phones for cabs, just one of the many touches that show the attention to detail the owners of this B&B have.

Speaking of the owners, they are the real reason we will never stay anywhere else in New Orleans. Both Patrick and Karma (Ashton) are dedicated to guest comfort and helpful beyond belief, yet they manage to meet your every need without constantly being in your face and giving you plenty of space to just relax. Patrick has an encyclopedic knowledge of local cuisine, restaurants, clubs, and everything New Orleans. He turned us on to so many places we had never experienced before.

It was so nice to come back to the house after a day of Jazz Fest and relax in the patio under the 300-year-old oak tree, enjoying a drink and some baked goodies (all provided free of charge). The beds were the most comfortable I have ever slept in (including my own at home), the linens were top quality, the amenities were Aveda, the air-jet tub in our room was perfect... I could go on-and-on!

Breakfast was unbelievable. I swear, if we had eaten breakfast in a fine-dining restaurant every morning, we could not have had better meals than the one’s at Ashton’s. These breakfasts would have easily cost $30 to $40 at Brennan’s... yes, it was THAT good. Some of the things we had were eggs Benedict, bananas-foster waffles, eggs Creole with grits. These people even have their own brand of TEA available anytime!

I can’t say enough about the B&B and the Ashton’s. Just trust me: if you are looking to experience real New Orleans hospitality and you can tear yourself away from the frat party that is Bourbon Street, you simply MUST stay at this place.