Balcony Guest House

Despite its ascendance beyond being "up and coming", the Marigny neighbourhood is still short of accommodation options. Seven blocks away from the French Quarter puts you in a tranquil, residential idyll, and the colourful, Creole-style rooms of this guest house ooze authenticity. Below you is a century-old institution, in the form of former grocery store (and now local diner), Schiro's Cafe. Book the Deluxe 1 room, and you can enjoy balcony views of locals easing into their day as you have your morning coffee. You're close to two of the Marigny's highlights: the bar at Lost Love Lounge and the brunches of Cake Café & Bakery.
• 2483 Royal Street, +1 504 945 4425, balconyguesthouse.com> Double rooms from $118 a night, B&B

Hotel le Marais

French Quarter accommodation options include a wealth of famous names and big historic properties but also this unassuming and quietly impressive boutique hotel. It not only adds a dash of colourful modern design to a neighbourhood marinated in its own past but it generously piles on the extras that are sometimes missing from the big chains: breakfast, Wi-Fi and bottled water are all included. Comfy rooms have plush lilac and purple fittings, and though the madness of Bourbon Street is only a plastic bead's-throw away, you're tastefully set back from the excess.
• 717 Conti Street, +1 504 525 2300, hotellemarais.com. Doubles from $139

Hotel Modern

A parrot called Scarlet the Macaw and a chilled glass of wine make checking in at this design-focused addition to the Lower Garden District a delight. The rooms occupy a tower overlooking Lee Circle and atmospherics are provided by the streetcar trundling across St Charles Avenue. In the rooms, vintage pieces and carefully curated libraries add to the charm, as do striking wrought-iron bedsteads. On site are a couple of welcome additions to the city's dining scene: modern-southern restaurant Tivoli & Lee and much-vaunted pre-prohibition cocktail lounge Bellocq. All in all, it's an innovative property for a sometimes stubbornly traditional city.
• 936 St Charles Avenue, +1 504 962 0900, thehotelmodern.com. Doubles from $109

Frenchmen Hotel

There's still time to appreciate the famous old jazz clubs of Frenchmen Street, even as it changes. Locals fear it is becoming the new Bourbon Street but venues such as the Spotted Cat and d.b.a still show class musical acts. A few steps from the thick of things is this affordable slice of the Marigny neighbourhood. The rooms are built around a courtyard pool and feature exposed brickwork and canopy beds. The staff instantly become your friends and will happily regale you with their favourite spots for gumbo or swing dancing over complimentary coffee or wine.
• 417 Frenchmen Street, +1 504 945 5453, frenchmenhotel.com. Doubles from $79, continental breakfast included

Ashtons B&B

Few bed-and-breakfast owners treat the breakfast half of the equation with such unabandoned decadence as Patrick and Karma Ashton. You could fill up for the day on the feasts they serve, which rival local expensive restaurants. Bananas Foster waffles or Mardi Gras eggs Benedict, anyone? The house is an exquisite Greek Revival mansion (built in 1861), all high ceilings, chandeliers and spacious parlours – an atmospheric quality that seeps through to the rooms themselves. From its tranquil Esplanade Avenue location, a pleasant talk takes you to City Park or the French Quarter.
• 2023 Esplanade Avenue, +1 504 942 7048, ashtonsbb.com. Doubles from $149

Fleur De Lis Mansion

There's a hint of rock'n'roll hedonism permeating this otherwise historic mansion in the Lower Garden District. The whole building can be rented but so can individual themed rooms. If mirrored ceilings and louche decor are your style, the Champagne Room and the Hollywood Bungalow will make you happy, as might the 12-person hot tub in the courtyard. The shared outside kitchen boasts a barbecue pit and projection TV, though it's easy to wander out to the art galleries and hip eateries of the Warehouse District, and it's only a few minutes' walk on from there to downtown.
• 1216 Annunciation Street, +1 504 220 4044, fleurdelismansion.com. Doubles from $85, two-night minimum stay on weekends

The Lookout Inn

The rise of the Bywater neighbourhood has been irresistible in recent times, with new businesses opening up on streets where, 10 years ago, you wouldn't really go as a visitor. Eclectic is an overused term but is apt for the suites here: choose from Mardi Gras, Elvis, Mission and Bollywood. All have spacious bathrooms, and flair: with flying dragons and carnival masks gracing the colourful walls. You're almost surrounded by new restaurants, where you'll mingle with locals rather than the tourists. Oxalis, Maurepas and Booty's are among the best, and Satsuma has inventive breakfast options.
• 833 Poland Avenue, +1 504 947 8188, lookoutneworleans.com. Suites from $95 room only

HH Whitney House

Many people come to New Orleans to wallow in its history, to live out their A-Streetcar-Named-Desire fantasies sipping mint juleps under the oak trees. The greens and golds of the Scarlett O'Hara suite at the HH Whitney House would be a suitable backdrop for this, the four-poster bed overlooked by a portrait of the eponymous heroine and a clawfoot bath waiting at the end of a balmy day. There are five rooms and suites, looking out over Esplanade Ridge, a pleasingly old-fashioned district. City Park and the Fairgrounds are a leisurely saunter away.
• 1923 Esplanade Avenue, +1 504 948 9448, hhwhitneyhouse.com. Doubles from $75

Jazz Quarters

Tremé has enjoyed a heightened profile since the HBO show, and now happily welcomes visitors overflowing from the neighbouring French Quarter. This newly renovated B&B celebrates the musical heritage of the neighbourhood, its nine cute cottages named after musicians such as [Harry] Connick and [Louis] Armstrong. The rooms have queen-size beds, chandeliers and luxury linens, as well as their own kitchens. Communal breakfasts are served on a sun-flecked terrace and if you need to walk off your morning meal, Louis Armstrong Park is just across the road.
• 1129 St Philip Street, +1 504 523 1372, jazzquarters.com. Rooms from $115 B&B

International House Hotel

The modernity of the Central Business District is nicely interrupted by the elegant white frontage of this Beaux-Arts hotel, a former bank that has been in its current incarnation since 1998. There's an esoteric feel to the place from the moment you walk into the lobby, with art installations and altars to celebrate the city's myriad days of observance. The rooms are a slightly more rock'n'roll affair, all plush velvet chairs and designer lamps. Evenings out should be book-ended by aperitifs or nightcaps at the shadowy cocktail bar, Loa, which serves up craft cocktails in the glowing candlelight.
• 221 Camp Street, +1 504 533 9550, ihhotel.com. Doubles from $129 a night

Paul Oswell writes for a range of travel publications and has written a guide to free activities in New Orleans

• For more information on holidays in the USA, visit DiscoverAmerica.com

• This article was amended on 25 March 2014, removing The Sinclair Gas Station and Breads on Oak Guesthouse accommodation from the original list as they are not licensed by the City of New Orleans