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FAQ
Questions & Answers
Everything a crew of thirty tends to wonder.
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Booking & rates
Is there a minimum stay?
Usually three nights. Shorter windows do open up between bookings, though; ask us and we'll happily check your dates.
How do rates work?
Per villa, per night, by season: plus one $600 cleaning fee and occupancy taxes at checkout. No per-guest fees. Split across the group it beats fifteen hotel rooms, and booking directly here is the lowest rate anywhere, guaranteed.
Can we split the payment?
No: one organizer pays on one card and signs one agreement; a 50% deposit holds the dates. How the crew settles up afterward is your business.
What's the cancellation policy?
Fully refundable until 60 days before check-in. We'll spell it out in the agreement, plainly.
How far ahead should we book?
Peak weekends (Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, the big wedding Saturdays) book out six months or more. Nine months ahead is the comfortable window; summer is kinder to last-minute plans.
Should we get travel insurance?
Recommended for any large-group or event booking, especially June through November: hurricane season. It protects the deposit if plans collapse inside 60 days of check-in; after the free-cancellation window has closed.
Can we tour before we book?
We'd love to show you around, by appointment, whenever a villa is vacant. Planners and travel agents especially welcome.
The villas
Is this really a hotel?
Yes: a licensed hotel that feels like a house. One license (Permit No. 24-XSTR-24029) covers all three villas, so there’s no short-term-rental gray area hanging over a thirty-person trip.
How many does each villa sleep?
Up to 30; 14 to 24 is the sweet spot. Twelve bedrooms and seventeen beds (room 12 is the office-bedroom hybrid with a queen sofabed), eight baths: The Bed Map on each villa page shows every bed, room by room. A full buyout of all three holds 90.
Is a villa accessible?
The Florentine is our Accessible Villa, with a ground-floor queen and an accessible tub. Tell us what you need before booking and we'll make sure it works.
Are the pools heated?
Year-round, with a hot tub beside every pool. January included.
What's included in every villa?
A heated pool with a hot tub, an outdoor kitchen under a covered pavilion, a chef's kitchen with double refrigerators and dishwashers, a dining table for 18, washer-dryers, central air, fast Wi-Fi and smart TVs, premium linens, and Malin+Goetz body soap, shampoo, and conditioner in every bath.
Can we eat the bananas off the trees?
If you're here when they're ripe, they're yours. Leave some for the next crew.
What's the occasion?
Do you allow bachelor & bachelorette parties?
Yes, happily. See the occasions page for how a weekend here goes.
Can it be our wedding HQ?
We're made for it: ceremony at your venue, everyone sleeping here, the getting-ready house, the welcome party, and the whole crew around the pool on the wedding day before it's time to go. Take all three villas and the block holds your whole guest list.
Can we host the rehearsal dinner here?
A small one, yes: tell us the headcount early and we'll make sure the schedule works. Most couples keep the full rehearsal dinner at a restaurant in the city (our big-table restaurant list has the spots) and use the villa for the welcome party and the day of the wedding, when everyone hangs out by the pool before the ceremony.
Can we bring vendors in: massages, music, décor?
All of it comes to you: massage therapists, yoga instructors, hair and makeup artists, nail techs, brass bands, wine tastings, bartenders, party decorators. You book them and we'll make sure reception knows they're coming.
Can we rent a villa for a daytime event only?
Yes: day-rate rentals happen regularly. Tell us the date, the headcount, and what you're planning, and we'll quote it straight.
Corporate retreats?
Yes. Here you can have sessions under the pergola, everyone sleeping on-site, one agreement and one invoice.
Family reunions?
Three generations on one block. Cousins in the shared rooms, grandparents in the Florentine's ground-floor accessible queen, dinner at one long table.
House rules
Can extra people stay over?
Seventeen beds in every villa, and if you need a few more sleeping spots, ask ahead and we’ll supply free queen air mattresses.
Can we throw the party here?
The courtyard's hosted everything from small rehearsal dinners to full crawfish boils. Bigger headcounts or outside vendors sometimes mean an event fee or a permit; tell us early and we'll quote it straight.
How late can we use the pool?
Yours all night. Inside, any volume; outside, keep it reasonable; the Bywater sleeps close by. Quiet hours are 10 PM to 8 AM.
Smoking? Pets? Kids?
Smoking outside only. No glass in the pool area. The pool itself is yours around the clock. We love dogs, but pets generally can't come along. Ask before you book and we occasionally approve one in advance, with any pet fee set in the approval. (Service animals are a different matter. See the terms, or just ask us.) Kids are very welcome and they will love our turf lawn, basketball hoop, pack-and-plays on request.
Is there daily housekeeping?
Every stay gets a full professional clean before and after. Daily service is available too. Tell us before arrival and we’ll quote it straight.
Out of paper towels at 2 AM?
Stop by reception: staffed around the clock, extra supplies on the house, lockout help included. Exterior cameras only, never indoors.
Getting here & around
How do we get there?
The French Quarter and Frenchmen Street are ten minutes by car and the airport is twenty-five. Rideshares reach your door in minutes.
When is check-in and checkout?
Check-in 4 PM, checkout 11 AM. When the calendar allows, early check-in at 1 PM and late checkout at 1 PM are complimentary; earlier or later than that is a paid option that depends on the day; ask and we’ll quote it straight.
Is there parking?
Five spaces per villa: two inside your villa's fence, three across the street, plus unlimited free street parking nearby.
What's walkable?
Bacchanal, Vaughan's, and BJ's are a 10-to-15-minute walk from your front door. The Quarter and Frenchmen Street are a ten-minute drive.
Is the Bywater safe?
The Bywater is a creative, walkable neighborhood with galleries, coffee, and Bacchanal in walking distance. The property itself has reception staffed 24/7, monitored entry, and exterior cameras (never indoors).
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