Ever a Haven for the Lonely

• Review
• Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Many times had I passed by the St. Vincent's Guest House over the years, in its serene and romantic Lower Garden District setting, and only now did I just find out that this beautiful red brick building with ornate wrought iron trim is not just a budget bed-and-breakfast - it offers hostel accommodations, too!

The look of the 3-story buildings is imposing and institutional, but in a grand, majestic kind of way.  However, ornate is something it is not, with 70 minimally decorated private rooms, simply furnished with white wicker furniture and an old-fashioned floral motif.  The cheaper hostel option offers three roomy dorm rooms to choose from, the spaciousness of which is even further emphasized by soaring ceilings.  The rest of the hotel is a little more welcoming than the sparse bedrooms, although the common areas are also pretty basically furnished.  Picturesque wraparound balconies, a big pool, and a large, landscaped courtyard are really nice touches and sure to draw you out of your room if the closeness of the famous 6-mile shopping stretch of Magazine Street isn't enough of a lure.  

This guesthouse is hugely functional and works quite well for its purposes, but that can be largely attributed to its colorful past.  A former orphanage, founded by the Daughters of Charity nuns and funded by a rags-to-riches legendary philanthropist, illiterate Irish immigrant Margaret Haughery, it was turned into a lodging facility in 1994.  Used to shelter orphans, unwed mothers, and other children from 1861 forward, it provided a sanctuary for the thousands of living casualties, souls left behind from the deaths of entire families due to disease borne by mosquitos as well as other sicknesses.  Now it provides a safe haven for intrepid travellers, but that may not be the case for too long - the entire complex is on the block for sale.