My little family along with my best friend and her family, took advantage of our kid’s long weekend off from school to spend a few days in New Orleans. Since it was four adults and four children (3 years old to eight years old), finding a space that was not only conveniently located, affordable, and large enough to accommodate all eight of us wasn’t easy. That is until we came across Sonder rental properties.
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What is Sonder Rental Property?
Sonder provides 9,000 apartment and whole-house rentals in close to 30 popular cities around the world like Washington, DC, New York, San Diego, Austin, Miami, New Orleans, London, and Dubai. Sonder isn’t your regular home-sharing company. All of the properties are owned and managed by Sonder and combine the best of home and hotel living in one space.
Sonder Magazine Street
When searching for a place in New Orleans to stay, we knew we needed something that checked off the following boxes:
- Accommodates eight people
- Has a kitchen
- Has a space to do laundry
- Close to attractions
- Has parking (street or garage)
- Affordable
During our search, what checked all those boxes was Sonder Magazine Street. This was a two-story house with a white, blue and yellow-painted façade, located in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans. It has four bedrooms and two full baths, a full kitchen, laundry, and a backyard. The house from what we could smell was newly renovated; the paint still smelled fresh. It was beautifully furnished, too!
The décor of the space was modern and featured some delicate items like a glass table, vases, and other fragile trinkets we had to put away because of the smaller kids that were with us. Prior to our stay, I notified Sonder that we would be traveling with smaller children, and would like it if fragile items were moved away from kid’s reach. They were responsive and did their best.
Kids and White Walls … They Don’t Mix
Remember I said the place smelled of fresh paint? The walls of Sonder Magazine Street are painted white. The stairs and banister leading up to the second floor are also white. Imagine, with kids what that looked like on the second and third day. Yup, not white.
Bathrooms with Tub/Shower Combos
Sonder Magazine Street has two full bathrooms with tub/shower combos – one on each floor. When I travel, especially when my daughter was a toddler and preferred baths versus showers, having the option of both where we were staying is important. Thankfully, where we stayed, both bathrooms gave each of our families the option of bathing or showering our kids in a bathroom dedicated to each of our families.
📸 Sonder
Nearby Kid-Friendly Things to Do
Sonder Magazine Street is located in the perfect area; it’s a trendy residential area. It has a good mix of restaurants, cafes, bars, shopping, and even a playground just an eight-minute walk away.
My husband and best friend’s husband found a 24-hour corner store in the neighborhood that made really good BBQ wings. Just two blocks away is the Cherry Espresso bar, which has some of the best coffee I’ve had in a while. Our Sonder was also near a local favorite Po’Boy shop – Domilise’s Po’Boy & Bar, which my best friend and I walked to pick up Po’Boys to-go. Since we rented a minivan, we treated the kids to ice cream at the local Creole Creamery, which was about a 5-minute drive from where we were staying.
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During our trip, we also took the kids to Storyland, which was a 20-minute drive from our Sonder home.
Imaginative outdoor spot with colorful sculptures & playscapes in the shape of storybook characters.
📸Kim S.
Having a Full Kitchen When Traveling with Kids is a Must
Even though we were in New Orleans, which has some of the best food scenes in the nation, when traveling with children, you never know what they will be in the mood to eat. Having a full kitchen equipped with everything needed to store food and prepare meals like plates, mugs, and glasses, as well as everyday appliances (coffee maker, toaster), and basic condiments including olive oil, salt, and pepper.
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Sonder Concierge is Always Available
My best friend’s husband is always traveling with the latest games and devices. This time was no different. I’d bought my Roku but couldn’t get it to work, but he had his game consoles. After a while, something happened with the remote for the TV, which induced a frenzy among the kids because they couldn’t watch their shows or play their games. Via the Sonder App, I was able to contact the concierge to let them know what was happening. Within an hour someone was at our door to troubleshoot. Eventually, the issue was fixed. I liked the ease of being able to request assistance via the app, and the concierge was pleasant.
Is Sonder Magazine Street Good for Families with Small Children?
Aside from the white walls and fragile decorative overall, we enjoyed our stay at Sonder Magazine Street. It was in a great location in a quiet neighborhood with an array of food options nearby. So much so we would need several trips back to take advantage of and without the kids. The house we rented had everything our families needed to make our stay with our children easier and that’s what counted. In our case, it was a good choice for our family which included small children. In the future when traveling with our children, and need accommodations to suit a large party, we will look into Sonder property rentals.
