Y W.
Yelp
de la Bleau offers elegant, well-appointed rooms designed with so much love and attention. We stayed in the Orange Room a few weeks back and felt so lucky to have scored such a beautiful, spacious mini-suite that could have easily slept four because the daybed (with a stunning view of Lake Pontrachain ) has a trundle.
The home itself is a tranquil oasis with an abundance of gorgeous finishes and exquisite little touches that feel natural vs contrived/overstated. The space was conceived and designed by the proprietors, Cindy and Clyde, with Cindy's vision and elegant sensibility evident throughout. We especially delighted in the delicious hot breakfast - Cindy is a terrific cook! I'm still thinking of the candied bacon, cheese grits, biscuits and sausage gravy. You will not find a hot, full breakfast at any other B&B in Mandeville. (Seriously, there is a tricky local ordinance restricting hot breakfast at the other B&Bs in Mandveille. The others serve continental fare, which I'm sure is perfectly good but nothing beats a hot, freshly prepared southern breakfast!)
The many sweet touches of de la Bleau were only surpassed by the hospitality we experienced. I use a wheelchair, so accessibility is a prime driver in travel planning. I emailed every single B&B in town to inquire about accessibility and Cindy responded promptly with detail about hallway clearances, door widths, etc., and took additional photos of the bathroom to help ascertain whether I could comfortably and safely maneuver with my wheelchair. Most of the properties down by the lake are built high up on pillars due to flooding, so an elevator was a must and de la Bleau has a working elevator that goes to all floors. Some of the other proprietors were very upfront that they could not accommodate a wheelchair user, while others who were eager to get the business were less forthright, promising trouble-free access when this was clearly not the case.
Cindy was honest about her property and it's limitations. She welcomed a pre-visit by my best friend, who is local, ahead of booking to make sure I felt comfortable. She went the extra step of adding a shower chair and grab bar in the bathroom. We are so appreciative of her efforts! This level of commitment to customer experience sets de la Bleu apart. We only stayed a couple nights, with the rest of our vacation booked at a Marriott property across the lake in New Orleans. Honestly, we ended up wishing to cancel that reservation and spend the entire time in Mandeville, in this lovely home, with these wonderful, warm people. We are frequent travelers and try not to go to the same place twice, but we will most assuredly return to Mandeville and this special B&B!