I married a man from New Orleans, so I may be a bit biased when I say that this city is one of the most romantic in the world. But I've got a lot more than personal opinion on my side. After all, New Orleans is a city so synonymous with desire, it even named a streetcar after that it. Spicy cuisine and smoky jazz only add to the city's seductive reputation. I've seen this city in almost every season and no matter when we visit, it always brings out the romantic in me—and my husband. Judging by the numbers of couples we see snuggling in horse-drawn carriages around St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square or lost in intimate conversation over dinner at some elegant restaurant, we're hardly in the minority. Over the years we've enjoyed several romantic retreats in the city. Here are a few of our favorites:

We've stayed at International House, a luxury boutique hotel just two blocks from the city's historic French Quarter, twice and its mix of contemporary New Orleans style and tradition is designed to appeal to the sensual side. Now the hotel takes desire to another level with its "Southern Flower Bath" package. The package includes accommodations and an evening for two that starts with an in-room couples massage as scented aromatherapy candles flicker and a Southern Comfort-laced tropical punch and tray of indulgent edibles beckons from the nightstand. Meanwhile an attendant draws a bath scented with fragrant floral oils and embellishes it with fresh seasonal flowers—lilies in March and April, magnolias in May, roses or orchids in June, and so on. The flower scent is repeated in the soaps, massage oils, bath salts and incense used throughout the evening. What comes next, of course, is entirely up to the individual couple—who may choose dine at Lemon Grass, the hotel's innovative French-Vietnamese restaurant, sip a Sazerac (a potent cocktail created in the Big Easy) at the hotel's hip Loa Bar, or simply cocoon in their guestroom while listening to the soothing sounds of jazz greats like Wynton Marsalis on the bedside CD player. The price for a "Southern Flower Bath" stay at International House is $539, and includes accommodations, massage for two, a flower drawn bath, a souvenir gift of scented soaps, oils and salts, and refreshments. For reservations or information, call the International House at 800-633-5770 or go to www.ihhotel.com.

Another romantic hotel we love is the St. James Hotel on Magazine Street in the central business district. The brick and wrought iron exterior and cozy marble lobby are classic New Orleans while the guest rooms offer a dash of West Indies exoticism in their décor. The lush tropical patterns in the bedspreads and linens and the mellow teak furniture and exposed wooden beams on the sloped ceilings make couples feel as if they've stumbled upon an island hideaway. Be sure to book one of the fourth floor rooms, where French doors open to a spacious private patio overlooking a courtyard and the rooftop of the historic Board of Trade building where cotton and coffee traders cut deals 150 years ago. All rooms also come with in-room coffeemakers, terry robes and hair dryers. But perhaps the best part—for cost-conscious romantics, at least—is that the hotel often offers specials of $149 for two nights and $199 for three. For reservations or information on the St. James Hotel, call 800-273-1889 or go to www.nolacollection.com/stjames.

Couples have only to step next door at the St. James to indulge their culinary fantasies since Cuvée, the city's hottest new restaurant, is adjacent to the hotel. Though it only opened in June 2000, Cuvée has already been honored by New Orleans and Esquire magazines as one of the top new restaurants in the country. Indulge in appetizers like smoked salmon tasso on a potato galette, with sweet onion-pepper marmalade and a drizzling of Creole mustard crème or crispy mirliton and spicy shrimp Napoleon with tomato remoulade and a touch of cayenne pepper. For the main course, try the Gulf fish of the day, crowned with fresh greens and Creole mustard butter and paired with Potatoes Lyonnaise made with Yukon gold potatoes. Or enjoy the sugar cane-smoked duck breast and crispy confit leg served with Hudson Valley foie gras and Roquefort-pecan risotto. Desserts are homemade and indulgent, too, with lemon meringue cake with Louisiana strawberries and tropical upside-down cake with rum sabayon among the standouts. The restaurant also features a changing selection of twenty wines by the glass.

The city's newest luxury hotel, the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans, is the place for couples who want an all-out romantic splurge. The Ritz sits on Canal Street within two architectural landmarks, the Maison Blanche and Kress buildings. Other cities might have let a hotel developer level these 100-year-old beauties and put up a bland skyscraper. Instead Ritz-Carlton spent over $200 million to create a 452-room hotel inside these historic structures. The posh new hotel, which includes upscale dining and shopping venues plus the city's first hotel day spa, offers deluxe rooms from about $265 a night, club rooms from $365 and suites for about $500 and up. But it's the romantic packages that sound irresistible. Take the Rendezvous Package, for example. This begins with a limousine ride to the hotel, complete with champagne in keepsake flutes and a sealed gold envelope. Inside the envelope is your signed invitation to your love to rendezvous at the Ritz - plus the key to your own private suite there. Once at the hotel, you by-pass check-in and go straight to your room where you'll find more champagne, chocolate-dipped strawberries and a butler-drawn bath scented with a fragrance called La Menthe a L'eau de Mardi Gras. Wear the gold Mardi Gras masks you'll find in your room to add a note of mystery and merriment to your evening. The package also includes breakfast and dinner for two at the Ritz' 5-star caliber restaurant Victor's, plus his and her massages either in your room on in the hotel's fabulous new day spa. Prices for Rendezvous packages start at $1,100 but it's up to you and your partner where they end. For information or reservations, call 800-241-3333 or go to www.ritzcarlton.com.

Of course, what would a romantic getaway be without a romantic gift? For her, an original piece of jewelry from Mignon Faget, located in Canal Place in the French Quarter, gets my vote every time. From necklaces laden with silver crawfish and pearls to gold banana leaf lapel pins, Mignon creates jewelry designs you just won't find anywhere else. For ladies or gentlemen, head to Hové, a perfume shop in the Quarter with dozens of original fragrances with sultry scents and names to match. If your love craves sweets, forgo chocolates for a creamy rum or coconut praline from Loretta's in the French Market.

Finally, whether you've been up all night listening to jazz in the French Quarter or up all night for some other reason, watching the sun come up over the Mississippi in Jackson Square is the perfect way to end the evening and start your day. Slip into a seat at the outdoor Café du Monde and share a café au lait and a warm beignet blanketed in powdered sugar. It just doesn't get any more romantic than this. For information on visiting New Orleans, call 800-672-6124 or go to www.neworleanscvb.com.