House of the week: Creole cottage on Dauphine Street

While I've been biting the bullet and concentrating seriously on a potential future abode, sometimes I accidentally come across a property that I simply can't help getting randy over. I mean, some homes are just so sexy, so alluring, that they can seduce with seemingly-innocent words like "guest house" and "courtyard." This just happened to be one of those times...

Located smack in the middle of the French Quarter, this Creole cottage looks harmless enough from the street, but inside it's a whole other world. Built c. 1825, this house boasts high ceilings, hardwood floors, French doors, a huge courtyard and garden, an in-ground swimming pool, a three-bedroom guest house, an elevator, a kitchen featuring custom-built cypress-wood cabinets and working fireplaces (if you know the fiery history of the French Quarter, then you'll know how rare it is to have working fireplaces).

Although some of the decor is tacky, I've never been a fan of floral wallpaper and fabric shower curtains, the house is a stunning example of the gorgeous properties to be had right inside the Vieux Carre. Yes, I admit it's only a block from raucous Bourbon Street, but I bet you three million dollars, when you are inside that courtyard, it's like you're in another world.

Listed for only $2,995,000, this awesome house will probably be snapped up by some wealthy CEO or movie star. Still, I can't help wishing it was me....