Where to stay for trip to Texas gulf coast (Houston: spring break, rentals)

[Lil_ly]

We are planning a trip to the Texas gulf coast this April and I am looking to narrow down our choices in regards to what area to go to and specific hotels to stay in. The two places that come up most often are South Padre Island and Port Aransas. We are looking for somewhere that has great beaches, beachfront hotels (nice ones), lots of shops and restaurants and other attractions for a family. Can anyone offer some good suggestions on where to go and some good hotels to stay at? Thank you all so much.

[shankaupas]

I've never been to South Padre but I have been to Port A many times. We did a 4 day family trip to Port A this past summer. I lived in Hawaii and have been to beaches in Florida and Cancun Mexico and it doesn't come close to the beaches you'd find in those locations. But it is a nice beach nonetheless and the small town of Port A has some good restaurants and the typical touristy shopping. Most of the rentals on the beach in Port A are condos or timeshares. We stayed at the Sea Gull Condos. It was nothing fancy but was comfortable and clean.

[Lil_ly]

Thanks Shankapus. Anyone else?

[G Grasshopper]

We stayed on South Padre several years ago. I can't remember the motel we stayed in, but that isn't what stands out to me. We went the week before the spring break crowds hit, and the birding was FABULOUS. Beautiful beaches, the Convention Center board walk out onto the wetlands for observing, and we went to the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge and to the Sabal Palms Audubon center, as well as taking an amazing boat tour to see wildlife on the waterways. You can tell that we are birders and nature lovers, so this may not be what you want, but it was an amazing vacation for us.

[FueledByBlueBell]

I don't get the gulf coast-- you can't swim in the water, in fact it is kind of dark and creepy looking. The beaches are flat, hard and dirty. I want to like it b/c we are close... maybe I haven't been to the right places (ok- only been to Galveston, and padre but padre was years ago). Is any of the seafood local or all flown in? I'm hoping someone sells me on it because I need a beach and sea air!

[luksky]

We are originally from the Gulf Coast of Alabama. Since moving to Texas we have taken a liking to Corpus Christi Padre Island area. We found the water and beaches to be beter than what we expected.

[passionatearts]

The beaches in Port Aransas are okay, but not nearly as nice as the ones on the Florida gulf coast. If you're looking for fancy accouterments besides just the beach, Port Aransas is liable to disappoint you. The town really doesn't have much in the way of culture or nice hotels. If you're looking for those things, you'll find them in Galveston, but the beach in Galveston isn't very nice.

[capcat]

I didn't get Port A either, until many years ago when work was getting to me, and I felt like if I didn't escape for the weekend, I wouldn't make it another day. That Friday afternoon, my kids and I decided on a whim to head for Port A. We did no prep, just threw our clothes in the car and decided to just do our laundry when we got there. From the time we decided to go until we pulled out of the driveway was maybe an hour.

It was a weekend that goes down in my memory as one of the best. No agenda, just going to a relatively small beach town, stopping by the grocery store in Port A (Family something or other?) to stock up on food to prepare at the condo we rented, reading books on the balcony, listening to the waves and seagulls. It was low key and just what I wanted.

If I had to pin it down, I'd say that's why I like Port A. It's low-key. It's not a big vacation destination comparatively speaking. It's a place to get away and just relax.

We usually stay at the Sand Castle because it's close-in, but there are any number of nice condos to rent there along the beach. They do get booked up, so reservations at any of them is a good idea. My favorite restaurant is Shells, a tiny, tiny place where you have to arrive early, maybe by 5 pm, or all 7 or 8 tables will be filled . The food is great, and the prices are reasonable.

I'd like to make the trip to South Padre sometime. I strongly suspect it's a cut above as far as amenities. But, the choice between Port A and South Padre may just depend upon your purposes for getting away.

First link below is a Port A website with info and pictures of the Sand Castle, plus a list of other condos on the left hand side of the page. Second link is to restaurants and their locations. There aren't that many, but enough for us. I've eaten at a few of them, and Shells is my favorite.
http://www.portaransas-texas.com/sitepages/pid42.php
http://www.portaransas.org/restaurants.php?cat=84

[atxcio]

My thoughts on Port Aransas are strikingly similar to capcat's. It's the closest thing I've found to a "small tourist beach town" in Texas. Galveston feels too close to Houston (although there are some nice hotels), and S Padre is too far away (unless you like longer road trips). Plus you get to drive your car on a little ferry. It's a very short ride, but still something that fascinates the kids and is unusual for Texas.

There just aren't really any small "tourist towns" in Texas, beachfront or not. You go to somewhere like Fredericksburg or Wimberley, and you find there is really almost nothing there... Then there are the "lake towns", but those have their own feel and it's not really about hotels or amenities. Port Aransas is just big enough and with just enough amenities -- close enough to Corpus to do a few touristy things like the aquarium, battleship etc. Yet it is far enough away from any big city that you can relax and enjoy the beach... which isn't great, but it's still the ocean.

I've been there a few times, but honestly can't remember the hotels I stayed in. They were smaller, but OK. I also once stayed in a condo there (rented from one of the VRBO sites).

[HappyTexan]

Why not do both ? 3 days at South Padre and 3 days at Port A. I did that the first summer after I moved here. Decided Port A was more to my liking over South Padre but I enjoyed both places.