Where to stay for trip to Texas gulf coast

[Moonlady]

Originally Posted by 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.

That's a really good idea. It's quite a bit further to drive to S Padre and at the time we went, I decided the extra hours weren't worth it. We used to take the boys to Port A a lot when they were young. But both locations have something different, so it would be good to check them both out to see which one you prefer.

We happen to like Port A a lot and if you do your homework, there's lots to see and do. It kind of depends on what you like.

There are tons of great accommodations - as someone else mentioned, many of the beachfront properties are condos, but that's great because you can do breakfast and lunch in the room and save your money for good seafood dinners!

[capcat]

My husband and kids used to like to include a trip out on a charter fishing boat in Port A. I would drop them off early in the morning, spend the day doing what I like and end it at Virginia's or someplace like that with a margarita, waiting for them to come back in. From there, you can sometimes see the Coast Guard going out in their boats for one reason or another, which my kids and I always thought was interesting, as it is when their helicopters fly the length of the beach.

Anyway, the Scat Cat (I think that's it) and that side of the island brings back good memories for my kids, even now as adults. One year, my husband and my children caught an amazing haul of red snapper. I'm reading that one of the restaurants will cook your catch for you, which is something I didn't know.

Our trip usually ended with filling a small ice chest with gulf shrimp at one of the stands on our way to the ferry. iirc, dolphins (porpoises is more accurate I guess) sometimes escort ferries to the other side? At least I think that's in Port A.

I stopped comparing Texas beaches to beaches in Florida long ago. I finally understood that it's not the same and doesn't really try to be, which I now appreciate and am glad of. Each suits its own purpose.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by 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.

Your three main choices are galveston, corpus christi (north padre, port A) and south padre

You will find the nicest hotels in galveston, but the worst beach and water quality.

The water quality gets better the further down the coast you go, so north padre is better and south padre is the best.

South padre is 5.5-6 hours and it mostly built up. There arent any really nice hotels though.

North padre/port A is mostly condos, I believe the nicest is port royal.

North padre/port A is my favorite so Ill mostly describe it here:

1) sand quality is very good. Very fine sand, not pure white of florida, but nicer than california or on the east coast.

2) The beach is natural meaning they dont clean it of shells or seaweed. Some california beaches are like this, others like by LA and OC are really clean. But santa barbara etc are not.

3) People drive on the beach. Port A is completely packed, we prefer north padre. There is less to do but it is quieter.

4) Water quality is not bad - much warmer than california so you can swim in it, but not the clear water of south florida.

5) I would say the accommodations top out at 3*'s.

6) 3.5 hour drive from austin

[highrez58]

Galveston beaches have been renewed since Hurricane Ike and they are great! There is Moody Gardens, Schlitterbaum, the airplane museum, the ferry, harbor tours, fishing, the National Marine Fisheries, the Strand, nice restaurants, the opera house, and more. From Austin it's about a 4 hour drive....the closest beach to us. GALVESTON.COM: Official Website of Galveston Island, Texas Tourism & Marketing. I especially enjoy Galveston because there is so much more to do than just the beach

[shankaupas]

I lived in Clear Lake (halfway between Houston and Galveston) for 4 years and we enjoyed going to Galveston to shop on the Strand, eat seafood at Gaido's, and just hang out. We loved walking on the beach but the water always seemed dirty and slimy and I think we swam in it maybe one time out of the 40 or 50 times we visited. I was told this is due to the way the Mississippi empties into the gulf and the silt and debris hug the Texas coast as the currents carry it south. There are some amazing hotels in Galveston. We'd take weekend overnighters to Galveston and we liked to stay in the San Luis but I've heard the Hotel Galvez has great accommodations also.

But the beach and water in Port A is much nicer and cleaner like others have said. That is where we take our kids to let them experience the ocean. They have never been disappointed and neither have I.

[capcat]

Gotta' love Galveston. We've had some nice trips there, shopping the Strand, staying at the Galvez, going to Gaido's. I've yet to go to Moody Gardens, but from what I've heard, it's something to see. The Elissa is also fun to visit. I'm guessing it escaped the hurricane, but I've failed to check on that. The history of Galveston and the big ships and cruise liners that come into port there are interesting and impressive. A totally different experience than Port A, but at times, just the thing we're in the mood for.

[Lil_ly]

Thank you all so much for your feedback. I think we have finally decided to go to Port Aransas. Still looking for a place to stay though there seems to be several nice places. Looking forward to walking on sand and getting my feet wet. Thanks

[shankaupas]

Originally Posted by Lil_ly

Thank you all so much for your feedback. I think we have finally decided to go to Port Aransas. Still looking for a place to stay though there seems to be several nice places. Looking forward to walking on sand and getting my feet wet. Thanks

You will have fun. My oldest learned how to body board last summer. Even my 5 year old got to ride a couple of waves. The water is very shallow when you first enter it and stays shallow about 25 yards out and then it really starts to drop off and get deep. Then there is a good sized sand bar about 20 more yards away. This is where you will be able to catch some nice waves for body boarding. We even found a colony of hermet crabs on the sand bar. At night, you can find lots of little minnows swimming in the surf. Just ask the locals where to get a bite to eat. There are some decent places near the docks in town.