Beach Vacation in Texas

Port Aransas.

It is a great family spot! It is a neat little town w/a lot of houses and condos to rent for a reasonable price. It is also fairly pretty for Texas beaches. We went a few years ago and were surprised at how kid friendly it was. The town has lots of cute stores and restaurants and the beach was really clean and nice. We are planning on going there this summer w/another family. We have a newborn and aren't wanting to fly anywhere. If you have any questions feel free to message me.

J.

South Padre is nice but it's a REALLY LONG drive, like 6-8 hrs!! Not sure if your 78 yr old MIL will like the drive. Flying is easier but then you have to rent a car.

Galveston is nice and it's closer -- about a 4 hr drive. And where we were at -- the beaches were nice. in fact, I didn't see any bad part of the beach there. I think back in the 80s-early 90s -- galveston got a bad rap for their beaches... but they've cleaned them up and put up more enforcement/codes since then. unfortunately some natives still think that galveston looks the same way it used to - although they haven't visited it in years.

If you go farther south on Galveston island --it's less crowded and nicer. There are some beach homes there that you can rent that are right on the beach, and they are away from the crowds. We loved renting this house and being able to walk to the beach every day! It's a little drive to the main hub of Galveston city - but I liked being away from the noise, traffic and crowds.

http://www.bayreef.com/rental/rentals01.htm
Here is a link to some beach rentals in Galveston Island... i think we stayed on the Acapulco beach area. It's a really nice getaway! so peaceful! and we really enjoyed the beach!!!

Last September, my father and his wife rented two condos on S. Padre Island that were next door to each other on the ground floor. Theirs was a small one bedroom and the other was a 3 bedroom which my family and my sister's family (4 adults, 4 kids) stayed in. It was great to be close enough to do things together, but with enough privacy for all. They said the condos were owned by a mom and her daughter. The complex had a few pools (one directly in front of our units) and was right on the beach where you could just walk out the boardwalk. This was the first time we had gone to Padre and we loved it. The favorite things we did were the Port Isabel lighthouse, the Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehab, Eco Tour and Dolphin Watch boat cruise, and the Nature Preserve and Whaling Wall (we got to see the resident alligator). The kids were 4, 4, 2, and 9 mo. and had a blast. This was so much more fun than we had expected and the middle of September was a very quiet, family friendly time to do Padre. Feel free to PM me if you want the contact info for the condo people.

If you consider the distance to go to South Padre, you could go to the panhandle of Florida for not much more distance...and get nicer beaches.

We take our kids to Galveston every year and we ALL have a blast!! We rent a beach house in the nicer/quieter area of town and just run back and forth from the house to the beach all day long. When my children get a little older, they may want crystal blue water, white sand, more tourists, etc. but right now, Galveston is perfect for us! Be warned - lots of Texans think Galveston *must* be cheaper because it's not as pristine as Florida but it's actually the opposte. There are less lodging choices to choose from in Galveston and so the prices are actually higher (especially when you're comparing the homes and lodging actually *on* the beach).

Start looking now! Any beach place will book up FAST!

We enjoyed the horses on the beach at South Padre.

We think the beaches are prettier and more things to do in the Destin area of FL.

We find it a lot easier to just fly to Ft Myers and go to Destin. We actually stayed at the Hilton in Sandestin which is fantastic!

Have fun!