We are starting to book our vacation and were wondering if anyone has been to Port Aransas? We usually go to Galveston or South Padre but Galveston isn't quite put together yet & South Padre is just so far. If you've ever been there what do you think about the beaches, and any suggestions on where to stay. I'm not picky but I do like it to be clean. I have 3 kids ages 3, 5 & 9. If you have any other suggestions besides Port Aransas I'm open to them. Thanks for any input!
We highly recommend Gulf Shores, Alabama and Destin Florida. We've taken many family vacations over the years to both places. Here's a website for a great place to stay in Gulf Shores www.beachclubal.com -
My family had been going to S Padre for over 15 years but once a baby came along, we dreaded the drive and decided to try Port Aransas instead 2 years ago. I was not impressed. The beach was dirty-trash, weeds, port-a-potties. I also hated that people could camp and drive on the beach right where all the condos are. There were very few restaurants, and we wound up getting Subway at least once every day. Two restaurants we went to had non-working (overflowing) toilets, so we left immediately. The others we tried were expensive and not good.
Now, I know Padre isn't booming with retail and restaurants either, but since we had been going for so long it was just something we were used to. Plus, it is clean compaired to other Texas beaches, and the island is kept up. With Port Aransas being a new experience for us, it was a real letdown to see how small and unimpressive it was.
I hate to send Texans out of state, but we tried Destin last year since it's the same drive as Padre. It was wonderful!
I've been to Port Aransas a couple times. The beach & water were comparable to Galveston to me. There are not as many resturaunts & things to do on Port A island as Galveston, but it's very close to Corpus Christi which offers a lot of things to do. The Texas State aquarium was fun. There are a lot of fishing trips offered. You can buy fresh shrimp from the fisherman that is cheap & really good. There's also a dolphin watch that takes you to a separate island that was pretty fun. There are several beach shops & a little candy shop with free samples. My neices & nephew loved that.
South Padre has the best beach for Texas to me. Port A doesn't have as much tourism attractions as Galveston or South Padre, but it still has enough to keep you busy & is a decent beach.
There are hotels for $100 night or less & tons of condos if you wanted to go with friends or have more room. My dad owns a condo that he rents in Port A. It's very clean & within walking distance of the beach. For up to 6 people.
http://www.coastadv.com/
1 Costa Del Ray
I love North Padre. Spent many vacations there. There is only 1 hotel on the beach, 2 across the street, and lots of condos to rent. lots of sand, calm beach area, warning you can drive on the beach. Go in-town to Corpus to visit Tex State Aquarium or the Lexington. If Driving to Corpus/Port A/N Padre you drive thru Austin/San Marcos outlets/San Antonio if coming from the metroplex. We always hit the outlets on way back. Often do a meal in Austin or SA-Riverwalk-Alamo on way down.
Another great beach area is Surfside but it was pretty demolished. Just south of Galveston.
I'm from that area and I would definitely recommend Port A for vacation. I think that it's a great beach for families and it's a short distance to Corpus so you can make a day trip there if your family wanted to do something aside from beach activities one day (visit the Aquarium, tour the USS Lexington, etc).
Port Aransas is fun. We've been there twice with our family. It is affordable, not so far away and not nearly as crowded as Galveston. Now---it may be more crowded because of Galveston's struggles after the hurricane.
We just go to the beach and play all day. We usually stay in Rockport and take the ferry to Port Aransas.
What about Corpus Christie?
We have gone to Port A. for many summers and always had a good time there. The beaches aren't quite as nice as South Padre, but the drive is a lot easier!
We usually stay at Port Royal which is more like condos and we like it because they have huge swimming pools and you can bring all your own food in and never have to eat out since they have full kitches.
It is a bit of a walk down the boardwalk to the beach though so if you have really little ones be prepared for a haul!
I think Sand Castle is the name of the other hotel we stayed at once. It was very affordable and it was about 7 yrs ago so not sure what condition it is now but we enjoyed it when we were there.
Have fun!
