Galveston Since Ike

I always thought Galveston was gross, too, until we gave it a chance a few yrs ago. I researched it and everyone said to go to the West end and avoid the seawall. (If you stay toward the seawall, you'll have to cross 5 lanes of traffic to get to the water). We stayed at Pointe West in a beach house the first year and it was incredible. (clean beach,beautiful home,and fun!) We found it on www.vrbo.com. My son was 1 yr old and he loved it and my husband did a lot of fishing. The next year we went back to Pointe West and stayed in a condo which was also very nice, but we prefer the beach homes. The next year, we stayed in a home right on the beach (I don't think it's still there) and loved it. This year, we're going to stay in a beach house big enough for several families and it's going to be so much fun for the kids! As long as you don't stay toward the seawall, you will find Galveston to be great! I recommend shopping for beach homes on www.vrbo.com. Good luck!

Hi C..

My husband and myself just took our son, almost 4yrs, to Galveston two weeks ago and had a fabulous time. We used to travel there every summer when I was a girl and I must say, there was not the devastation I was expecting after Ike. If you stay on the touristy side, such as Seawall Blvd, it looks the same as it did years ago. However, if you travel more inland, you can still see several communities that are struggling to rebuild. They desperately need tourism funds to rebuild, so I would recommend this location. Look into the Hilton on Seawall Blvd. It is right next to the Rainforest Cafe which has a fun indoor water ride which my son adored. It is also waking distance to the beach, Kroger's, and dozens of restaurants. Have fun where ever you may travel!

We rented a house last year on Crystal Beach and it was wonderful! I've heard that Crystal Beach is less crowded than the Galveston beaches. However, not sure if Crystal Beach has recovered from Ike yet. We found our rental through Swedes Real Estate (www.swedesrealestate.com).

Good luck!

We love Galveston and have gone every year since I was 12 (I'm now 38), but my mom went to check it out about a month ago and said it's far from ready for tourists. Most shops are still closed and many restauraunts are closed as well. She said the beaches are unsafe because of all of the debris that has washed up. This is contrary to what you will hear from the hotels and other places if you call and ask. They want you to come, so they paint a prettier picture. My mom was so sad by what she found. We won't be going this year.

Please don't go to Galveston! Almost 2 years ago my sister went to Galveston and caught the terrible flesh eating bacteria from wading in the ocean. My father did some research and found out that other people have also caught this bacteria in Galveston. This bacteria is resistant to antibiotics and is deadly. If you go don't go into the ocean!

Check out VRBO.com for rental options. We stayed in Surfside Beach last summer, but I believe it was totally wiped out by Ike. We took a day trip to Galveston and the beaches were nicer than Surfside. I hear you on Padre vs Galveston, but that drive to Padre with kids is no fun!

I have been looking for a Spring Break rental around Galveston or Crystal Beach and I'm not haveing much luck on a house. At least half of the responses I've gotten say they're still making Ike repairs and haven't re-opened yet.

There are a lot more condos than houses and you may have better luck with that if you're open to it. I haven't tried condos yet for Spring Break.

Good luck with your trip! Galveston beaches may not be as appealing as Padre, but you can't beat the proximity and the price is usually better too...

Galveston isn't Gross, that's such a ridiculous stereotype. I am curious though, why would you decide to visit a place you have snubbed now that it's post devastation? It will definitely not be "the place to be" now. And, it's not going to be the great Galveston for sometime, it took many years for Galveston to recoup to what it was after Alisha. As for condos, most of the condo's on West Beach were damaged. The majority of the people on the Island are residents, who are rebuilding or repairing.

I don't know what the conditions are like now in Galveston after Ike. Some of my relatives still aren't back in their homes after they were severely damaged by the hurricane.

However, I wanted to chime in about Galveston as a vacation spot. Once it's rebuilt and back in shape, Galveston will once again be a great place for family vacations.

I grew up going to Galveston at least once a year, and I also go on a trip to a Mexican beach resort every year (many different ones), and I've been to Destin. The beaches and atmospheres are completely different in each of these places, but there are great things in all of them. In Galveston, there are many historical and interesting things to see and do. Renting a beach house, especially if you combine with other families or relatives, can be less expensive than a hotel and more fun. We once had Thanksgiving in a beach house with my entire extended family--it was a blast!!

There are some good recommendations from the other moms, so I won't re-list them. One that I haven't seen below is Casa Del Mar, which is on the seawall & 61st St. (Most of the streets are in numerical order going one direction and ABC order the other direction, so it's easy to find your way around.) It has suites, which works great for families. There is a separate bedroom with a queen size bed, and bunk beds build in along a hallway. The sofa in the living area turns into a bed. There is a kitchenette and balcony. We have stayed with five of us, and have been very comfortable. It's nice having a place to go and close the door to change clothes, take a nap, etc. It's a good spot in between the beaches on the west end and points of interest in the city.

Drive out on the west end of the island for nicer beaches. You may have to pay a few dollars to get in, but it's worth it.

try contacting the galveston chamber of commerce

I can let you know! I just scheduled a trip to Houston with my 3 girls and they really wanted to go to the ocean since we haven't been since we moved to TX 3 years ago so I scheduled a hotel room right on the beach in Galveston over Spring Break. A lot of the hotels were booked up so I know people are going there.

I have some rental weeks I need to sell and they have properties in those areas. We just had a baby in October, so we are trying to find funds to pay for our medical bills - we didn't have maternity insurance. I also have an RCI banked week with one of our timeshares that expires at the end of March that we need to sell. Anyone you know that might be interested, please pass along my contact information - J. ###-###-#### and my email is ____@____.com

We rented a house in Crystal Beach last year and it was wonderful. I just checked the website and they said they would be done with repairs to their house in March- so we may be going back. Their house was SO NICE! I was very impressed. The brach area is a 5 minute walk from their house. Let me know if you want their info. Not sure about pets though?

Not sure about all beah areas, but the State Park is a year away from reopening. I would check with the Chamber of Commerce or the Visitors Bureau and they can tell you what it is like there and what is open and not open.

Hi C.. I was hoping to travel to Galveston with my family this summer too. However, my parents just came back from a cruise out of Galveston. They drove around to see how it looks after Ike. They said there is still much devestation all around the island and strongly encouraged us not to go there this summer. We are going to drive to Florida instead.
K.