On a socially distanced wine night in April, a girlfriend of mine and I shared our woes over vacations cancelled. That is when we hatched a plan to escape the Dallas suburbs and drive down to the Texas coast. Surely, by June things would be better and worst case we would just cancel! Lucky for us, it was the perfect socially distanced vacation.
Every time we each told someone we were heading to Galveston Island, people were hesitant and warned us that it wasn’t like a Florida beach. Don’t get your hopes up was often said. We honestly became nervous but trucked on. Marielle had been told by a couple of different friends that they love the Jamaica Beach area and mostly Pointe West. So, we went in blind and trusted them and VRBO.
When first getting onto Galveston Island we were immediately reminded of Daytona Beach or Cocoa in Florida. They’re fun beaches, more so for a spring break crowd, but a little too crowded for our taste. As you continue south another 20 miles you notice the scenery changes. Gone are the motels and roadside parking. There’s mostly pastures to your right and homes on stilts with ocean views to your left. I couldn’t get over the juxtaposition of wildflowers and cows on one side with pretty homes and natural beaches on the other. After being cooped up at home for three months, it felt like heaven!
Pointe West is a resort with privately owned residences and condos spread out over around 1000 acres of beach front land. The Beach Club houses a pool, fishing pier, fitness center, and restaurant. The Sunset Pool houses a pool with beach views, a hot tub, and a lazy river. We stayed in the residences at a private home called Las Brisas. Most are two stories, but some are one or three. Ours was two stories and had 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. One of the rooms had two bunk beds with the bottom bunk being full size. We loved the two balconies that overlooked the little pond and felt like the home was just perfect for two families with two kids each.
Like I mentioned before Galveston itself is more of a tourist spot and tends to feel a little shabby. The Pointe West area of the island, is really only homes and condos. You have to drive a little ways to go to the grocery store or to a restaurant, but that’s fine. We were totally prepared for that, and brought enough food and supplies to just stay home. There are little bridge passes that go over the natural dunes. I love it because being from Florida, it just looks so different sprinkled in with wildflowers and cactus. The beaches in this area were really secluded, you can’t drive on them, and really its only people who are staying in the homes or condos who use them. They’re wide spread and full of soft sand. My only complaint is that this sand is so fine it really ends up everywhere. You will 100% eat sand at some point, just get used to it. The water was PERFECT. No, it wasn’t crystal blue, but it was perfectly tepid and very shallow for a long ways out. The wind is always blowing and the waves are the best combination of low and choppy. We literally just rolled around or sat in the water for hours. The kids boogie boarded and jumped waves galore. It was indeed heavenly.
Another thing we were warned about were bugs. I have to say, in this particular area they weren’t a problem, not even during the dawn and dusk hours. We were able to enjoy beautiful sunsets walks on the beach and make s’mores under the stilts of the house without a hitch.
what we learned to pack
- SO MUCH sunscreen
- Canopy tent- it is SUNNY
- Easy meals and snacks: lunchables, adult lunchables, sandwiches, burgers, fajitas, fruit, cereal, juice boxes, water, lots of wine and Whiteclaws etc. 😉
- Lots of swimwear, you will want to wash them at night because that sand gets in your suits
- Coolers!
- and well I think you can figure out the rest!
For a quick trip to a family friendly beach in Texas, this is the one. At only an hour and half from Houston and five hours from Dallas, its close enough to be worth it. I’m glad we didn’t get deterred and listened to those who loved this area. We love it too!
Til the next beach trip,
