Beach Corpus Christi vs Galveston vs South Padre Island (Houston: rental, condominiums)

[texasmove10]

We are working on our next vacation plan and need some help. We are planning to drive down to San Antonio from Dallas, stay there for couple of days and then head out to a beach for few days. I was trying to find out a good beach and came across these three names.. Now that we need to finalize, need help to ensure that we hit the right place. Any suggestions? Thank you!!

[jbtx]

Since much of a vacation's success is also related to the comfort of living amenities: I offer these thoughts:

I don't know if Galveston is fully recovered from Hurricane Ike (2008), perhaps someone from the Houston area can comment on that.

Corpus Christi beaches are divided into two areas, CC proper and Mustang Island/Port Aransas. My preference is for the island beaches, however I live here and don't have to stay in a hotel/motel. I have heard both good and bad about rental condos. Before I moved to CC I used to like to stay at the Sunday Villas.
Sunday Villas - Welcome

The waters will be cleaner at South Padre, the fishing generally better, and the beaches less crowded. Here are a list of resort reviews for you to look over.
South Padre Island Hotels: Read South Padre Island Hotel Reviews and Compare Prices - TripAdvisor

I hope you have a great time.

[CptnRn]

From San Antonio it is a 5 hour drive to get to South Padre Island and a 4 hour drive to Galveston. It is only 3 hours to Port Aransas. The beaches in South Padre are a little nicer but not worth the extra drive in my opinion and there is lots more to see and do around Port Aransas. There are more touristy things to do, such as museums, in Galveston, but the beaches are lousy.

You can look at these areas in goggle maps satellite view to get a good idea of what the beaches are like.

At South Padre many of the hotels are directly on the beach and cars are not allowed on the beach, so it is a short walk from your hotel to the beach. The sand is nicer and the water is usually less silty that far south.

At Port Aransas most of the hotels are behind the sand dunes with boardwalks leading thru the dunes to the beach. Cars are allowed to drive on the beach so you can either carry all your beach stuff out to the water, or pack it in the car and drive over. We used to stay at the Beachhead Condominiums when we visited there. They have a great freshwater pool as well as nice views of the beach.

At Galveston the hotels are on the north side of Seawall Blvd. So you have to cross the roadway if you walk to the beach. The Seawall is a concrete wall that protects Galveston from storm surge off the gulf. The beach is narrow strip of sand between the gulf and the Seawall, we thought it was a big disappointment when we visted there. You can drive your car over and park along the Seawall to take your beach stuff to the beach. I was told years ago there is a nicer stretch of beach up at the NE end of the island, but looking at the area in google maps it looks like there is very limited road access and much of it was washed away by Hurricane Ike.

[DanielWayne]

As noted above, if you like museums and nice restaurants then Galveston is great, but the town and the beach (seawall) is pretty gritty.

[jbtx]

Even though I'm a CC resident, and think I'm living in paradise. There are many blessing to confer on our beaches to the south. South Pradre is great if you have friends with 4X4 trucks , i suggest a couple of friends with 4x4 and some chained all time,,, like in the dame is not always fun.

These guys ,, can an save you,,,,,,I love Predre Island

Get lost with the hostility, and we will find you. We might find you in the mist of a battleground

[j96g]

South Padre Island is the better one, beach-wise. I believe from beach access #5 upwards, you CAN drive your car up to the beach and even set up a tent to spend the night on the beach. I used to do that once or twice a year in summer.

[ocean2026]

Rockport has the best beach of any of them. Won some Blue -Ribbon Award for the best of the 61 Texas beaches. There is a migratory bird area across the street - a salt water pool too. The water is very shallow so you can go pretty far out. Not as much a party beach as some others though and Rockport does have more men than women.

[CherryMagic]

Rockport and Mustang/Padre are way cleaner than Galveston. Yes, there is a lot to do in Galveston - but there is a lot of seaweed on the beaches right now. Head 3-4 hours south along the coast, and the water cleans up a little.
I just came back from Pensacola/Gulf Breeze....so there is really NO comparison...LOL

[tstone]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

At Galveston the hotels are on the north side of Seawall Blvd. So you have to cross the roadway if you walk to the beach. The Seawall is a concrete wall that protects Galveston from storm surge off the gulf. The beach is narrow strip of sand between the gulf and the Seawall, we thought it was a big disappointment when we visted there. You can drive your car over and park along the Seawall to take your beach stuff to the beach. I was told years ago there is a nicer stretch of beach up at the NE end of the island, but looking at the area in google maps it looks like there is very limited road access and much of it was washed away by Hurricane Ike.

Accessibility is fine out that way and those beaches are large.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by ocean2026

Rockport has the best beach of any of them. Won some Blue -Ribbon Award for the best of the 61 Texas beaches. There is a migratory bird area across the street - a salt water pool too. The water is very shallow so you can go pretty far out. Not as much a party beach as some others though and Rockport does have more men than women.

Only in high school.