Wow!

I can't believe I got a reply so quick....that is very kind of you to take the trouble!

Basically I'll be free from the last Friday in March for 10 days and just wanted to spend time on a beach in the morning, then hit the pool in the afternoon.

Going to a few local restaurants and eating in some nights (hence the condo idea).

Nothing upscale but clean.

Prepared to drive 30 mins to the beach...got 2 kids.

looking forward to relaxing really....any help or advice would be most appreciated as never been to Texas before.....looking forward to it though.....

Thank you so much for your time and trouble.

Cheers

You can do it in about 3.5 hours if Houston traffic is nice to you (rarely). Once you get out of the Houston area it is very smooth sailing all the way into Corpus Christi. For us here in Texas, 3.5 hour drives are what we do on our lunch breaks!!!

Enjoy Texas. If you choose Corpus Christi/Port Aransas let me know how I can help.

Port A is about 4+ hours away - close to Corpus. Even though it sounds like a long drive break journey and it will be worth it. Also Port A is better than Corpus. You have condos on the beach - when you walk out the door it is sand. From Port A you can do day trips to Corpus.

If you still don't want to make the drive and stay close to Galveston find some lodging in the Clear Lake area. It is about 30 mts drive to Galveston.

Looks like Galveston area or surrounding areas then....4 hours then a 11 hour flight to London with kids won't be a pleasure!

Cheers!

How old are your kids? Galveston has lots to offer the whole family.

Cashbox--

To be more specific, I'm not certain how Google was sending you from IAH to Galveston that would take anywhere near 4 hours, but if you take Beltway 8 headed east (a toll road very near the airport) all the way to I-45, at which point you'll turn south onto I-45 for about 20-25 miles into Galveston, and the entire trip should take no more than 1.25 hours or so. Perhaps someone could give you a good idea of the toll fees using that route, as I don't have a clue. It should be a very easy drive, however.

Hi knr. They are 10 + 12.

Gene T....it was to corpus christi that took 4 hours

Schlitterbahn water park and Pleasure Pier (amusement park) are great things for kids in Galveston.

Park your car and ride the ferry to Bolivar Peninsula and back...this is free and enjoyable. You will get on faster if you park and ride vs taking your car on the ferry. Bring some bread to feed the seagulls.

Visit the historical buildings, like Bishop's Palace and Moody Mansion.

Take a self-guided driving tour of the tree sculptures. After Hurricane Ike, a sculptor came and carved these trees from the fallen Live Oak trees that graced the island. http://www.galveston.com/treesculpturetour/

Be sure and stop for ice cream and candy at La King's Confectionary on The Strand. A good restaurant also at the Strand is The Gumbo Bar.

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo runs thru March 16th, if you'll be here that early. This is very popular and fun to see. Here is a link: http://hlsr.com/Concerts.aspx

DEFINITELY recommend Galveston over Corpus any day of the week, and thats coming from a kid that *loves* the beach and loves corpus

(ok i'm 25 but i act like a 10 year old when i vacay)

Galveston has tons more to offer and honestly the condos there are overpriced, when we go we chill in a hotel and do just fine. spring break here is march 11-22 (schools alternate which week to release) so galveston and other beach towns up their prices, a hotel would likely be quieter than a condo, but no guarantee, but you WOULD get a free breakfast in the morning ;) haha

In galveston I'd suggest:

-Moody Gardens Aquarium or Rainforest pyramid or both, i cant get enough of either

-also pleasure pier, and Fishtales right across the street from it for some GREAT food

- yelp has great reviews of a lot of other restaurants as well :)

-The Strand is an area of old galveston thats as beautiful to walk through as it is to shop/eat/play in (check out La Kings sweet shop while you're there!)

- Murdocks is a tourist shop/patio bar that is a destination in and of itself!!

Corpus-

>Texas state aquarium

>u.s.s. lexington (only fun if you're a hard core history buff, or under the age of 10)

>restaurants (yelp.com)

>shopping… last time i went shopping there (last year and the year before) a lot of the quiet little shops had been killed by the latest hurricane… so even after searching I couldn't find the cute little shopping/walking area beachtowns are usually famous for, except for annoying touristy shops that all sold the same things :\

>beach

Port a- not much else to do….

> beach