hotel in Houston or Galveston

[jmr1970]

We are booked on a cruise in March from Galveston. We are flying in to Houston Intercontinental airport the day before the cruise. We are trying to decide if we should overnight near the Houston airport and then get a shuttle to Galveston on cruise departure day or if we should take the shuttle to Galveston and stay overnight there. The hotels in Galveston are more expensive than Houston hotels.

 

Is it worth it to stay in Galveston? Is there much to see there? The Springhill Suites Galveston has a good price but it looks like it's a far distance from the port. The Comfort Inn & Suites is also a good price. Does anyone know if this is a good hotel?

 

If we decide to stay near the Houston Intercontinental airport is there anything around there to do for 1/2 a day?

 

Thanks for any advice.

[Shekim]

We are booked on a cruise in March from Galveston. We are flying in to Houston Intercontinental airport the day before the cruise. We are trying to decide if we should overnight near the Houston airport and then get a shuttle to Galveston on cruise departure day or if we should take the shuttle to Galveston and stay overnight there. The hotels in Galveston are more expensive than Houston hotels.

 

Is it worth it to stay in Galveston? Is there much to see there? The Springhill Suites Galveston has a good price but it looks like it's a far distance from the port. The Comfort Inn & Suites is also a good price. Does anyone know if this is a good hotel?

 

If we decide to stay near the Houston Intercontinental airport is there anything around there to do for 1/2 a day?

 

Thanks for any advice.

So I take it you will arrive early afternoon on Saturday. Truthfully there's not much to do around IAH. You could just hang out at the hotel and rest. In Galveston you could stay near the Strand and walk around. Try checking out these hotels on tripadvisor. There is usually great information if you can't find any information on these places here on CC.

[CGBCruiser]

If I were you I would stay in Galveston rather than near IAH. There are several things to do there...I'm sure someone will post their list soon. You can go to Moody Gardens...they have the Aquarium Pyramid, the newly renovated (thanks to Ike!) Rainforest Pyramid, and the Discovery Pyramid. You can take a boat ride on bay on The Colonel which is a paddlewheel boat. There are many good restaurants and hotels in Galveston. It's very easy to navigate the island as it's really not that big! Go to galveston dot com for things to see and do on the island.

[nlt46]

I myself don't find that much to do in Galveston. Are you taking the cruise line shuttle? Family stayed in Houston and went back to the airport to catch the shuttle to Galveston. They liked it that way.

I've always stayed in Galveston. They have a neat soda shoppe that we go to the night before the cruise. But.. we haven't found much else. Could be that we are just boring. We did swim in the Gulf twice. Either way you are a winner. You're going on a cruise!!

 

Nancy

[Galveston Cruiser]

There is more to do in Galveston, and conveniently, than Houston.

 

Historic districts and homes, over 20 sculptures carved from the trees after Hurricane Ike, Bishop's Palace, Moody Mansion, Texas Seaport Museum and the tall ship Elissa, harbor tour, Great Storm theater, 1894 Grand Opera House, Moody Gardens, Schlitterbahn, the old Star drugstore, historic Strand District etc.

 

Go to galvestonhistory.org, thegrand.com and galveston.com to see all the activities and events in Galveston every weekend.

 

Last night we saw Jerry Jeff Walker at The 1894 Grand Opera House, next week is the Texas Tenors, following week is Spamalot, not to mention the Battle of Galveston reenactment next weekend and Yaga's Chili cook off in a few weeks. Oh yes, let's not forget Mardi Gras Feb. 10th to the 21st.

 

We maintain a calendar to keep track of what we are doing every week so as not to plan 3 or 4 things in one night.

[munchkin4]

We always stay in Galveston, but we drive down. Hotels can be pricey on Saturdays. Our usual place is the Best Western Beachfront. Next to a wonderful Mexican restaurant and walking distance to Wal-Mart. Nice breakfast is included. And what is better that waking up to the ocean and taking a nice walk on the beach. What a way to start a vacation.

[canuckcruiselover]

We stayed at the Quality Inn and Suites in Galveston -- right next to Best Western. Great location, nice rooms and reasonable rates. Spent 2 days there before boarding the Mariner on Jan 2nd. We rented a car from Enterprise at IAH and parked across the road from the port for $35 for the week. Loved Moody Gardens and did our own tree sculpture tour. Check out galveston.com for a list of things to do. We spent one night after the cruise in Houston -- just another big city. While I would never leave from Galveston again because of the fog and chaotic cruise terminal, we really enjoyed our time there and it was a very nice change from Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

[Karen_N]

My vote is for Galveston. We stayed on the Seawall, and it provided us with the opportunity to walk and enjoy the ocean, as well as some great restaurants to eat at.

 

We flew in late on a Friday night to IAH and with no traffic reached our hotel in just over an hour using Super Shuttle (exclusive).

We flew home on a Monday at 4 pm, left Galveston at 1pm and even though we entailed a huge rain storm on the drive, we arrived at the airport by 2:30pm, again using Super Shuttle Exclusive Van.