Galveston Hotel and Things to Do Advice Wanted!

[decker12]

Hi everyone, thanks for such an informative forum. I've made several excursion decisions simply by lurking on this thread for the past few months!

 

Anyway, we're heading out of Galveston on a RC 7 day cruise in mid Feb. We return on Sunday the 21st and due to the way the flights and costs work out, it was cheaper to stay an extra night in Galveston / Houston than it was to fly home on that Sunday.

 

So, we're looking for a hotel to stay and some nearby activities in Galveston on Sunday the 21st. Family friends are driving us from the port on Sunday to wherever we need to go, but they are leaving from there. We are also looking for some taxi / shuttle advice to Hobby as our flight leaves early Monday at about 8AM.

 

I don't really want to rent a car for the day to drive around Texas, especially because we've just finished a 7 day cruise. Ideally we'll stay in a hotel somewhere in Galveston (someplace we've never seen, so we wouldn't mind checking it out) and that hotel will be within walking distance of shops / dining / things like that. Worse case we can stay near Hobby in a motel but Google Maps doesn't show much to do within walking distance other than sitting in our room all day.

 

Pricing isn't that important but we don't need to stay in some 5 star hotel, just someplace central to "something to do / someplace to eat" for a few hours, so we're not sitting in the hotel room for 12 hours before we leave for the airport in the morning.

 

Any recommendations for a car service to the Hobby airport on Sunday morning would be helpful as well as any restaurant / things to do within walking distance of whatever Hotel that anyone can recommend! We're in our 40's with a patient 10 year old (and we just spent 7 days on a boat) so we're not going to go bar hopping or mountain climbing.

 

Thanks for any and all help/advice you can give! :D

[ssb]

Moody Gardens

Galvestonhistory.org

Railroad museum

Oil drilling rig museum

Sub and destroyer museum

Galveston.com

Bishops palace

Moody mansion

Candy factory downtown

NASA

[decker12]

Thanks, any advice for places to stay near some of those attractions or cab/car services to Hobby? I'm looking for less of a list of things to do within 30 miles and more of like "Here's a great place to stay with 10 things to do within walking distance". I have never been to Galveston and I have no idea what to expect.

Edited January 24, 2016 by decker12

[ssb]

Moody gardens hotel

Inn at water park

Tremont

Harbor house

 

Many hotels and motels on Seawall Blvd

Edited January 24, 2016 by ssb

[jonbgd]

where in CA do you live

I could give you better comparison/ suggestions

[TrqoisWtrs]

If you're looking for just a low key day, I can recommend this hotel (just stayed there in October and loved the location/shops/restaurants.)

 

http://www.harborhousepier21.com/

(did a quick search and king bed 2/21 will run $119, 2 queens $139)

 

Its literally in the next block from the pier, so you could actually walk over from the ship if you wanted. A very basic continental breakfast is included (although there is a Starbucks right there also). You can walk over to the oil drilling museum. A block or two over, there are also a lot of little shops. Literally across the driveway from the hotel there are a few good restaurants. You can also sign up for a dolphin viewing excursion.

 

http://www.harborhousepier21.com/things-to-do

 

http://www.galveston.com/pier21/

 

Sorry, can't help on the car service to the airport.

[decker12]

Thanks guys, sorry for the delay in posting after writing my message, for some reason Cruise Critic emails were getting flagged as spam so I didn't see replies to my message come in :)

 

We ended up booking the Sheraton a couple of blocks away from the pier in Galveston, for only $100. We'll be able to walk around the area and get some food pretty easily from that location, maybe check out the pier and the touristy stuff around it.

 

We'll probably be a bit vacation'ed out after the cruise so I just wanted to make sure I'm staying somewhere where there's at least something to do outside so we're not just sitting in a hotel by the airport waiting for the flight.

 

Anyway, still looking for any advice regarding a car service from Galveston to Hobby on the early morning of the 22nd. Our flight is at 9AM, Hobby is an hour away, so we'll probably need to be on the road at 6AM to get us to the airport 2 hours ahead of time? Not sure how big/crazy/busy Hobby on a Monday morning will be.

[Starflyr3]

Factor in traffic. You WILL hit rush hour at 6 am. For comparison, I used to live in Dickinson. (Exit 19/20) and commuted to downtown. It took 2 hours, usually (16 miles). The hotel should be able to get you a cab, also. Galveston to Hobby, I'd figure on about an hour without traffic. Things tend to get really backed up around Clear Lake, and doesn't get a lot better. Idk if taxis can use the HOV lanes, if they can, that would help. (They're hard to find/confusing unless you know where you're going)

[decker12]

Factor in traffic. You WILL hit rush hour at 6 am. For comparison, I used to live in Dickinson. (Exit 19/20) and commuted to downtown. It took 2 hours, usually (16 miles). The hotel should be able to get you a cab, also. Galveston to Hobby, I'd figure on about an hour without traffic. Things tend to get really backed up around Clear Lake, and doesn't get a lot better. Idk if taxis can use the HOV lanes, if they can, that would help. (They're hard to find/confusing unless you know where you're going)

 

Hmm, we're from the Bay Area and used to horrific traffic but 2 hours for 16 miles at 6AM sounds really bad - about double my morning commute.

 

I think we'll order a car service then instead of racking up a huge bill in a cab. Thanks for the tip!

[leen50]

http://www.galvestonexpress.com