#Springbreak

3/14/2018

Spring Break Means Family Time at the Beach .......

Surfside Beach,Texas

Every year ,every teacher, every where is on countdown to that magical time of year- Spring Break! Ever since our children were small we have indulged ourselves with a family trip to the Texas coast. Our children are grown now with children of their own and we have been blessed to continue the tradition.

Mom makes us do the selfie!

This year we chose Surfside, Texas as our destination. Surfside is a small town not far from Galveston and less than 2 hours from Houston. It is actually an historical site – the place where Stephen F. Austin first arrived in Texas and where in 1832 the First Battle of Texas was fought.
I love this small town and all it has to offer. Originally I booked a house with VRBO but after a dispute plans changed and we were fortunate enough to get a perfect family friendly home through Airbnb. Find out about all of our adventures and read to the end of the blog to find out why you should never book with Home Away or VRBO

Why Surfside..............well of course the beach!

Father and son fun!

Texas Beaches..........

When I first moved to Texas I was taken aback by many things…….longhorn cows, breakfast tacos, cowboy boots and driving on the beach…………. I have come to love all of the above especially the ability to drive on the beach! Surfside also has a pedestrian beach which is often quieter and great for walking .

Quintessential Texas Beach Trip

Go for the Fishing..............

And if you don't catch a fish- catch a crab!!

Spend Time Just Watching the Channel.........

Visit Surfin Rita Daiquiris To-Go

www.facebook.com/surfinritasurfside/

This place is great for a mean bloody mary on the rocks. The drinks are made fresh, they have great specials and a card with stamps- if you buy 5 you get one free. What is really great is you can get your drinks to go and take them to the beach to enjoy happy hour!!! Genius!!

Where to eat.............

While we were in town we visited The Red Snapper and Purple Kitty’s. I have visited both before and enjoyed them. The food at The Red Snapper is delicious, the service somewhat standoffish. Our grandson loved the fish aquariums and we all enjoyed fresh food cooked well.

Kitty's Purple Cow was a disappointment. Apparently Kitty passed away and her daughter is now running the place. I recommend going for the cheap beers but the food really was not good. Fun place to hang out but don't go for great food!

Visit Lake Jackson for Happy Hour

One evening we headed to Lake Jackson for supplies and stumbled upon Ansiel’s a great place for Happy Hour. They have happy hour from 2:30-7:30 p.m. and they serve the best $3.00 margarita I have ever had. The staff is friendly and the view is of the small Lake Mammoth. If you love bacon then you should go here on Wednesday night as they have a special bacon menu.

Take a Day Trip to Galveston

Galveston is a great place to visit for a day. It’s an hour away and there is lots to see and do. We didn’t make the brewery this time but I highly recommend this place also Guido’s for the best seafood in town. Walk on the seawall, rock and drink a beer at Murdocks , take the ferry for the fun of it…………..Galveston a great place to day trip!

Finally Where to Stay.......

VRBO Buyer Beware.............
We originally booked a house with VBRO ( I have used them for years) .When I made the final payment -3 weeks prior to our trip I received an e-mail from the owner informing me that they had not charged me the correct rate for spring break and I needed to pay another $993 .This has never happened to me before. I explained that this was not in my budget and I would be contacting VBRO. I did and I was informed that although they would not expect an owner to do this, the owner was well within their rights to change the price. After numerous e-mails which included the owner offering to “compromise “and only charge us an extra $663 (which infuriated me) the owner did give us a full refund - I will never use VBRO again !

So if in Surfside Stay Here.......

We stayed at The Sea Glass House through AirBnB and truly loved it. This is a family friendly brand new house- three bedrooms and 2 baths. There is a lovely open concept living area where the whole family can gather and eat. There are two decks and a great laundry room which is a must when at the beach. Downstairs has an outside shower to keep the sand out of the house and a great picnic table. If you opt to read and relax on the deck you can hear the surf. The pedestrian beach is just 2 blacks away and an easy walk to the jetty for fishing. We loved our stay and you will too.
www.airbnb.com/rooms/19569013?location=Surfside%20Beach%2C%20TX%2C%20United%20States&s=awiM151C