Hotel Suggestions in Galveston???

[gooselover]

We are going to be driving down from Oklahoma to Galveston on our next cruise instead of flying. What hotels would you recommend there for us to stay in overnight before our cruise? Also, is there any hotels that you have experienced that will allow you to park your car there during the duration of your cruise???

 

Thanks for any advice and comments!!!

[joyous]

Please call the GAlvez or the Tremont and ask about pre cruise rates. They are good. Galvez was there from WWI and is still great. I do believe they let you park you car there. I will watch the posts and if this isn't good for you I will try to give you the shuttle info, but CC board deletes a lot of the info I post. joyous

[starq1]

We stayed at Moody Gardens last time we sailed on Rhapsody and loved it. They let you park your car there and shuttle you to the port. This time, however, we are satying at the Baymont Inn and Suites, they also let you park your car there. They don't offer a shuttle service but $125.00 cheaper a night I think that more then covers the cost of a taxi. I would have loved to stay at the Moody Gardens again but I can't see paying $200 a night. The Baymont just opened in August and has received good reviews from those that have stayed. If money is no object then I would stay at Moody Gardens. We really did have an enjoyable stay while there.

 

There is also a section of these boards that has alot of hotel info on it. I believe you can find it in the Gulf Departures boards.

[Epaul3]

Check the Galveston Visitors and Convention bureau website (http://www.galveston.com) - there are links to hotels which offer parking for cruises and shuttle services to the dock.

[luvronijean]

We stayed at Casa Del Mar (condos) for about $90 per night. This might make parking at the pier affordable.

 

Veronica

[Natanni]

Hi!

We are cruising the day before you on the Rhapsody, March 25. We stayed in Galveston in March '04 at the Holiday Inn Expess on the Seawall. This hotel has now been renamed to a popular chain (can't remember if it is a Ho-jos now?) but I could look up this exact address to avoid, as the rooms were very moldy and had alot of odor due to hurricane Ivan, then 5 months prior to our visit. The carpet was very wet, and mold crept up the beds and bedside tables.

 

We have yet to book our room as we are having a very hard time trying to decide where to stay when looking at historic vs sea viewing vs close to pier. I have checked out the Gulf Port board, and it has some excellent ideas but I have yet to call on any. There is another Holiday Inn, Harbor House, and Hilton that appear to be popular choices. Good luck!

[AudioFilly]

I have 2 recommendations!

 

We usually stay at Gaido's. It is old. I've been staying there since I was a kid going to Galveston with my parents. They are very basic, no-nonsense rooms. But they are always very clean. It has a bit of a nostalgia factor for me. And we love that we can just walk over the roof/observation deck to be at the entrance to 2 of the best seafood restaurants in Galveston: Casey's & Gaido's.

 

This past month however we couldn't get a room. They were booked solid & no cancellations. We ended up at the newly opened Baymont Inn & Suites. So new they still had that new construction smell. We found them to be very nice & roomy. Came with a mini-fridge, microwave & coffee maker in the room. One of the most comfortable beds I've ever slept on in a hotel.

[libertybelle41]

We stay at the Holiday Inn or Hilton on Seawall Blvd. it's right across from the beach and near rainforest cafe.

[Peddler&Tass]

Holiday Inn Resort-Galveston on the Beach....:)

This is part of the St Luis resort area..parking and shuttle.

[TEXASMUNK]

Holiday Inn, 5000 block of Seawall. They offer a parking and shuttle to the pier. Have a good bar/restaurant for Sat evening entertainment and a good dining room for Sunday morning Breakfast.

[mrdood]

The Harbor House is the best, right on the pier, you can watch the Rhapsody sail by the morning of your cruise from your window - priceless, price is around $100 and breakfast is included.

[ChoosinCruisin]

This past month however we couldn't get a room. They were booked solid & no cancellations. We ended up at the newly opened Baymont Inn & Suites. So new they still had that new construction smell. We found them to be very nice & roomy. Came with a mini-fridge, microwave & coffee maker in the room. One of the most comfortable beds I've ever slept on in a hotel.

 

So glad to see a comment on the Baymont. We have this booked in December and haven't seen much info on it yet. Is there a restaurant on site or is some sort of breakfast offered? What type of dining is in the area?

 

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks much.

 

Smooth Sailings All.

[AudioFilly]

So glad to see a comment on the Baymont. We have this booked in December and haven't seen much info on it yet. Is there a restaurant on site or is some sort of breakfast offered? What type of dining is in the area?

 

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks much.

 

Smooth Sailings All.

No restaurant on site. It is located just off the Seawall behind the Golden Corral. Don't turn into the Golden Corral, but wait for the street just past it. And even though the hotel is on 63rd Street, 63rd does not run all the way through. If you are coming off of 45, stick with 61st all the way to Seawall and then cut back the 2 blocks. We kept trying to cut over because we didn't know it was so close to the Seawall. We would get on 63rd only to keep running into dead-ends and having to bobble back again.

 

They did have an extensive area off the lobby where they provide some sort of breakfast. Since we were boarding the Rhapsody closer to noon we went out for breakfast and then came back and checked out.

 

Our favorite seafood restaurants in Galveston are Casey's & Gaido's, both further east on Seawall. We met up there the night before with a large bunch of people from our Roll Call. It was a blast finally getting to start putting faces to people.

 

My only other tips would be 1) when you see people arriving back to their cars from the previous week's cruise, try to move yours up front under the flood light. While I didn't hear of anyone having any problems being parked anywhere in the parking lot, it gave me peace of mind knowing our car was under the bright light and in view of the lobby. 2) After breakfast we came back to our room and called Jeff's Cab (409) 621-5333. By the time we walked downstairs and checked out and signed the cruise parking log book, we had barely made it to our car before they were pulling in to pick us up. There was another group standing by their cars nearby that had had the front desk call them a cab a while before we came out. I don't know what company they called but that group was still standing there waiting when we were pulling out on the way to the ship.

 

We would definitely book a room there again.

[cruisecrazymama]

We are going to be driving down from Oklahoma to Galveston on our next cruise instead of flying. What hotels would you recommend there for us to stay in overnight before our cruise? Also, is there any hotels that you have experienced that will allow you to park your car there during the duration of your cruise???

 

Thanks for any advice and comments!!!

 

 

Plenty to choose from. We usually stay at the Casa Del Mar. At the moment they aren't taking reservations...they are doing massive renovations to the outside of the condos.

 

The only other place we stay is the Hotel Glavez..awesome hotel! Also have free parking(locked lot)and free shuttle to and from ship. We wil be staying there in 3 weeks!

 

Ok now I have to ask....what part of Oklahoma are you guys from? It's always nice to see a fellow Okie on the boards:D

[jwlane]

We are going to be driving down from Oklahoma to Galveston

We've stayed precruise at both Hampton Inns that are near NASA, and recommend either (slight preference to the one on NASA Road 1). In addition to NASA, they're close to the Boardwalk in Kemah (Google for info), and have a nice breakfast. It's an easy 30 or so minute drive to the port on Sunday morning.

[luv2vacation]

Hi! Thanks for the info and tips on the Baymont Inn.

 

Do you remember how much the cab cost from the Baymont to the ship?

 

Also, I will be without a car. Did you notice what restaurants were within walking distance of the Baymont?

[sprite725]

i can tell where not to stay-Beachcombers Inn. We got woke up by a fire alarm at 4:00 am. Apparently a pimp and hooker got into a fight and she set off the fire alarm. They offerered $10 off the price. Next time we won't be so adventurous and not book ahead of time. Lessoned learned:D

[Hafta' Cruise]

We stay at the Comfort Inn on the Beach at 102 E. Seawall Blvd. They have a nice Continental breakfast and the rooms are large and clean. Also, you can park your car there for no extra charge and they have a shuttle to the pier. To reserve a room that includes parking, you must call them direct at: 409-766-7070. They are not pricey either. Hope this helps.:o

[cfeeley]

We JUST got back from the Rhapsody and stayed at the San Luis (I think it was $159/night). We were travelling with my dad and stepmother, and everyone agreed that the hotel was EXCELLENT! Nice rooms, nice hotel amenities (restaurant, bar, pool, water slide, balconies with a nice view of the water), nice location (~10-15 mins to the cruise terminal), within easy walking distance to some nice restaurants (Landry's, Rain Forest Cafe, IHOP for breakfast, etc.)

 

Also, if you have any smokers in your party, make sure you check the smoking policies at some of the other hotels mentioned. I believe the Tremont and/or Harbor House are completely non-smoking properites - which could be a good thing or a bad thing ... depends if you have any smokers.