We're thinking of a trip to the Austin / San Antonio area in April but also want to head to the beach. Are there any places that are especially good for families? I saw something about Port Aransas. What about Galvaston?

I'd also appreciate recommendations for nice condos or hotels at the beach that aren't extremely expensive.

Thank you.

Galveston is nice, the only problem is it could be swarmed with spring breakers at that time. You may want to contact the local chamber of commerce to find out the dates of next year's spring break.

April in Texas could be chilly, and will most likely be too cool for swimming. The college spring break crowd is usually so drunk that they don't care if the water is still cool!

The best beach in Texas is South Padre Island. Galveston is OK, but not nearly as pretty. Do keep in mind that the sand will be brown and the water greenish-blue, not white sand and turquoise like in Florida.

Galveston and especially South Padre can be a mess around Sring Break. Confirm your dates.

For a family, I prefer Galveston area. There's more to do besides the beach. You're also only 45 minutes from NASA.

We stay at Surfside Beach. Surfside is MUCH quieter and still jsut an hour from Houston and 35 minutes from Galveston. You can rent places directly on the beach. Try beachresortservices.com

I prefer the beach of Port Aransas to Galveston. Close to Port Aransas is the Padre Island National Seashore which we found to be the prettiest beach in that area. This is not to be confused with South Padre Island. SPI is a MUCH longer drive south. It is not directly accessible from the Padre Island National Seashore. I have never been to South Padre Island but it is supposed to be nice.

My vote is for South Padre Island as well, provided your dates don't coincide with spring break. SPI is where my friends prefer to take their kids; runner-up Port Aransas.

DH and I drove to SPI for the first this past summer, wanting to see it before we move. We liked it so much we were sorry we hadn't been before and hope to sneak in one more trip before we leave. The water is clean, the sand is clean and fine--felt like powdered sugar beneath our feet. Definitely worth the drive which wasn't as tedious as I thougt it would be.

Regarding distance Port Aransas will be the closest from Austin and San Antonio. Galveston is a nice town but the beaches are not very good in my opinion. We are thinking of taking our son to Port A because I have heard that it is great for families(haven't been since I was a teenager.) The big Spring Break crowds are typically in March, but that doesn't mean that there won't still be crowds in April. South Padre is the farthest beach but it is the most beautiful and it is a mecca for college Spring Breakers. Hope this helps.

I forgot about a condo rec. My hair stylist always stays at the SandCastle Condos in Port Aransas and recommends it for cleanliness and proximity to the beach. For hotels I know that there is a Holiday Inn Express that is pretty new.

I've been going to Port Aransas on Mustang Island since I was a kid. My parents are Winter Texans so I still take my family there for Spring Break in March. The weather is always changing. My kids still swim and have a blast playing on the beach. We always stay at Casa (previously Casa Del Cortez) but have had family at Mustang Towers as well as La Mirage.