yoda316

Grandparents used to live in Port A and we went twice a year to visit. They have a touring boat that takes you across to St. Joe's Island which is a nice secluded beach. You are able to find shells and sand dollars. At the end of the beach is a old abandoned shrimp boat. This is a good day trip.

Be sure and take a day trip over to Corpus they have redone shoreline drive. Also alot to do there like the aquarium and the Lexington.

kopp

Hi Jayne! Good timing on your posting. I just returned yesterday from a 2-night stay in Port A (Port Royal Condos).

Since you've got your condo booked, you're done with that part.

As for your question of places to eat, we enjoyed our dinner at Virginia's. It's a great seafood restaurant at the very end of Hwy. 361. Just go past the signal there at the end of the road, and you'll run right into it. We were there for sunset. The place is very open, no actual windows, just spaces where windows should be, so it's nice and cool inside. You look right into the bay and all the boats are docked right there.

Our dinners were the grouper (yummy, caught locally), fried shrimp, and a Shrimp Louie salad. Prices ranged from about $13-$20 per person. Seemed to be a popular place.

Happy travels!

Jayne1973

Hi kopp-- thanks for the info on Virginia's. It sounds really good.

Pepper's kayaking sounds fun and so does yoda's trip to St. Joe Island, which I certainly have never heard of. Looks like it's a good place to surf.

We only have a couple of nights this time, but this could be a place we will want to get to know much better...

pepper131

We stopped briefly at an island...maybe it was St Joe's...I do remember that it was owned by the Bass Family and there was cattle grazing on it.

While we there, a ship went through the channel, pulling all the water from the island's shore...you could see crabs and all kinds of things in the water. But then the water came rushing back and I had to run fast back to the shore. Kind of fun.

Postal

Just to give you an idea about how nice the people are in Port A - I saw these beautiful framed boxes of shells (with glass in front and barnwood framing)on the wall of a little restaurant and asked where they came from. It was a local guy but I couldn't find him, so they ended up selling me two of them right off the wall for a very low price!

Austin

Jayne, good choice. N. Padre is boring IMHO. Port A has much more character. We like to stay at Port Royal. I know you have a place, but Port Royal is the nicest place on Mustang Island. Pricey, but if you stay Sun - Thrs in June, they have specials. Sometimes they carry over to July as well.

Jayne1973

I am really glad we added Port A to our trip plans. I'm hoping to get a good chilling out down there! From what you all have told me, it's entirely possible.
Did any of you happen to see in the news that the Port A beach is having a deluge of seaweed right now?

kopp

Hi Jayne. I saw that article in our local paper this morning. And yes, it's true. The seaweed in Port A was everywhere, about 10-feet wide running the length of the entire beaches.

At high tide, the water comes up to the edge of the sea weed, so it is difficult to get into the water, except where people have made little cuts through the weeds.

At low tide, the water is waaaaay out, so you still cut through the sea weed but then there is lots of good sand to play/walk in.

Makes for very interesting pictures. Just not that great for running through!

laurafromtexas

I'm originally from Corpus Christi and was going to recommend Port Royale, but judging from several less-than-stellar reviews it's gotten lately on tripadvisor.com, I'd recommend you try some of the other recommended places.

walkinaround

i have stayed at sandcastle in Port A many times. always had a great time.

almost all places down there are condo developments and i would suspect just about the same. since all rooms are individually owned, they are in various conditions (but presumably meet the developments min standards for rental units. you just book with the rental agency at the condo place.

sandcastle is a little dated and somewhat rough but for some reason, we really felt comfortable there and returned many times (anyway, as i said, i think they are all pretty much the same).

our favourite seafood place was called the shrimp shack (maybe gone now as this was back in late 90's). you can also bring your own fish there and they would cook it up for you if you prefer. anyone know if it is still around?

we also visited padre once (forgot exactly where). i would say it is a bit "nicer" than port A in some ways but not worth the extra drive from Austin. Port A seemed to have more character anyway.

As for a comparasin btwn port A and key west, Port A is much "rougher" in terms of beauty. you have to appreciate port A for its many charms, but if you are used to top beaches in fla or elsewhere, you need to be prepared that this is not in the league of international seaside destinations (both in terms of beach and town), imo. that said, i would much rather spend some time again in port A than some much flashier, polished places.

by the way, while far from sparkling, i did not find the quality of the beach particularly disappointing as compared to most places outside the top tier of beaches.

Jayne1973

It's been almost a year since I've been to ANY kind of beach, and I am ready to put my toes in the sand and get this summer going. Every beach has its own charm when you are a real beach lover, I think.

I've heard about the place that will cook your freshly caught fish (for $5, I read). I am going to check it out. I've never been much into fishing, but was trying my luck at a friend's place today and caught five catfish (!) -- so I might have to go for it.

walkinaround

jayne, just to clarify...you can buy seafood at shrimp shack as well as bringing your own. we aren't really into fishing so we just bought from them.

Jayne1973

Walkinaround, I agree with you about enjoying the less flashy beaches. The whole vibe of a beach, to me, should be low key, laid back and easy.

Jayne1973

Quick Trip Report:
Port Aransas was nice despite the seaweed, which was really piled up. I didn't mind the seaweed as much as the trash that was caught in it. The surf was great; we even saw some actual surfers out there. And I found a whole sandollar -- for the first time in my life!

The Beachhead condos were fine and every unit is designed to have a view of the gulf. It's an older property (1975) but everything was very clean, with a well-stocked kitchen and nicely decorated. Very relaxing. There was not daily maid service, as I previously posted, but they did come by and empty the trash and bring fresh towels each day.

We ate at a new place called Hooks, which had great ice cold beer, and some great blackened shrimp and delicious fish and chips. We also had lunch at Island Cafe; best item was the fried shrimp -- wow.
Splurged at Beulah's -- best dish there was an asian pan fried fish (can't remember the type of fish). It was fabulous. Service was great, with a relaxed but classy atmosphere. We ate outside. On the way out of town, we had pizza at Gaff's, which was really a bar. Was kind of funky but the pizza was fine and the jukebox was great.

One of our cars' transmissions went out while we were down there, so it's now in Corpus Christi getting repaired. We may be going back this weekend since we have to pick up the car anyway, which would be fine by me!

Thanks for all your help. I would go back to Port Aransas anytime.

lbaboyd

Jayne: Thanks for the trip report. Sorry about your car trouble -- been there, done that, no fun. Hope it works out ok for you. We'll be in N. Padre in October for a week, and will spend some time in Port A while there. We were there a few years back and are looking forward to another visit. Maybe we'll get a chance to check out Hooks.

SarahPS

I am also very curious about the North Padre area. Is the beach around Port A and North padre that much different than Galveston?

Thanks,
Sarah

daisyinc

"Snoopy's" restaurant on the island across from Corpus Christi - take the exit that goes under the causeway. It's big, has an old fisherman's look about it, and because it has lots of decks stacked, you're almost sure to get a table with nice bay breezes. The seafood is great, reasonably priced, and they have lots of brochures about other island attractions, including dolphin tours. In Corpus, Fisherman's Wharf has wonderful seafood, moderately priced, nice atmosphere. The Sand Dollar has good condos with balconies on the beach. Even the Holiday Inn in Corpus has its own small beach; and if it rains, you have the indoor pool. There are lots of rentals for homes and especially condos on the beach in Port Aransas on Matagorda Island and on North Padre. You can find them on a Google web search. We usually go for art and fish in Rockport and Key Allegro, but we find more extensive beaches where you're headed.Have fun!!