Galveston Spa Hotels

We haven’t been to The Galvez in over a year. We used to stay at least two weekends a month. The Mitchell family has sold the Galvez and it is NOT the same at all! If you haven’t been in awhile you are in for a shock! I will start with the positive of the new owners “remodel “. The food is much better and I like they took out the tub in the bathroom and made a bigger shower. Now for the not so positive. They took out the beautiful front doors and put in a cheap revolving door. They painted the outside of the hotel a Pepto-Bismol pink with huge black and white window coverings on the front of the hotel. Then you walk inside, to what I am guessing they were trying to achieve a swanky something. They have put in an ultra modern guest registration desk, to which we waited for 2 1/2 hours after check in time for our room! They removed the large check in area of old and put in a coffee bar that is open from6:30am and 1:00pm. They added a bar to the left with huge red chandeliers and playing Sinatra. The hallway has huge gold bells with Chrystal chandeliers underneath them. I thought it was a decoration for Christmas but it wasn’t. The opposite hall has white chandeliers with red covers with black and white checked flooring. Getting off the elevator to your room and you are blasted with the most god awful wall coverings, a floral jungle with owls and monkeys and a blue carpet! Then you enter your room which has the same wall coverings on one wall and mirrors on the entire wall behind the bed. The ceiling is painted a light blue and the furnishings are white, cheap and chintzy. The carpet is blue and white square with white specks on the blue part. The hotel now looks as if someone tried to make it a cheap hotel somewhere in the Bahamas with maybe a hit of I’ll repute! The Galvez is no longer the eloquent, glamours, classy hotel of distinction. The name has now been changed to the Grand Galvez, which this remodel did not come close to “grand”.

The hotel was perfect for what we wanted apart from the dark & dreary decoration of the rooms... dark browns, mustard & dark orange colors were not what I expected at a seaside resort! I imagined walking into a light blue or light green room as you'd see in the condos to rent. These colors were just dark & desperately need renovating. The bathroom had seen better days for sure...the bath base looked slightly grubby but it had a raised anti slip mat which often retains a darker appearance & the shower doors were streaked & didn't fit together properly. Basically it was a bit messy & unappealing! However, the facilities were excellent. Balconies are great w/ wonderful views. Club ten level allows a child free zone, which makes it way quieter & offers a free delivered breakfast or a voucher to reduce your breakfast bill @ Blakes Bistro & I believe free valet parking (apart from tips of course!) The restaurants here at The San Luis are excellent. Everything we ate here was delicious but expensive. Service was excellent also & all staff were extremely attentive & friendly.

Everyone was nice and the property was conveniently located so you could walk to the main attractions. We also got a free upgrade when we informed them that it was our anniversary!

The $40 plus tax park and cruise, and round trip shuttle to the cruise port sounded like an amazing deal after comparing parking at the port. Shuttle from the hotel to the port went smooth. Returning was terrible. On disembark day, I called the hotel at 7:30 AM to make sure we knew where pickup was and the shuttle bus number. We arrived at the pickup place at 9:45 am and confirmed with port staff we were in the right location. At 10:19, I called the hotel to check on the shuttle’s route. I was told the driver was at the hotel picking up passengers and headed our way in about 10 minutes. At 11:00, I called the hotel again to check on the shuttle as we had seen several other shuttles come and go repeatedly. She said we had been waiting way too long and he should be there shortly and if he didn’t arrive in a few minutes to call back. I called back around 11:30- was told they would personally talk to the driver and they would call me back. I missed the call but called back promptly and was told a driver was on the way. Just before noon, a Mercedes’ shuttle #405 van pulled into the designated parking spot. He said he would take us to Holiday Inn Express and I told him we needed the resort and he said he would take us. He was not a charter bus that had dropped us off and he definitely was not bus number 803 as the hotel had told us . He said he was normally a private shuttle but he was filling in and helping out and would take us. He was confused as how we had waited so long but overall was apologetic and friendly given we had sat in the sun waiting for a ride for over 2 hours at that point. We arrived back at the hotel and I stopped at the front desk. The staff apologized and said that this driver wasn’t even their driver and was just a nice driver to bring us back and was not affiliated with the hotel. The manager I believe apologized and thanked me for the feedback and said she would get with the shuttle company to improve their service. She also said they would get us taken care of at check in and all set up for our stay. When I told her we were only there to pick up our vehicle and head out on our 7 hour drive, she just said oh ok I thought y’all were staying not leaving. She made no attempt to compensate us for the trouble or the terrible experience of sitting out in the sun for two hours. Won’t stay here again or recommend it. If you’re cruising, just pay the extra money and park at the port so you can leave in a timely manner!

A very popular & busy site during prime time (4th July Week), which stretches staff and puts them to the test of still offering good service and clean rooms — they passed our white glove inspection! We actually had to wait two additional hours before our room had been inspected by management team members — which we looked at as a positive sign — not a huge inconvenience. We used the extra time to drive around and get our bearings. The room is spacious, updated and clean. Balcony overlooking the Southeastern shoreline and the famous Pleasure Pier — which was a nice plus. Bedding is super comfortable. Bathroom included a more desirable walk-in shower. Plenty of storage nooks & armoire for longer stays. Located right on the Seawall Blvd (note: accessing beach with armfuls of gear and kids can be a somewhat scary adventure given the density of traffic during prime seasons). The pool offers a robust seating and lounge area for sunbathers and kid watching. We skipped the in-house free breakfast — not because of quality — so we could try out more local eateries. Parking is just around the corner in a private parking garage — secured via your room keycard. A modest daily fee is extra.

The facility,food , location, view was amazing

An exceptional location for Marriot-family loyalists. The staff gave 5 star treatment. Miranda ran breakfast service the mostly effectively for a crowd. This is best service we've experienced at a Marriott self serve. Meal had common finds in addition to a scone bar. Hot breakfast was higher quality options than most too. We will be back for the breakfast. Rooms are small for suites but to be expected for a coastal location. When we were there, they were in the procress of remodeling. Internet TV is in the works.

With a stay at this apartment in Galveston (Near West End), you'll be a 1-minute drive from Galveston Island Beaches and 7 minutes from Galveston Seawall. This spa apartment is 7.3 mi (11.7 km) from Port of Galveston and 7.5 mi (12.1 km) from Port of Galveston Cruise Terminal.Take time to pamper yourself with a visit to the full-service spa.Featured amenities include laundry facilities and an elevator. Free self parking is available onsite.Make yourself comfortable in your apartment, which features a DVD player.

With a stay at this apartment in Galveston (Near West End), you'll be a 1-minute drive from Galveston Island Beaches and 7 minutes from Galveston Seawall. This spa apartment is 7.3 mi (11.7 km) from Port of Galveston and 7.5 mi (12.1 km) from Port of Galveston Cruise Terminal.Take time to pamper yourself with a visit to the full-service spa.Featured amenities include laundry facilities and an elevator. Free self parking is available onsite.Make yourself comfortable in your apartment, which features a DVD player.

With a stay at this apartment in Galveston (Near West End), you'll be a 1-minute drive from Galveston Island Beaches and 7 minutes from Galveston Seawall. This spa apartment is 7.3 mi (11.7 km) from Port of Galveston and 7.5 mi (12.1 km) from Port of Galveston Cruise Terminal.Take time to pamper yourself with a visit to the full-service spa.Featured amenities include laundry facilities and an elevator. Free self parking is available onsite.Make yourself comfortable in your apartment, which features a DVD player.