Galveston in the summer? You bet! We've been wanting to go down there and check it out. Last year we'd planned to go down and a hurricane hit the city.
Greetings from Galveston...in June!
This time we booked at the last minute. It was a different kind of adventure. We stayed at the Hotel Lucine. Opened in the 1960s, the motel was originally called Treasure Island Motel. It's right on the seawall directly across from Poretto Beach.
After going through a decaying stage and a new name, the hotel was purchased by new owners and in 2024, it opened as the Hotel Lucine. It still has that 60s vibe. The best thing about the hotel, in my opinion, is the pool. This is the view from our balcony. The pool is enclosed within the hotel courtyard and there's always some shade. It was never too busy during our stay.
The pool is enclosed within the hotel courtyard and there's always some shade. It was never too busy during our stay. We enjoyed quite a bit of pool time.
Another cool feature of the hotel was the upper deck that is over the lobby. You can sit out there and watch the ocean or the people on the beach. Its very relaxing.
We also tried several new restaurants while we were there. At Rudy and Paco's, we celebrated (belatedly) John's birthday. It was very upscale but the food was good. We enjoyed it quite a bit. Another place we tried and liked a lot was the Sunflower Cafe.
As it happens, I forgot to pack jammies. So we walked over to the surf shop where they sell crazy shirts and souvenirs. I got a Galveston shirt to take home. I know it's huge. That's because it's meant to be jammies.
We wouldn't be us if we didn't check out something historic in this town. This is the League-Kempner House. It was built by JC League in 1893 for himself, his wife and his daughter. That's right 14,000 square feet for the three of them...and any servants they had. When Mr. League died, the house was sold to Eliza Kempner. She lived there for several years with four of her adult children. The house was on the verge of being lost. But then it was saved.
When you walk in the front door, this is what you see. At the landing of the first flight of stairs is a stained glass window which has been taken down for safekeeping during the renovation. For the most part, the house is in decent shape. But it will need some work.
For example, there was a termite infestation that took a while to treat. The whole left wall was chewed up but luckily, the buggers stopped when they got to the hardwood built in buffet. This house has so many cool built in features. It was built by Nicholas Clayton who did the Bishop's Palace among other things in Galveston.
We got a guided tour by one of the volunteers. She had lots of fascinating information about the house and the people that lived in it. When Eliza Kempner bought the house, she added on to it quite a bit. She had lots of people living with her. The third floor was servants quarters but she converted it to bedrooms. This is the view out of one of the windows. There's no AC but it's built in such a way that when you open all the windows, you catch the Gulf breeze.
This is the port cochere that leads up to the beautiful porch. There were porches on the second floor off the daughter's bedroom and off the master bedroom but they were enclosed by Eliza Kempner. I love these old houses and it makes me happy that someone else does too. I wish I had the money to help with the restoration.
Relaxing on the balcony of our hotel. It was surprisingly not busy in Galveston. I expected it to be wall to wall people and crazy traffic but it's not. Of course we were down there during the week but even so.
Bolivar Point Lighthouse from Fort San Jacinto.
When we were out here at Fort San Jacinto in the winter, the place was packed! This time we had it all to ourselves which was nice.
We also got a break on the weather, which was beautiful. The sun was warm but in the shade it was quite nice, especially when walking on the seawall. We got a lovely breeze.
The courtyard and pool at night.
Walking along the seawall at night.
It was a short trip this time, only three days but it was quite enjoyable. I'll leave you with the gang of pelicans that kept flying over the hotel. Sometimes in this v-shape, sometimes...not.
