Joy can be found in the most unusual of places. It can be the small moments when your toddler smiles into your eyes and says he wants to marry you when he grows up so he never has to leave you. It can be the large moments when you marry your best friend or when you finally graduate from college after working for many years. Or it can be a combination of both large and small, something a winter vacation in Port Aransas and a stay with Sandcastle Condominiums can provide. Wake up early to watch the world come alive with your toes buried in the sand of our beaches. Discover new ways to enjoy a Christmas parade while watching a procession of decorated boats skim across the water. And savor the serenity of the sea as you relax in the comforts, style, and simple luxuries our seaside sanctuaries offer, feeling the peace deep in your soul and remembering all the reasons you work so hard to provide a good life for your family. All of these moments could happen in many other places in the world, but the joy found in an escape to Port Aransas in the winter will never be matched!
Sand Between Your Toes and Salty Breezes Kissing Your Cheeks
While the people in your hometown may venture out wrapped to the eyeballs in their warmest clothing, shoveling snow and gingerly walking on icy sidewalks, you may not even need a jacket until after the sun sets! Winters in Port Aransas offer sunny days that encourage long walks on the beach, holding hands with your favorite traveling companion, and quiet moments letting the salt air provide that magical therapy that reminds you life brings joy in the simplest of ways. The winter temps may discourage frolicking in the waves, unless, of course, you are a surfer squeezing your body into a wetsuit and discovering that winter really IS the best time to catch a wave!
Holiday Adventures
Maybe this is the year you have chosen to rediscover the spirit of the holidays by leaving behind the chores, expenses, and stresses of your traditional celebrations and exploring all the ways the holiday can bring you peace in Port Aransas! The Lighted Boat Parade, held on December 9th at Port Aransas Fisherman’s Wharf, certainly redefines the traditional Christmas parade, offering a procession of festively lighted boats that will make you ooh and ahh as they pass. Follow the family friendly adventure up with an adult adventure at Bernie’s Beach House, drinking like a pirate, dancing like a mermaid, and patting yourself on the back for choosing happiness over responsibilities this year!
Because Christmas isn’t the only holiday that happens over the winter, your New Year’s Eve celebration will shine bright, whether you choose to stay at home and watch the big crystal ball fall over Times Square on state-of-the-art televisions in our Sandcastle Condominiums holiday hideaways, or you want to venture outside and see what the town provides in way of celebrations! We love a good party in Port A, and our NYE 2024 Countdown on Port Aransas Beach promises to be a memorable one, involving fireworks, live entertainment, and delicious dining options that will help you usher in the new year in a tasty fashion!
Winter Explorations
The normal sightseeing attractions can be enjoyed as well, including visits to Mustang Island, where travelers can expect to find a glorious selection of seashells and sea glass, offering a free substitute to the normal souvenirs travelers often shop for. Also known as prime bird watching spot, there are over 400 different species that can be spotted on the island, so load up your favorite app to your phone, grab your favorite binoculars, and prepare for a ferry ride to wonderful! Hiking is a popular sport in the cooler days (summers CAN be brutal when away from the water!) and the Port Aransas Nature Preserve at Charlie’s Pasture is a joyful and peaceful spot to explore. For our late winter visitors, the Whooping Crane Festival has been a local tradition since 1996. Held in February (22nd through the 25th) this festival celebrates the return of our Port A Whooping Cranes with tours, naturalists, and photography workshops that will help you take the best pictures of these beautiful creatures! (And more details will be available as we grow closer to the event.)
Choose Sandcastle Condominiums and Find Your Joy
However you spend the daylight hours of your winter escape to Port A, coming home to Sandcastle Condominiums each evening will add a softer excitement to your travels. Watch the sun set over the sea from your balcony every evening, gather round large tables with your family playing games and devouring meals, and dream happy dreams in the most comfortable beds in the state! Reserve your favorite escape today!
Every year, like clockwork, the long Memorial Day weekend rolls in, and every year, also like clockwork, it catches us by surprise. What do you mean we have Monday off? How did I miss planning a fantastic getaway again? And why didn’t I start planning a trip to Port Aransas sooner? These are the questions that you have asked repeatedly and this year, we at Sandcastle Condominiums have decided to give you the gentle nudge you need, leading you in the direction of a Texas-sized getaway in Texas! This is your guide for when you decide to Stay in Port Aransas This Memorial Day. This guide will cover all the fun you can have and the comforts you will enjoy will make pressing that book now button you have had your cursor hovering over for the past few weeks!
Sleep Longer
When you get up at dawn most days of your life, being able to sleep in on cloud-soft beds gives you the ultimate luxury experience. Draw the curtains of your Sandcastle condo tightly shut before sliding between the silky soft sheets and fall into the sweet oblivion that you so richly deserve. A little preplanning with a stop at the Donut Palace (There are multiple easy-to-find locations spread throughout the island) ensures that breakfast on your holiday away is taken care of (Boston Cremes are our favorite!)
Or Wake up with the Sun
As the night sky lightens and the sun rises in a fiery ball of color, the quiet peace of another beautiful sunrise on the beaches of Port Aransas is guaranteed to make your getaway that much more special. Feel the frazzled edges of your nerves smooth out as sea waters snake around your ankles and then retreat into the dark distance, smell the briny scent of saltwater and seaweed, and fall in love with this special Memorial Day weekend treat. And once the sun has fully risen and the skies are blue again, why not head back to your Sandcastle Condominium retreat and catch a few more holiday z’s?
There are no Calories in Vacation Food
At least that is what we tell ourselves because everyone knows that a few extra pounds are a sacrifice well worth it when you get a taste of the town you are visiting! Island Café, 301 S Alister Street, is known for its hearty comfort food and its cheery lemon-painted cottage! Open for breakfast and lunch, its all-American menu brings guests an all-American satisfaction and results in the occasional food coma. Castaways, 337 N Allister Street, serves the best seafood on the beach and if you bring in your own already cleaned catch, they will prepare it in your favorite way and serve it family-style, eliminating the need to work on your holiday days off! Tortugas Saltwater Grill is another great seafood option, offering a surf and turf menu destined to make your taste buds stand up and take notice. No matter how you celebrate this day meant for paying homage to those who have sacrificed everything for our freedoms, enjoying a meal at any of the above-listed establishments will make your holiday shine even brighter!
A Day at the Beach
For the ultimate in Memorial Day celebrations, you need to go further than the beaches of Port Aransas! Spend the kickoff to summer swimming in the warm waters, walking up and down the shoreline, or even hunting for shells to add to your collection. Simply stake your claim on a small portion of the beach, marking your territory with colorful chairs, umbrellas, and beach towels, and spend your daylight menus alternating between watery activities and relaxing in a near-comatose state on the beach. At night, Port Aransas Beach offers a treat you do not often get to enjoy these days, the ability to have a bonfire on the sand! Roast marshmallows, tell ghost stories, and listen to the music of your youth as the sea provides a lullaby of its own, lulling you into a state of peace that you will not ever be able to forget! Parasailing, dolphin watching, and fishing charters are great ways to enjoy the seas of Port Aransas, and do not forget; you can bring your cleaned fish to Castaways for a family meal!
Come Home to Sandcastle Condominiums and Enjoy Your Stay in Port Aransas This Memorial Day
Every holiday is made better when spent with family and your Port Aransas Memorial Day getaway is no exception, even during those times you choose to stay “home” and play! Watch your kiddos frolic in clear pools, barbecue your catch of the day on community grills, and gather around the dining room table remembering all the fun you have had on previous vacations and realizing that this trip to Port A has easily joined the ranks of BEST.VACATION. EVER! Reserve your favorite holiday hideaway today!
The Gulf of Mexico has countless wonderful beaches for everyone to enjoy, and Port Aransas is no exception. If you live somewhere that gets really hot during the summer, you’ll find that this makes for a great location to escape to, since Port Aransas, along with most other Gulf locations, stays cool enough that you’ll still be able to enjoy the beach life even on those hot summer days. When the breeze comes in off the coast, you’ll feel nice and cool, and if that’s not enough, you’ll easily be able to travel down to one of the scenic beaches and go for a nice swim in the cool coastal waters.
There’s more to enjoy than just the beaches, too, ranging from all kinds of other outdoor activities to dining at some of the great local restaurants that call Port Aransas home. Fishing is definitely a mainstay here, and there’s plenty of spots for you to visit. If you aren’t sure where the good spots are, there are even guided fishing tours that will help you bring in some great catches. Other Summer friendly activities in Port Aransas include birdwatching at the Turnbull Birding Center, scoping out the vibrant local arts community, and sampling some of the lively nightlife and live music.
Booking in Advance Saves Money
You’ve been working hard for weeks to months in order to make sure you can get away from it all and enjoy a nice vacation, so you owe it to yourself to make sure you’re getting the most out of your trip. As expected, getting the most out of your trip all starts with making sure you can afford it, and booking early will help you secure some of the best available rates to really stretch that vacation budget out in all the right way. The closer you get to the time of your stay, you’ll find that rates go up, and sometimes there might even be last minute booking fees that get in your way. Booking in advance will help make sure you don’t have someone book your perfect home before you do, and the longer you wait the thinner the selection can get, so don’t wait.
Getting started early will help you save money in more ways than one, too, since you’ll also have your pick of location from our list of properties. Once you find the home with all of the amenities you desire, you can also make sure you’re in a prime location on the island, whether that means you’re right next to the beach you love most or you’re close to all of the best shopping in town. Cut down as much of that extra travel time as possible and let the good times roll.
Spending the Extra Time Planning Pays Off
The end goal of putting together your vacation is to make sure you’re able to get some of the rest and relaxation that you deserve, and if you wait too long to start planning your trip you might be doing more harm than good. Having to crunch all of your vacation prep into a short span of time might create a stressful situation for you, and the last thing you want is to dread all of the work you need to put in just to have a good time. If you start planning early, you’ll be able to avoid a lot of the potential stress. Not only that, your vacation will benefit from you having a plan in mind before you get there, whether that’s just a rough idea of the best beach spots you’d like to see or an in depth itinerary for every day you spend in town.
You’ll Have Something Fun to Look Forward to
The best possible outcome is for everything about your vacation to be fun from start to finish, and the easier your planning and booking is the better time you’ll have. Once you’ve put together your plans and marked it down on your calendar, you’ll know it’s just around the corner, and that can help keep you motivated with your work or projects while you stay on the grind.
There’s actually some backing to the idea, too. There have been multiple studies done that indicate there being mental health benefits to have a planned vacation to look forward to. If you choose to do it spur of the moment instead of in advance, you won’t have all of the anticipation, and possibly even extra motivation, that you might have been able to benefit from. Start relaxing before your vacation even begins.
Sunny Port Aransas Summer Is Calling
No matter what you plan on doing during your stay with us in Port Aransas, you’ll always have a lovely vacation rental to return to when it’s time to call it a day. We have a comprehensive portfolio of different vacation rentals for you to choose from, and our team has in depth knowledge of every one of them. We’re here to help answer any questions you might have, and we’re committed to pairing you with the perfect rental for a perfect vacation. Get in touch with us now and come see the Gulf beaches firsthand.
Port Aransas is a beautiful place to be in the Spring at the beach in Texas!
Although most avoid the party side of Spring Break in March, there are those who enjoy the beautiful beaches of Port Aransas after the party ends. Vacation in Port Aransas tend to lean towards enjoyment, relaxing and taking a break from it all…but sometimes in the summer you don’t receive a very personal and intimate time due to the high volume of travelers. If you haven’t tried visiting Port Aransas in the Springtime, try it just once! And if you are here, these 3 things to know about visiting our beautiful Port A will benefit the time you spend here with us.
Vacation Tip #1
If you know spring then you know that the weather is sometimes hit or miss due to the season but we think our beach is pretty all the time! Be sure to pack a light jacket and a pair of pants. When the sun goes down it can be chilly sometimes. Just to be on the safe side… You just never know what you’re going to get during the Spring time in Port Aransas, Texas. When you’re away from home it is better to be safe than sorry so it never hurts to bring a bottle of mosquito spray anywhere you go when you’re traveling in Texas.
Vacation Tip #2
Bring a Camera! Spring is the prettiest season of Port Aransas. Everything is in bloom from the dunes to the landscaping. You are sure to catch beautiful hibiscus and so many native wild flowers during the spring season. You will appreciate the memories and so will your friends. This is also a great time of year to take family shots with all of the natural beauty that will be gleaming around you.
Vacation Tip #3
Watch the calendar!– You can see all of the “things to do” and events that Port Aransas has going on, on each Monthly segment of our blog post entitled the, “Island Matters.”
There are so many things to enjoy during the Spring in Port Aransas. For one, Texas Sandfest is the largest sand sculpting competition in the world and it is hosted right here in Port A! Competitors travel from all over the world to sculpt in this “invitation only” event. Three days with master creations of sand, entertainment, family fun and beach. The Texas Sandfest is a great festival for families as well as the adult age. This year’s dates for the Texas Sandfest in Port Aransas are April 29-May 1st, this is a Friday-Sunday event and with a $5 purchase of a wristband, you are able to roam about the grounds and return each day with out paying-as long as you have your wristband. Children 12 and under get in for free!
Besides Sandfest, there are a couple of fishing competitions during April and May. Such as the IFA Redfish Tour that is presented by Cabelas (April 1st-3rd 2016) and the televised HT-3 professional fishing competition (May 18-21st, 2016).
Every First Friday of the month there is an art reception that is open to the public at the Port Aransas Art Center starting at 5:30 pm. You can enjoy great local artists and refreshments as you experience the Port Aransas community and celebrate this art festival with them.
A Memorable Vacation in Port Aransas
After checking out our useful tips for your vacation in Port Aransas, don’t forget to book your stay in one of our amazing vacation rentals so you can enjoy your vacation to the fullest! Contact us to book!