Hotels near Kempner Park, Galveston

My family and friends had a delightful time. I was a little hesitant at first because of a few reviews. I was greeted by Tae at the front desk whom was amazing on getting us the right rooms for my family to be together. She is an outstanding host who provided us with all the great local restaurants with best prices. Don’t get me wrong, the other staff members were also great but she really stood out. swim up bar was a great place to relax and have fun. But was more amazing is the beach was right across the street with beautiful views each morning. The only downside was that one of the elevators were down and sometimes it was a little wait but not bad at all. Great place and fun staff !!!!!

We chose this hotel due to their offer of a stay and cruise package where you leave your vehicle and they provide transportation to the cruise dock and then pick you up. The hotel is very charming and in a great location. When you arrive, assuming via car, you are met with the valet. I told them I was using the stay and cruise package. Valet and Front desk were extremely helpful The hotel has a bar and restaurant and although we didn't use it, they booth looked very nice. The public areas in the hotel are spacious and comfy. We loved our room! It must have had 20 foot ceilings! The room has a refrigerator and a coffee maker. There was an ice machine down the hall. We opted to Uber to the seawall to do some sight seeing. Should cost you about $8 to do that and I highly recommend it. Plenty of places to eat near the hotel and the seawall. Back to the room-it was quiet and comfortable and I gotta say-just cool with the retro decor. Getting the ride to the cruise dock was easy. Put your name on the list and get on board (please tip your driver-I think I was the only one who did). The driver took us to the cruise dock where a porter took our bags! Returning was equally easy. You get on the shuttle right where he dropped you off. We had to wait a bit but not a problem. Using the link they provided, my vehicle was waiting for me when we got to the hotel. Couldn't have been easier and was stress free.

Hotel is Near the beach front and the room was nice and updated. Good views and enjoyed swimming in the pool. Would stay here again.

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!

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.

Hotel location is good! Recommend everyone can come here to see! Parking is free! Especially for everyone, this restaurant, which is very close to the hotel, tastes quite good!

The first night I was there they gave my room key to a very drunk that wasn't a registered guest, I called the office to ask for help. They said someone will be right up, NO ONE EVER came. I finally had to call the police after about an hour of her banging and yelling at my door, my children frightened of course. They took her to jail. I went down to the office to see why someone gave my key to this very very drunk lady. Not even bothering you check with me to see if I wanted her to have a key or if I knew her or anything. The one guy that was there said I don't know who have her a key. Lying straight to my face. I asked when the manager would be in and name, he said 10 and gave me a guys name. Considering how late it, I wanted to calm my daughters down and get them to sleep. The next morning, I made them change my room. I went from a partial ocean view to a brink wall view. The room was like a cave! Not to mention giant bugs and baseboards literally falling down. This was around 11ish, I waited was for the manager. The manager didn't even get there until 1145a. Then when I asked to speak to him and was informed it was a woman (another lie) she would even come out of her office to talk to me about my safety concerns for my children and I. Telling me to speak with the GM the following day when I would already be gone. I asked for a refund they said since I need oked through them I would have to cancel through them first. I spent and hour or n the phone with them as they we're unsuccessfully able to get ahold of the manager who was the one one who could fix this issue. However, again she refused to talk to anyone. However passing along the message since it was after 12 she wasn't going to give me a refund for the night I wasn't staying or doing anything to fix the issue from the night before. At this police police and my lawyer are going to have to get involved since clearly they do not care about the safety and well being of their guest. Nor, give refunds when they screw up. So I had to cut the trip short and watch my daughters cry because we we're now going to have to drive 6hrs home and not get to play in the sand. I paid 675 bucks for this nightmare! Not to mention the deposit! So livid right now!

Had only an overnight stay for an early appt at Shriner's the next morning. No complaints whatsoever. We loved the indoor pool and hot tub. Our room was spacious and comfortable. We had a 2 double bed suite with fold out couch. Everything was clean. Staff was friendly and checked with us to ask if our room was ok. The breakfast was plentiful and had a variety of choices. I don't usually eat oatmeal but I could not pass up the oatmeal bar with all its toppings and fruits and nuts. There was 3 types of juices, eggs that were scrambled and boiled, jalapeño mini-quiches, sausage, cereals, various breads, milk, yogurt, waffles, fruit and coffee. I had read someone else complaining about the smallness of the pool. I think some people forget that Galveston is an island with very limited space. The island has had to be built up several times to remain above the tide. The city has weathered many storms, and things are not going to stay pristine in that harsh sun and salt-spray environment. Target is right across the highway via an underpass, so easy access. There is a view of the bay but again, it's not pristine. It's a port city, thus it looks like one. We will definitely stay again.

Big THANKS to Yen Major for helping us check in during our recent visit to Moody Gardens. She upgraded us to a suite and helped us track down a cart for our luggage to get all checked in. She made sure we received bracelets for all the attractions and Yen made our stay one that we will never forget. The room was huge with all the amenities we could have thought of. We visited all 3 pyramid exhibits plus the water park area. We ended our last evening by dining at Shearn's. My wife and son were both impressed with such a great experience. Thank you to Yen and all the staff at Moody Gardens. We look forward to returning soon!