Hotel Review: Holiday Inn Express Port Aransas, Texas

My job takes me to the Texas coast a couple times a year. That entails a 4+ hour drive from Austin, through a bunch of small Texas towns including Lockhart, Luling, Gonzales, Cuero, Goliad, and Refugio, and ending in Port Aransas, a small island town due east of Corpus Christi, Texas.

The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Port Aransas is the hotel I’ve been staying at for these trips for at least the last five years or so. A free night using IHG Rewards Club points requires 35,000 points per night. Since this was a business trip, I qualified for (and used IHG’s Government Rate), which was $114 per night for the night I needed to stay.

The exterior of the hotel is pretty nondescript and actually looks just like the photos on their website (minus the photoshopped blue sky). I failed to take my own photo (oops), but I come back here enough that I will probably do another review (thanks in advance for reading). As an aside, why another review? Mostly because the general manager mentioned to me that they’re planning a renovation soon.

There isn’t really a lobby, but rather a hallway with the check-in counter on your immediate right. Again, I failed to take a photo because I think it is a bit awkward to take a photo with random people in it and every time I was by the front desk, there were always people. Next time!

Checking in here always seems to be a hassle for a couple reasons. I usually make several reservations for my colleagues which seems to confuse the staff. Granted, they are all in my name (and with my IHG Rewards Club number attached for the points!), but I usually call ahead and specify who should get which room for which reservation.

Last time I was here, the hotel screwed up royally, but after contacting the manager, they made it right. This time, the manager was on hand and knew how to process our reservations. She quickly checked me in, swiped my credit card, and filled out my tax exempt certificate. She explained that the property has free wi-fi accessible via a code specified on a card with my room key and the operating hours of the free breakfast in the morning. She also mentioned that my room had been upgraded to a two room suite. Score!

I took the elevator to the 2nd floor to the assigned room, 225.

It was located down the hall from the elevators, on the pool-side of the hotel, and was a two-room one king bed suite.

The room featured a living room with sofa and flat-screen TV, coffeemaker, mini-refrigerator, microwave, one king-sized bed, small armchair, desk with chair, and an additional flat-screen TV in the bedroom. 

The bathroom was pretty standard, with a sink, tub/shower combo, and toilet. Oddly, this was the first hotel I’ve stayed at in awhile that didn’t have a hair dryer.

The bathroom featured Bath and Body Works-branded toiletries.

Overall, I thought the room was just fine. Functional, but nothing flashy. The decor was a bit dated and the carpet had several stains. There was an electrical plug behind one of the bedside tables, but nothing that was easily accessible.

On the ground floor, just past the lobby, was a business center. A couple computers and printers were available.

Just past the business center was a mediocre fitness center, containing dated equipment. Although it had large windows, they let in too much sun in the afternoon and the air conditioning couldn’t keep up. Consequently the fitness center could have been used as a sauna as a way to work up a sweat.

Outside of the fitness center was a large pool and hot tub. They really went all out with the waterfall feature and palm tree.

Okay. Here’s where things get real. For a SOLID THREE HOURS in the morning, there is an all you can eat breakfast buffet. Is it the healthiest? No. But the variety is pretty incredible for such a small hotel. There’s several cereal options, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, assorted breads, biscuits & gravy, scrambled eggs, sausage patties, bacon, muffins, and a SELF-SERVE PANCAKE MAKER, along with juices and coffee.

The Holiday Inn Express Port Aransas is a fair hotel. I think it greatly needs a makeover as everything has a dated feel to it. It has a pretty good location (a block and a half from the Gulf Coast beach) as well as walking distance to several great restaurants. I will most likely stay here again, but would be open to trying a different hotel should a new one open.

Have you stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Port Aransas? If so, what was your experience?

Did you enjoy this post or learn something new? Please like my Facebook page (fb.com/JustinDoesBlog), follow me on Twitter (@JustinDoesBlog), and follow me on Instagram (@justindoesblog). And please, share with your friends!

---