Houston, Texas is known as one of the most sprawling cities of America, but many people who work in the metro area are living beyond the 667-square-mile city limits. This includes a whole area to the east called the Bay Area of Houston, which I spent a few days exploring from the South Shore Harbour Resort in League City.
League City is a great base for exploring the area and it has a lot to offer on its own, including plenty of ways to get out on the water in a boat. We took a fun Sip N Sail cruise with Houston Party Boats that left right from the marina next to South Shore Harbour Resort. We cruised around Clear Lake and drank cocktails made with Ghost Tequila while checking out the views, the boats, and the Texas-sized mansions on the water.
The city also has an interesting historic district that has a craft fair on Saturdays, a range of great restaurants, and a top-notch brewery on Clear Lake called Galveston Bay Brewing Company. We also had lunch at at bar and restaurant that has space for hundreds between the inside and the huge patio areas: La Brisa Mexican Bar and Grill.
Add in the Houston Space Center five miles away and you’ve got a lot of reasons to get out of your hotel. We did eat Sunday brunch there before we checked out though, looking out at the water while listening to a talented Flamenco guitar player.
South Shore Harbour Resort is one of the biggest and best in the region, with plenty of meeting and event facilities on site and 237 rooms. It has a large swimming pool with swim-up bar and drink service that sits above the marina and lake.
This resort also features the best fitness center in the area, one that the general public pays to join but you have access to as a guest of the resort. So it’s no small affair tucked into a corner. This is a giant gym with dozens of cardio machines, regular classes, free weights, an indoor lap pool, and courts for basketball, pickleball, and tennis. See more about the gym here.
There’s also a full spa on site if you’re in need of a massage or a facial.
Rooms at this League City hotel are spacious and comfortable, many of them having a nice view of the water or the marina. They have a furnished balcony for sitting outside and big glass doors that provide plenty of natural light. (The blackout curtains work well though at night and this area is very quiet.)
My carpeted king room had a padded headboard, nautical-theme artsy photos, an armchair, and a great marble work desk with an ergonomic chair where I could plug in my laptop and get some work done. I appreciated the Keurig capsule coffee maker that allowed me to get a kick of energy in the morning before facing the world in public. Rooms also have a mini fridge and a safe.
All of the rooms are spacious and the rate differences mostly come from the view and whether there’s a balcony rather than the furnishings or amenities. Rooms with one bed have a plush king, while the doubles have two queen beds. Be advised that the ones with two beds share an end table and reading light though, so you’ve got some negotiating to do (or an eye mask to bring) if one of you stays up reading and the other doesn’t.
If you really want to step up the experience, there are two penthouse suites that are 1,200 square feet each and these have more sitting areas, more balcony space, and a prime view.
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Rates at South Shore Harbour Resort range from $157 to $249 most weeks, including local taxes. Thankfully there’s no dreaded “resort fee” that reaches into your pocket again. Wi-Fi and parking are included in the rates.
If you book directly with the resort, they may throw in something extra, like breakfast for two as I write this. Otherwise, you can check rates on Booking.com, where the resort has a very high customer rating of 9.3 after more than 430 reviews. So you don’t have to take my word for it: past guests really like this place!
Review and photos Tim Leffel who was on a media trip sponsored by Bay Area Houston and League City Texas after a travel writers conference in nearby Galveston. As always, all opinions are his own.
