Cottages by the Sea

Somewhere on the Gulf of Mexico or one of its bays sits the perfect cottage for you

By Helen Bryant

Our mental images of “a cottage by the sea” may vary, but the idea of a bungalow with gumbo simmering in the kitchen and a little sand on the floor, tracked in after a day at the beach, appeals to many of us. Sometimes, instead of a hotel room, we have in mind something homier, with more space for flinging off our flip-flops, stashing sand pails and surfboards, and lounging on a spacious porch to enjoy the coastal breeze.

Somewhere on the Gulf of Mexico or one of its bays sits the perfect cottage for you. We’ve combed the coast some 420 highway miles and zeroed in on a few special places to lure you seaward. All capture the spirit of seaside living, each with a personality all its own.

Surfside Beach: Blue Mermaid

You can’t get much closer to the Gulf of Mexico than this cheery, yellow A-frame with turquoise trim, perched on stilts at the water’s edge in Surfside Beach, about 40 minutes southwest of Galveston.

Scamper down to the beach for a walk, or try to catch a trout. You can cook your catch at the cottage or go out for seafood about half a mile away at Red Snapper Inn. (Try the buttery, sautéed soft-shell crabs meunière.)

Nearby tide pools offer good crabbing, or you might rent a surfboard at Bingo’s and try your luck on the waves. Whatever you do, take it easy: You’re on island time.

South Padre Island: The SandBox

Make yourself at home in a sand sculptor’s cottage, one of the most unusual places to stay on South Padre Island.

Professional sand sculptor Lucinda Wierenga—better known as Sandy Feet—lives on the ground floor of this gray, two-story beach house and rents out the top floor and loft apartment. You’ll know you’re there when you see the sandcastle sculpture out front and the peace-sign weather vane on the roof.

The cottage sits a half block from the beach, and a short walk from the island’s most popular seafood restaurant, Blackbeard’s. Try the Deep sandwich, piled high with fried flounder fillets.

A bonus: Anyone who stays in The SandBox for a full week earns a sand-sculpting lesson.

Rockport/Fulton: Pelican Bay Resort

North of Rockport, near the Fulton Beach area on Aransas Bay, pastel Cape Cod-style cottages with shutters line a winding road through a grove of live oaks.

Pelican Bay takes the fishing-village definition of resort: no golf course or spa; rather, a lodge, a cluster of cottages, mini-suites (alongside a pool with hot tub), a clubhouse, and a fishing pier. If you prefer your own cottage but appreciate amenities such as daily maid service along with coffee and breakfast bars, this place is for you.

The water awaits nearby, and just a short walk leads you to the resort’s lighted fishing pier.

Crystal Beach: Robin’s Nest

Stretch your definition of “cottage” when you drive through the gates of Crystal Beach’s “The Biscayne” neighborhood and see Robin’s Nest. This grand haven can house a big family. Maybe two.

With four bedrooms and four full bathrooms, Robin’s Nest sits on the Bolivar Peninsula a block from the Gulf of Mexico, but within view of it.

People often choose Crystal Beach for its bucolic setting, but if you get antsy, take the free, 20-minute ferry from Port Bolivar (15 minutes away) to entertainment-packed Galveston.

When you return to your cottage, take a walk on broad Crystal Beach, then enjoy a meal on your porch and watch ships, silhouetted against the pink early-evening sky, glide into Galveston Bay.

Loyola Beach: Little Bethel

The white steeple tells you you’ve found Little Bethel, a 1950s African American Methodist church and school that Keith and Bobette Naylor moved from Falfurrias to the edge of Baffin Bay at Loyola Beach, about an hour south of Corpus Christi, and turned into a rental cottage.

At the end of the day, sit out back on Little Bethel’s porch, savor Bobette’s cake, and watch the stars shine over the water. If you get chilly, relax inside and read a mid-century cookbook for farmers’ wives. Note the sign over the back door: “Thou shalt not whine.” I should think not.

See the full article in the June 2010 issue.

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