My mom, myself and two teens stayed at Free to Beach for two nights while visiting family down south. The house is super clean and had absolutely everything we needed. It felt big enough for the four of us, especially when we used the ample deck space. The beach is less than five minutes from the house on foot, which is super nice because there is no public parking at any of the beaches on Bolivar Peninsula unless you pay for a parking pass (I think it was $10). It was really fun to get up in the morning and walk on the beach when it was quiet and be able to visit the ocean anytime we wanted. Sunsets were glorious. I really have nothing but glowing remarks for the property. I would have loved to have been able to recycle, but sadly that doesn’t seem to be a priority in Texas.
Crystal Beach has a different feel with people being able to drive and park on the sand, music blaring and sometimes exhibiting some obnoxious behavior like driving too fast, lots of litter left at the end of the day, etc.
There was fantastic birdwatching on the back side of the island. Lots of new developments going into that marsh, so hopefully the full time residents on the island will work to keep parts of it wild. Bolivar Peninsula is not as commercial as Galveston, but it seems like it’s growing very quickly.