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Reviews of Gulfway Motel & Restaurant

2 out of 5
Gulfway Motel & Restaurant
1365 Highway 124, High Island, TX

Reviews

7.6

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 94 out of 266 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 87 out of 266 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 31 out of 266 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 24 out of 266 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 30 out of 266 reviews" "

7.8/10

Cleanliness

8.2/10

Staff & service

7.0/10

Amenities

6.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Christine

The staff is wonderful. The breakfast is great.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Guy

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I've visited the High Island Bird Sanctuary every year for the last five years. The rooms are clean and well maintained. Improvements are made every year. It is an ideal location to visit all the local birding scenes.
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

David

Traveled with partner, Traveled with pets
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The Gulfway is an older motel and restaurant, but it was ideal for what we wanted. We were in High Island for the migrating birds, and it was within easy walking distance (5 to 8 minutes) to most of the amazing refuge properties in the town. And less than a 10 minute drive to the others. The rooms were clean, and while old style, they were simple and comfortable. The restaurant, operated by the hotel owners’ family, served excellent Chinese dishes and really good sushi, and they also make a great hamburger! And their breakfast was very good, too: freshly cooked eggs and sausage, hot oatmeal, yogurt, fresh fruit and cold cereal, too. Good rooms, good food, reasonable price, with nice people, and close to the birds! Two thumbs up!
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

8/10 Good

Sandro

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Friendly family owned motel. Clean, and close to two excellent birding sites.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

8/10 Good

Quintin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
conveniant
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

4/10 Poor

Sharon

Traveled with partner
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property was junky and cluttered.The room had a musty smell when we entered. There were dead bugs on the window sills. Restaurant was closed but they gave coffee on request in the morning. Staff were nice.Bed was good.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Thaddeus

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

8/10 Good

Youmans

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
I like the location and very friendly service.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Alan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

2/10 Terrible

Margaret, Fayetteville

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is a tough review to write, because I WILL almost certainly stay at the Gulfway again. But I am being candid here so others will have a clear picture. The Gulfway is *not* a great experience. The walls and the towels are paper-thin, the windows only semi-functioning and there are zero amenities. I stayed Weds-Sun and while Weds-Thurs nights were pretty quiet, Fri-Sat saw a full-on tailgating party in the parking lot, complete with open fire BBQs and boom boxes. My response was to close the windows and run the A/C for white noise, which worked fine but might not be everyone's cup of tea. The plug-in air freshner in my room was beyond overpowering - like, nauseatingly strong. I imagine this was to smother some lingering odor that was somehow even worse than the air freshner. HOWEVER, I will say that if you have a very high tolerance for budget travel - and I mean youth-hostel-in-China-in-the-90s high tolerance - then the Gulfway is hands-down the absolute best location/value for birding in and around High Island. Walking distance to Smith Oaks, Eubanks, Boy Scout Woods and several other mini-preserves. 10 minutes to Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. The property manager, Jean, is fantastic and super helpful on every level - I genuinely liked the people who run this place and I wish they had more help and resources to upgrade it. So don't pass over the Gulfway if you have a high tolerance for low budget travel. Just go in open-eyed and don't be surprised.
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2024

2/10 Terrible

Isabella

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Christine

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The owners are very attentive and kind.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Ricky

Nice
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

8/10 Good

Francis

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
I was disappointed in that I booked this while still out of season. The restaurant was still closed for the season, so I never got to experience. The owners were very nice people. My room was clean but there were a lot of flying insects in the room when I first checked in. However a can of spray utilized around the door frame worked wonders. Overall it was a pleasant experience and I would use them again but in season.
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2024

6/10 Okay

Mike

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Junk stacked everywhere!! Old refrigerators and washing machines, empty flower urns, old exercise equipment etc. Owner was cordial. Gave us a free upgrade king room. Restaurant was listed but is not open until March 1. No place to eat any meal except 18 miles away. Room was clean and the bed was comfortable. Very quiet day and night.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

8/10 Good

Rajiv

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Amenities
From the outside the motel looks old. The wonderful family that owns this has kept the rooms incredibly clean. sk them for the special Italian coffee in the morning. Great place to access the nearby birding spots early in the morning.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jimmy

Traveled with group, Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great
Updates were great. Staff was amazing. Really sweet folks. Very nostalgic, we loved it!
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2024

4/10 Poor

Jamie

Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Aged and dirty, no coffee in the rooms and the restaurant is closed. Heater didn’t work in the room. Outlets only work when the light is on. No ice machine. Mangers fighting in foreign language during check in. This whole stay was a train wreck.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Amy

Traveled with partner
The owners were extremely friendly. They are working on updating the property. It’s an older motel and needs some work, but it was clean and the customer service was top notch. Very close to the beach! Can’t comment on the pool since we didn’t use it. Quiet property and the area around the motel is also quiet. Felt safe to be there and walk around. Would highly recommend this motel for the proximity to the beach and the friendly owners.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Terry

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff are always friendly. Thats what matters
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Angela

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It was clean. No odors. Kind owners. It was our second stay; will return.
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Terry

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent, the staff was great as always
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Julia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location on High Island
We had a very nice stay at the Gulfway motel. This is the only hotel on High Island and was convenient to do local birding. It’s the closest place to stay near Anahuac wildlife refuge. It also has a restaurant with a nice choice of food. When the restaurant is not open, there is a gas station next door with a mini market to pick up snacks. The tv did have some reception problems which eventually worked itself out. The towels at this motel are very soft. The bed is firm but comfortable. Noise from adjoining rooms can be heard but ear plugs drowned out those sounds.
Huge Philly steak sandwich
Wonton soup
Soft embroidered towels
Willet eating a crab at Anahuac
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023

6/10 Okay

Maria

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Beverly

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good food and helpful owners.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Missy

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Mary

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This place was good for the price. Had a easy time checking in/out. Staff is friendly and easy to talk to! Clean on the inside of the rooms as well. Plus a TV and Wi-fi. Don’t leave your netflix logged in!! Will definitely stay again!
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

jorge

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Philip

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Kim

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Family owned motel, very nice friendly and helpful. I like the property is gated and secure at night.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Lila E

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
We chose this motel because it is the closest to the Gulf on the High Island end of Bolivar Peninsula. The outside area of the motel was a little weathered with it being so close to the ocean. But, the inside of our room was great! The bed was comfortable, with clean sheets and bed linens. The air conditioner cooled the room quickly, and kept it cold for our entire stay. The refrigerator/freezer was larger than I expected and it worked great! I loved the original mid century modern blue tile in the bathroom! The shower/tub had great water pressure and the water got hot and stayed hot for my entire shower. The motel provided plenty of clean towels for us. The towels were monogrammed with the motel's logo, which I thought was a nice touch. I had no complaints with our 3 night stay in June 2023. We will definitely be back! Thank you!
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2023

4/10 Poor

John Norma

Traveled with partner
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
T V did not work. May have been the internet. T V did not work. Restaurant not open on Monday. Any Monday. No where to get food. Well one could do 20 miles or so in any direction. We ate in the restaurant on Tuesday. Pretty good. Live and learn. Will NOT stay at Gulfway again.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023

2/10 Terrible

Michael

Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

4/10 Poor

Gregory

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
Excellent staff, good food, the only problem was bedbugs in one bed
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Colin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Gulfway Motel is clean and affordable. The family who owns and runs the motel is friendly, efficient and helpful. I was in town for birding, and the owners were very knowledgeable about the local sanctuaries and bird populations. There isn't much else nearby, so dining (beyond the motel breakfast, which I left to early to try) is a 20 minute drive or more. The property does not look good from the outside, but is nonetheless a fine choice for a bargain stay.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

8/10 Good

Alan

Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023

8/10 Good

Donald

Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Russell

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Stay
They have great big clean rooms. Owners are wonderful people. The Chef in the restaurant attached to Hotel make the best food .His chow mein is fabulous and the pizza is great.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2023

8/10 Good

sheila

Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

2/10 Terrible

David

Stayed 1 night in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Terry

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Terry McCreary
I will be back. Wife and I loved it here. Owners are very nice and helpful. Awesome for an older hotel.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Charles

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Friendly staff very clean comfortable beds and pillows. Ac worked
Stayed 1 night in May 2023

6/10 Okay

Nicholas

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 2 nights in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

I

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
CLEAN updated rooms with comfortable beds, lots of updated electrical/USB outlets, and new linens/towels. Our room lacked a bath mat and the AC unit was loud. This is a nonsmoking property. Love the small fridges that have a separate freezer — no food in the fridge got frozen and our blue ice froze solid. Each room has a microwave. BIRDERS — this is THE place to stay for an early start at High Island hot spots. In spring 2023, barn swallows nested near the entrance to the lobby — very cool.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

8/10 Good

Jace

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

8/10 Good

Judy

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Amenities
Location great for birding, had to request coffee maker, no ice machine
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

8/10 Good

Kathleen

Traveled with partner, Traveled with pets
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Reasonable rates; not fancy but clean and comfortable. Really appreciated the refrigerator and microwave. Pets allowed for a minimal fee and there's a nice fenced in green space for walking them. Just wish there was a coffee station; we had to drive 20 miles for a cup of morning coffee!
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

Karen

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The managers of the property at Gulfway were friendly and helpful. The motel is older but clean and a great location for bird watching and beach walking. Food was excellent!
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

becky

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2023

8/10 Good

Garry

Disliked: Staff & service
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2023