Gulfway Motel and Restaurant

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.

Very old but very clean. Pool was down. But it is off season. 100% Customer service. Will be back.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Updates were great. Staff was amazing. Really sweet folks. Very nostalgic, we loved it!

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.

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.