Gulfway Motel and Restaurant

The hotel itself was fine however the initial charge for the room and deposit was taken from my bank which was $121.00+$50.00 deposit , they then took another $121.00 from my bank account for a total of $291.00 . I have been waiting for 12 days now to get my initial $171.00 back and am told it takes 8-10 days . In the meantime I’m out $291.00 for what at best is a $60.00 a night dive hotel I spent maybe 8 hours tops in. Be aware the room charge for the night was $121.00 .

Spent the weekend here on vacation with the wife. What a great little place - out of the way, unpretentious, and affordable. Vintage courtyard style motel with outdoor pool, but the rooms are modernized - they smell clean, bed sheets and covers stain-free; bathroom spotless; tile floors, hi def TV, ice cold a/c, safe locale, and an eclectic "jack of all trades" diner/ restaurant on premises: basic Chinese food, sushi, pizza and burgers. Since we were on a beach weekend getaway, we did not avail ourselves of the pool but it was sparkling clean. The wonderful family that owns the location is warm, friendly, and attentive. We are definitely going to visit again for our next beach vacay getaway - we are already planning it and so glad we found this place! 谢谢 Phil & Deborah Goldstein

The rooms were 100% clean. There were no irritating smells such as smoke, mold or chemicals. The pool was open and tidy. The beds were comfortable and all linens smelled clean. The floor are not carpeted, which as a person who suffers with allergies, I appreciate. This is not a fancy place to stay. It is a simple, family owned, small town, roadside motel. If you are looking for a safe, clean and convenient motel you will be pleased. Family that owns the hotel is very nice. We did not eat in the restaurant so I cannot comment on that.

The motel is one of the older styles and the only reasonable option in High Island but we were quite happy with it. The room was large enough and was clean and looked like some parts have been updated in the recent past but more still needs to be done, mainly in the bathroom. The beds were extremely comfortable and we slept well. The air conditioner was very old and too noisy to have on during the night. The adjacent room air con seemed to be quieter. We had meals for the restaurant and they were excellent and would recommend eating here. We were here for the birds and it was perfect for us.

Unfortunately there is no 0 star for this motels review. You may want to get comfortable + grab a drink before you think about staying in this motel. From the beginning…checked in filing out a half of sheet paper while manager was on the phone. The end of check in, was given 2 blue paper tickets (the kind given at carnivals). Manager on the phone said those were “breakfast tickets” for the 2 nights. Asked if I shouldn’t have more for having more than 2 people. The manager said “no it’s ok, just say which room you are in”. Day 2 my kids and I went to have breakfast. Later on had lunch at the motels restaurant, waited about 20 minutes until it opened and we could be sat. Day 3, me and my kids went to have breakfast. My husband was packing in the room. At breakfast there is a paper sign that says “if you take food out there will be a of $10.99 for to-go breakfast”. While eating my 3 year old stood up and (never happened) started to run to the 2 way street in front of the motel. Frantically I grabbed him, luckily no cars were passing by. Took him to our room, husband was packing. I took my sons plate and told my oldest to take it to the room. A manager came out of hiding and said we will have a charge of 10.99 for the “to-go” breakfast. I brought the plate back and informed them I brought it back. My husband then came to the entrance door with the car, asked everyone if they wanted to go into this breakfast area (a must) to eat the food from the plate my 3 year old left. No one did, and I already had ate. I got the plate, threw it in the trash and went to complete the check out. The manager retrieved the check in sheet and informed me we would be charged for extra breakfast (referring to the 2 carnival tickets) saying that there is only 2 free breakfast. They also added in the “to-go” breakfast plate that I brought back and threw away. The manager then pointed out that I had put I had 2 kids and not the 3 kids I had. I calmly explained that when I wrote that I wasn’t lying, I just have a disability and wrote the wrong number. She said stated the whole part again and said in a belittling tone “so you are lying” (her exact words). I explained again (calmly explained) that I have a disability and I wasn’t lying. The manager then started to belittle my disability and said “like how can you forget that, how can you forget to write you have another kid”. She then went to the trash and started to yell at me saying I threw her breakfast away and how I could I do something like that. Mind you the disability I have mentioned, I forgot my medication at home and there was no nearby pharmacy to try to get a prescription. I told her to not yell at me and lower her voice. Then starts to yell even louder saying the same things. I’m shaking already from the situation and I went up to her and yelled at her as well and yelled out for her to not talk to me this way. Another manager at was there watching the whole thing took the yelling manager out the room and tried to

Spur of the moment decision to staycation on bolivar. For a motel I was very pleased. The rooms were clean. The AC great. The pool clean. The complimentary breakfast had real eggs. The owners were friendly and professional. I would Definately stay here again.

The location is excellent for birders. It is in easy walking distance of several of the major bird sanctuaries (Boy Scout Woods, Eubanks Woods, S.E. Gast, and Smith Oaks) and just a short drive from others (Anuhuac, Bolivar Flats, and Rollover Beach). There is a refrigerator in the room, which is good because there are limited restaurants and grocery stores in the area, as well as a microwave. The staff are very gracious and accommodating. There is a free breakfast for people staying there. The hotel has been a landmark for years and looks a bit time-worn on the outside, but our room was very clean and comfortable. As an extra plus, when we were there, numerous beautiful barn swallows were nesting under the eaves of the lobby and we got a close view of their nests and adorable nestlings.