I know Memorial Day was over a month ago, and I can’t believe I’m just NOW able to sit down to tell you about our weekend adventures! Things have been so hectic lately, between the end of the school year, packing, moving, unpacking, photoshoots and pregnancy that my routines have been all out of wack. But thankfully it looks like things are about to slow down! I had my last official photoshoot till October on Monday and our last wedding is tomorrow. Then after that it’s nesting time! *whoop whoop* I’m SO ready to settle down, relax, get the nursery set up and enjoy some quiet moments before James arrives in August. There is still SO much to do, and I’m glad I have the time to get it all done before life changes forever.
We’re less than two months away from his arrival- ahh!! I still can’t believe it.
But anyhoo… Memorial Day weekend.
It was SO much fun! Isaac and I decided to call it our “babymoon” and it was perfect. We went with some of our best friends (and our favorite vacation buddies, Matt and Brittany), which I feel made it even better. We’ve gone on a bunch of different trips with them, like San Antonio a few years ago and Arkansas this past Labor Day and they always make traveling more fun. There’s just something about having friends that get you, ya know? Plus Isaac is the best husband in the world, but he just doesn’t do girl talk quite like Brittany does. Sorry, honey! ; )
This trip to Corpus Christi had been a long time coming. We originally planned on going over Labor Day weekend last year, but that was right after Hurricane Harvey came through the Texas coast, and we had to cancel the trip. Brittany and I were SO bummed. We had been dreaming about walking the sandy beaches, staring at the ocean waves, and relaxing on the beach for months. (But it was all okay, because we had fun on our impromptu trip to Arkansas that weekend). So when the next long weekend came along, we decided to give the beach another try. And I’m so glad we did! We couldn’t have asked for a better time.
Where We Stayed
As with every trip we take nowadays, we booked with Airbnb. Since it was Memorial Day weekend and we were trying to stay within a reasonable budget, our choices were a bit slim. We settled on Nataleigh’s Island Refuge townhouse and it ended up being a great place to stay! Not only was she a SUPER sweet host (she even left Isaac and me a card congratulating us on the baby), but when the AC went out our first evening there she made sure it was fixed ASAP. Thankfully we didn’t have to find somewhere else to stay the night (which would have been impossible since everywhere was fully booked due to the weekend), and let’s just say that no AC in Texas on the coast is not for the weak at heart. It got hot and humid in that condo a little too quickly for this preggo lady!
The condo was nice, and perfect for what we needed, but there were some cosmetic problems we noticed throughout the weekend. Water damage, cracked tiles, dated kitchen and broken blinds… But all in all we enjoyed our stay there and it fulfilled our purpose. We had hot showers, beds to sleep in and a fridge for food. Done and done!
Photo from Airbnb
What We Did
Well, in true beach fashion, we did a whole lot of nothing. We had backup plans of things we could do if we got tired of the beach, but our trip was so short and the beach was so nice that we ended up spending the entire time soaking in the sun. (But for reals. Brittany and I had some KILLER sunburns by the end of the weekend!)
Whitecap Beach
The first thing we did on Saturday morning (after arriving LATE Friday night) was head to H-E-B for groceries. We only wanted to eat out for dinner, so we got stuff for breakfasts and lunches (and snacks, of course). While there, Isaac started chatting with the guy bagging our groceries and he asked him which beaches were best in the area. The cashier and bagger both recommended Whitecap beach so I headed to customer service to get a beach pass, and then we were on our way! I’ve been to quite a few beaches before, but this one was different. There was a parking lot for public beach access, but since we had a beach pass we actually got to drive along the beach to set up camp wherever there was a clear space. There were trucks, SUVs, cars and vans parked all along the beach, but since we got there so late, all the beachfront spots were taken. Thankfully, though, since we didn’t have a lot of equipment with us, we were able to squeeze between two families and have a space all to our own. It was so nice, and MUCH less crowded than the public beach access!
The next morning we left a lot earlier, and got to back our car right up to our spot which I loved. We didn’t have to cart our stuff back and forth, the cooler didn’t leave the back of the car, and we were guaranteed a spot looking out at the waves. It was perfect!
And I have to say… I was really expecting Corpus to not be very pretty, but I was pleasantly surprised! There was a bit of seaweed in the water, but it was a lot prettier that I thought. It was no white sand beach off the coast of Florida, but for Texas it wasn’t half bad. ; )
Things we learned at Whitecap beach:
1. Show up early. The earlier you are, the more likely you are to have a parking spot right on the beach.
2. Get a beach pass. It’s worth the whopping $15 just to not have to deal with crowds of people at the public access section. ; )
3. When you park along the beach, your little Honda Fit may look a bit out of place next to all the jacked up trucks surrounding it.
4. Be careful of the fishing lines! There were a ton of people fishing right where people were swimming.
5. Speaking of fishing, the family next to us actually caught fish simply using a net (unlike the seaweed the other people kept catching). So maybe those poles aren’t necessary after all.
6. SUNSCREEN. You’d think I’d know this by now, but I re-learn this lesson every time I go to the beach. Lather that stuff on, y’all. I’d rather be white than suffer with a sunburn like I got this weekend! ; )
And of course we had to do a mini photoshoot on the beach our last night. Cuz when you travel with a photographer, that’s what happens!
Other Things to do in Corpus:
Visit Padre Island National Seashore
Check out the USS Lexignton
Go to the Texas State Aquarium
Visit the Texas Sealife Center
Go on a Segway or horseback ride!
Click here for more ideas!
What We Ate
We only went to two restaurants on the Island, but both were pretty darn tasty! I would go back to both in a heart beat.
La Palma Mexican Restaurant #2
On Saturday night we wanted to go to Doc’s, but the wait was WAY too long (once again, showing up later in the day isn’t always the best idea haha) so I got on Yelp and found this restaurant instead. It had great reviews and we were all so hungry, knowing we’d get chips and salsa as we waited for our meals to come out was motivation enough to go. When we walked in, we knew we had made the right decision! You could tell this wasn’t a tourist-trap, and that it was mostly locals in there. At least, I’m assuming it was mostly locals since no one was sporting quite as bright a sunburn as I was – aka the mark of someone new in town.
Although the service was slow (we came in right after a huge wave left, so the two waiters were busy bussing tables and taking orders), it was worth it. The salsa was fresh and tasty, and we demolished two baskets of chips in no time. The menu was extensive, and it was hard picking something to eat, but we were all more than satisfied with our meals. Matt and I both got one of their “Hot Plates” and Brittany and Isaac got enchiladas.
Y’all. The food was phenomenal! The pictures don’t even do it justice. If we lived on the Island, this would definitely be a go-to restaurant for us!
Doc’s
To end our weekend, we decided to give Doc’s another try (from experience, the wait is a LOT shorter when you get there at 5:30ish rather than 7). I love eating at seafood places when we are on the coast, and I’m glad we ended up going to Doc’s. The restaurant was open, so the ocean breeze blew through the place and gave it an awesome beach-y vibe. And the location was so pretty that I could have stayed there all evening looking across the water. Even though it was a definite tourist trap restaurant, I loved every minute of it. In all my sunburned glory. ; )
We started off with some crab guacamole which was… alright. We all wished there had been more crab in there, especially for the price!
Isaac got some yellow fin tuna tacos, I got blackened mahi-mahi (the catch of the day), Matt got crab stuffed flounder and Brittany ordered the bbq bacon wrapped shrimp. I personally loved every bite of my fish. It was seasoned perfectly, and cooked just the way I like it. The green beans were a bit spicy (I have no idea why, but Brittany and I both agreed it was something in the green beans) and their roasted potatoes were amazing. It may not have been worth the price, but I was just happy to get my fresh fish fix in! Isaac and Matt both said their meals were delicious as well, but Brittany didn’t like the BBQ sauce that smothered the shrimp. She said it was too overpowering and you couldn’t even taste the shrimp.
All in all, though, Doc’s was a hit, and so nice after a long hot day at the beach.
Our trip to Corpus was short, but so much fun. Being able to kick back and do nothing was much needed, and I enjoyed getting to spend the weekend hanging out with Matt and Brittany. I can’t believe it was our last baby-free trip with them, either!! Ahh so so crazy! But the good thing is that I know this isn’t our last trip together. Cuz when you find awesome traveling buddies, you don’t let go of them easily. Plus they’re basically James’s adopted aunt and uncle, so they’re stuck with us whether they like it or not. ; )
Now it’s your turn to talk! Answer one of these questions in the comments below:
Have you ever been down to Corpus? What did you think?
Do you also have friends you love traveling with?
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