Diamond Beach Condos Galveston, TX

June 20-23, 2024

Oh what a wonderous place to be! You can look up everything they have online, but for our ladies only getaway this was “the” perfect place!

Not only did they have 3 pools to chose from, but access to the beach from they’re own backyard!! Our room was on the 3rd floor and right as we opened the elevators the cinema room was booming with one of the “Finding Nemo” movies. I couldn’t hear a thing though once we stepped foot into the opposite hallway. The second floor had the inside pool (of which we never even saw…you’ll soon see why) and the two outdoor pools were one: a large 3 tiered pool and two: a huge, separate, and the perfect temperature lazy river that connected to itself so you could relax for literally hours going round and round all day!

Our room was AMAZING!! I instantly felt like I was in “my space.” Our room had a king bed, with bunk beds in the closet. We were blessed to find stacked washer and dryer units in another closet with ready to use pods in a Ziploc baggie. Our “U” kitchen was perfect for our cooking and prepping needs. The living room. Can I just say wow?!! It was large with one huge “U” couch (oh so comfy!!), an hanging chair in the corner (where I could have blissfully stayed the entire weekend were it not for the lazy river calling my name), and a hide-a-bed next to it. We also had a wonderful balcony on our corner of the building and so while we didn’t see the beach from inside, we could see and hear it very well outside. We decided to keep the sliding door ajar to keep that beach vibe going inside. We had nothing to worry about except what we were going to do for dinner…lol.

The outdoor area had a small bar (which you could also access inside the lazy river with mounted bar stools in the water), several outdoor games including a giant chess board and pieces, corn hole, and connect 4. There were umbrellas, tables, and chairs everywhere. The only time I figured you were out of luck for seating was during peak weekends and holidays. With the condo room we rented via VRBO being so close to the outdoor pools, we often took turns getting out of the lazy river to get snacks, lunch supplies, or other items we left behind in our room. Countless, wonderful, and memorable hours were spent in the lazy river.

Our first day there we were hopeful the beach was ok as the Galveston, TX area had just gone through a mild hurricane. Luckily all the weather was on our side. As we unpacked and vowed to play all my sister’s games (at least 10) before our 3 days were up, but first…to the lazy river!!! It was just before 5pm when we got in and we quickly warmed up to the water’s temperature. They offer tubes for you to use for free, but the self inflatable net floaties we bought off Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Inflatable-Pool-Floats-Hammock-Adult/dp/B0D481BJT5/ref=sr_1_8?sr=8-8) were the best!! From there we found the back door to the beach and found shells on the shore that could keep us busy for days!! We waded through the water for a little while before giving into our hunger.

I chose dinner at Fisherman’s Wharf https://www.fishermanswharfgalveston.com/ and though the outdoor seating area was full, we got gorgeous views of the sunset from behind the large window we were seated next to. The 3 of us enjoyed sharing FISHERMAN’S WHARF FRIED SEAFOOD PLATTER with shrimp, oysters, fish fillet, mini crab cakes, Shrimp Kisses, stuffed shrimp with our 3 individual sides of mac & cheese, fettuccini alfredo, and a cup of lobster bisque. All of the food was excellent!! Our top favorites were the bisque with lobster in the middle, crab cakes with actual crab baked in, and the shrimp kisses (bacon wrapped shrimp with melted cheese). Soooo Goooood!! They validated our parking ticket so we didn’t have to pay anything for the hour we were there for. We could have meandered around a bit, but the sun was already down and we were wiped from our day of fun and relaxation. We stayed up to play a few games knowing that we’d get less sleep than we wanted, but figured we could sleep in or on the chairs near the lazy river.

Day 2: We all woke up about 9:30am. We ate fruit and cereal and other goodies as we played games on our balcony. Then we got ready to swim and we enjoyed the outdoor pool for a little bit before ending up in the lazy river, telling ourselves we’d hit the beach after sundown. We changed our spots about 3 times that day according to the sun and where the shade was haha 😀 . We shared jokes, memories, sang, and raced. I’m pretty sure all in all we spent about 6 hours in or around the lazy river. We only got out because our snacks and lunch food no longer sufficed for our hungry needs. After cleaning up we went across the street to get some dinner (literally walked ourselves across and back a 4 lane highway). I got shrimp tacos, my sis got street tacos, and Mom got jambalaya. Then we played games after we ate and played Fall Guys until midnight lol. And since we didn’t do the beach, we planned an all day beach day tomorrow.

Day 3: I slept in hard. Mom and sis were already up when I heard my name around 10am being gently shouted from the living room, getting me out of sleep enough to wake up. My sis and I were burnt where our swim suit didn’t cover. Luckily I don’t like burning enough to get a suit with shorts and sleeves, but my thighs and inner hands got toasted. Thankfully the sun hat I got from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BPL45MRP?psc=1 which is closer to a peachy tan skin tone than pink) kept my face and neck covered, but even though we both re-applied sunscreen, we both got burned. I decided next time we should dry off fully before reapplying, or do as Mom did and take more breaks in the shade. Luckily I had some after sun lotion with aloe in it from HEB (like Walmart, but better quality) to help it from getting too bad and being overly sensitive, but we forced Mom’s hand into doing everything after 4pm. So…we played games!!

A little after 4pm we braved the outdoors wanting to not burn anymore, but still have a good sit at the beach. It was blissful. I ended up wishing I wore my sun hat to cover the back of my right rear and neck as the setting sun consistently heated up, but was so thankful for the loose fitting pants I totally love and got just for this occasion (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TZZZS3Q?psc=1). Thankfully some sunscreen in the right places did the trick to keep my neck and ear from burning. I love love LOVED being able to sit and read with our camping chairs in the sand letting the water come to our feet, and zone out to the ocean waves. It’s no wonder my soul yearns to be closer to the ocean. It’s serene, beautiful, and smells like a memory. Breath in…. Ahhh … and release all your tension into the sand.

Dinner was at Waffle House so my sister could know what that’s like, whose menu was totally missing a few things than last time I was there, was better than she expected & cheap. After eating, about 7pm, we got our suits on and went to the lazy river. It was a whole new experience at night! The pool was all lit up, we saw the sun set through the palm trees, and almost nobody was out. We had fun chatting, playing with our floaties, pretending to race as we let the current do it’s thing thing while I played the announcer, “Ooh! Mom’s sneaking past us into first as the current wooshes her around the corner. Who will be in the lead when we round the next one? It’s anyone’s game! Stay tuned to see if sis can make it past her nemesis, the troublesome whirlpool near the entrance.” Lol Things like that.

During that water time together we encountered a light rainstorm! It came down a little cooler than the pool, but we didn’t mind. It was interesting to experience and we figured we’re already wet, so who cares? We thought a little bit about our stuff getting wet, then remembered the important stuff was covered by towels or an umbrella. We also made some friends as they’d enter the river as we passed them by. Pretty soon the stars came out and that was a neat experience all it’s own. I immediately found the big dipper, though no one was impressed, and others along our floating journey.

Near 11pm we headed back to the room and stayed up playing a few games. By midnight Mom was done, but I had just figured out the method to our recent game though, so sis and I played one more round,  and I finally slaughtered her! Victory! I had lost every game until then. Sometimes I lost by only a point behind, but still losing. I got really bummed after losing our first game that night and started getting super sad and frustrated. Realizing I didn’t want to be that person you have to deal with while playing a game I bucked up, said sorry, explained my feelings to help them understand my obvious frustration when they asked, and revised my mindset to just having fun together. I could be a little bummed, but still have fun.

Sunday Morning we packed, ate up what we could, put the rest in my cooler to take home & left for Buc-ees to grab our souvenirs to take home. I got a cute baby turtle hatching out of it’s egg with “Galveston Beach” on the front. So cute! My sister got jerky for her and her hubby. Buc-ees is something you just have to experience to understand, and they both loved it.

I dropped them off and the airport close to noon and started heading back home. Three hours later safe, sound, and still very at peace and relaxed. We can’t wait to go back!

Randomly Yours,

Chelsea