Courtyard by Marriott Galveston Island

This four-story hotel is contemporary but not overly modern or chic. The color scheme in the lobby and Bistro is mostly bright blue with muted blue-and-yellow-patterned carpet. In the Bistro, a barista island with a display of bottled drinks and cafe menus centers the room. The other side of the island has a bar with a few stools, but otherwise the seating is lounge-style at small tables with navy or orange leather banquettes. The broad, wooden reception desk, silver pillars and high long tables with hanging rectangular lights give the lobby a corporate look. The outdoor pool is large and nicely landscaped with a rock ledge feature and several palm trees around it, plus several clusters of patio furniture and cushioned gray benches shaded under a striped awning. 

The hotel is across the street from the ocean, but the beach is composed of cut rocks, not sand. Undeveloped land sits on the other side of the hotel. There aren't many businesses within easy walking distance of the hotel besides a Go Kart and Fun Center, about six minutes down the road on foot. Moody Gardens is a six-minute drive away, while the downtown area of Galveston is about a 10-minute drive away. Jamaica Beach is about a 14-minute drive in one direction, and Steward Beach a 15-minute drive in the other direction. This hotel is about an hour's drive from downtown Houston, and an hour-and-15 minute drive from George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Each room is nicely decorated with an oversize canvas print of a beach or ocean scene -- which seems a bit ironic in the rooms that have no ocean views and face the parking lot. Rooms with ocean views have beds facing the windows. (A handful of rooms have balconies.) There is dark office-like furniture in the rooms, including large desks with rolling office chairs, dressers, flat-screen TVs, and large wardrobes. The headboards are made from attractive dark wood with built-in lamps. Each room offers free Wi-Fi,  mini-fridges, coffeemakers, safes, and irons and ironing boards. Bathrooms are large, with nice toiletries and shower/tub combos. Many rooms have sofa beds. 

This Courtyard hotel offers free Wi-Fi throughout the property, as well as free outdoor parking. The Bistro restaurant serves an a la carte-style breakfast, lunch, and dinner for an extra fee, and has a limited bar. There's a beautiful outdoor pool, hot tub, and patio area, as well as a fitness center, a convenience shop selling drinks and snacks, a coin-operated laundry, and a handful of meeting and presentation rooms, along with a business center with computers and printers.