Hello from South Texas! It’s been awhile since I’ve been back to Corpus Christi – almost 15 years since I grew up in South Texas and then moved to Austin in 2007. So I was excited to be able to come back and give some local love to the area. Lively Beach is located at 138 Zahn Rd on Mustang Island in Corpus Christi.
SEE ALSO: Staycation At Austin Proper Hotel
20% off with code: KOKO
call (844) 808-0297 and mention KOKO
- they’re working with a new reservation system right now that can’t accept codes online so please call them directly and book over the phone. They’ll extend the 20% past Monday!
Here are 7 things you need to know about Lively Beach before you go!
Table of Contents
1. COVID-19 precautions
First things first, this is a weird time to be traveling. Normally I fly out every summer to work with destinations outside of Texas. With COVID-19, that’s not going to happen so I decided to spend this summer helping support our local tourism destinations.
- Mask requirements and distancing – commercial establishments are requiring employees and visitors to wear face masks when inside a commercial establishment. Wear your mask when outside of your hotel room. If you need a mask, masks are available in the lobby.
- Beach restrictions – the beach is not closed however is it closed to vehicular traffic. This includes golf carts for any motorized vehicles until August 17th. Beach curfew is in effect at 8pm until 6am and also set to expire on August 17th.
- Contactless check in – each door has it’s own keypad and the code was emailed to us the morning of.
- Arriving/leaving – check-in time 4:00 PM-anytime and check-out time is 10:00 AM
- Sanitation – each room is cleaned and sanitized between each stay. They also set out brand new rolls of paper towels still in its original packaging.
2. Rooms
There are several different types of rooms at Lively Beach
- Studio Efficiency, 1 Bath / Studio, 1 Bath – these are on the first floor and these are the only dog-friendly rooms.
- 1 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom – accommodates up to four guests.
- 1 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom with Deck – master bedroom has a king bed and the living room has a fold-out sleep sofa with a second or third-floor deck for enjoying the gulf breeze and view. Sleeps 4.
- 1 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom with Den & Patio – community view and sleeps 6
- 1 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom with Loft & Deck – gulf ocean views and sleeps 9
- 2 Bedroom, 3 Bathroom with Deck – gulf ocean views and sleeps 6
Amenities
- 46 smoke-free condos
- 50-inch Smart televisions come with digital channels and Netflix
- Housekeeping (on request)
- On the beach
- Outdoor swimming pool
- Rooftop terrace
- Air conditioning
- Limited hour front desk
- Hiking/biking trails (no fitness center)
- Free WiFi and free parking
- Kitchen
- Cookware, dishware, and utensils
- Stovetop
- Microwave
- Full-sized refrigerator/freezer
- Separate sitting area
3. Full kitchen
Every room has its own kitchen! This was so convenient to be able to prepare our own meals without having to leave the property to get coffee, breakfast, lunch, or dinner. We did dine out a couple of times during our stay at local restaurants.
The kitchen has pots, pans, plates, Keurig coffee maker, coffee cups, wine glasses, silverware, a full-sized refrigerator, and dishwasher. Lively Beach is all about sustainability so the K-cups are the compostable kind and they use all Mrs. Meyer’s cleaning products.
4. Private deck
We had our own private patio that had a small table and two chairs with a beautiful view of the property.
5. Private beach access
Lively Beach has its own private beach access which is the number one selling point of this property IMO. Definitely when the beach access roads were still closed when we went. It’s a short 3-minute walk across the wooden ramp to the beach. There was practically no one at the beach during our stay.
Tip: bring your own beach towels, sunscreen, and bug spray (if you plan on staying on the beach after the sun goes down. The mosquitoes are very vicious).
6. Pool
Lively Beach has a huge pool – I was very lucky to have it to myself during my stay! No towels at the pool so make sure to bring your own or else you’ll have to run across the parking lot soaking wet like I did 🙂
7. What to pack
- Swimsuits
- Pajamas/robe (they do not provide robes in the room)
- Beach towels – if you plan on going to the beach, you cannot take the towels out of the room.
- Bug spray like OFF – the mosquitoes are vicious at night!
- Sunscreen
- Groceries – we stopped by HEB (only 10 minutes away) on the way in. I recommend getting coffee creamer, hot dogs (to grill), burgers (to grill), juice, fruit, eggs, salt (we forgot this), and WATER (bottled water). Lively Beach doesn’t provide any water.
Nearby
- On the beach
- Packery Channel – 9 min walk
- J P Luby – 9 min walk
- Mollie Beattie Coastal Habitat Community – 16 min walk
- Schlitterbahn Waterpark Corpus Christi – 23 min walk
- New Port Pass – 33 min walk
- JP Luby Surf Park – 33 min walk
- Whitecap Beach – 2.5 mi / 4 km
- Mustang Beach – 2.7 mi / 4.4 km
- Bob Hall Pier – 3.5 mi / 5.7 km
- North Padre Island Beach – 0.7 mi / 1.1 km
Things To Do In Corpus Christi
This was a quick trip so I only visited a couple of restaurants but I hope to be back soon!
Doc’s Seafood and Steaks
We watched the most beautiful sunset from the dock at Doc’s Seafood and Steaks. I loved the crawfish fries, fried seafood platter, and catch of the day which was blackened redfish with rice and seasonal vegetables. You can even bring your own catch and Doc’s will cook it up for you!
Lucy’s Snackbar
We stopped by Lucy’s Snackbar in downtown Corpus Christi for coffee and breakfast – they even have oat milk! Brekkie bowl and yogurt bowl pictured above.
Water Street Oyster Bar
Originally an old transmission shop, Water Street Oyster Bar serves the freshest gulf seafood in a coastal ambiance. The fried seafood platter with locally catch drum, oysters, shrimp, and seasoned fries were so good! The wood-grilled oysters with a smoked paprika butter was also delicious. I’ll definitely be coming back on my next trip to Corpus.
Body Glove Spectrum Aro Bikini
Mustang Island State Park
Beaches in Corpus Christi will fully reopen to the public on August 17, 2020. We were lucky that the beach was practically deserted during our stay. Dogs are allowed on Mustang Island.
