Last week, I wrote about Galveston and its role in Texas' history. I'll talk about the resort we stayed at for the North American Travel Journalist Association (NATJA) conference, Moody Gardens.

One of the state's largest hotel and entertainment complexes, Moody Gardens is not just a hotel, spa and convention center. It also features an aquarium, discovery museum and theaters, a rain forest, all housed in colored glass pyramids, a public golf course, a paddleboat and beach park, and a vast two-part waterpark, Schlitterbahn, next door. 

It’s located in the middle of Galveston Island on a bayou a mile from the ocean. During the three days I stayed there, I barely scratched the surface of what was offered because of the conference. But I visited the aquarium for an evening reception and stayed at the hotel. So, here’s my review of what Moody Gardens’ hotel offered, organized by my usual categories.

Accommodations

When I arrived by shuttle from Houston Hobby Airport after waking up at 4 AM, I was exhausted and only wanted to get to my room to rest. Luckily, it was ready, but I only had enough time to drop my bags and head to the conference and dinner reception at the nearby aquarium. By the time I returned to the room, it was late, but I could take stock of the room.

My king-bed suite was spacious, with a full-size couch, matching accent chair and desk. The view overlooked the Moody Gardens complex and bayou in the distance. However, I did get an accessible room, which overall was acceptable. The only thing that I would have liked was to have a tub rather than an oversized shower, as most accessible units have. Next time I stay at a hotel, I will probably ask if I could get a regular room.

Perhaps another thing that would have made the room better was a décor refresh. The items in my room seemed to be vintage 1990s, so a style update would have made the room just a bit more luxurious and contemporary.

Amenities

Moody Gardens has a ten-story main building within its hotel grounds that houses its guest rooms. Its services are between this area and the conference center, and they’re easy to find with clear maps and signage.  Because I spent most of my time at the conference, I didn’t have time to experience these amenities, especially its award-winning spa.

There were two pool areas—one indoor for lap swimming and an outdoor one with a much bigger stone façade bridge bisecting it. Next to the pools was a pizza and ice cream parlor. No one was in any of these areas, perhaps because families weren’t yet on vacation. Or, it could have been because an abundance of mosquitos made going outside a challenge.

As I often do, I spent time in the fitness center. I was the only guest using this facility for some reason, which I found interesting. But maybe that was because some of the cardio equipment wasn’t working. I had to report this issue to the front desk, and I found the treadmills functioned without problem the next day. Like the room décor, these machines can probably use an update.

Service

How hotel staff treat their guests is integral to a positive stay. I never used to pay attention to service because I always believed that was just a given. But since many places are understaffed and those present are overworked, I’m focusing more on this critical aspect.

The Moody Gardens staff was engaging and friendly, from the front desk representative who exclaimed, “Yes!” when my room was ready to the servers at the breakfast and lunch buffets to the valets in the outside porte-cochere. When I even had to bring up the issue with the nonfunctional treadmills, the desk person apologized and said it would be addressed. The next day, they all worked.

When I lost my phone, another staffer was going to personally look for it rather than leave it at the desk. She said that I would probably need it right away, and I appreciated this extra mile move.

Food

I must admit I only had breakfast and one buffet lunch at Moody Gardens. We had catered box lunches and dinners out the rest of the time. There are two main eateries – the more casual Café in the Park and the more formal Shearn’s, on the building’s top floor – two bars and two quick-serve places. That's why I didn't take pictures. The food was good, but it was standard in presentation.

But at least our meals were quite good. There weren’t any coagulated scrambled eggs, soggy salads or rubbery proteins. If these basics were done well, the rest of their culinary offerings would likely be decent.