This house fit our needs very well, considering we were vacationing with a baby and a toddler. Plenty of space, easy to keep clean, lots of dishes for us to use for snack times and a safe balcony for them to enjoy the ocean from. Most finishings inside and outside the home are well-loved but functional and clean. It felt more cozy and personal, less like you had to walk around the house on pins and needles afraid to relax in the sterile museum environment. We were definitely able to loosen up and enjoy the AMAZING location of this home. We came to look forward the drive into Galveston proper as a time to crank up the music and just chill, and appreciated the slower pace on this side of the island. Tips: Walk the beach often if you love seashells. Beautiful and big ones washed ashore every day. Wear shoes outside in the yard, there are stickers. I would imagine chemical treatments are a no no to maintain the safe home for critters in the dune area, so I would not expect those to go away or ask for them to be removed. And finally, for the perfect no-fuss beach day order food to-go from the West End Marina Restaurant which is a mile down the road, and bring it back to the house to enjoy with a view of the beach or out on the beach. Everything we had from there was awesome. We took to-go twice and dined in there once. We would stay here again, perhaps even longer than a week.