The staff is wonderful. The breakfast is great.

I've visited the High Island Bird Sanctuary every year for the last five years. The rooms are clean and well maintained. Improvements are made every year. It is an ideal location to visit all the local birding scenes.

The Gulfway is an older motel and restaurant, but it was ideal for what we wanted. We were in High Island for the migrating birds, and it was within easy walking distance (5 to 8 minutes) to most of the amazing refuge properties in the town. And less than a 10 minute drive to the others. The rooms were clean, and while old style, they were simple and comfortable. The restaurant, operated by the hotel owners’ family, served excellent Chinese dishes and really good sushi, and they also make a great hamburger! And their breakfast was very good, too: freshly cooked eggs and sausage, hot oatmeal, yogurt, fresh fruit and cold cereal, too. Good rooms, good food, reasonable price, with nice people, and close to the birds! Two thumbs up!

Friendly family owned motel. Clean, and close to two excellent birding sites.

conveniant

The property was junky and cluttered.The room had a musty smell when we entered. There were dead bugs on the window sills. Restaurant was closed but they gave coffee on request in the morning. Staff were nice.Bed was good.

Spotlessly clean, friendly, helpful managers and very close to excellent birding hotspots. The restaurant food was good, Asian/American, but hours were variable. Earlier breakfast service would help birders.

As bird watchers, this motel could not be more convenient for visiting the bird sanctuaries located in High Island. The room was clean and quiet, and we felt safe during the intense thunderstorm that passed through in the early morning. We appreciated the on-site restaurant, and the food was good. Yes, a work-in-progress as others have stated; it is clear that the family is striving to improve the property. Everyone was helpful and kind. We would stay there again, and for more than one night to be able to explore the area more.

I like the location and very friendly service.

Stayed here due to location to the birding areas. I read the reviews about the trash around the office and it was still there. Old parts, machines, etc should be cleaned up. I was given a room across from the office and the road noise was loud.You will need ear plugs to sleep there. The lady that checked me in was very nice and I love the towells. No coffee machines in the room or no coffee in the office.

This is a tough review to write, because I WILL almost certainly stay at the Gulfway again. But I am being candid here so others will have a clear picture. The Gulfway is *not* a great experience. The walls and the towels are paper-thin, the windows only semi-functioning and there are zero amenities. I stayed Weds-Sun and while Weds-Thurs nights were pretty quiet, Fri-Sat saw a full-on tailgating party in the parking lot, complete with open fire BBQs and boom boxes. My response was to close the windows and run the A/C for white noise, which worked fine but might not be everyone's cup of tea. The plug-in air freshner in my room was beyond overpowering - like, nauseatingly strong. I imagine this was to smother some lingering odor that was somehow even worse than the air freshner. HOWEVER, I will say that if you have a very high tolerance for budget travel - and I mean youth-hostel-in-China-in-the-90s high tolerance - then the Gulfway is hands-down the absolute best location/value for birding in and around High Island. Walking distance to Smith Oaks, Eubanks, Boy Scout Woods and several other mini-preserves. 10 minutes to Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. The property manager, Jean, is fantastic and super helpful on every level - I genuinely liked the people who run this place and I wish they had more help and resources to upgrade it. So don't pass over the Gulfway if you have a high tolerance for low budget travel. Just go in open-eyed and don't be surprised.

Very old but very clean. Pool was down. But it is off season. 100% Customer service. Will be back.

The owners are very attentive and kind.

Nice

I was disappointed in that I booked this while still out of season. The restaurant was still closed for the season, so I never got to experience. The owners were very nice people. My room was clean but there were a lot of flying insects in the room when I first checked in. However a can of spray utilized around the door frame worked wonders. Overall it was a pleasant experience and I would use them again but in season.

Junk stacked everywhere!! Old refrigerators and washing machines, empty flower urns, old exercise equipment etc. Owner was cordial. Gave us a free upgrade king room. Restaurant was listed but is not open until March 1. No place to eat any meal except 18 miles away. Room was clean and the bed was comfortable. Very quiet day and night.

From the outside the motel looks old. The wonderful family that owns this has kept the rooms incredibly clean. sk them for the special Italian coffee in the morning. Great place to access the nearby birding spots early in the morning.

Updates were great. Staff was amazing. Really sweet folks. Very nostalgic, we loved it!

Aged and dirty, no coffee in the rooms and the restaurant is closed. Heater didn’t work in the room. Outlets only work when the light is on. No ice machine. Mangers fighting in foreign language during check in. This whole stay was a train wreck.

The owners were extremely friendly. They are working on updating the property. It’s an older motel and needs some work, but it was clean and the customer service was top notch. Very close to the beach! Can’t comment on the pool since we didn’t use it. Quiet property and the area around the motel is also quiet. Felt safe to be there and walk around. Would highly recommend this motel for the proximity to the beach and the friendly owners.

The staff are always friendly. Thats what matters

It was clean. No odors. Kind owners. It was our second stay; will return.

Excellent, the staff was great as always

We had a very nice stay at the Gulfway motel. This is the only hotel on High Island and was convenient to do local birding. It’s the closest place to stay near Anahuac wildlife refuge. It also has a restaurant with a nice choice of food. When the restaurant is not open, there is a gas station next door with a mini market to pick up snacks. The tv did have some reception problems which eventually worked itself out. The towels at this motel are very soft. The bed is firm but comfortable. Noise from adjoining rooms can be heard but ear plugs drowned out those sounds.

Good food and helpful owners.

This place was good for the price. Had a easy time checking in/out. Staff is friendly and easy to talk to! Clean on the inside of the rooms as well. Plus a TV and Wi-fi. Don’t leave your netflix logged in!! Will definitely stay again!

Family owned motel, very nice friendly and helpful. I like the property is gated and secure at night.

We chose this motel because it is the closest to the Gulf on the High Island end of Bolivar Peninsula. The outside area of the motel was a little weathered with it being so close to the ocean. But, the inside of our room was great! The bed was comfortable, with clean sheets and bed linens. The air conditioner cooled the room quickly, and kept it cold for our entire stay. The refrigerator/freezer was larger than I expected and it worked great! I loved the original mid century modern blue tile in the bathroom! The shower/tub had great water pressure and the water got hot and stayed hot for my entire shower. The motel provided plenty of clean towels for us. The towels were monogrammed with the motel's logo, which I thought was a nice touch. I had no complaints with our 3 night stay in June 2023. We will definitely be back! Thank you!

T V did not work. May have been the internet. T V did not work. Restaurant not open on Monday. Any Monday. No where to get food. Well one could do 20 miles or so in any direction. We ate in the restaurant on Tuesday. Pretty good. Live and learn. Will NOT stay at Gulfway again.

Excellent staff, good food, the only problem was bedbugs in one bed

Gulfway Motel is clean and affordable. The family who owns and runs the motel is friendly, efficient and helpful. I was in town for birding, and the owners were very knowledgeable about the local sanctuaries and bird populations. There isn't much else nearby, so dining (beyond the motel breakfast, which I left to early to try) is a 20 minute drive or more. The property does not look good from the outside, but is nonetheless a fine choice for a bargain stay.

They have great big clean rooms. Owners are wonderful people. The Chef in the restaurant attached to Hotel make the best food .His chow mein is fabulous and the pizza is great.