I was desperate to see the ocean and to spend time with one of my closest friends. On June 4th, after almost 12 weeks of being landlocked and 10 of those weeks by myself in my condo, I took my first flight since mid-February. My destination was a quick stop in San Antonio then road tripping with my friend Kerry to her beach cottage in Port Aransas, Texas.

We got into “Port A,” as it’s more commonly referred to, in time to check on one of her rental property Costa Azul at Sunflower Beach Resort and Residences and grab a late lunch at Turtle’s Restaurant, open to home owners or resort guests only. It was about 2 p.m. and we were the only ones there, which honestly, I was thrilled with. Kerry had raved about their ceviche and fish tacos. We ordered one of each to split. I could have devoured the ceviche by myself it was so good. It’s served with plantain chips. I’m not a big cream sauce person, but the topper on the fish tacos was outstanding. It was so good I asked what it was. It’s an avocado crema made with avocado, cilantro, lime, salt and pepper.

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We were spending the weekend in Kerry’s small beach cottage in Spanish Village. The cottages date back to the mid- to late-1940s and have survived multiple tropical systems, including Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Kerry’s cottage isn’t for rent, but there are a few in Spanish Village that are available for rental. I recommend Sunshine Cottage, Spanish Village #8. I’ve stayed in it and love it.

After settling in, we drove around to see what was open and what wasn’t for the weekend. I have friends who lost their long-time beach cottage in Hurricane Harvey and had recently finished building the beach house of their dreams. I wanted to see it, so we headed over to have happy hour with Jace and Donna. Sipping margaritas and wine, we laughed and shared quarantine stories around the kitchen island and in the gentle sea breeze on their rooftop deck, which is the primo spot to catch sunset in Port A. That Friday night, we were also treated to the rising Full Strawberry Moon.

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Needing a little something food-wise, Kerry and I went in search of a late dinner and there weren’t a lot of options. Thankfully, La Playa Mexican Grille was open for take-out. We got the crab nachos off their secret menu that Kerry’s knows about. They were a perfect late-night dinner at her cottage.

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The next morning, we walked to the Donut Palace for coffee. Only the drive-thru is open at this very popular place. I laughed as Kerry and I stood in line along with pick-up trucks and golf carts. Two blonde chicks not in some sort of vehicle waiting in line for coffee was a hilarious sight for others. It’s the one picture I wished I had taken from the weekend. In addition to the coffee we got a half dozen of their donut holes as a sweet reward for standing in line. They just melt in your mouth. Donut Palace also has pig n blankets, croissants and biscuits along with donuts and other sweet pastries.

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Kerry is past president of the Texas Ski Council and she had a Zoom meeting for a couple of hours, so I took off on a solo power walk on the beach. In Texas, you can drive on the beach. After seeing pictures and videos from Memorial Day, I expected the beach to be busy and it was. But I was able to easily social distance for beach goers, especially since I was walking briskly. It was a wonderful hour of sweating on the beach while listening to the waves roll in and out. I love living in the mountains, but I also love the ocean. I find it calming yet revitalizing. On the way back to Kerry’s cottage, I spotted one of the boat planters you’ll find throughout Port Aransas. I immediately text a picture of the one I saw with a longhorn to a friend who’s a graduate and huge fan of University of Texas.

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Shopping is an integral part of a girls weekend at the coast, especially the cute beachy boutiques in Port A. We started our retail therapy at Roam Home. It shares a deck with popular ice cream parlor. Roam Home has everything from beachy decor to lotions to fun kitchen finds. I did have a moment of too many people in the store for me, so we quickly checked out with finds of lotion and bath salts and headed over to the sister store, Roam, a clothing boutique in a light pink house with funky decor out front.

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We were going to pop in Cita’s and Palm Republic of Texas, but our tummies were rumbling. We tried to grab lunch at Miss K’s Bistro and Catering, but they were only doing take-out and out of most things for the day since it was about 2:30 p.m. We decided to head back over to Turtle’s to split ceviche. You know it’s great ceviche if I go two days in a row! After our late lunch we went on a driving adventure along the beach to meet up with another one of my dear friends who was down at the coast for the weekend with her family. I guess Kerry and I must have been chatting away because I took no pictures as we slowly cruised along the line of cars and groups that we passed in the close to 2 miles that we drove. My friend Jackie and her family had a tent set up, so we sat in the shade talking and enjoying a beautiful beach day.

We had made dinner plans to go back to Jace and Donna’s beach house instead of going out to a restaurant. We also got to take in another great sunset from their rooftop. As we got back to Kerry’s cottage, the slightly less than full moon was rising.

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The next morning, we went back to the Donut Palace. This time in her golf cart. Yes, we order another half dozen donut holes to munch on while we cleaned up and packed to get back to San Antonio around lunch time. It was a wonderful stay in my favorite small town on the Texas Coast.

Author Jennifer Broome spent a weekend in Port Aransas in the fall of 2019. Check out blog Fall Weekend in Port Aransas, Texas for other fun things to do in Port A, including taking the ferry to St. Joe’s Island.