Who Needs Hilton Head? Galveston’s Beachtown Brings a $3.5 Million Seaside Stunner That Competes With Dream Homes Anywhere

This is a Much Quieter Side of the Island Life

Photography TK Images

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Across a green stretch, the wide beach and Gulf Coast waves of Beachtown await salt water fans. (Photo by TK Images)

No need to head for the Carolina coasts for a taste of gracious beachfront living as boasted by such places as Kiawah Island and Hilton Head. The Texas Gulf Coast harbors its own little strip of ocean view paradise with all the charm and grace that one finds in a resort such as Palmetto Bluff.

Hello, Beachtown, designed by Duany Platter-Zyberkon, on Galveston Island’s east end.

While it’s possible to rent one of the spectacular development’s grand residences, infused with architectural nuances of New Orleans as well as the Carolina Low Country, we’ve come across a beauty that is on the market and, oh, how this girl would like to call it home. Well, my second home. (The party commute could be a little rough.)

And I’m not even a beach person. But having grown up in Louisiana and enjoying a certain penchant for the architectural heritage of the plantation home, I find the Steve Mouzon designed dwelling an appealing reference to a gracious lifestyle. The home at 2657 E. Seaside Drive is a classic. The wide galleries (as we called the porches at my grandmother’s house in the country), the high ceilings, the columned facades, the soaring doors and light emanating from every angle — what’s not to like.

For the sea birds, the gulf is only steps away across a green lawn, over a few tiny sand hills and across a wide beach, no cars, no tourists. While only a few miles (or a bike ride) from Galveston proper, this charming, architecturally-controlled hamlet is eons removed from the neon hustle and bustle of Seawall Boulevard.

John Daugherty Realtors‘ rock star agent Laura Sweeney has the listing for the 4,500 square foot home, with an asking price of $3.5 million. That tidy sum includes an elevator, four bedrooms, five full baths, ocean views from multiple balconies, a loggia with summer kitchen, fireplace and pool with retractable cover, a home cook’s dream kitchen, and a master suite worthy of a five-star luxury hotel. Marble and hardwood floors, beautiful finishes and open spaces for entertaining add to the allure.