1. 21FIRST FOR READINGAdvertising (0118) 918 3000FRIDAY JULY 4 2014 l GET READING l getreading.co.uk
getaway
Making the most
of your time off
Ranch
dressing
mr and mrs HAMILTON
ride out with some Texan
cowboys, explore Houston’s
foodie scene, then head
down Galveston way
Factbox
n We were guests of DoubleTree
Houston Galleria (doubletree3.
hilton.com/en/hotels/texas/
doubletree-suites-by-hilton-hotel-
houston-by-the-galleria-HOUSYDT/
index.html), Texas Ranch Life
(texasranchlife.com), Magnolia
Hotel (magnoliahotels.com/houston/
magnolia-hotel-houston.php), Royal
Sonesta (sonesta.com/
royalhouston), Harbor House
(harborhousepier21.com) and The
Tremont (wyndhamtremonthouse.
com).
n We also had RailAir bus tickets
from Reading railway station to
Heathrow, visit railair.com.
n We paid £1,311.10 for two return
flights with United Airlines from
Heathrow to Houston with
Travelbag. Go to travelbag.co.uk.
n See visithoustontexas.com.
W
E want to hang out with
Robert and Shelby. Robert
is a cowboy and his friend
works at South Texas Tack and
can get us a deal on some boots.
We met Robert when he knocked
on the door of our restored 1850s
house on the grounds of holiday
ranch Texas Ranch Life, spur
glinting in the sun, chewing tobacco
well under way, stetson cocked.
We had a horseride over some of
the farm’s 1,600 acres booked,
but first we were being corralled
for some buffalo-spotting through
the sweet-smelling grasses
surrounding the farmstead in
Chappell Hill, about an hour from
central Houston.
But more of that later, for you
can’t come to cowboy country
without saddling up.
If New York is the city that
never sleeps, Houston is the one
that never eats in. According to
foodie guide Zagat, locals dine
out an incredible average of
five-and-a-half times a week.
Our fortnight away was
dominated by deliciousness;
never more so than at talk-of-
the-town Underbelly
(underbellyhouston.com). This
comfortable and ever-so-slightly
experimental restaurant is the
home of executive chef
Chris Shepherd.
Sharing dishes
range from Korean
goat dumplings to
spicy corn-on-the-cob.
Knowledgeable staff
were passionate
about the value-for-
money plates.
Another renowned
chef is Monica Pope.
Her quirky Sparrow
Bar + Cookshop
(sparrowhouston.
com), has some
unusual touches
(origami menus and
chemistry-themed
glassware). We were blown
away by The Date With A
Pig appetizer, a medjool
date with chorizo, bacon
and chermoula, enhanced
with a $10 cocktail list.
Other Montrose
restaurants worth a look
include Hugo’s, Poscol and
El Real. We visited them
on a 90-minute Houston
Culinary Tour (www.
houstonculinarytours.
com) – also a great way to
meet locals – see footage here www.
khou.com/great-day/videos/gdh-
6_17_14Seg5-263506211.html.
For shoppers, the Galleria mall
has 400 stores. The university area
of Rice Village offers boutique shops,
and a stroll away, two brilliant
bookshops – Brazos Bookstores and
Murder By The Book. The Heights
area is also for laid-back scoffing
and shopping – don’t miss boutique
Emerson Rose and Heights General
Store.
In the
museum
district
(houston
museumdistrict.
org), many
venues have free
entry. We
popped into The
Museum of Fine
Arts, but other
offerings include
the Museum of Childhood and
Weather Museum. The area also
includes Houston Zoo (adults $15,
children aged two-11 $11).
A trip to Houston would not be
complete without a visit to NASA
Space Centre (spacecenter.org). The
main site is geared towards children
with lots of hands-on science fun,
but a tram tour around the official
complex of the Apollo space
missions is highly recommended.
The space centre is
included on a moneysaving
cityPASS booklet which gives
entry to five attractions at a cost of
$49 for adults, $39 for children
(citypass.com/houston).
Sprawling Houston is not tourist-
friendly when it comes to transport
links, so car hire or a taxi fund is
needed. However, we loved its
trendy shops, huge malls and food
scene and spending time at a
working ranch was an unbeatable
experience, so get yerself out there
y’all.
n Outside Houston
We spent two blissful days as
guests of Texas Ranch Life, an
hour’s drive West. Run by the
welcoming Elick family, this
1,600-acre working ranch boasts
views to die for and stunning
historical lodgings. It has about 40
quarter horses, trained on-site by
cowboy Robert, who took us
buffalo-spotting then riding among
the farm’s longhorn.
We loved the family’s tales of
rodeo riding and cattle driving.
Other activities include fishing,
tomahawk throwing and ranch
work demos. Our overnight stay
with food and riding would have
cost $275 pp plus six per cent tax.
We also spent two nights on
Galveston Island (cityofgalveston.
org), an hour’s drive from Houston.
Galveston is a resort of seafood
restaurants, surf/bikini shops,
galleries and Victorian architecture.
We stayed at the gorgeous Harbor
House Hotel & Marina and
Tremont House with its period
detail. We used Tremont’s free
shuttle bus to its beach-side sister
hotel The Galvez, a short walk to
Galveston Historic Pleasure Pier
($26.99 for an all-day pass) where
Mrs Hamilton defied death on the
rollercoasters. Mr Hamilton
preferred The Strand shopping
district, Board Games Island café
and historic confectioner La King’s.
We also visited Moody Gardens,
which includes a Rainforest
pyramid – packed with close-
enough-to-touch wildlife and fish –
and a similar shaped Aquarium,
better than the Downtown
Aquarium in Houston which oddly
had white tigers on show. You can
also swing on zip wires and get wet
at Schlitterbahn Waterpark.
A live performance at the
Haunted Mayfield Manor – based
on a hurricane in 1900 – was a
squeal, as was a harbor tour among
the Gulf Coast’s dolphins. Here you
can also walk around tall ship
Elissa, at the Seaport Museum.
WE started our holiday at the
comfortable DoubleTree
Suites Galleria, perfectly
located next to the 400-store
Galleria shopping centre.
The hotel has a business feel,
but suited us.
The inclusion of a kitchen in
our suite was a treat and we
enjoyed the good-sized
outdoor pool.
We also tried The Magnolia,
a modern, attractive hotel
Downtown.
Our suite was stunning (also
including a kitchen), however,
there were a few minor
inconveniences – constant
banging from construction
workers on the next block
when you’re trying to have a
lie-in, a lack of seating (and
choice) at a chaotic breakfast
and a potentially chic and
relaxing reception area
marred by noise from private
parties above.
However, you can’t beat its
location with great bars (The
Flying Saucer and El Big Bad
particularly) nearby.
Minute Maid Park and the
BBVA Compass Stadium, the
respective homes of the
Houston Astros and Houston
Dynamo, were a few blocks
from the hotel.
Our last stay was at recently
renovated 23-storey Royal
Sonesta, back within walking
distance of The Galleria.
We loved our modern-feeling
room and its fantastic views
but the swimming pool was a
bit small. Breakfast was
excellent.
Where to stay
GalvestonIsland
DowntownHouston
FishtacosattheBlack
Pearl,Galveston
TexasRanchLife,
ChappellHill
from top: DoubleTree Suites
Galleria, The Magnolia, and the Royal
Sonesta in Houston; and The Tremont
Hotel and Harbor House Hotel &
Marina, on Galveston Island
sarah.hamilton@
trinitysouth.co.uk
@thereadingscoop