Our favorite place on the Texas Coastal Bend.
View from Kontiki Beach Resort
Photo by Andrew Leggett
15 miles north of Port Aransas, fishing piers decorate the coast line of Rockport-Fulton a charming, less touristy option, and the county seat of Aransas County.
Rockport was recommended to me years ago, the first time I traveled to the Texas Coast, and it has lingered in my heart since. Every holiday in Rockport-Fulton has been both interesting and filled with “fishing on the bay” relaxation. During this visit we stayed at Kontiki Beach Resort in a suite on the top floor, a corner unit with great views. I was thrilled to have found it and been able to book it as late as we did, considering it was a Memorial Day weekend and a popular holiday for traveling. After checking in, we headed to the locally owned and managed (by a charming family) Stevie Lews BBQ Kitchen, where the chickens run free all over the parking lot, and loaded up on BBQ. After a nice stroll on the long fishing pier, we relaxed on the balcony and enjoyed a continuous sea breeze and the great views of the canal and Aransas bay.
The following morning, after sipping our coffee on the balcony, we popped into the visiting center in the open sea air market area before breakfast at a Mexican restaurant on Highway 35 south, The Original Vallarta. After a long wait, our breakfast came and tasted fresh and homemade. Next, we cycled along the scenic Water street. It was pleasant, but got steaming pretty quickly. We headed to cool off with a nice hot cappuccino at the Daily Grind on Wharf St, which was once a different coffee house that we had been to a few years past. It has a new name and new owner, and shares the space with two art galleries. After finally cooling off enough to move, we made our way into the John Martell Photography gallery; photographs on canvas, mostly of birds, great shots, and very well done.
The next space was Texas Brush Works, the studio space and gallery of a lovely lady that informed us that she was a former school teacher, in Arizona, and is now retired and happy to do her art here, where she gets many visitors because her studio is attached to the coffee shop. I purchased some greeting cards of her artwork, one called Java Art, (horses painted with coffee) and a few pieces of jewelry. After returning to Kontiki, we chilled in the pool, grilled steaks, and reclined on the balcony. We finished the day with our rods in the canal, watched the fish jump past, as they grabbed our bait and swam on.
The third day we ate at Charlotte Plummers Seafare Restaurant, located on North Fulton Beach road, and sat on our favorite landing deck. The Seagulls were very aggressive; we had to battle for our food. We were scolded by our waitress … “never look away from your food” as she approached just in time to swat away a gull ready to take a piece of my fish. The lady at the next table over got bombed and had to replace her drink, as her dining partner giggled. Andrew’s Birthday May 2012
