Our Story

exterior of Starfish Swim-up - Pedestrian beach in surfside beach texas

It all started with an idea…

We are native Austinites, and we are blessed to have a large and loving family.

For over a decade, we have been booking vacation rentals on Texas beaches (Surfside, Port Aransas, and South Padre) big enough for our whole family to get together.

As our family grew (we have four children ourselves in addition to nieces and nephews), it became more and more difficult to find vacation rentals big enough for our family, safe for small children, and reasonably affordable.

exterior of Starfish Swim-up - Pedestrian beach in surfside beach texas
exterior of Starfish Swim-up - Pedestrian beach house rental in surfside beach texas

As a family that travels to Texas beaches frequently, we felt like we had learned what the best vacation rental hosts do to make family vacations fun, safe, simple, affordable, and memorable.

We wanted to pass on what we had learned and host lifelong memories for other large families and friend groups!

In the summer of 2022, we set out to find an ideal beach house.

In June 2022, on an anniversary trip to Surfside Beach, we fell in love with an absolute gem of a property, the Starfish Swim-up.

exterior of Starfish Swim-up - Pedestrian beach house vacation rental in surfside beach texas
interior of Starfish Swim-up - Pedestrian beach house vacation rental in surfside beach texas

With 180 degree views, a safe spot for children on the pedestrian beach, and a location right in the center of town, it’s an ideal vacation spot.

We love that it is easy to get to for families driving in, located just over the bridge right in the middle of town. With 6 bedrooms, large families can split the cost and have a very affordable per-bedroom rate.

Restaurants are easy to walk to, so we don’t have to pack all the kids in the car, and HEB delivers groceries to the house on demand 🙂 No compromises!

In November, we opened the property to guests, and have been enjoying hosting (and visiting regularly with our family and friends) ever since 🙂

We’d love for you to come visit! Check availability and prices now at starfishswimup.com

deck with a hot tub over the beach at Starfish Swim-up - Pedestrian beach house vacation rental in surfside beach texas
Family posing for a picture beneath a sign at a beach house vacation rental in surfside beach texas called Starfish Swim-up

UPDATE: In the spring of 2023, we were visiting Surfside every month, and falling in love more and more with Surfside culture, the fun things to do, and the natural beauty of the area.

However, since the Starfish Swim-up was rented almost every single day of the summer, we were having trouble finding a place for our large family to stay during the summer months.

So we started looking…

…for another great house in the area big enough for our family to spend time together 🙂

Success! After a lot of hard work, in July 2023, we opened Generations Retreat, another wonderful property with a hot tub and an in-room Jacuzzi Suite in the main bedroom!

Ever since the opening, we’ve been able to visit Surfside even more with our family, and we love it more than ever.

Thank you, Surfside!

exterior picture of Generations Retreat, a beach house vacation rental in Surfside beach texas