Ghost Tour + Staycation at the Hotel Galvez and Spa

 

Does "historic" always equate to being haunted? Probably so.

I've always been fascinated at the sight of Hotel Galvez and Spa from the outside – its majestic architecture seems to be the only one of its kind in Galveston. The mansion-like facade, with the driveway lined up with some palm trees, looks luxurious and it indeed is. It's so captivating that I've always wanted to stay in it and experience the luxury.

The hotel was built in the 1900's but one can hardly tell that it had that much history in it, especially from the outside. I think Wyndham has done a wonderful job in maintaining the property and keeping it up-to-date with today's standards. Except for the fact that there's nothing they can do about the ghosts.

Wait, what? Yes, Hotel Galvez and Spa has some long time non-paying guests. Honestly, I can't blame them for wanting to stay in the hotel forever.

If you're following me on Twitter, you probably have seen my tweets about the #GalvezGhosts. About a couple of weeks ago, I, together with other media guests, had the opportunity to have a sneak peek of the hotel's Ghost Tour which started officially yesterday, October 1.

I don't know what I was thinking because I'm not the type to scare myself. In fact, my boyfriend can attest that I don't like watching scary shows or movies and if there's ever a scary part in a show, I hide my face on his shoulders. But I got invited to have a sneak peek and I really didn't have any plans that night so I went for it and thought it'd be a nice drive to Galveston since it's a beautiful day.

The hotel's ghost story, apparently, has been featured on Discovery Channel's "Ghost Lab" and The Travel Channel's "Ghost Stories." You know it has got to be real if these networks picked up the story, right?
 

Well we got to the hotel and each one of us (the media people) was given a ghost meter which is supposed to detect a paranormal activity. It lights up in red if it's detecting an EMF (electromagnetic field) emission. At the Ghost Tour, the concierge staff guides the guests in a group setting through the "haunted" areas of the hotel. Can I tell you that when our ghost meter went off, I wanted to run? I think in my mind, I was already running, but for some reason, my body stayed put.

I don't want to spoil the story for you but here's a little bit of what you will find out from the Ghost Tour…

The first strong activity my Ghost Meter detected was when we were in front of the Spa. Apparently, some staff have noticed some children's fingerprints at the bottom of the spa door and they're most likely not the children of the guests. Our meters were going off strongly in that area so there must be some kiddie ghosts there from the 1900 storm that took away 8,000 – 9,000 lives, including children.
 

Meet Señor Bernardo de Galvez. The hotel was named after him. One day, a hotel spa attendant walked by this portrait, happened to have glanced at it and instead of seeing Galvez's face, she saw a skull. She had a double look but still saw the skull. Spooky right? I probably would have just ran and not even do a double take!

This women's restroom near the spa might have a guest calling your name. We were told that one time, a staff member was washing her hands and someone started calling her name. She was the only person in the restroom at the moment. Needless to say, it took her awhile to use that restroom again!

And do you notice the portrait on the side of the door? if you take a closer look at the photo, you will see some orbs and in person, there's a person in the photo that wasn't even there at the time the photo was taken.

This is the Galvez Bar and Grill area where my ghost meter was just going off non-stop.

 But the most haunted part of the hotel is the Fifth Floor. I had talked to the receptionist who checked us in and said she had her own spooky experience on that floor. She had to check on a room and had closed the door, for some reason it didn't close fully, and when she was about to close it, it wouldn't close so she walked away and heard the door close by itself.

But that's not it. This room shown below is room 501. It's a pretty small room but it has a gorgeous view of the gulf! You just have to expect to meet Aundra, the ghost bride. She normally stayed in this room whenever her fiancee would sail out. One day, there was a storm and thought her fiancee got killed when the ship went down. Sadly, out of despair, she hung herself on the 8th floor. The more sad part was that her fiancee survived and he came back but she was already gone. So there were a lot of instances on the Fifth Floor at Hotel Galvez when she likes to make her presence known it seems.

There are many other spooky stories that the concierge staff will tell you during the Ghost Tour. But you can also hear some of them from the guests themselves. Check out this one from a Trip Advisor review.

But the Ghost Tour isn't always about getting spooked out throughout. The tour is concluded with a nice 3-course dinner, paired with some wine, at the Galvez Bar and Grill. The cost is $45 per person, including the dinner. Oooohhhhh, the food was pretty amazing!!!

They do the Ghost Tour throughout the month of October, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. On Friday, you can avail of the tour with an overnight stay package.

I got to stay overnight and I was originally checked-in at Room 502, which is across the haunted Room 501. Guess what? I chickened out and happily requested to be transferred to another room. Thankfully, there's one that's available on the third floor. I had a City View Room (which I didn't mind for as long as I wasn't on the spooky Fifth Floor!) with an extended area with seating area and a desk.

I turned off my Ghost Meter throughout the night! Although I think I might have a spooky experience with the bathroom door slightly moving. I almost wanted to run out! But thought to myself, it's just the air blowing from the vent that moved the bathroom door. Who was I kidding?!

Thankfully, I was so exhausted that even if Aundra (the ghost bride) had done something in my room, I wouldn't have woken up.

If you're up to doing some spooky date night, consider doing the Ghost Tour at the Hotel Galvez and Spa. I think for $45, the stories and the sumptuous meal are so worth it!

Visit www.hotelgalvez.com for more information about rates and accommodations.

 

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Disclaimer: I was given a complimentary stay at Hotel Galvez and Spa to facilitate this experience write-up. The opinions expressed herein are mine and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Hotel Galvez and Spa.

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