I think we should keep my love of this place on the DL, for sure…read more This is a little local travel agency that's basically run out of someone's apartment inside the Century Apartments in Chinatown on the southside of Bellaire. If you need someone to help you get over to China or Japan or Taiwan or Vietnam - really anywhere in the world - it's a good option, although personally I don't use travel agents anymore. But this one is friendly enough for sure. And if the prospect of booking travel details is too much for you, then an agent might be the way to go and this is a cheaper one for sure.

Dependable, smart travel agent who can help you find the tickets you want and need-- cheap and…read morefast! The lady here can be a little scary because she means business, but she's always been nothing but sweet to me and has always been very helpful.

Beautiful location, but significant management, elevator and privacy issues…read more I've been coming to Galveston every year for the past 11 years, and this trip was especially important because we were celebrating my mother's 70th birthday. I rented through Ryson last year and had an excellent experience, so I felt very comfortable booking with them again. Unfortunately, our experience with Sandcastle was very different. The problems began before we even got inside. After a six-hour drive, we could not figure out how to enter the property. There was no keypad or obvious lockbox at any entrance. When we called Ryson, we were told the lockbox was on a post in front of the stairs. It wasn't. After approximately 30 minutes, we eventually found two lockboxes ourselves, in separate locations in the back of the property . The elevator was the biggest issue. I specifically chose this three-story home in large part because it advertised a private elevator. My mother has significant knee problems, and having an elevator meant she could comfortably enjoy the entire house with our family during her birthday trip. This wasn't simply an amenity that would have been nice to have. It factored into my decision to rent this particular property. On our first evening, we could not get the elevator to operate. After several calls and considerable time troubleshooting, Ryson ultimately told me that the elevator was not available for guest use. They knew why I had hoped to use it, but I was told it simply wasn't an option. This was particularly confusing because the property listing specifically advertises a "private elevator" and states that it makes it easy to move between floors with groceries or gear. Later that same evening, Ryson retracted that information and confirmed that guests were, in fact, supposed to be able to use the elevator. Unfortunately, the next day we essentially went through the entire process again. More calls, more troubleshooting, and more vacation time spent trying to determine how to use an advertised amenity. Maintenance eventually came to the property, but even the maintenance representative seemed unfamiliar with the elevator and ultimately advised us not to use it. We never had use of the elevator during our stay. The lack of privacy was another major surprise. The listing describes Sandcastle as offering "comfort and privacy," yet several bedrooms and bathrooms have no window coverings at all. Large uncovered glass doors/windows allow direct views into bedrooms from the main deck area. An upstairs bedroom has an uncovered window beside the bed that can be seen from outside, and the upstairs bathroom has a very large uncovered window facing the upper patio. For a four-bedroom vacation home designed to accommodate up to 10 guests, the lack of privacy was uncomfortable and something future guests should know about before booking. Several exterior doors were also extremely difficult to lock and required repeated attempts and a lot of patience. We encountered a bug issue during the stay as well from locked pantry and laundry area. After the maintenance visit, I contacted Ryson and explained our experience. They acknowledged my concerns and said management would review the reservation regarding a credit. After returning home, I received a text stating that a $300 refund had been processed. I appreciate that Ryson provided a credit. However, after the amount of time we spent dealing with these issues over multiple days, I was disappointed that there was no personal follow-up call or email regarding our experience. What stood out most throughout the stay was how unfamiliar the people assisting us seemed to be with this particular property. We were given incorrect information about the location of the lockbox, conflicting information about whether the advertised elevator was even available to guests, and ultimately had a maintenance representative who did not appear comfortable with its operation either. That was very different from my previous experience with Ryson, which was excellent. I don't believe this experience necessarily reflects every Ryson property, but Sandcastle needs attention. Better arrival instructions, knowledgeable guidance regarding the elevator, reliable door locks, pest control, and appropriate window coverings are all very fixable issues. The house has a beautiful beachfront location, and our family still enjoyed celebrating my mother and spending time together. But based on our stay, I would not recommend Sandcastle to anyone who is relying on the advertised elevator or who expects normal privacy in the bedrooms and bathrooms until those issues are corrected.

Renter Beware. We rented a house through Ryson Vacation…read moreRental on Galveston Island for $600/night (5 nights)! We were having issues as soon as we arrived. We could not get in the house and tried calling the number provided and no one answered, just stated you called after hours, but was NEVER CONNECTED TO ANYONE. We were finally able to figure out the problem ourselves. After settling in that night, we noted the following issues in the next couple days. Called customer service on 1st full day due to the following issues: -AC downstairs stopped working -Ceiling fan in LR stopped working -Ant issue in the kitchen (on tables, cabinets and cooking utensils when cooking) -Reported a broken chair that was placed at the counter, and foot bar fell off as soon as someone sat down on it. -Light Fixture Over kitchen table -DECK - I pointed out to maintenance that the sign on the desk upstairs had "rusty nails" sticking out on the inside of the railing and someone was going to get stuck with a rusty nail. He did fix this right away. I also pointed out to him that the railing is "rotting" and is not real stable. We were concerned if someone leaned too hard on the railing, it might break. He agreed that it was not stable. -Water damage on deck where a faucet was left on causing the rotting issue. I asked maintenance about water that was dripping down on the level where the air conditioners were. He found a faucet was left on by someone. Looks like it has been on awhile and boards are rotting. -Windows - chains broken, no chain there at all, or backwards on the windows. -FINALLY while we were packing to leave, one of the ladies found a bag in the drawer in the upstairs bathroom. When she opened this, she found a crack pipe and a container that had some meth or crack in it. It also had some pills in a bottle that stated "Excedrin", however it was not marked, so I'm not sure that it was Excedrin and it sure did not look like it. This was VERY concerning to us since we had 6 children ranging from 10 to 17 that all used that bathroom. Other Miscellaneous Issues: -Ceilings and walls that need repaired. -Looks like "mold" in the corner upper wall going into the bedroom upstairs with 2 beds. -Door upstairs cracked in the room with bunk beds. -Bathroom upstairs - unfinished light in shower and wall damage. -Refrigerator bottom drawer broken. -Caution: Outside parking area, needs to be painted a different color to identify the raised concrete. EVERYONE that came in stated they tripped multiple times, me included, and I am 73 yrs old and this would not be good. This is a lawsuit waiting to happen. I was told the property manager will be called and she will let me know when she will be stopping by; NO ONE EVER SHOWED UP OR CALLED. I had to call twice, 2 days in a row. The second time I called they stated they did not see the order and would put it in again and would have this assigned. Called the next day at 12:00 and was told it was assigned. I explained AGAIN about AC downstairs not working and it was getting pretty warm. I told her I have called multiple times and what about the property manager. She stated that she had called her 3 TIMES and left a VM; she never answered her phone or called them back. AC was finally taken care of after 2 days. Sent these complaints to Ryson and they reviewed this with a $213 refund for our problems. I asked them how they came up with this figure and this was their reply: "Good afternoon. I am sorry to hear about the inconveniences you experienced during your stay. The refund amount was calculated based on a percentage taken off the base rent. When the calculation is completed, the refund amount provided is correct. Since you booked through Airbnb, they have their own fees and pricing structure. The refund issued from our end is based only on the base rent amount and does not include Airbnb's additional fees. Please note that after reviewing your case, this is the final amount approved and provided by our Refund Committee." I replied and asked them twice for the contact info to Airbnb for a complaint and they stopped responding to me. They were prompt in responses prior to that. These places all look nice on the Internet until you get in there. I understand some wear and tear, however, this place apparently DOES NOT INSPECT these places between rentals. I'm not sure what the cleaning people do either. How can someone miss this bag with drugs in it, in a drawer in the bathroom. I will never rent from Ryson Rentals again.