Huge beach resort with a private airport in the works for Galveston

Named for one of the Bolivar Peninsula’s most popular beaches, the entertainment, restaurant and bar concept’s features include indoor and outdoor dining and entertainment areas with big screen TVs overlooking championship sand volleyball and pickleball courts. “The Zoo will be the ‘Game Changer’ in overall awareness and traffic driver to The Peninsula Beach Resort,” Bolivar said.

The Zoo will be anchored into a 110-acre integrated beachside resort development, which will feature a private guest clubhouse with two Olympic-size pools, cabanas, The Veranda Bar & Grill, a large event floor, and wrap-around shade porches. The Peninsula Beach Resort will also be home to The Esplanade Spa & Restaurant, which will feature a large workout room with lockers, private baths, hot tubs, massage room, steam and dry saunas, and an outdoor heated pool.

Phase one and two of the project will also see the construction of the Peninsula Resort Cottages—which includes 222 studio, one-, two-, and four-bedroom luxury cottages nestled on water ponds with access to all other resort amenities, a recreational lake, and beach cart trails. This phase also includes construction of 50 extra-large RV sites with luxury cabins overhead, featuring spacious party decks, air-conditioned kitchens, baths, fireplaces and living areas. A dog park, laundry station, convenience store and barbecue pit will also be available, in addition to golf cart rentals and picnic pavilions.

The third phase includes the construction of 90, two- and four-bedroom luxury beach homes that are elevated to withstand hurricane force winds; five, 160-unit beachfront mid-rise condo towers with elevators, guest parking, and storage on private access driveways; and a commercial shopping center along Highway 87.

The final phase will also see the construction of a private, full-service Federal Aviation Administration approved airport with a 2,700-foot-long runway, just minutes away from the resort’s entrance. Bolivar says the destination will be the only fly-in beach resort in the U.S.

The Zoo Beach Bar & Grill is expected to break ground next month, with a completion date slated for the end of the year followed by a soft opening in March 2024, according to Bolivar Investment Group. The rental cottages, club house, and spa will start construction in the fourth quarter of 2023 and first quarter of 2024. Beach homes are expected to begin construction after several showcase models and a sales center have been finished in 2024, Bolivar said. Meanwhile the beach front condo mid-rises, shopping center and airport—each comprising the final phase of the project—will start in 2025.