There is no shortage of beach houses on the Bolivar Peninsula. The hard part is not finding a place to stay. The hard part is finding the right one. This guide covers the five decisions that actually matter.

Labor Day weekend lands at exactly the right moment on the Texas coast. The water is at its warmest, the summer crowds have thinned just enough to feel less like a traffic jam, and there is something about a three-day weekend in September that brings out a different kind of...