South Padre Island

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South Padre Beach

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Julie Hood
First Reviewer
3 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
5
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5
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1-5 of 5

Wasted Vacation

  • March 9, 2008
  • Rated 1 of 5 by kimrevras from glendale, Kentucky
My husband and I thought this would be a nice getaway for a few days, we had planned on staying for four nights. We were on the island for about an hour and we realized there wasn't much to do here but we were still up for having a very relaxing vacation...WRONG! Our first night trying to sleep was a nightmare, you could hear people all night long in the hotel. Well the second day was worse, there was an everlasting disagreement between several people right outside our room, we literally watched them thru the peep hole until we finally decided to say something to the clerk at the front desk, little help that was, they would not make the "spring breakers" keep it down, they had no respect for their other people visiting, when I say "they" I am talking about the people running the hotel which was Holiday Inn Express. I will be calling the headquarters..my husband and I came back home after only staying 2 nights and would have left after the first night if we could have gotten on a flight sooner! I was very disappointed in the whole island, the beaches were dirty too! I can say one good thing, we stopped at the turtle rescue place, I don't remember the name of it but they are doing a good thing and we did enjoy and appreciate that place! We also ate at Blackbeards and it was good food and our waiter Bo was very nice and made our visit fun. Other than that this place is like Giligans Island with a bunch of tourist souvenir stores and bars!
Editor Pick

South Padre Beach

  • April 24, 2006
  • Rated 3 of 5 by melissabowman from Stephenville, Texas
South Padre Beach

The beach in South Padre is a fun beach, there are so many things to do. During spring break, the beach is covered in people—everywhere you look there are people. The water is filled with people as well. I can only imagine what it looks like from a helicopter. People come from all over the world to spend there week in the hot Texas sun. Although the beach is not one of the best for beauty, it is one of the best for spring breakers. The water is kind of cool but warm enough for most people to get in, and the sand is soft and feels great if you have been in school or at work. I have traveled several places and to many beaches, and living in Texas I do not really find the beaches to be that special, but many people love the area here and they come for the warm weather. This is what makes Padre one of the few most popular destinations for spring break, along with Florida and Cancun. It's no wonder people go there as well.

During spring break, a man comes out and builds these great sand sculptures. They are huge and very good. This is always a great meeting place because everyone sees it and knows where it is. The guy makes a new one every day.

Also out on the beach is a stage set up for spring break activities. They have different contests, games, and music throughout the week. The stage is set up outside the Radisson Hotel. This is the central location for everything and the hot spot for the week and all the activities and product booths.

Other than the usual things that go on during the week at the beach there is a place further down the island that is a little more secluded and quite. There is a campground down there, and it is a great place to lay out, throw a football, or just enjoy the beach without all the commotion. You will see many families, older people, and even some beachgoers just enjoying time off and the quiet, with only the sounds of the waves rolling in.

From journal Spring Break Like No Other

The island in one continuous beach!

  • September 24, 2003
  • Rated 4 of 5 by KristinaM from Scottsdale, Arizona
The resorts that line the South Padre Island beach put you RIGHT on the beach. We stayed at Saida Condos and spent most of our days on the beach. The beach is very shallow with sand bars every 20 feet or so out from the water's edge. Great fun for medium sized kids and adults that aren't strong swimmers because you can get the feeling of being "way out there" without ever going in over your head.

When we arrived, the water was unbelievably warm, almost too warm at the edge. As the days went by the surf kicked up and the water temperature moderated, but only enough to make a dip in the Gulf of Mexico refreshing. The beach itself is immaculately maintained. There was no sign of litter or unpleasant sea-debris (seaweed, etc). Not too many gulls (probably due to the beach being so clean), just enough for atmosphere.

We did travel up the island to the undeveloped areas, but found it a little TOO wild for us and our two-year-old baby. Too much traffic on the beach (I'm talking cars and trucks here) and a lot of trash lying around. I usually go for less developed areas, but this was one case where it didn't pay off. There were more people there than in the resort areas.

From journal Nothing but beach! South Padre Island

Hot! South Padre beach

  • April 15, 2003
  • Rated 4 of 5 by ScottReid from Hampton, New Brunswick
It's a really nice, long beach, so there's lots of room for some great fun in the sun!

I would get there around 3pm when the sun wasn't going to be as hot so that you don't have to worry about getting a sunburn as much.

From journal Exploring Padre Island

South Padre beach

  • July 17, 2000
  • Rated 3 of 5 by Julie Hood from Galveston, Texas, Texas
South Padre beach

South Padre Island was made for beach holidays. At spring break, the beach is teeming with teenagers. The beaches are clean but have a lot of seaweed. Plenty of dunes for the buggy driver.

From journal BEACH, SUN AND SURF AT SOUTH PADRE ISLAND

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