South Padre in the Summertime

Let me start off by giving you a little information about the geography of the island so that the rest of what I have to say makes a little bit more sense. It is located in the extreme southern tip of Texas within the Rio Grande Valley, close to Brownsville, Harlingen, and the Mexican border. The island is connected to the mainland by a mile-long bridge that crosses the bay from the small town of Port Isabel, and while the island maxes out to be about a mile in width, it spans north-to-south for many miles up the Texas coast. Only about 5 miles of the southernmost part of the island is accessible by road to the average tourist, but one can see the entire island if he/she has a vehicle with four-wheel drive. Within these few miles, only the southernmost two or three are commercialized, so you will not need four-wheel drive if you look to experience the beach without the crowds.

Although this is not the case all times of the year (see my journal regarding the island during Spring Break), the typical crowd that comes out to the island during the summer are families on vacation. Therefore, activities and festivities on the island are geared for all ages. In addition to the good old-fashioned beach, there is bay fishing, deep-sea fishing, jeep rentals, parasailing, jet-ski rentals, a water park, and dolphin-watch tours (just to name a few things to do). As far as accommodations go, most people elect to either stay in a hotel/resort (there are plenty to choose from) or rent a condo. However, the island is also RV-friendly with a giant RV park at the southern end of the commercialized section. If you're really into the great outdoors, there is always the option of pitching a tent along the beach in the accessible areas north of the developed part of the island. You'll also have plenty of choices with food (I have some recommendations I will talk about later) with everything from upscale restaurants to budget fast-food.

Quick Tips:

There are plenty of good deals at South Padre. I cannot even begin to list everything. My suggestion would be to go to http://www.google.com and type in South Padre Island. All sorts of websites will pop up with additional information and special internet deals.

If I fly down to the area (sometimes I drive), I usually take Southwest Airlines into Harlingen. Their fares are usually comparatively low. However, other good deals exist too. I use a program called Sidestep (http://www.sidestep.com) to find cheap airfare. Since I am also a student, I check http://www.studentuniverse.com and http://www.statravel.com.

Best Way To Get Around:

The best way to get around is by car. I do not even know if the island has public transportation. It is even better if your vehicle has four-wheel drive because then you can drive beyond the point where the road ends into uninhabited beach areas. However, if you stay in a hotel, it is not always necessary to have a car in order to go get a bite to eat, go shopping, or get to either the beach or the bay. The island is not very wide, and there are plenty of shops and restaurants within walking distance of most hotels.

My family and I have stayed here at least four or five times. I remember being drawn to it as a kid because there is a giant swimming pool and a glass elevator that was fun to ride.

I haven't ever stayed in a suite at this hotel, so I do not know what the suites are like; however, the basic rooms are typical to what one would find in any basic hotel room. Standard amenities, such as a TV and a coffee machine, are present in the rooms. Every time that I have been here, everything has been perfectly tidy, and the service was good. With the basic rooms, you do get a balcony with either a partial or a full view of the beach (it costs a little bit extra for a full view).

It's a good family place because the pool and the beach provide plenty of entertainment for the kids (there is a separate kiddie pool with a little slide designed for younger children). Plus, if your kids are anything like I was at a young age, they will want to ride the glass elevator over and over again. For adults (both in families and singles), there is a bar with little barstools in the pool where one can sit and have a drink. I haven't had the alcoholic drinks (I am underage still), but the virgin drinks were pretty good. There's also a nice hot tub.

As far as location goes, the Sheraton is in a good location in the sense that it is close to the bridge that connects the island to the main land. You don't have to drive 3 to 4 miles or so down the main road every time you want to leave the island. It's also within walking distance of many shops. However, if you are looking to stay along the beach in an area that is more secluded from other people, I do not recommend the Sheraton because it is located in one of the most crowded sectors of the beach. The beach tends to get less crowded the further north you go on the island, but this is a trade-off because one must drive farther to get on and off of the island.

I do not have any complaints about this hotel; it is slightly pricier than some other hotels with rooms of equal quality, but some of the facilities (such as the large pool) are much nicer than these other hotels. I guess it just depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking for a place to stay that has the atmosphere of a more upscale resort, but don't want to spend that much money, I highly recommend the Sheraton. However, if you are just looking for the most budget-friendly place on the island regardless of facilities, then I would suggest finding a hotel on the bay side of the island since those tend to run slightly cheaper.

I have stayed here twice; once during spring break. Both times we stayed here, the staff was unfriendly at the main desk and gave us problems when checking in. The first time, a non-smoking room was booked, but they gave us a smoking room and then said, "there is nothing we can do about it," when we brought it to their attention. After talking to the manager, we were finally moved to a non-smoking room, but it was quite a hassle. This was back in the mid-‘90s.

The second time we stayed here was during spring break of 2001; we planned the trip at the last minute, and since South Padre is such a hot spot for spring-breakers, it was really one of the only places I could find for a reasonable price so close to the event (if you want to go to Padre for Spring Break, book early!!). This time, when we got there, they wanted a $50 cash deposit for each person who was staying in the room over the age of 16 (people can get really rowdy during spring break). No mention was made of this deposit when making the reservation, so needless to say, I was not too happy. I would get the money back as long as nothing in the room was damaged, but it still frustrated me that there was no mention made of this deposit while reserving the room. After arguing with them for about 15 minutes, they finally agreed to go ahead and charge it onto the credit card (and then take it off when we returned the room in perfect condition). I was really hoping that the amount of hassle had changed in the 5 to 7 years that had spanned since I last stayed at this hotel, but it was still the same.

Here are some perks about the hotel:
If you are planning on going to Schlitterbahn, it is next door. It is also very close to the bridge that connects the island to the main land, so it is not much hassle to get on and off of the island in a hurry. The rooms are similar to rooms one would find at any other Holiday Inn around the country. I've always found rooms at Holiday Inns to be clean and well taken care of. My only complaint with the facilities is that I remember the pool water being somewhat cloudy due to an overabundance of sunscreen in it.

The reason that I am not recommending this hotel is because of the service that I've encountered both times that I have stayed here.

This place is my favorite seafood restaurant down at South Padre! It's easy to miss this restaurant because it is a very small place. I could not find the exact address, but it is located on the mainland (in Port Isabel) across the main road from the Lighthouse.

The thing that makes this restaurant so great is the all-you-can-eat fried flounder for a very low price. The fish is fresh and delicious! With this deal, you also get generous portions of two side orders of your choice. For those who are not into fried flounder, there are other delicious seafood options (and a few non-seafood) for very good prices.

This restaurant is very budget-friendly, and on top of that, you get a lot of good food for the low price you pay. It is a family-owned restaurant, and the staff are all very friendly. It is a great place to bring the family! It's not necessary to make reservations, but since it is a small, well-liked place to eat, expect a 15-minute wait for a table. The food comes out very fast once your party orders.

I've been to Schlitterbahn at South Padre Island once. I enjoyed it! If you have ever been to the original park in New Braunfels, Texas, you will be very familiar with the fact that the original water park is comprised of many tube chutes. Schlitterbahn at the beach is also this way, but looks a lot more modern.

It is located very close to the shore; one can get access to the beach at the park. When you first walk in, there is a wave pool where plenty of empty inner tubes can be found. Most, if not all, of the rides require having a tube, and there is a choice of one-person or two-person tubes. A river runs around the entire park, and you can have access to all but one ride in the park without ever having to get out of the river. The river in itself is fun because there are parts of it that have "rapids." There are not any horribly extreme rides that involve slides that are hundreds of feet high, but I found most of the rides to be very enjoyable.

This place is mainly geared towards families. There are separate areas of the park that are geared for younger children who are too small to go on the tube chutes. Children's tubes (smaller with netted bottoms) and lifejackets are available. There are lockers, changing facilities, clean restrooms, and tables available for picnics. You are allowed to bring in your own food, but there are also a few places where food can be purchased. I recommend bringing food in a cooler because the food within the park is somewhat expensive. There are also plenty of lounge chairs for those who want to take a break from the water and catch some sun.

Admission is roughly $30 for adults and $25.50 for children ages 3 to 11. If you are from Texas and frequent either Schlitterbahn New Braunfels or Schlitterbahn South Padre, a season pass that is valid at both parks is available for $113.00 (adults) or $75.00 (children).

For more information, go to the park's homepage:
http://www.schlitterbahn.com/intro1-spi.asp

I highly recommend going to Schlitterbahn at least once during your visit to South Padre Island.