We took a quick weekend trip from Austin out to South Padre Island, TX to spend time at the beach and enjoying oceanside resort living for a day.

South Padre Island is a resort town on a barrier island off the southern coast of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s known for its beautiful sandy beaches, warm waters, and vibrant tourism scene. 

It’s known in this region to be the place for local tourists to have a beach getaway in Texas. It’s a hot spot for spring breakers, but is equally a very family-friendly vacation destination.

stination.

Highlights of South Padre Island include:

• Beach activities
• Fireworks
• Ocean-side resort pool
• Turtle Sanctuary
• Where to eat in South Padre Island

These are hotels in South Padre Island we recommend:

• ⁠Courtyard Marriott South Padre Island ⁠
• ⁠Margaritaville Beach Resort⁠
• ⁠Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites South Padre Island⁠

Make your trip planning easier with tours and experiences, these are the ⁠South Padre Island Tours & Experiences on Viator⁠ we have tried or want to!

If you’re looking for a flight deal to the area, we recommend signing up for⁠ Thrifty Traveler Premium⁠ to get daily flight deals (points & cash) emailed directly to you! Use our promo code TS10 to get $10 off your first year subscription.

South Padre Island – Episode Transcript

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And don’t forget your travel insurance.

And get ready to embark on a new adventure with us around the globe.

0:40

Hey squaddies, Travel Squad Podcast is back with Just a tip, our Friday mini episode series where we

give you quick travel stories.

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Hacks and recommendations to set you off into the weekend right today you are in luck.

You have me just Kim, and I am taking you on a.

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Quick getaway to.

South Padre Island.

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Texas South Padre.

Island.

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Is a resort.

Town on a barrier island off the southern coast of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico.

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It is known for its.

Beautiful.

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Sandy beach is very warm water and it’s vibrant tourism scene.

I first heard about South Padre.

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Island when I was writing travel content for Expedia 10 plus years ago and it’s definitely known for

having a spring break.

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Vibe being a.

Vacation place for.

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Texans.

I learned about it way before I lived in Texas and then after I moved to.

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Texas it was.

Always on my list.

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I want to come here in the summer to escape the 100.

Plus degree temperatures.

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And have a little.

Beach.

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Vacation in Texas?

Which is.

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A very landlocked state, it is known in the Texas region to be the.

Place for local tourists to have their beach get away Here in Texas it’s it’s.

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Dubbed the nicest beach here in.

Texas.

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It’s a hot spot for Spring Breakers.

I’ve.

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Seen videos of.

South Padre.

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Island during spring break and the beach and beach bars are completely.

Packed with people, the.

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Beach is completely taken over.

But don’t let that scare you, it is equally.

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A very family friendly vacation destination.

Everyone I saw there when I went on my trip was in family vacate mode.

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There were no Spring Breakers when I was there in July.

It is about A5.

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Hour drive from Austin and last July I took my niece out here for just a one night.

Trip we left.

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Super early in the morning and we got there around noon and then the next day we left way later in

the afternoon, so we wanted.

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Basically to take.

Full advantage of a 24 hour trip and.

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That we did squaddies before I get into the thick of this episode.

I do want to remind you that we have.

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So.

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Saturday morning, bright and early.

We left Austin, TX at about. 6:00 AM.

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We drove about 5 hours to South.

Padre Island and I will say the.

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Drive is very.

Easy.

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It’s just long.

And it’s long when your niece is sleeping in the front seat and making you do all the driving and

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entertaining yourself.

When you finally get there though, and you start to see the ocean and you drive over that.

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Bridge that puts.

You onto the island, you are immediately transported into beach vacation mode.

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We all know that feeling when you finally drive into a tropical.

Place you’re just flooded with.

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Happiness smiles all.

Over it is.

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An amazing feeling.

And then you drive.

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Across that bridge.

And you drive along the barrier island and you see all of the beach vibes and beach bars and beach.

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Places and beach activities and.

You are immediately transported into a vacation destination.

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It’s a wonderful feeling.

When we got there, we drove down that barrier island and we.

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Drove to the.

Courtyard Marriott and checked in it.

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Is a great hotel, I would highly.

Recommend you stay.

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Here.

When we checked in, they asked if we wanted a.

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Late check out.

Because we are Marriott Silver members.

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And so that’s nice.

That’s really.

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Helpful to be able to check.

In early and check out late when you’re just doing a one night trip and like.

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I said this hotel I would.

Recommend the room was.

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Super spacious.

We had ocean views from the 5th.

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Floor The 5th floor at this hotel is the highest story it was.

Really, really nice actually.

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Super spacious hotel.

Room it.

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Was tile floors.

Had two queen size beds.

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A couch a pretty big.

Kitchenette, big bathroom and best of all?

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It had this gorgeous.

Balcony with chairs on it that you could.

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Just sit out.

There and watch the.

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Waves.

It was amazing.

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You could really sit on this balcony and just look at the ocean the whole time, but there’s a lot to

do here.

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There’s also a beautiful resort pool right below which has a good beach bar and beach restaurant,

right.

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On the stand there too, so it’s like you go down from your room.

Go out to.

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The pool then you hit.

The beach bar.

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Then you’re on the sand on the beach.

It’s a Primo location.

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I would highly recommend you stay here and we actually.

Did a lot at this.

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Hotel that I’m going to get into, so after we checked in.

We changed.

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We, you know, we’re.

Here for the beach, so we didn’t stay in the room too long.

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We went down to the beach.

Right down on the beach, you can rent chairs and umbrellas.

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So that is what we did.

The cost was $35.

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You can pay in cash or with Venmozel and they’ll set it.

Right up for.

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You and you will.

Have the rental.

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All day long and you’re welcome to leave, Go walk around, do whatever you want.

Your chairs will.

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Still be there.

I will say it’s not the nicest chairs you know if.

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You’re used to resort properties.

In Mexico and the Caribbean, like it’s not that.

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Right, it’s still Texas Beach.

But they were nice enough and they did the job.

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And we had a great.

Time Sunbathing For a while we went swimming in the waters I.

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Love the Gulf?

And I love the Miami beaches for the same reason.

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The water is.

Warm.

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You can’t swim in water like this in San Diego and in California it just is too cold to be

enjoyable.

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So when you get warm water like in South Padre Island, you can really just swim out there for a

while.

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Me and my niece were out.

There just.

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Frolicking in the waves and swimming and laughing and that was really, really fun.

We came back in a little bit.

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We took a walk down the beach.

We.

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Did a couple of cartwheels.

You were just having a good time, like beach vacations just bring out this childlike feeling in you

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and it is so nice as we are walking down the beach though.

I realize it’s actually a lot.

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Bigger than it.

Feels, yes.

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It’s one small barrier island strip.

But there’s a.

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Lot to do along the.

Strip, there’s hotels, there’s beach bars, there’s a lot of stuff.

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And we were just staying that one night.

So we couldn’t.

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Really do a ton and for that reason I would really recommend you stay at least 2 nights.

Or or stay.

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A couple nights rent A condo.

With a big.

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Group and stay 345 nights and just.

Have a Really.

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Great beach vacation.

We decided to.

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Get some lunch.

At the hotel’s beachfront restaurant, we got a.

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Cheeseburger mozzarella.

Sticks, fries, it was really, really good.

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The bartender was really.

Nice and friendly here and we made friends with him and then we.

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Hit the beach.

Again this.

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Was our beach day, so we were out there.

Having fun and once we got our.

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Fix of the beach.

We decided to go back.

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Into the room, kind of reset for a second and then hit the Marriott pool.

The pool was really, really nice.

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It had a bunch of different water fountains and things you could sit around and swim around.

And so we were in there for a bit relaxing in the pool chairs and having fun.

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We were kind of waiting for the night to fall because at this time it’s probably.

Six O clock or so.

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So we were kind of waiting.

For the fireworks.

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The fireworks works go off right at.

The Marriott at 9:30 PM every day in the summer.

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And so this is a.

Fantastic place to view the fireworks.

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And that is exactly what we did for dinner.

We just grabbed some food from the restaurant here at the Marriott, and we took it back up to the

8:12

room to eat, you know, after being in the sun all day, swimming in the water all day, and then of

course, that long drive in the morning.

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You’re tired, so we called.

It a night when you go on vacation with an 11 year old, of course.

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They like to.

Sleep in.

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So she slept in on Sunday morning.

I got up.

8:30

Early and decided to do a morning beach walk.

One of the things that I miss from living in San Diego is the beach, and so if I’m ever around

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water, I want to take full advantage of it, so I went.

For a walk.

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Down the beach and it did not disappoint.

It was.

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Perfect weather.

Amazing temperature, hardly anyone was out on the beach at this time.

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It was probably like 8:00 in the morning.

So not incredibly early.

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But it was.

A wonderful early morning beach walk.

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I went back up to the room then woke up to niece and said.

Girl, we got to hit the road.

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We got.

To do things and.

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Just across the.

Street from the Marriott Hotel.

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Is a sea turtle Conservatory?

And we really wanted to go.

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Check that out.

And I’m glad we did and I would highly recommend that you do it.

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They have.

Huge sea turtles.

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In tanks on display here and they’re they’re big tanks too.

And the tanks have side windows so you can see the turtle will swim by and Oh my God I’ve never seen

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turtles that.

Big they’re.

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Huge you definitely have to come here.

It’s.

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About $12.00 or so to.

Get in so it’s not expensive.

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They also do baby sea turtle releases.

On random days, there’s not a.

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Schedule obviously this.

Is nature, so it depends on what they have and what’s hatched and and what they’re needing to do.

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You can watch.

But it just.

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Depends on the day they will announce it on their Facebook.

Page the day.

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Of if it’s happening or not.

So if you’re coming, just check their Facebook page and maybe you’ll get lucky and we wanted to

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enjoy just as much of.

This place.

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As we could, so we moved back to the Marriott pool, sunbathed at the.

Pool.

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For a bit longer and then we went over to Barry Divine Acai.

We got acai.

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Bowls soaked up the sun for just a little bit longer before.

We.

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Left to drive home around 3:00 PM.

Quick trip, right?

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And it is doable if you’re in the Texas.

Area to do a quick trip like that.

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I would recommend staying at least two nights.

I would.

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Love to go?

Back and go with my niece again, go with family again or even go with friends.

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I think there’s a lot that the nightlife.

Has to offer that of.

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Course they did not do on this trip, but.

I’d love.

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To go back and do that.

There’s also a lot of other stuff to do here, like I said.

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That I would recommend.

There’s some restaurants.

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Cafe on the Beach, Wana Wana Beach Bar and Grill.

Yummy’s.

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Bistro, those were.

All on my list.

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That I would.

Look into if I was going back.

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They also have.

Four children or families.

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A family friendly foam pool.

Party every Saturday.

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Evening at the Holiday Inn Resort.

Of course you can see those.

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Fireworks on Friday and Saturday nights and there’s just a lot more to do on the beach and in the

town, shopping and beach activities and whatnot.

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So I would love to come back and I will come back.

Hopefully, but.

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For now, thanks so much for tuning into this week’s Just the Tip Make.

Sure to subscribe.

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