2023 Top 11 Beach Hotels in South Padre Island, Texas, United States | Hotels near beach (2023)

FAQs

Which side of South Padre Island has the best beaches? ›

1. Isla Blanca Beach. Isla Blanca Beach is one of the island's main beaches and where you will find some of the best beach activities on the island. It is one of the most beautiful sections of beach on South Padre Island, located on the south end.

The top area here is Central South Padre, where you'll find the main attractions and best hotels with great facilities like outdoor swimming pools (essential in the summer)! I've also got 2 more areas for you, perfect for nature lovers and families; the Northern End and Southern End.

The beach with the clearest water in Texas is Boca Chica beach on South Padre Island.

The best time to visit South Padre Island is September to February, when you can enjoy the warm and sunny weather without getting too hot and sweaty. Temperatures are milder in comparison to the rest of the year during this time, especially the peak season between March and July.

Little Shell and Big Shell Beaches: Little Shell Beach, located 10-15 miles down South Beach, and Big Shell Beach, located 20-30 miles down South Beach, are sections of the shoreline where seashells can be found in larger concentrations. So it's a great area to go beachcombing if you have a 4-wheel drive vehicle.

Padre Island National Seashore is a national park located just outside of Corpus Christi that includes about 70 miles of undeveloped beaches and natural habitat. South Padre Island is a resort community located near Brownsville with numerous hotels, clubs, and souvenir shops.

South Padre Island is a 2.2 mile (5,000-step) route located near South Padre Island, Texas, USA.

A: No. South Padre Island provides a free public transportation system called the Island Metro or you can take a taxi. The Island is also easily walkable and bike-friendly.

Padre Island National Seashore, Corpus Christi, Texas

Big Shell Beach is a popular spot, brimming with beautiful, smooth shells.

Can you swim in the ocean at South Padre Island? ›

South Padre Island beach

The navigable portion of the island is about 12 miles long, and there's quality beach along the whole coast. And you can swim year-round.

South Padre Island's housing expenses are 59% higher than the national average and the utility prices are 7% higher than the national average. Transportation expenses like bus fares and gas prices are 12% lower than the national average.

Visit Harlingen/South Padre Island.

Your Rio Grande Valley adventure awaits when you deplane at Valley International Airport.

The hurricane season starts June 1 and ends November 30. The peak threat for the Texas coast exists from August through September. However, hurricanes can and have struck the Texas coast during every month of the hurricane season (though none in November since before 1851).

February is a good month for swimming in Padre Island National Seashore with warm sea temperatures. Consider visiting Padre Island National Seashore in the months of May, June, August, October, for the best beach weather. Also consider one of our other suggestions for February.

With 34 miles of beautiful white sand and clear emerald water, South Padre Island is one of the world's most exquisite barrier islands – and the only tropical Island in Texas.

Sand dollars are a famous creature here at Padre Island National Seashore. Normally when we find sand dollars, we find pieces of them broken and dried out. When sand dollars are out of the water too long they die and bleach, turning a white color. A visitor found this live sand dollar while swimming at Malaquite Beach.

The best shelling is found on the beaches of Sanibel Island & Captiva. The islands rank tops in the world for shelling because of geography. Sanibel Island is shaped in a curve along the coastline among a string of other more orderly, straight-and-narrow islands.

Is it better to stay in Corpus Christi or Padre Island? ›

Some tips: South Padre Island IS the best of the two. It has better beaches, better accomodations, better restuarants and, in my opinion, friendlier people. However, I love both towns! Corpus is closer to the major cities and more things to do, but SPI....it's just in the smack middle of nowhere.

According to many, the best way to experience South Padre's wild side is to take a stroll along the Laguna Madre Nature Trail, a boardwalk that runs from the South Padre Island Convention Centre out to the Laguna Madre wetlands.

SPI, as it's known, is a city located on a barrier island of the same name, just 20 or so miles, as the piping plover flies, from the border with Mexico.

You can easily drive to South Padre Island via the toll-free Queen Isabella Causeway Bridge connecting the mainland city of Port Isabel to this tropical paradise. This island is so close to the mainland that you can reach the beaches in 10 minutes.

South Padre has went through downturns and upticks on popularity amongst college students. The good news is, with the ban on drinking on the beach in Gulf Shores Alabama to Panama City Beach, Florida, South Padre Island (has Texas) has shrugged this off. Open containers are legal on the beach for those 21 and over.

The best way to get around South Padre Island is on foot, especially since the area clocks in at 2 square miles in size (much of which is shoreline). There is also a free public shuttle, Island Metro, which runs the length of the town and across Laguna Madre to Port Isabel.

Driving is allowed on the 60-mile-long South Beach and the 1-mile-long North Beach at Padre Island National Seashore. Only the aptly named Closed Beach, which lies between North and South beaches, is closed to vehicle traffic.

Surfside Beach

Yes, it's totally and completely legal to drink to your heart's content on South Padre Island, as well as around the Padre Island National Seashore near the Northern end of the island, which is also open to local boozers looking to escape the heavy crowds back on the main island.

As an approved port of entry, the Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport has a Federal Inspection Station, manned by US Customs and Border Protection, for clearing arriving and departing aircraft.

Corpus Christi Beach — Corpus Christi

One of the best beach spots in Texas is Corpus Christi Beach, which is located in Corpus Christi and features astounding clear waters and nearby attractions.

What is the clearest beach near Texas? ›

South Padre Island

If you're a beachgoing Texan, then this one may seem like a no brainer. After all, South Padre Island is famous for its crystal clear turquoise waters and soft white sand beaches. Any stay here is magic from the moment you cruise over the Queen Isabella Causeway.

Why You Need To Go: If you're looking for bright blue beaches, South Padre has some of the bluest waters on the Texas coast and you can't go wrong with visiting any beach on the island.

Surfside Beach, Texas. "Shell Shocked" is what you will be after discovering the 600 known shell species along our 27 miles of sandy Brazoria County beaches. Surfside Beach is one of the few of the shell hunting hot spots in the area.

At Padre Island National Seashore, visitors may keep up to a 5-gallon bucket filled with found treasures such as unoccupied seashells for personal use. Commercial shell gathering is forbidden.

The island is located along Texas's southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico and is noted for its white sandy beaches.

The water temperature in South Padre Island in october is ideal. In october, swimming is ideal on the beaches around South Padre Island! With water reaching 86°F at most and 82°F on average, spending time in the water is very pleasant.

Currently, all South Padre Island beaches have registered low levels of bacteria. Although city officials say there is little concern about dangerous bacteria in the water, there are still precautions to be taken.

Because a large part of the island is marsh there can be incredible numbers of mosquitoes at times. However, the normal offshore wind is strong enough to keep most flying insects off the beaches. This is one reason we encourage people not to go into the grasslands or off the beach. It can be extremely uncomfortable.

South Padre Island is a delightful oasis of tropical climate, white sand beaches, and crystal clear waters. This barrier island is known for its impeccably stunning beauty and its vistas of the Gulf of Mexico and the Laguna Madre Bay.

The average price of a 7-day trip to South Padre Island is $1,421 for a solo traveler, $2,552 for a couple, and $4,785 for a family of 4. South Padre Island hotels range from $47 to $215 per night with an average of $64, while most vacation rentals will cost $260 to $580 per night for the entire home.

Is it worth visiting South Padre Island? ›

South Padre Island is definitely one of those destinations. After spending four days there, I concluded that not only is it a great destination for people who love the heat and the outdoors, but it's also a year-round destination that can appeal to everyone from Spring Breakers to families with kids.

The South Padre Island Shuttle travels from Valley International Airport in Harlingen to any location on South Padre Island for $25.00 each way or $40.00 round trip. Daily service, please call in advance for reservations.

Being located so close to the Mexico border tourists often find fun in crossing the border for some great shopping and dining experiences. Be sure to bring your passport though! If traveling over the border isn't your style, don't worry; South Padre Island is often thought of as an English-speaking Mexican resort.

Isla Blanca Beach is one of South Padre Island's best and most popular beaches. There is a lot that you can do here. You'll find people surfing, hiking, biking, and more. A boardwalk near the beach connects you to more shaded areas, picnic pavilions, restrooms, and showers.

1. Isla Blanca Beach. Isla Blanca Beach is one of the island's main beaches and where you will find some of the best beach activities on the island. It is one of the most beautiful sections of beach on South Padre Island, located on the south end.

Central South Padre is the best area to stay in South Padre Island. Here you'll find the main attractions, great restaurants, and hotels like Rain Dancer.

You can walk directly on the sand from one end of South Padre Island to the other, whereas much of the shoreline in North Padre Island has rocky inlets, concrete seawalls, and private beaches not accessible for families or those who need accessibility modifications.

With 34 miles of beautiful white sand and clear emerald water, South Padre Island is one of the world's most exquisite barrier islands – and the only tropical Island in Texas. Calm weather and water and more than 300 days of sunshine make South Padre Island a great place to live and visit all year.

For those living in Texas and bordering states, this is a great beach area. “Excellent!” This is a beautiful, clean beach with soft white sand that tapers down to hard packed sand that you can easily walk o...

Visit Harlingen/South Padre Island.

Your Rio Grande Valley adventure awaits when you deplane at Valley International Airport.

Is it expensive in South Padre Island? ›

South Padre Island's housing expenses are 59% higher than the national average and the utility prices are 7% higher than the national average. Transportation expenses like bus fares and gas prices are 12% lower than the national average.

Both cities have high beach attendance, especially around Spring Break, but which beach is better? That all depends on what you like! Both beach cities offer up their own charm, from Galveston's mega beachside attraction options to South Padre Islands clean, perfect sandy shores.

There is a Dolphin Watch Morning Special which leaves at 11 a.m., a Dolphin Watch Eco-Tour which departs at 1:30 p.m., and a Dolphin Watch Sunset Tour which departs at 6 p.m.