Skipping South Padre

South Padre is supposed to be the Miami of Texas. Wild Spring breaks, beautiful beaches and endless fun. At least that’s what I heard. Now I didn’t get the chance to visit South Padre during spring break, but I did get to go last weekend… and if I have ONE piece of advice to anyone wanting to go to this place? – DON’T.

I’m sure it’s a completely different place during Spring Break or other holidays, but we arrived late Friday night to a quiet island, empty aside from a few couples and teenagers walking around.  We checked into a cheap (and horrendous) hotel called the ‘Beachside Inn & Suites‘ and almost vomited because of the pungent stench of curry that filled the lobby & hallways.

I wish the rest of our short 24 hour stay went better, but it really didn’t. We ended up driving around the island trying to find something to do, but found almost everything to be closed. From the mini-golf courses, to abandoned buildings that were once clubs, the island seemed like one sad, uninhabited place. The beach was beautiful (by Texas standards) but we didn’t have much time to sit and actually enjoy it. Plus, we wanted adventure!

The only redeeming portion of our trip was a restaurant just off the island called Manuel’s.  We found this hole in the wall place off of yelp and decided to give it a shot. The place was pretty packed, and I ordered a ‘breakfast taco,’ which wasn’t even on the menu but was recommended by most reviews on yelp.  The result? The most fantastic, giant taco I’ve had in my entire life. Since I’m veggie, I ordered it with beans, eggs, potatoes, cheese, and fresh avocados… Mmm.  I think it was like $7, and it came with chips and amazing salsa as well..

Don’t even get me started on how delicious the homemade tortillas were!

If I had a chance to go back to South Padre I probably wouldn’t – aside from Manuel’s delicious tacos. Again, I can’t speak for Spring Break or the Summer, but if you’re looking for adventure and an overall good time – off season South Padre is not for you. However, if you just want a pretty quiet place to go where you can sit by the beach and relax, then head over to South Padre… Just don’t spend a lot of money getting there.