The first week back to school after spring break is always the most difficult. You have probably just spent the past week of your life binge-drinking on a beach or binge-eating at your parents’ house (for those of you that are 21, of course). Luckily, I managed to do a little bit of both, but my five days in South Padre Island, TX was definitely the highlight of my break and possibly my year. I thought I would share my positive and negative experiences with you in case you are considering Padre for spring break 2013.
THE PROS
Weather
It’s maybe the most important element on spring break to be beachside. That bikini is not going to be so cute on a freezing and shivering body. Lucky for me, the weather was in the 70’s or 80’s all week. Needless to say, I got fried in the potent Texas sun on the day that I decided to forgo sunscreen. Even on days that were cloud-covered, I still got some sun. At night, the temperatures did drop. The lowest they reached was the low 60’s but nothing a “liquid blanket” couldn’t solve.
Beach Party
Ok, I lied. This is probably the most important element of spring break. During the day, everyone gathers at Coca-Cola beach, which is located right outside the Isla Grand hotel. You can bring alcohol on the beach, so everyone just finds the biggest drinking containers they can (no glass is allowed on the beach), and they fill them up with booze before they head to the beach. The beach party officially goes from 11am-4pm, and there is a big stage with DJ’s that play music and host crazy contests during that time. Every school plants their flag in the sand, and you gather there.
The beach party is definitely the best part. There are people everywhere, just drinking, and having fun. People sculpt beer pong tables in the sand, and there are beer bong contraptions everywhere that you are welcome to have some fun with for a “price.” The biggest Port-A-Potty in the world (the ocean) is right there waiting for you so you never have to wait in line to pee! There are lots of nice people there from other schools to mingle with; however I found that most of the people there were from Iowa.
One word of caution that I must offer is that the beach is littered with beer cans that will cut your feet if you are not wearing sandals. Also, there are coolers and holes everywhere so you have to watch where you are walking.
The Hotel Security
I never would have thought this, but the hotel security was nearly top notch (at least for where I was staying at the Saida Towers). Mostly all of the hotels closest to Coca-Cola beach were completely gated in, and all of the entrances had security guards to check for hotel wristbands. If you wanted to bring a non-hotel guest back to your condo, they were required to purchase a hotel wristband for about $20. I felt very safe inside my condo and on the property. The security was prompt and thorough in preventing unwanted intruders on the property. My parents definitely would have approved!
THE CONS
The Nightlife
Actually, I am still kind of on the fence about this one. Here’s the deal: most people who go to Padre for spring break book go through this tour company called Inertia Tours, and everyone who purchases their VIP Package (which is most people) gets free cover to one specific club per night. So most people end up going to the same club, and all of the other clubs are pretty dead that night. The task is to find the popular one for the night. The problem with this is that the featured bar is so packed you can barely move, and it can sober you up pretty fast. My advice would be to head to the bar earlier so you can claim a good spot, maybe around 9 or 10pm because the lines can get long pretty fast. Also, the drinks are ridiculously expensive. Like I’m talking $13.50 for a vodka Redbull.
The Food Selection
One thing about South Padre Island is that restaurants are pretty spread out. The only eatery that is close to Coca-Cola beach is McDonald’s, and the lines are really long during peak times. Other than that, it is about a 10-minute walk to the next closest place, which is Denny’s. At one point during my trip I was absolutely craving Mexican food, which I thought would be abundant since we were so close to Mexico, but I was wrong. There is only ONE Mexican restaurant on the whole island! It’s called The Big Donkey, and it is located on the northern part of the island so it can be a pretty long trek. I did eat at one delicious sushi place called Konami, and that was pretty close to Coca-Cola Beach too, if you enjoy sushi.
I would definitely say that the pros outweighed the cons on this trip. My friends and I had an absolute blast and made some memories that we will never forget, and some we wish we could.
Other pieces of advice: 1) Do an activity other than drinking. Some of my friends and I took surfing lessons one day, and that was probably the highlight of my trip! 2) Stay in groups. This is true no matter where you go on spring break. It’s always a smart choice to stay safe and travel in groups, especially when you are so close to Mexico. 3) If you are considering booking through Inertia Tours, talk to someone who has booked with them before to get advice. While I had an okay experience with them, I know some people had an absolutely terrible time booking with them. Do some research.
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