Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SPRING BREAK: A PARTY FOR 100,000
Like other second-tier beach resorts, such as Florida's Panama City Beach, South Padre Island has struck gold
with spring break, the period in March when hordes of college students (and high-school students with lax par-
ents) congregate at beaches for a week or more of pleasurable excess that's limited only by the capacity of their
livers, loins and billfolds. Resorts such as Fort Lauderdale, in Florida, now turn up their noses at spring break, but
SPI does everything possible to welcome this free-spending mob.
During the last three weeks of March, when various US colleges and universities have their breaks, more than
100,000 students descend on the island for days of drinking, swimming, sunbathing, frolicking and more, fol-
lowed by nights of drinking, skinny-dipping, frolicking and more. Major sponsors, such as beer and soda com-
panies, stage concerts and games on the beaches. MTV is usually there broadcasting live.
During spring break, it's hard to escape the mobs of students cruising the developed part of town. If the idea of
spending a week at a beach party with thousands of young people on their first real bender appeals to you, you
will have a wonderful time. Otherwise you should avoid the island for the entire month.
Ground zero for SPI's spring break is the area near the end of the causeway, where the largest condos and ho-
tels, including the Isla Grand Beach Resort and the Sheraton South Padre Beach Condominiums, are located. Ma-
jor clubs catering to the spring break crowds include Chaos and Louie's Backyard. Apart from these hot spots,
any place on SPI that sells beer will see spring-break action, with many serving locally popular drinks such as
The Whammy and Charlie's Cherry.
The best accommodations - meaning those closest to the action - usually book up six months or more before
March. The web is awash with offers.
Sleeping
Options for bedding down are myriad. Obviously without advance reservations you'll be
left bedless during spring break and on busy weekends. Of course you can always claim a
free patch of sand on the north end of the island. You can save money by staying on the
mainland in Port Isabel or even as far as Harlingen but the commute may sour your mood.
Hotels & Motels
Hotels and motels on SPI come in three broad categories: big glitzy resorts, regular chain
motels and funky places with lots of beach atmosphere. Some of the resort places are nice,
while others look like the result of a five-year plan. Rates vary hugely between warm-
weather weekends (when it pays to seek out quiet neighbors) and the middle of January.
Flamingo Inn
MAP
MOTEL
$
GOOGLE MAP
