After the polar vortex of a winter, I needed some sun. Badly. I’d never been to Texas, and I heard South Padre had nice beaches, so I was excited when two of my gal pals were able to swing the trip.
A dramatic beginning to the trip
So far in my travels, I’ve never missed a flight. I definitely put that to the test with this trip. I always have my phone on vibrate, but that never impacts the alarm. The day before the trip, however, I had a work meeting and inadvertently switched my phone (and all alerts) to silent.
The plan was I was going to get up, pick up Krystal, and drive to Sarah’s since she lives really close to the airport. Did I mention that my flight was scheduled to leave at 5:10am? Thanks to my alarm gaffe, I didn’t get up at 3:30 a.m. But “luckily,” I get up early during the week for work and I woke up at 4:20 a.m…. in complete disbelief. I looked at my phone and saw that Sarah and Krystal called me several times, but I obviously slept through it because my phone was on silent. I called Sarah and she let me know that I had to be on the plane by 4:55 a.m. Good thing I was packed the night before because I leaped out of bed, threw on some clothes, and hauled ass to the airport, driving 90 mph down the interstate. So in 35 minutes I managed to get to the airport, park my car, get through security (thank you TSA Precheck!), and make my flight. Who cares that I didn’t brush my hair or teeth and looked like a hot mess? What an adrenaline rush!
The three of us remained in disbelief about me making that flight for about two days. We had a layover in Houston and started drinking almost as soon as we landed at 9:30 a.m.
A surprisingly quiet getaway
We stayed at La Copa Resort, which was on the Gulf side of South Padre. The complimentary breakfast was pretty terrific…omelets every day! And the beach was really lovely. The good thing about going in April is that Spring Break fever is over, so it was REALLY quiet. And the sun was HOT.
My marathon training was just ramping up, so I got in a couple nice early runs on the beach while there. Otherwise, this was a REALLY chill getaway with Sarah and Krystal.
Couple tips about South Padre:
- Rent a car. A taxi ride from Brownville Airport is close to $100. And once you get to the Island, you’ll want a car, as the bus service this time of year is pretty unreliable. And while there’s a flat, per-person rate for taxis, it unnecessarily adds up pretty quickly. Do yourself a favor and rent a car. There’s a lot you can do/see with one.
- Enjoy Laguna BOB’s. This was a really fun joint. It was NBA playoffs, and there was a giant big screen at this 100% outdoor location. Fin, kitschy atmosphere. The bartenders were nice and they had decent food.
- Avoid Louie’s Backyard. This place was DISGUSTING. The salad bar looked frightening and the drinking water literally smelled bad. Plus, there were booze cruises that went by at 10:00 p.m. with children on them. Yes, children. I recommend avoiding this place at all costs.
Cecilia the TravelGurl 
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