We decided we were not quite ready to take the kids all the way to Florida, so we settled on the prettiest beach in Texas which is by far South Padre Island. Door to door it took us 7 hours which was really manageable for everyone. We had the extra hands of Mimi and Grandpa which was really helpful. We were able to split the kids up into pairs in each car which helped as well.
I was interested to see if we were "beach people" or "mountain people." At the end of this trip, I would say we are a little bit of both! Matt mentioned that he would love to be able to go to the beach and the mountains every summer. Boy, do I agree!
South Padre really grew on me during our 6-day stay. I think in a few years we may venture all the way to Gulf Shores or Destin, but for now, Padre is a good fit for us.
The rental we stayed in was OK. It had some quirks about it which would prevent us from renting it again, but it was in a great location and I would say it is a must to be have a beachfront property with a pool when you have small kids.
The weather was absolutely perfect. I was surprised how cool it was by the water - I don't really ever recall feeling uncomfortably hot the whole time I was there which is pretty remarkable.
Some of the highlights included: boogie boarding in the surf, watching Matthew experience the ocean for the first time, digging in the sand with construction equipment, bay fishing with a guide, the Adventure Park go-carts, dessert at Dairy Queen, Eco-Tour/Dolphin Tour and going to the dunes at the far end of the island.
I am looking forward to future beach trips with the family. . . wherever they may be!
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| This was our set up on beach days - perfect! |
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| Our view of the condo. We were the one on the far right. No one else in our building during the week we were there |
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| Visiting the sand dunes at the end of the island. Very cool. |
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| Craft Time! |
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| We rented a guide and went fishing in the bay. |
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| Will looks like a natural fisherman |
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| A tiny quarter fish that is completely flat. Fascinating! |
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| Our guide, Captain Vere Wells. A chain-smoking, crusty native who knew exactly where to take us but was short on conversation skills. |
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| Matt's beautiful Red Fish. |
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| We caught our limit of Speckled Trout! A total of 20 for the 4 of us. |
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| Captain Wells in his boat |
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| More craft time with Mimi. Putting shells and marbles in plaster paris |
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| Alivia loved the crafts - the boys. . .well. . .not so much |
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| Rainy day visit to the local t-shirt shop while the littles napped |
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| Bringing the construction trucks was perfect for the beach |
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| We flew our little kite! Will loved this. |
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| The King and Queen on their thrones under the canopy |
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| Matthew really liked the small pools of water |
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| A look down the beach - there was seaweed but nothing gross or smelly |
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| Will said his favorite part of the week was "the water." He would love to just walk in and out of the waves |
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| The pool was TINY but the kids LOVED it because it was just their size. Matthew stayed in the spa area and just walked around and around. So funny. |
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| Visiting the dunes again |
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| Crazy Hair! |
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| We ran into some pirates on Pier 19. Look at Matthew's face - too funny. |
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| More fishing pics with Captain Wells |
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| A portion of our catch! |
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| Visit to Turtles, Inc. a rescue center on the island |
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| They are beautiful creatures |
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| The Dolphin/Eco tour. It was at 3 pm and everyone was hot. The littles were restless. . . . |
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| Adventure Park! The kids got to drive their own go-karts. Alivia LOVED this - she said it was her favorite activity of the week! |
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