One of only two tropical beaches in the entire Continental
United States, South Padre Island offers Valleyites
and travelers from all around the World year round
sun, fishing, surfing, site seeing and eager nightlife for all
ages. On the southern tip of the longest barrier Island
in the World, Padre Island spans 130 miles from Corpus
Christi to Brownsville, Texas. It is divided only by a channel
at Port Mansfield.

Because it lies on the same latitude as Miami and Dubai, (Latitude 26) Padre Island enjoys a sub tropic warm summer climate along with a mild winter season. Rainy seasons in late summer are short while winter brings bright, cloudless skys and a cool northern breeze. Fall is a particularly good time to visit the island since strong summer sea breezes slack off to produce beautiful calm seas. It’s not the best kite flying time but it sure is nice to see a perfect sunset reflected on still water. Throughout the year one can find all sorts of busy events and festivals but it is a real treat to experience the Island in the Fall. It is quite noticeable at this time of year a lack of “young” tourists giving the island as a whole an atmosphere of exclusivity. It’s great for long walks on the beach or grabbing some uninterrupted sunbathing time. A quite swim or an evening out for dinner is all the bit nicer when things calm down to a tranquil, Fall pace.

There is no waiting for a table at the famous “Grapevine Cafe” for breakfast where they serve those huge breakfast tacos that I can never finish. And you don’t have as long a wait to be seated at popular places like Mamacita’s or Blackbeard’s in the evenings. Probably because of the Hurricane, there are unusually good prices at gift shops and for excursions this Fall.

Although the Texas International Fishing Tournament was canceled this year, all the fishing guides I spoke with indicated a bounty of fish are being taken in the bay. On my visit I noted all the boats coming into Jim’s Pier after both morning and evening runs had taken lots of Reds and Trout. Capt. Chad Elkins of Shallow Water Guide Service, based out of Jim’s Pier, says that theyhad been and still are catching many large flounder in the shallows as well. “The cancelation of TIFT left a lot of fish behind that we are now stringing up. The bay fishing has never been better.”

Wind surfers were having fun out between the sand bars. I watched some beginners managing the light breeze well and some experts performing complex maneuvers. At the tip of Isla Blanca Park on the far south end of the Island, near the monument, surfers have discovered a cove that generates repeating, consistent waves that run alongside the shore instead of against it. You could tell it was a great spot because the surfers would effortlessly return to the catching zone more easily along the shore. A handful of them kept it up until sunset. Nearby, surf fishers worked the fish from anchored lawn chairs while further south along the jetty, photographers started setting up for sizzling sunset
photos.

Looking into some Island statistics, I found that before
Hurricane Dolly, real estate properties had been faring
quite well. South Padre Island, up until that point, had
continued to experience excellent growth in real estate
rentals and sales even under non-stop development.
Of course the hurricane changed all that but may have
created a special window of opportunity for some good
buys. Also, rental prices that are usually off this time of
year are further depressed making for some high value,
short term accommodations.