About South Padre

• Review sites are ok for the Island, but remember, most negative reviews are from old people that complain about how crazy it is in March
•  Watch out for hidden fees when booking online whether it’s a hotel, rental agent, or online travel agency. These fees can be deceptive and cost you a lot of unplanned money on arrival. Get EVERYTHING in writing up front, guaranteeing no hidden fees when you arrive.Examples:*Condo or hotel “security wristband fee” $25 to $40 per person
  *”refundable” damage deposits, particularly if cash is required $50 to $100 per person
  Note: These are rarely refunded
  *Linen fee $20 to $75 per condo
  *Booking fee or processing fee $20 to $50 per condo
  *Damage protection insurance (covers almost nothing) $69 to $109 per condoIn general, be VERY LEERY of damage “deposits.” Property owners nickel and dime you for towels, linens, stuff in the room they claim is broken after you leave to stolen furnishings to arbitrarily charged “excessive cleaning fees.” It is not like you are going to sue them in Texas when you are from South Dakota, and they know this.When you check in, REQUIRE they give you a check in / check out form like you get for student housing. Fill it out, return it. TAKE a picture of it on your phone and one other persons. Take pictures of, as well as video of any damages to the room the minute you arrive. This is called evidence for your credit card company if they try rip you off. Legitimate condo owners and hotels WILL require a debit or credit card (usually from every single person traveling or occupying that room or space) and that ONLY gets charged if true damages occur. Require PICTURES from them if they state damages.Remember, ALWAYS use a credit card so you have dispute protection if you get ripped off
•  The other most common spring break scams we see are these:Craigslist listing for condos. NEVER use craigslist to reserve a condo for spring break. Repeat NEVER EVER – repeat after me…NEVER use craigslist to book space during peak March spring break you WILL get scammed!
•  Sites like homeaway, air b n b, or V R B O sometimes have unscrupulous Owners that will put up an attractive rate, then you do a deposit of say $500. They don’t take the condo rental listing down, just increase the price. Once they get a higher price, they cancel you, refund your money, you have no recourse, you can’t do a review as you didn’t stay there, and take the new group for more money. They can do this over and over again to insure they get the most premium price. We see sad faces all the time onsite on the Island of students cancelled as little as 48 hrs prior to arrival. Sure, they get a “refund” but what good does that do? Everything is sold out or sky high in priceFinally to avoid getting hosed – use COMMON SENSE. If the deal is too good to be true, it certainly is. In March, it is prime time peak travel season. There are not $40 hotel rooms or $500 condos for the week. We said it once we will state it again, ALWAYS book ALL TRAVEL using a major credit card – because if you get rolled, you can call your credit card company and dispute the charge and they go to bat for you to get a refund.Want to book a nearly all inclusive student experience package this Spring Break without worries of getting scammed this spring break?

Other useful tips about Texas Spring Break

• If you are stuck using your vehicle to drive down, PRE COLLECT prior to anyone sitting their skinny fanny down in your vehicle for gas, an oil change when you get back and TWO car washes (one when you arrive one when you get home). Not fair your car gets used, and you get the shaft on these expenses
• Book early. Like any peak week travel time, waiting until the last minute for SPI will not get you a deal – it will get you into a super high price situation and may be a deal killer budget wise for you to even go. Incentives go to those that book first semester, particularly prior to even Thanksgiving
• Booze tends to be more expensive in Texas than Yankee states. Bring some hooch.
• There is a check point when you drive OUT from South Padre north about 60 miles from the Island. There is NOT a check point on the way down/in. On the way out, do NOT have weed or any drugs in the car, you can be arrested.
• Do NOT drink and drive while on the island. With cabs costing only $3 per person to go anywhere, anytime, you are truly a moron to do this. If your friends try to get you to drive, OR they want to drive your ride..just say NO WAY JOSE
• SLOW DOWN from Waco, Texas until south of San Antonio, and again as you approach Los Fresnos & Port Isabel Texas. They WILL give you a ticket. Austin motorcycle cops are brutal on I35…you have been warned. Wear your seat belts.

• Don’t smoke weed in your condo or hotel room. Keep that shit outside your space
• Don’t smoke weed on the beach
• Don’t DRINK on the beach if you are a minor, that is THE worst place to try that
• Don’t use a FAKE ID on the beach. Those are REAL cops asking you for an ID. Show them a fake, that’s a felony. Not good. In general, underage drinking isn’t super hardcore enforced in Texas. The biggest jackasses though….yeah…they get MIPs.
• Do NOT have a house party, ie after hours party. That’ll get you evicted. Pre gaming seems to be fine, but you through a rager the cops are evicting you and guess what? No refunds if that happens
• Don’t get in a fight. It’ll get you thrown out of bars, possibly arrested, and likely evicted from your condo or hotel room. Save that later when you get home Roid Boy….

Other Miscellaneous ideas to help you:

• Condoms. If you haven’t seem one of these, please do google it. They prevent unwanted souvenirs. As so many people cheat, have open relationships, or think that “one hookup” won’t count for their boy or girl back home…you give them the Clap or Gonorrhea when you get home…or worse….the herp or….yikes. STDs generally take 2 to 4 weeks to incubate, and then…sad, stressful news. Bad deal. Wrap that rascal. We didn’t even mention pregnancy from a one night stand….uff duh….Wasted or not, hot or not, wrap it up
• Try to book a condo if you can afford it. The kitchen will save you a ton of money by way of frozen pizzas, ramen, cereal, spaghetti, etc.
• Try to book something on the beach. Yes, the Island is only 2 to 4 City blocks wide, but lugging a cooler or your shit down to the beach every day gets old really, really fast. It also really takes the party down a notch. Big Greek groups book the best, they don’t book Motel 6 or some shitbox off beach condo complex. Just ain’t happening.
  There is a super Wal Mart in Port Isabel Texas just across the bridge from the Island that is..well..cheap for supplies. Use Ben’s Liquor warehouse on the Island for the beat prices
• Liquor stores are CLOSED on Sundays on South Padre. However, you can still buy beer and wine at Wal Mart, HEB, or Stripes gas stations on Sunday. Off sale from these places ends at 12 midnight, so be prepared. Liquor CAN be served onsale on Sundays at bars and restaurants.