| Issue #1 - posted 1/5/01 Greetings from beautiful South Padre Island, Texas!
Welcome to the first edition of the SPIonline.com Spring Break
Newsletter. My name is sandy feet, and over the next several
weeks I will be doing my level best to keep you informed of news,
accommodations options, events, activities and specials of
interest to anyone planning a spring break trip to South Padre
Island.
In this first issue:
* VERY brief introduction of me and SPIonline.com
* General overview of your lodging options
* Booking on-line: how to find the "Internet specials"
* From the SPIonline.com Spring Break Message Board
In future issues, you can expect to find
* spotlights on specific 'breaker-friendly properties
* brief descriptions of some new laws that can affect you
* personal invitations/special offers from Island merchants
who want your business
* focus on 'break activities such as concerts and parties
* anything else that I think might interest you!
Moving right along....
About Me:
I moved to SPI very shortly after graduation from MSU (Go
Spartans!) and am looking forward to my 21st spring break on SPI
(Yeah, do the math. I'm old enough to be your mother.) I am not
affiliated with the city or tourist bureau - I don't mail
brochures. I launched SPIonline.com in 1998 as a labor of love
when I noticed that no other web-site was posting unbiased, real
nuts and bolts information for potential visitors. I write an
"Ask Sandy" column for the web and print media, and I try to
answer every single question I receive. If I get lots of mail on
any particular subject, I post another page on the site to
address it.
Accommodations:
A large percentage of spring break-related questions I receive
concern lodging -- where's the best place to stay?
There are a lot of variables to consider:
*location: right on the beach? close to the daytime action?
close to the nighttime action?
*budget: be realistic about what you can afford
*week visiting: Your $$ will go a lot further if you can avoid
"Texas Week"
*security: hate wristbands, guards and strict occupancy limits?
*transportation: this really should not be a major concern.
There are lots of free buses - day and night - taxis are cheap
and if need be you can walk almost anywhere you need to go in 30
minutes or less.
Generally speaking, the largest properties (Royale, Rad, Sheraton
and Holiday Inn on the south; the Bahia Mar on the north) are
going to have the highest party ratio, the most amenities, the
strictest security measures and occupancy levels - and the steepest
rates. You pay extra but you can theoretically enjoy almost every
desirable aspect of spring break without leaving the property.
Smaller motels (Ramada, Days Inn, Econolodge, etc.) offer lower
rates with less-convenient locations and fewer amenities. Beach
House apartments (i.e. Naturally's and Tres Palmas) are a good
option if you loathe wristbands and security guards. Condo rental
agencies (i.e. Padre Island Rentals) offer a large variety of units
and locations in every price range. To find categorized lists of
links to all of these lodging options, click here.
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Booking On-Line: in search of _The Deal_
A good place to quickly get a feel for what you are going to have
to spend is the reservations page... an easy way to check
availability and rates for several properties fast. I work with two
different booking engines as I have found the rates are not always
the same for each. Rates vary wildly depending on which week you
will be here. Below are some sample rates I turned up in a quick
search on 1/3/02:
Days Inn (March 2) 44 - 89/night (depending on which booking agency
you are looking at)
Days Inn (TX week) 233/night
Sheraton (March 2) 169/night
Sheraton (TX week) 220/night
If you plan to be here Texas week (March 9) you should have booked
yesterday - many properties are already at or near 100% occupancy.
However, deals can still be found and I about fell out of my chair
when I checked out the special internet rates here:
Rad (TX week) $99.95/night
It was cheaper than the rate quoted for March 2! (One caveat -
some of the "special" rates quoted here are for hotels in Corpus -
make sure you know exactly where you are booking!)
Suggested plan of action: 1) Do some solid research, be sure to
check out the cancellation policy, then book SOMETHING 2) Don't
stop researching, but enjoy a more relaxed pace... keeping one eye
on the calendar 3) Rates can change on a daily basis - if you find a
good deal, POUNCE ON IT. If you did your research, you will know a
good deal when you see it.
Over the next few weeks I will be focusing more specifically on some
Island properties of which you may not be aware.
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From the SPIonline.com Spring Break Message Board
Sift through the mind-numbing "Six hotties from Kansas!" messages
and you will find that the spring break forum can be a good
resource for finding advice from seasoned spring breakers.
From the Board Archives: One 'breaker's take on the ongoing debate
-- Padre or Cancun?
SCORECARD
Weather........Cancun
Accommodations..SPI
Friendliness...SPI
Water..........Cancun
Beach..........Cancun
Economy........SPI
Safety of Shopping in Mexico...SPI
Easy Access to Parties.........SPI
Booze for Underagers...........Cancun
Safety.........SPI
Parasailing....SPI (it's unregulated in Cancun and not very safe).
Jet skis........Cheaper in Padre.
Horseback Riding on the Beach....SPI
SPI Wins if safety and price are your major concerns.
Cancun wins if you want great weather,beautiful water and money is
not a big problem.
A current hot topic:
"To thong or not to thong?" -- a weighty issue, no doubt!
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SPRING BREAK PAGES
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