Margaritaville Beach Resort - South Padre Island — Hotel in South Padre Island

I live in the Austin area and take my wife, 2 grown sons, 2 DILs, and 3 grandkids every year for vacation at SPI. We have stayed at this hotel since before it was Margaritaville (it was called The Pearl).

Last year, we were there for the grand opening week of Margaritaville Resort, and let's just say, there were some loose ends that needed fixing. They had a fiasco with shower curtains that were too short! You can imagine the watery mess when showering, requiring extra towels from housekeeping to dry the floor.

Fast forward to July 25-29 this year (2024). We returned to Margaritaville Resort, excited to hit the beach, relax and have fun.

This hotel has some strengths: Location - close to the start of the island strip, just exiting off the Queen Isabella Causeway (bridge that connects Port Isabel to South Padre Island). You have a Johnny Rockets and a new, fantastic Mexican eatery called Calacas just a block away, followed by mini-cart rentals, shops, and restaurants nearby. Beach access - The hotel has a very easily accessible, and short boardwalk to the beach. Great access! Swimming Pool - A nice, large swimming pool with a swim-up bar and separate kiddie pool Onsite restaurant called Land Shark

Unfortunately, Margaritaville Resort has a growing list of negative strikes against it, that really got to me this year. I kind of put up with them last year, thinking that it's because of the "grand opening" that there is extra chaos or issues. But a year later, things are actually worse!

CONS: IT IS NOT A RESORT - The experience is sub-par. a) Small hotel with one restaurant b) NO ROOM SERVICE! c) The Joe Merchant's onsite store has very very very few "snack items" to grab-n-go. When you have kids, you need to be able to grab quick snacks to keep the family happy and energetic while enjoying the beach. d) no vents in the bathrooms

INCONSISTENT GUEST EXPERIENCES - I was on the 10th floor this year, and the water pressure in the bathroom (shower and sink) was abysmal. I stood there, covered in soap lather, and the water dwindled down to a trickle. Literally, a trickle. A handful of drops coming out of the spout, not enough to even wash the soap off my hands...much less my whole body! The water pressure would slowly (like over 2-3 minutes) start to come back. Other guests on the same floor reported the same issue.

BROKEN ELEVATOR - Three elevators, one was out of commission. They got it fixed on day 3 of our stay.

EXTREMELY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE - The "towel machine" just outside the doors to the pool was not working. At a "RESORT", you'd expect a staff member or two to be standing there with a table and tons of towels, handing them out to guests. But not at Margaritaville. Instead, they posted a sign on the towel machine saying, "Go to the FRONT DESK for towels"! Can you believe that? You're already outside, usually carrying a beach bag or other items, and now you have to go back inside, walk down the hallway to the front of the hotel, and stand in line, competing for attention with the guests checking in and checking out. Absolutely BONE-HEADED customer disservice. If I was in charge of this company, that hotel manager would be fired on the spot just for this one thing. Because hotels are in the service business. You have ONE JOB. Just ONE. Provide great service! Instead, Margaritaville chose to inconvenience us, the guests, and make things easier on themselves.

UNDERSTAFFED RESTAURANT - guests would sit down, wait and wait, never see a server, and after 10 minutes or more, get up and leave. And NOBODY on staff cared or even noticed them leaving. At one meal, our server was so apologetic for the slow service. She told us that she isn't a server at the hotel, but was asked to stand in and take orders.

NO SERVICE ELEVATOR - The concierge and service repair guys were frequently seen on the guest elevators. They'd get on at the 8th floor, and get off on the 7th floor...for example

And all this inconvenience for $6,696 (3 rooms,...

If you're looking for a fun, beachside escape with a laidback vibe, Margaritaville SPI delivers. I will definitely be back.

I stayed in a FULL ocean view suite which was super clean and superior to most suites I’ve stayed in; the art work and decor fits the theme perfectly.

I traveled solo and I don’t drink alcohol, I worried it might be a more “party vibe” than I wanted but I am happy to say although it was a party for many, it was a relaxing party vibe and safe for all ages.

The suite views were absolutely stunning, waking up to the sunrise over the Gulf was exactly what I needed. The beds are plush including the pillows. Whoever made the choice to put the high end mattresses and pillows in this hotel knew what they were doing, they didn’t skimp on comfort.

They do rent condos in a different tower but I didn’t ask how that worked, I stayed in the hotel.

The suite has a full kitchen that includes a Frigidaire brand (high end) stainless steel dishwasher, microwave, oven and stove and full size side by side refrigerator.

If you stay in a suite I suggest bringing a couple items

cleaning supplies (such as dish washing detergent pods) A couple extra trash bags

They do offer both but I use specific brands at home and would’ve preferred my own over what they offer (this is definitely a personal preference what they offer will work fine).

They also have housekeeping full service at the hotel. When I left on Friday at 9am for the beach housekeepers were on my floor and when I returned they were still on my floor finishing up at 6pm. One of the housekeepers mentioned it was a busy weekend and asked me if I needed anything for my suite. This kind of service is what I expect but is rare now days, impressive.

The pool scene is lively and social, with a DJ who gets everyone involved think line dancing and poolside games. There’s a kid friendly pool and a larger one with a swim up bar, but the large one is open to all ages, and is directly next to the kids pool (kids as in toddlers).

ABOUT THE BEACH: This hotel is RIGHT ON THE BEACH. It is literally a 30 second walk off the back deck. This was a concern for me when booking, but no need to worry you will be right there.

You can rent chairs/umbrella’s at the beach. The vendors who rent them aren’t affiliated with the hotel and mostly speak Spanish so having a translation app helps.

Service was solid but more relaxed than five star uptight. For example, you’ll need to request a bellhop for your luggage rather than one greeting you upon arrival and automatically taking your bags; perfectly fine.

I ate at the restaurant for most meals each day. Service was fast and reasonably priced, and food was good after a day in the sun when I am always more hungry than normal.

There’s a live band that plays in the outside dining area of the restaurant on Friday and Saturday nights. The band was entertaining and enjoyable; the kids also loved it and the band played along with the kiddos and adults who were interactive with them.

Location wise, you’re surrounded by dining options from McDonald’s to local seafood spots and just across the bridge on the mainland, you’ll find HEB and Walmart for anything you forgot to pack.

I was hoping to catch a Starship launch from nearby Starbase which is Elon Musks launch site but no luck this time. Maybe you’ll get lucky, I understand you can feel it in your body when it launches.

Some of the reviews I read prior to my visit were a tiny bit concerning such as rust on the AC unit but it is not rust it is salt build up and it’s on the outside units; no one can get rid of that; it effects nothing. Just book here; you’ll love it.

I’m quite surprised of the nit picking some of the other reviews offered. I have very high expectations myself and they were all met.

Totally worth the money, totally relaxing and I...

Let’s start with the great. Food at Landshark very good. We purchased the breakfast package it was worth it. The team of servers were very pleasant and accommodating every day. The night life band Deville Band at the Landshark is so entertaining and fun.

The pool and entertainment provided by the dj was awesome. The pizza was good as well! They need to add a few more servers and bartenders so the service isn't so slow however. Waited forever to get drinks.

Now for the disappointing parts. The room. Dirty floors. Pillow cases smelled of Mildew No ventilation in bathroom. Constantly steamed up. The room was so damp the entire time it felt as if were we outside. The air-conditioning made it worse. The one chair beside the bed to sit on was wet the entire time. Again I felt like I was sleeping in mildew. Just moist everywhere. Theres tar balls on the beach so apparently people tracked it in and well that was everywhere. Carpets/ floor etc The bathroom floor was nasty. Mop the bathroom floors!!!!! We were on the 7th floor. It looked as if it vacuum cleaner, bag, head, broken, and all the dust from the bag was all over the carpet at one point when we were coming back from the pool. I had went down to the front desk and let them know about it and they said it was being taken care of, but when I came back later after dinner, it still was all over. Another issue I had was because It’s a pet friendly resort, Which I’m actually happy about if it’s ran correctly, there was a person who left their dog in the room while they were gone and The dog barked, literally for the entire time they were gone. They were about three or four rooms away, but I could still hear it clearly. I think there needs to be a floor dedicated to animals if they’re going to have it be pet friendly, or have a way to get a hold of the people who have these dogs, if their dogs cannot handle being alone in the room because it was really annoying.

I have to end this review with this. One week prior to us staying my daughter and her boyfriend also stayed. When we asked how it was, they said it was OK, but they would not be returning. They’d rather get an Airbnb. They not only were treated very badly by a staff member Who they eventually found out was the person’s last day at check-in, But they also had to change rooms because they had a roach.

Final thoughts.

It has so much potential, but it looks like there’s definitely some kind of staffing issue going on because of how things are just not taken care of. I personally had a good experience with check-in and all of my interactions with the staff. My daughter did not. I told her she should make her own review. I probably will not be staying here again. Because spending almost $2000 for just a pool entertainment is not worth The money is spent. I’m not expecting perfection, but the comfort of a room is the most important part of your stay and the fact that It felt so disgusting most of the time will be the number one reason why I won’t be coming back. Even the lobby smells like mildew and fish or something. I refuse to drink the water at the Landshark restaurant, even though everything else was good because it tasted like they got it from A fishbowl. I wanted it to be better than It was. And I’m not a picky person. But there’s something about feeling dirty the entire time that just won’t allow me to give it any higher of a rating. I hope they can do better in the future, but I’ll be staying at...