South Padre Island Named One of America’s Best Beaches by Condé Nast Traveler Magazine - February 2006

South Padre Island’s “comprehensive range of innocent beach activities” is what helped the Island gain a “Best Beach” status from Condé Nast Travel Magazine.  According to a February 2006 article, the variety of what SPI has to offer is the Island’s claim to fame as it continues to have a “pleasing pioneering flavor.”  The article touts the Island’s elite beach activity as sand castle building, and makes note of another popular event, “Roar by the Shore.”  Other beaches listed in the article as America’s Best Beaches include: Panama City Beach, Clearwater, Naples and South Beach all of Florida; Cumberland Island, Georgia; Assateague/Chincoteague, Maryland and Virginia; Cape May, New Jersey; The Hamptons, New York; and Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard both of Massachusetts.   

South Padre Island has received other accolades which include being: named in 2000 and 2001 by the Travel Channel as America’s third-best beach; designated this year by EscapeHomes.com as the No. 2 location to purchase an affordable vacation home; named this year by MSN.com’s CitySearch editors as one of the nation’s top 10 beaches; designated this year as No. 1 on the Top 10 Beaches for Vacationers list by a travel industry authority, TravelExperts; and designated as a Top Restored Beach for 2005 by the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association.