The Palms Resort - Hotel in South Padre Island - 3616 Gulf Blvd, USA

We have eaten at the Palm’s Cafe for many years and love it because it is on the gulf side with a beach entrance right. This made it so nice to walk out of my hotel room and stroll down the beach for awhile. Front desk customers service upon arrival was amazing and friendly. Check out was quick and easy and I would highly recommend especially if you have dogs. There is a small kitchen, sleeper sofa and queen size bed. Plenty of room for a family of 4 and pet. Will definitely escape away again to the Palms Resort.

Stayed here many times over the years and sadly I think we’re done for now. ||Property changed hands a couple years ago and we honestly liked it better before the change (even though the new owners put in some money). ||Service overall was never amazing but it’s even more meh now. At least the staff seemed happier before. ||We saw more bugs/insects around this time... and general room cleanliness has declined. The rooms used to be almost spotless… Worst of all are the mattresses. They desperately need new comfy ones. Previously we stayed in a “Deluxe” king which had a nice mattress but I don’t know if that room still exists and there’s no reason all the rooms can’t have nice comfy mattresses. We stay 60 nights a year in hotels and know that a good mattress feels like... ||The smoking issue is also back. They have giant ashtrays literally right in front of guest room doors. The smoke gets sucked into your room via the immediately adjacent AC unit intake. This should be illegal (surprised it isn’t) and the ashtrays should be at least 20 feet away from any door or ventilation intake. ||Finally we miss the old timers who worked at the cafe for years and years. The mostly new crew isn’t nearly as good although the food is about the same. We received **abysmally** bad service from the very young thin dark haired waitress (screwed up order, didn’t bother asking what temperature we wanted so it came out WELL done, no check in on food after delivery, no smile or even half welcoming demeanor). She also appeared sick and was coughing all over (when not emerging from the kitchen with food in her mouth). I get finding labor is hard but we stopped dining at the cafe after our experience with her… and would have spent a lot more money there had it not been for her… ||This used to be our go-to spot. Will be trying other options.

The Cafe on the Beach is a wonderful spot with an ocean breeze, some covered and uncovered outdoor seating, very solid service, and excellent food and drinks. Everything on the menu is good.

The room overall was decent. The bed was very comfortable. The shower was Awesome. The water did taste funky, but just used it to brush our teeth. I think that the water tasting is common on the island because it smelled bad even in the different restaurants. The kitchenette was good the bigger refrigerator was awesome. We would sit outside our room and visit with people coming and going to restaurant or the people staying at the Palms, and we met many awesome people and made some new life long friends and met some people from back home. The restaurant had great food. Overall stay was good till we killed 4 cockroaches on 2 separate days.

We were pleased with our stay. The room was clean and the view from the 2nd floor is good. It is simple to walk to the beach from the room. The price was good for beach front. The parking can be tight but wasn’t a problem while we were there. The room has all one needs for staying at the beach. Not really self catering but does have a full fridge and microwave.

This motel is awesome. It's on the beach and has a 5 star restaurant fronting the beach. Bring the kids and grandkids (or not) - you will 100% enjoy your stay here.

Was very disappointed in the place today…I took a bottle of water in there yesterday and not one word was said to me. Today the lady attacked me before I even sat down about my bottle of water was told I had to remove it immediately because of some law of not being allowed to bring in my own water…she was a horrible hostess…we got up and left

There are several advantages to staying at this motel, namely, it is on the beach, there is a restaurant there, and we encountered no problems with cleanliness. However, there are a few things to be aware of:||||1. There is no elevator in this motel and you may be assigned to a room on the second floor.||2. Security is a problem, since the motel uses house keys instead of a modern keying system. It would be possible for a guest to duplicate the key and return at a later date to steal from the room. Even if you bring no valuables, your personal security is at risk. Previous reviews have pointed this out, but management claims they have not found a digital key system that could withstand the salty air.||3. Hair dryers and irons are not in the room, but can be requested from the front desk.||4. Do not expect to cook in the kitchenette. There are no utensils, and it would be impractical to bring your whole kitchen with you.||5. The Guest Information booklet in the room has a variety of uncommon policies such as: "For the convenience of all hotel guests, please do not bring toys or floatation devices into the pool," or "Only food and beverages purchased at the Cafe on the Beach [the motel's restaurant] may be brought into and/or consumed in the pool area." The menu of the restaurant has what some people might regard as a joke: "No smoking. No whining children, adults, or animals." Others might think this is very paternalistic.||||Clearly the large number of positive reviews reflects the high regard guests have for this motel. Each prospective guest can decide if it is appropriate for them.