South Padre Island KOA

This is a large park and the pricing is tier based on the type of site you would like (picnic table, water views, etc). There are a lot of amenities here, a sunset deck, playground and sand pit, small dog run, common room with TV, a gym and a restaurant onsite. We did not use all the amenities but it was nice to have the options.

The sites are wide and we had a picnic table which is great to catch the afternoon breeze. Opting for a picnic table did put us into a higher price category.

No problems with the electric or water. Good selection of regular cable channels but we noticed that the image on the screen was not full size. We normally don't hookup to cable but the World Series game 7 was on!

The location is OK, it's close to the state park beach (which requires a $10/day use fee) and across the street from a large water park. It does not have it's own access to the beach and it is not within walking distance of any other activities or restaurants.

The staff was friendly and helpful.

Close to the beach! Close to Dirty Al’s restaurant which is one of the best seafood places on South Padre Island! Lots of shopping! Right next door to Isla Blanca Park. Fish off the jetties or fish in the surf! Frozen shrimp is the best all around bait. Fishing on the bottom works best & an be really good at times. Go snapper fishing on one of the local head boats or book a local fishing guide for some great bay fishing.

We arrived around 11am on Thursday, so it was semi-sparse- which made it easy to check in, park and set-up. That all changed by Saturday when it got packed, but honestly, we didn't mind as the other campers were friendly and well behaved. The staff was outstanding, cheerful and very helpful. The location was choice- both the campground relative to the island, and our campsite in particular, as we were able to back-in our travel trailer easily, with the unsolicited help of one of the site marshals spotting us. We've been to South Padre several times over the years, but this was the first time we chose to camp here, and at just over $60 a night, it was well worth it, and we are definitely staying here again in the future. We basically spent much of our time fishing and swimming on the beach, and our four-night stay flew by- we would have loved to have stayed longer. Four-night stays in South Padre are unheard of for us because the hotels are just so expensive. We are relatively new to RV camping, but we found the experience surprisingly pleasant. It was nice having the convenience of site sewage, cable TV, and the WI-Fi was surprisingly good (we didn't need to put up our booster antenna). Even though we have our own RV bathroom, for a stay this short, we used the site bathrooms (which were kept clean) for number twos and showers. The only downside was the drive from San Antonio- and particularly the return trip, which adds a couple of hours due to the construction on highway 77, the long lines getting past the Border Patrol checkpoint, and of course pulling an RV with a light-duty half-ton truck. We've stayed at state park campgrounds (Inks Lake, Garner, etc.), and those were a real pain in the ass, having to wait for literally three-plus hours just to check-in, and the bathrooms during our stay were disgustingly vile and unsanitary. This place was a pleasant change to that- it even has a gym, swimming pool, movie theater, and it's close to restaurants. We will definitely be returning.

This was our first KOA and thankful to report it was a great experience. Sites were pretty small/narrow, but this was expected. Amenities are extremely nice. 2 laundry locations, heated pool, fitness room, updated playground with jumping pillow (not inflated in pic but was usually always inflated). Staff and management were kind, despite us being some of the youngest people here with our kids, who don’t always behave perfectly. They had lots of activities, mostly catered towards the snowbirds at this time of year, but said they have more for families over the summer. We even saw 2 dolphins from their sunset deck. Rates vary, as it is tiered depending what type of site you get. It wasn’t cheap, but we’d definitely recommend this KOA! Can’t beat the location and it was so nice. Glad we splurged a little.

Upon arrival, things seemed normal for the COVID-19 check-in. Things went well until after renting a golf-cart. My children and I were going back to the camper when a KOA employee yelled at me to "Slow Down" and "Yes, I work here." The woman followed to my campsite yelling and threatening to kick my family "to the curb". When asking for management I was told "I am the manager". When I notified that I will contact corporate I was told "they will just kick it back". Indeed they did. To note this "manager" was the only person who felt they needed to treat me and my family this way. With this said, I contacted our attorney who began working on escalating the issue. Our vacation went down from there. My wife and I were unhappy with the campground due to the mistreatment by management. The campground itself is large but spots are very close to one another. The restrooms are clean, there is a decent-sized laundry, and there is an on-site store for your basic tv supplies. The pool was large at a maximum depth of (4) feet and had a hot tub onsite. The pool at the time of my visit was overtaken by mosquitos. There is a restaurant in walking distance which is very good. They service breakfast also and can have a long wait at times. Even if you do not stay at the KOA stop by here. The city/county campgrounds at Isla Blanca Park are just a mile further down and have better access to the beach. The prices are cheaper also. The KOA I felt was overrated and overpriced in this case. In retrospect of the stay, I will not stay at this KOA nor can I honestly suggest anyone else to. Some may have a better experience but with the way management treated me I feel they deserved the one-star review. We camped at South Padre Island KOA in a Travel Trailer.

The location is pretty great but we wish we had looked into staying on the beach instead.

Check in was ok but sort of cold. The spots here are super tight. Slides just barely make it out and we have a tiny trailer. There’s also no good views despite being on the water. The campground seems to have been laid out so there are no views. Even the “best “ spots (which are for motorcoaches only) have a view of the very loud playground.

Cell service was bad for sprint, slow for ATT and ok for Verizon.

Super tight park- barely room for the slides. No privacy, no views, and limited grass area for the pups. It has amenities; pool, cable, laundry, but you have to leave the park to get access to the beach or bay. Definitely caters to the long term crowd. Would try my luck at the county parks next time.

We enjoyed are stay. Nice people. The spots are smashed in and very crowded.

Loved the location but the sites are VERY close together. The park has very little grass for dogs and our walk to get to a grassy spot was excessive. WiFi was available but very slow.

I rate this KOA as „Adequate“, 3-stars. South Padre Island is a fantastic destination, so you would think the KOA, which essentially stays nearly full all year round, would be a premier KOA. Paved trailer sites? Nope, gravel. Landscaped? Nope, a few palm trees amongst tightly packed sites. New construction? None. Bath houses immaculate and maintained to the highest order? Nope; old, rusty, but basically clean. Fine for a man, but my wife said, „I won’t be taking any showers here....“. New or refinished/painted picnic tables? Nope; more like deteriorating in the Texas sun. On the good side, people (as is the case throughout South Texas, are nice, trash gets picked like clockwork, the KOA is quiet even before 10:00 p.m., and the location is very good (right on the island). My general assessment: Someone is making a ton of money without caring very much about reinvestment. I wish another investor would buy it who cares enough to maintain it equal to the splendor of the rest of South Padre Island. Will I stay here again? Probably, simply due to its proximity.....which is the likely reason the mediocre upkeep is gotten away with.