Island business picks up

It might not be one of the busiest Fourth of July's weekends on South Padre Island compared to previous years, but that doesn't mean business is bad.

Some hotels and motels are booked for the holiday, while others reported this week they still have vacancies for the weekend.

As typically happens during the summer tourist season, room rates are higher now than they usually are the rest of the year.

Motel 6, for example, is completely booked even though its rates of $105 a night for this weekend have doubled, compared to its weekend rates for most of the year.

Rates at other hotels such as the Isla Grand Beach Resort, formally known as the Radissan Resort, and at the Travel Lodge Hotel are going at more than $350 and $269 a night, respectively - that is if a room is available.

The higher prices have deterred some visitors, or made them change plans.

Houston resident Dan Harrington said he and his family were planning to stay here this weekend, but chose the middle of the week because the prices were a little too much for them for the Fourth of July weekend.

"We have been coming to the same hotel for the last five or so years," he said, while sitting under an umbrella at the beach. "But because of the prices we heard, we decided to come a little earlier this time."

Harrington said they have traveled to numerous destinations during the summer time, including Florida and several Mexican beach resorts.

"We thought about going to Mexico, but no," he said. "To start with, you now need a passport to come back to the United States."

He said there were about nine people in his group, so getting a passport for each of them would have come out to about $1,000 in passport fees alone.

Robin Athanas, who works for Latitude 26, a property management company that helps people find a place to stay at the Island, said the Island lodging industry is practically booked this weekend.

"We have 125 condominiums and they are sold out for this weekend," she said. "The biggest demand was for three-bedroom condos."

Athanas said the Island has plenty of one- and two-bedroom units, and not enough three-bedroom condos, adding that is something for developers and property owners to think about.

She said the overall state of the nation's economy is not hurting, but helping South Padre Island this year.

"A lot of people are saying that it's better and a lot cheaper to hop in a vehicle and drive to the Island for vacation," Athanas said. "We keep hearing that over and over in our conversations with people wanting to come here."

The Harrington family is an example of that, as they drove all the way from Houston to spend four days here.

Athanas said some of the Island condominiums are going anywhere from $300 to $700 a night for a three-bedroom unit, and added that is not a bad deal if the price is shared among three families.

Some hotel and motel operators said the prices for the Fourth of July weekend aren't that exorbitant for this time of year.

The Fourth of July, whether it falls on a weekday or weekend is the busiest time on the Island, but this year is different because of today's tough economic times.

Isla Blanca Park is filled to the brim, not only this weekend but for the rest of July.

All of the parks 592 recreational vehicle spaces have been booked since the first of June and up to the middle of August, park personnel said.

Despite the hike in prices because of the nation's Independence Day, the Island continues to be a viable place for many people like the Harringtons.

"We have been to a lot of places," Dan Harrington said, "but we like it here. It isn't as crowded as other places and the beach is nice here."