South Padre Island is a really pleasant beach experience. It is a nice sand to take walks and very clean. The condo we stayed in was near the Queen Isabella Causeway which made it very convenient to the mainland and less crowded. There are beach rental umbrella and chair rentals readily available.
What is a fun fact about Padre Island?
Several shipwrecks have occurred on South Padre Island since the 1500s, with some expeditions exporting resources to Spain from Mexico. When these ships struck the island and sank to the bottom of the sea, millions of dollars' worth of silver sunk with them.