Wasting away

Texas' first beachfront Margaritaville Resort drifts onto South Padre Island

All rooms have Gulf views.

Photo courtesy of Margaritaville Resort South Padre Island

Dallas Parrotheads have a new coastal destination for frozen concoctions and cheeseburgers in paradise: Margaritaville has debuted its first-ever Texas beachfront resort on South Padre Island.

Opened June 12, it's the second Margaritaville Resort in Texas. The first, in landlocked Lake Conroe north of Houston, opened with much fanfare in covid-y 2020. There's also a Camp Margaritaville RV resort in the Galveston area.

According to a release, the family-friendly Margaritaville Beach Resort South Padre Island is located just off the causeway in SPI, and offers all-ocean view rooms, several eateries, a spa, direct access to the beach, and the largest beachfront hotel pool on the island.

“We are thrilled to bring Margaritaville to the South Texas coast, allowing locals, guests, and visitors alike to experience a one-of-a-kind oasis,” says Rone Middler, the resort's general manager, in the release. “An easy drive or plane trip from the major metro areas of Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, and Houston and convenient access to Mexico, Margaritaville Beach Resort South Padre Island provides the perfect getaway for guests of all ages looking for fun, relaxation, and adventure.”

Highline Hospitality Partners invested more than $30 million to transform the old Pearl Hotel South Padre into the new, bright turquoise Margaritaville Resort.

Highlights include:

200 guestrooms and 50 beachfront condos with one-, two-, or three-bedroom configurations featuring rainfall shower, plush bedding, 55-inch TVs, mini fridges, St. Somewhere bath and body products, and more.
three restaurants and bars: LandShark Bar & Grill, with indoor and outdoor patio seating overlooking the Gulf of Mexico; the Salty Rim Bar & Grill, a swim-up bar mixing signature cocktails and bar noshes; and Joe Merchant‘s Coffee & Provisions, a grab-and-go spot for coffee and quick bites.
the largest hotel beachside pool on SPI, heated and surrounded by private cabanas and a separate kids' zone.
Hammock Row, featuring hammocks that swing and sway in the Gulf breezes under sky-high palm trees.
Sapphire Spa, with a menu of luxe treatments, a full hair and makeup salon, and fully equipped fitness center.

The resort concierge desk can arrange numerous beachside adventures, they say, from windsurfing and parasailing to offshore fishing and dolphin watching. Onsite beach chairs and umbrella rentals are available, and live musical entertainment is offered nightly.

They'll also host destination-meetings, special events, weddings, and more in their 8,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor event space.

And, in a fun South Padre twist, space enthusiasts can witness thrilling views of Space X activity on nearby Boca Chica Beach, without even leaving the hotel.

The resort is opening with a number of special packages that throw in fun extras like dining credits, cabana rentals, and more. According to the website, rates start around $275 per night.

Margaritaville Resort South Padre Island texas vacation hotels

Hotel News

Edition boutique hotel and luxury condos to debut in Uptown Dallas

Courtesy rendering

New Chalk Hill mixed-use project will include residences and a hotel.

A new mixed-use project in Dallas with hotel and luxury condos is springing up on the former site of public media station KERA. Located at 3031 N. Harwood St., the Chalk Hill complex will include a 29-story building with hotel-plus-condominiums, and an adjacent 22-story office tower.

The hotel will be a branded Edition property, dubbed "the hottest hotel brand in the world" by Forbes magazine.

According to a release, it's expected to open in 2028.

The complex will occupy a 2.5-acre site where KERA previously resided for 60 years. In 2023, Dallas real estate developer Kaizen Development Partners acquired the property in 2023 with a deal to develop the project and relocate KERA to new smaller headquarters on the northern end of the site. An address for KERA's new HQ has not been identified, but ground was broken on March 3.

Hotel
Edition is part of Marriott International, who created the brand with Ian Schrager, founder of Studio 54 and known in the hotel industry for introducing the concept of the boutique hotel. The first Edition opened in Waikiki in 2010. There are now two dozen locations including New York, Miami, Tampa, and Los Angeles in the U.S., as well as international destinations such as London, Madrid, Tokyo, and Dubai.

The Dallas location will follow Edition's ethos with a hotel and residential designed for those who value "authenticity, architectural integrity, and service delivered with quiet precision."

The hotel will feature a restaurant and bar, ballroom and meeting spaces, pool deck, spa with hydrotherapy, holistic well-being center, and dedicated wellness concierge.

Interiors are conceived by Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture, the design firm behind several Edition properties worldwide.

Architecture is led by Boka Powell, whose previous projects include the Victory Commons office building in Victory Park, the renovation of Two Galleria Tower, and SMU Meadows School of the Arts.

Landscape architecture by SWA in collaboration with SCDA integrates biophilic design principles, drawing nature upward into terraces, gardens, and elevated outdoor spaces.

The condos
Called the Residences at The Dallas Edition, the condos are being framed as "luxury," with two-, three-, and four-bedroom units ranging from from 1,080 to 6,866 square feet, and prices starting at $1.5 million for one-bedroom units. Amenities include private elevator access, private individual terraces, 24-hour valet, resort-style pool, and gym.

The 29th-floor penthouse will span 6,866 square feet with more than 3,300 square feet of private outdoor space — crowning the tower as a glass pavilion in the sky.

"Chalk Hill reflects the remarkable evolution we’re seeing in Dallas residential development,” says Catherine Lee, president of Douglas Elliman Development Marketing, in charge of leasing the space.

The offices
The office building will offer its own amenity package with fitness center, nearly an acre of green roof space, conference areas, multiple lounge spaces, and multipurpose executive board/dining room.

“The work we are doing with Edition is a tribute to the city’s evolution and the legacy we are helping shape,” says Kaizen Development Partners Managing Partner and CEO Derrick Evers in a statement. "By bringing Edition to Texas for the first time, we are creating a destination where global sophistication meets Dallas soul.”

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