South Padre Island
 

One of my friends is talking about going to South Padre Island...

Has anyone been there and can you tell me what is the best area to stay in. By best, I mean something on the beach and short walking distance to things.

Padre isn't all that wide so most of the hotels are on the beach. If they're not on the beach, then the walk is minimal. If you can afford it, rent a condo with a group of people. The hotels where most people stay are the Radisson, Sheraton and Ramada. You need to make reservations soon, because they book fast. There's also usually a huge (couple of hundred $$) deposit, but if the room is clean and nothing is totally destroyed, you get most if not all of it back. Check out www.pirentals.com for condo rentals.