My friend Kat & I recently had the opportunity to visit Cinnamon Shore, located on Mustang Island in Port Aransas Texas. The first thing that popped into my head when I thought of "Cinnamon Shore" is, this place has to be filled with all the sweetest things since it has a name like that! I honestly didn't know much about this place, since the last time I went to Port A was probably almost 10 years ago (Spring Break baby!) I did my research and immediately got super excited about this place. The property is beautiful and very well maintained, and they offer plenty of amenities to guests during their stay.

We arrived around 2:30pm on a Saturday and we stayed both Saturday and Sunday night, giving us one full day to get a feel for this glorious place. Our first stop was reception to get our room key. We went to our room first to drop everything off and check it out. We fell in love. It was decorated perfectly and everything in it was top-notch. We needed to make our reservations for dinner so we made our way over to the Real Estate office. All the ladies were very helpful, and from there we hopped on a tour of the property with LT. She told us many things about Cinnamon shore, including how many people are actual owners and how many are renters. I was also curious about how long Cinnamon shore had been around, and she answered 10 years! I couldn't believe that I had never heard about this place!

Once we were done with the tour, we headed back to our room to freshen up. On the tour LT had invited us to check out the Texas Monthly Gulf Coast Show Home, where they were having a happy hour. Did you say wine and a tour of a beautiful home? I'm in. We went to check out Lake Colby first though.

I could get ready every day in this 3rd floor loft

After the tour we went back to our room to change and get ready for dinner. We had 7pm reservations (this place gets booked fast and they aren't open on Sundays). We were super pumped to have some fresh seafood at Lisabella's. Kat got seafood enchiladas that were smothered in this creamy sauce with a hint of heat and it was absolutely delicious. Of course I went with pasta and got shrimp linguine in a butter sauce with tomatoes, basil, pancetta, and parmesan on top. SO GOOD. We decided to quickly go back to the room and make some drinks, grab the blanket, our cameras, some strawberries, and make our way back to the Town Center where a band was setting up to play some live music. We watched for an hour or 2 before heading back to our room for some needed R&R.

Shrimp Linguine with tomatoes, pancetta, basil and parmesan

The next morning we got up bright and early to try and see the sunrise. It was a bit cloudy that morning so it didn't really work out, but A for effort! We headed back to the room and I made some pancakes for us (thanks Guenther House!). We then got ready for our big day! We first went to the Infinity pool, which opened at 9am. We wanted to beat the crowd of kids so that we could take an insta-worthy pictures :) Then we went back to the room (notice how we keep going back and forth from and to the room?!) to grab some drinks and made our way to the other pool onsite, which is BYOB (the infinity pool doesn't allow outside drinks since it has a bar onsite). There was only one person there so we took some more pictures and then acted like maniacs with the GoPro. We were being so silly but it was so much fun. We laid out for a bit and then headed to the beach. You can have the front desk reserve beach chairs for you and they will set it all up and have it ready for you by whatever time you request. We only stayed out at the beach for an hour or 2 before heading back to the property. We were getting hungry so we went to the Seaside Cafe at Kiera Pool. Apparently their fish tacos were all the rage so I had to get them and OH MY GOSH THEY WERE SO GOOD.

We were getting exhausted from our day and it was soooooo hot outside so we decided to take a break from the heat. We went back to our room and starting watching Sweet Home Oklahoma on Bravo. We-could-not-stop-watching. If you are a fan of trash tv aka anything on Bravo, I highly recommend this show. We pulled our butts off the comfortable couch and made some drinks and made our way to the Town Center to watch sunset. We walked around through the streets of Cinnamon shore and stopped by Lake Colby. Sunset at Lake Colby was phenomenal and we were probably there a good 20 minutes just taking it all in. We walked back to the room and showered, I made eggs for dinner (the kitchen in our room was to die for by the way), and plopped our butts back on the couch to finish watching Sweet Home Oklahoma (laugh out loud).

The next morning, we packed all of our stuff and said goodbye to Cinnamon Shore. It was such a fun 2 days and I can totally see myself going back. Cinnamon Shore plans to have a grocery store, pizza shop, liquor store, and more by Spring Break of 2018. Their whole idea is to have as much as possible available to you so you basically never have to leave. I can completely support this idea.

Recap on Cinnamon Shore and the amenities on site:

Dune Pool (9am-10pm everyday-BYOB)
CBar Cafe
Dune Park
Kiera Pool (9am-10pm everyday)
Seaside Cafe (Open 11am-8pm)
Fitness Center located at Kiera Pool
Lake Gavin (Catch & release fishing is available)
Lake Colby
Great Lawn (Where Smore's night is held)
Butterfly Park
Hummingbird Park
Lisabellas Bistro & Bar (Open Monday-Saturdays 5:30-9pm)
Wifi
Golf cart shuttle/ equipment rental- Rentals such as golf carts, beach chairs and umbrellas, bikes, and fishing poles with tackle boxes are available to rent through Cinnamon Shore.
Pet-friendly units

Cinnamon Shore also has a calendar of events, which showcases the events going on at that time. For instance during the summer on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday they do Yoga on the beach at 8am. They also offer surf lessons, sand castle lessons, Kid's Camp, Smore's night, Live music, and Movie night. Make sure to ask for the calendar of events so you know what's going on while you visit!

Thanks for the hospitality Cinnamon Shore, hope to see you soon!

xo, Halee

1. Rent a house on the beach

If your budget allows you to do so, I highly recommend staying on the beach. We rented a place through SPI rentals, that had its own private pool/jacuzzi and walkway to the beach. We got up every morning to watch the sun rise, walked down to the beach to look for seashells, and came back to make breakfast. It was definitely more intimate and private. The address for SPI rentals is 2600 Padre Blvd, South Padre Island, TX 78597 and the phone number is 956-572-6656.

Private pool/jacuzzi and the view of the beach.

Private walkway shared with the rental next door.

2. Get up early to watch the sunrise

Sunrise was at 7:00 am when we visited in April. We got up every morning (except our last day because a cold front came in) to watch it. There's just something about a sunrise on the beach.

Sunrise on the beach in front of our rental.

3. Watch the sun set

As much as I love a good sunrise, I love a good sunset just as much. The sunsets were incredible, especially if you're at dinner or enjoying a drink somewhere.

4. Rent bikes

Preferably from Wheels on Padre. They are closed Monday and Tuesday, but we arrived on a Wednesday and stayed until Sunday, so it worked out in our favor. We looked around before finding this place and the prices were anywhere from $30 a day to $50 a day. We then found Wheels on Padre and he offered it to us for $20 a day. We then added another day and got another bike for my husband, and the owner only charged us $15 per bike for another day, instead of $20. The owner was super friendly, and recommended some things to see and do. Their address is 2500 Padre Boulevard Suite 1, South Padre Island, TX 78597 and their phone number is 956-299-4562.

Posing with my trusty bike and some Oleanders.

5. Visit South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center

This place is a must. Not only do you learn about and see a variety of birds and wildlife, but you get a good exercise at the same time! There is over 3300 linear feet of boardwalk to walk along and check out birds, plants, butterflies, and even alligators! Apparently there are about 10-15 alligators living there now, and the babies that were just born are the third generation. We spotted two baby gators when we visited, along with a blue crab, ducks and their babies, terrapins, and more. For more information about SPI Birding and Nature Center, their website is http://www.spibirding.com/.

Baby gator peaking out from under the brush!

6. Visit Sea Turtle Inc.

Again, this is a must, and right next to SPI Birding and Nature Center. This facility operates solely on donations and what is purchased through the gift shop. They are a nonprofit that doesn't receive any funding from the government. The donations they receive basically help keep this place intact and these turtles alive, while also teaching kids and adults about these magnificent creatures.

When we visited, the staff were very friendly and let us know a little bit about how they worked. Each turtle tank has a binder that tells you about the turtle and its story (why it is there). Some turtles unfortunately are unable to go back into the wild due their injury or condition, but a lot of turtles are rehabilitated and released back into the water. If you are interested in going, their address is 6617 Padre Blvd. South Padre Island, TX 78597 and phone number is (956) 761-4511.

7. See the "White Sands" of SPI

Head north on State Park Rd 100/Ocean Blvd., past the convention center, until you reach SPI Adventure Park (about 7 miles). You will see the sand dunes along the way and as you continue on, you will see the sand start to make its way onto the road, almost making it impossible to drive forward. Up north near the Adventure Park, there aren't any hotels or places to stay. People come this way to usually camp or get away from the "hustle and bustle" of SPI. I'd recommend this place for sea shell hunting too. We found so many more sea shells than where we were staying, and there were so many different kinds and sizes. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

8. Have a drink on the water

There are plenty of places to grab a drink and enjoy the salty air, fresh breeze, and sound of seagulls squawking. Every place we went was biking distance and most of the time we did bike there. Make sure to get there at least an hour before sunset if you want to get a good seat.

Wanna Wanna, which was right next to where we were staying.

Painted Marlin Grille-currently the newest restaurant/bar on the island.

Peach-guava Bellini from Painted Marlin Grille.

Pier 19 boardwalk, before you get to "Hooker's bar" at the end of the pier.

9. See some dolphins!

This was at the top of my list of attractions when we planned this SPI trip. When we were trying to find a place that did dolphin watches, we couldn't find any that did them in the morning. All of the reservations started at 11am or 1pm. We also couldn't find something that was more of a private tour rather than 50-100 people jammed onto a boat. I stumbled upon the Dolphin Research & Sea Life Nature Center and saw that George and Scarlet offer a more intimate encounter with dolphins, and have been doing this for 18 years. They can only fit 6 people on the boat, making the experience better than I imagined. We were lucky enough to see what seemed like 20 dolphins, maybe more, the whole entire hour we were out on the water. George even answered questions that we had about the dolphins. And, he had his dog Gorgi on board who seemed to really enjoy being the dolphin whisperer. I highly recommend this if you are wanting to see dolphins. The address to the Nature center is 10 N Garcia St, South Padre Island, TX 78578. If you want to reach them by phone to book an appointment, the number is 956-299-1957, but you need to text instead of call.

10. Explore Port Isabel

Port Isabel is just across Queen Isabella Causeway, coming from South Padre. Port Isabel has an HEB, Walmart, DQ, Wingstop, Subway, Pizza Hut, Whataburger, Church's, Dominos, Walgreens, and more. But, what you really should go see, is the area right off the bridge near the Lighthouse. There are beautiful and colorful shops, art galleries, and restaurants that are worth exploring. Plus, you have to stop at Los Cabos for a breakfast taco before heading back home, they are easily the size of your face, if not bigger.

Will and Jack's Burger Shack and Beer Garden.

Shop next to Nature's Creamery/Burger Shack that sold different stones, rocks, necklaces, and more.

Bean and cheese breakfast "taco" at Los Cabos.

11. Eat Seafood!

Last but not least, eat all the seafood while visiting! Shrimp, crab, lobster, fish, and more shrimp!

Fried shrimp basket at Painted Marlin Grille.

And that's a wrap! Hope you enjoyed my second blog post, since returning to the game. My next post may have something to do with Regina or shoes. Stay tuned!