
Palms Resort & Cafe on the Beach
An Island Gem Since 1972
The Palms Resort is an independent, 30-room beachfront hotel at 3616 Gulf Blvd, established in 1972, with its own restaurant and full bar, Cafe On The Beach, at the back of the property closest to the beach. The café serves breakfast, lunch and dinner every day from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and is open to everyone, not just hotel guests: eat on the oceanfront patio, or call the café for curbside to-go.












Location, Hours & Good to Know
📍 Location & Contact
Address: 3616 Gulf Blvd., South Padre Island, TX 78597
Phone: (956) 761-2703
Official site: palmsresortcafe.com ↗
Café page: Cafe On The Beach ↗
Menu: Cafe On The Beach menu (PDF) ↗
Book a room: The Palms booking page ↗
Facebook: The Palms on Facebook ↗
Instagram: @palmsresortcafe on Instagram ↗
🕒 Café hours
- Every day: 8:00 AM – 10:00 PM
- Breakfast, Mon–Fri: 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
- Breakfast, Sat–Sun: 8:00 AM – Noon
- Lunch & dinner, Mon–Fri: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
- Lunch & dinner, Sat–Sun: Noon – 10:00 PM
- Happy hour, Mon–Fri: 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Hours from the Cafe On The Beach page and menu at palmsresortcafe.com, checked September 23, 2026. The hotel front desk is staffed 8 a.m.–10 p.m. daily.
✨ Good to Know
- Cafe On The Beach is open to everyone, not just hotel guests; it sits at the back of the property, closest to the beach.
- Happy hour Monday–Friday 2–6 p.m.: $4 house margaritas, rotating drink and appetizer specials, and $2 off the sharables marked for happy hour.
- Dine in on the oceanfront patio or order curbside to go. The café’s own number is (956) 761-2703; the resort front desk is (956) 761-1316.
- Dogs are welcome on the outdoor patio.
- “We cook your catch,” says the menu. Ask your server how it works.
- Heart Healthy dishes and house Favorites are marked on the menu. Ask to see the wine and specialty drink menu.
- A 3% surcharge is added to credit card payments; it does not apply when paying by cash or debit card.
- No more than 3 split checks per table (tell your server at the start of the meal); 18% gratuity may be added for parties of 5 or more.
- Hotel guests can order poolside from the café and charge café and bar tabs to their room.
- Free parking in front of the rooms plus an overflow lot across the street (south-west corner); parking is limited for guests and café patrons.
- Beach chair and umbrella sets are $40 per set per day (2 chairs, 1 umbrella) through SPI Umbrella & Chair Rentals, 956-774-3866.
- Pet-friendly rooms (one-time pet fee from $45 plus 17% tax per pet), a heated beachfront pool and free Wi-Fi.
What to know before you go
Details checked . Confirm prices, schedules and policies with the business when planning your visit.
Amenities 4 details
Beach chair and umbrella rental for guests is $40/day for a set of 2 chairs and 1 umbrella, run by a separate company (SPI Umbrella & Chair Rentals, 956-774-3866) rather than the hotel itself; guests are told to mention they're staying at the Palms when they call.
The hotel has four room categories: Queen Suite (queen bed, sleeper sofa, kitchenette, walk-in shower, sleeps 2 adults + 1 child), King Room (king bed, kitchenette, walk-in shower, described as the most spacious category), Sunset Suite (queen bed, full kitchenette, separate living area, sleeps 4, the premium/honeymoon suite), and a Beachfront Queen (name only found in navigation; its own page was not fetched).
The lobby has a small gift shop (beach towels, sunscreen, sunglasses, Palms-branded apparel and t-shirts), a shared book library (take one/leave one), and bagged ice for sale; room charges to the cafe/bar are available.
The pool is heated to 84 degrees during cooler months and has a beachfront view; guests can order food/drinks poolside directly from the cafe.
Accessibility 1 detail
Check-in is 3:00 p.m. and check-out is 11:00 a.m.; guests arriving after 10 p.m. must contact the front desk in advance for the late-night check-in procedure, and the front desk itself is staffed 8 a.m.-10 p.m. daily (not 24 hours).
Policies 4 details
Cancellations made 72+ hours before check-in incur a non-refundable $25 fee; cancellations within 72 hours of check-in and no-shows are charged the first night's stay plus occupancy tax.
During the month of March, all guests must be 25 or older unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian -- a spring-break-season age restriction stated in the booking terms.
Pet fees are tiered by length of stay: a one-time fee of $45 (1-6 nights), $65 (7-14 nights), or $100 (15-29 nights), each plus 17% occupancy tax per pet, or $100 per pet per month for 30+ nights; pets must stay leashed outside the guest's room, and the resort can ask owners of unruly/nuisance pets to leave without a refund.
Smoking and vaping are strictly prohibited in guest rooms; a $300 damage fee plus 17% occupancy tax applies for any violation, with no exceptions, though the property does have designated smoking areas elsewhere on the grounds.
Rates 1 detail
The hotel does not publish nightly room rates anywhere on its site (every room page says to call for current pricing); posted rates would not include the state and local occupancy tax of 17%, which is added separately, and Winter Texan monthly rates are available for 30+ consecutive nights by calling the front desk.
Parking 1 detail
Parking is free, located directly in front of guest rooms, with an overflow lot across the street (south-west corner) when the main lot is full.
Payment 1 detail
Cafe On The Beach adds a 3% surcharge to credit card transactions (not applied to cash or debit payments); no more than 3 split checks are allowed per table, and an 18% gratuity may be added automatically for parties of 5 or more.
Capacity 1 detail
Room occupancy is capped at 2 adults plus 2 small children, or 3 adults, with a $30/night surcharge for a third adult applied to the nightly rate at check-in.
A place to stay covers your nights, not a time of day






