Thank you to GoRVing.com and KOA.com for sponsoring this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Planning family vacations with six children and two adults is not always easy! Most vacation spots and hotel rooms are made for families of 4-6 total. Big family life is a ton of fun, but it takes a little extra planning and research to find great vacation spots that can host our entire family.
When you research big family vacations the number one suggestion is to go camping! Don’t worry, you don’t have to buy a camper or RV that needs to be stored or cost a lot of money. GoRVing is the perfect solution for family camping!
Go RVing’s website walks you through all of your vacation needs. They will suggest camper & RVs for the size of your family, family friendly camping spots, and even what to do! If you have any questions or need any resource on camping GoRVing.com answers everything! Consider it your go-to resource for planning every vacation, get-away, and even choosing what kind of camper or RV to buy.
We chose a Park Model RV as that would allow for the most space for our big family. These are long term camping models that are usually already parked at a camp and ready for you to move in.
We were so thrilled to find a Park Model RV at the KOA in South Padre Island! South Padre Island is just under 6 hours from where we are in Houston, TX. It is a paradise at the very south tip of Texas. This was our first visit to South Padre Island and it most certainly will not be our last!
Our road trip was a breeze and we made it to South Padre Island KOA and were greeted with amazing blue skies. KOA’s are set up to be extremely family friendly. With a playground, giant sand play area, jump pad, swimming pool, a commons area with board games, couches & pingpong tables, and activities for the whole family through the week, we knew that staying at the KOA would be a great place for the kids too.
The cabin was cute and cozy. And also made me really consider downsizing and eliminating more clutter! It was stocked with basic essentials like bath towels, soap, kitchen utensils, pans, & plates. There was a full size fridge which was necessary for our big family and a two burner stove, as well as a charcoal grill outside for us to use.
One way to save money on vacation is to cook most of your meals yourself. We spent $200 on groceries & drinks for our 5 day vacation and still had some leftovers to bring home. Before leaving we decided we would have two meals eating out. This set our budget and made sure that our expenses were kept low. Eating out as a big family can be very pricey.
South Padre Island has a plethora of family friendly activities to choose from. However, we chose to keep this vacation very simple and spent our days enjoying the beach and the amenities of the KOA.
To keep the kids from too much sun exposure or from getting board of being at the beach for 4 days straight we broke up our days moving from the beach, to the pool, to the cabin, back to the beach, to the playground, to the pool, and back to the cabin.
My philosophy with children is to “Just add water.” All of my kids love the water. And this was the first “real” beach they had all been on in quite a while. There was plenty of shells to collect, waves to jump in and sandcastles to build. We explored several beach accesses on the island and found our favorites to be the ones furthest away from restaurants and hotels at the end of the island. They were a lot less crowded with more shells to collect.
Speaking of shells, we brought home BUCKETS of shells! The girls were obsessed with collecting them each day and watching the pure joy on their faces when they would find one was one of the highlights of our trip.
If you can’t tell by all of the photos, we had an amazing time! I highly recommend camping at the KOA in South Padre Island and can’t wait to plan our next trip. We have been talking about a fall camping trip at a lake when the leaves are turning in the midwest. That would be so magical!
Are you ready to start planning an amazing family vacation? Visit GoRVing.com to find everything you need. RV Dealers, campgrounds with Park Model RVs like we stayed in, easy recipes, packing lists, and much more!
What destination is on your bucket list to camp?
I think it is such an incredible place to spend time with kiddos and your family! I love the ideas of sharing play and food time and beach escapades with your friends. It is unforgettable.
I have never heard of South Padre Island before, but it looks really nice. KOA’s are always a great place to stay.
I have always wanted to go to padre island. I think it would be a great family vacation. Seeing all your photos makes me really want to go.
This looks like a great family trip! Being able to relax somewhere safe is so much fun.
What a beautiful, family-friendly locale! I love the bunks – they remind me of traveling on a ship.
looks like everyone had a great time. family vacations are the best!
This looks like it was a fun vacation. It’s always nice when there are cabins.
South Padre Island has been on my radar for years. This makes me want to plan a trip there!
I have heard such good things about KOAs. I never thought of looking for one at a vacation destination.
You chose a great family vacation! The Park Model RV was perfect. Lots of space for the kids, it sure looked like a home away from home. We’ll be looking into this option the next time we go on vacation.