Reasonably priced suites with full kitchens just steps from the beach make the Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Corpus Christi/Padre Island your ticket to fun in the sun on a budget. The combination of free continental breakfast and a fully equipped kitchen including a full-size refrigerator conventional oven microwave oven and coffeemaker in all 54 suites of this four-story hotel means you can easily come back from the beach for meals and watch your savings add up. If you need a break from the sun simply switch on the TV and see whats on HBO (or in some rooms pop a movie in the DVD player) use the free Wi-Fi to surf the Web get a workout in at the fitness center or use the on-site facility to catch up on laundry. Parking is free. The Gulf of Mexico is across the street from this hotel. Walk out the door and take a stroll on the beach or drive a couple miles north to Mustang Island State Park where activities include kayaking surfing and birdwatching. Head three miles south to do some serious fishing from Bob Hall Pier or go a little further to explore the Padre Island National Seashore — the longest stretch of undeveloped barrier island in the world (and nesting site of the endangered Kemps Ridley sea turtle). Corpus Christi International Airport is 25 miles away.