FEATURE FRIDAY: CHASSELL BAY COTTAGES' LAKESIDE ESSENTIALS
Whether you live by the lake or vacation lakeside, a few essentials can make the serene experience even better. This curated list by Chassell Bay Cottages’ owner Shannon Rinkinen is perfect for your next trip or adventure around Lake Superior and beyond:
Lakeside Essential #1: Clean, effective sunscreen
Our kids’ biggest complaints about sunscreen (mine, too!) are the greasy feeling and white residue. Ick. I have to be honest, I haven’t found the one-and-done, holy grail of sunscreen—yet (Have you? Message me!). I have found a few options that work in different scenarios:
This brush-on powder sunscreen by Colorscience is great for scalps, a part of the body that’s easy to forget about. For instance, my daughter’s braid part tends to burn at the beach. A couple of dabs of this and we’re good to go. Bonus, it’s skin tone and non-greasy.
Ears seem to be like sun satellites. To the rescue, I swipe on Garden Goddess sport stick. A lot easier to apply more precisely than a lotion, and it stays put cannonball after cannonball.
Finally, for the body, I like this Alba Botanica spray. Wiggly kids and on-the-go husbands demand a spray sunscreen!
Pro tip: Before I purchase any sun protection, I screen it first on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database, which provides a rating for how clean or dirty a product may be. The lower the score, the healthier it may be for us.
Lakeside Essential #2: Stay-cool cooler
By now we all know about the Yeti brand. Are you still skeptical about the investment? It’s steep, I know! Let me tell you a story: The other day I took my hard-sided Yeti to our local farmer’s market. I placed an ice pack in it and removed the ice pack once home after unloading my goods. DAYS later, I go back to use the Yeti, which by now has been baking in my car, and the INSIDE of the Yeti was STILL COLD (even without an ice pack for DAAAAYS). Like, how?! Point is, I’m a believer.
I’m also a food safety nut (“hot foods hot, cold foods cold” is my mantra) and having a trusty cooler is key. And for the beach, what else is better than an ice-cold beverage? I like this back-pack-style Yeti because it’s wearable, easier for hopping out of a boat while carrying beach chairs and bags and babes.
Lakeside Essential #3: Hydrating refreshments
Speaking of refreshments, San Pellegrino has a new line called Momenti. I’ve tried all three varieties, and the Pomegranate and Black Currant is out-of-this-world delicious and refreshing. Not too sweet. Lower-cal. Effervescent. No junk. I can’t get enough! So far I have only been able to find my favorite variety at Target, where I usually buy them ALL (#sorrynotsorry!)
Summer is for tea. Iced tea, that is. Teavana has always been my go-to and now some of their most popular blends are WalMart. Beach Bellini is the newest one. It has real chunks of pineapple and mango in it. I add a teaspoon or two of sugar to the hot water while brewing and then pour over ice. Mmmm—tastes like summer to me!
Lakeside Essential #4: A sun-safe sun hat
I shied away from a good, wide-brimmed sun hat for years. I guess I thought they weren’t that youthful or flattering. And with our long and snowy winters in the Upper Peninsula, a little (or a lot) or sun on my face feels darned good—and sun-kissed locks, even better. But I quickly fell in love with the practicality of a good hat. I have and love this one from Coolibar. The fabric is UPF 50+, it’s wide-brimmed, which makes beach-reading in the full sun easier, and it has a draw-string cord perfect for keeping it in place during our boat rides to White City beach.
Lakeside Essential #5: A water mat
This simple toy provides endless aquatic fun for kids of all ages. One of the biggest and highest-quality mats is The Pad. This top-rated mat holds a gaggle of kids safely and can be anchored in place, plus it rolls up tightly for easier winter storage.
Lakeside Essential #6: Laundry packs
If there is a downside to summer, it’s the laundry. There’s just more of it, especially beach towels. Damp, sandy beach towels. Method laundry packs are fast (no pouring) and clean (no mess, better ingredients). I’m digging the beach sage scent.
Lakeside Essential #7: Hand soap
So maybe a fancy hand soap isn’t an essential, exactly, but isn’t life too short to skimp on novelties? I’m ALL about pairing my soap for the seasons and the Lakehouse scent by Stonewall Kitchens is just plain sudsy summer fun.
There you have it. My lakeside favorites for soaking up the second half of the summer season. What would you add to the list?
Shannon and Ross Rinkinen are the owner-operators of Chassell Bay Cottages, offering lakeside vacation rentals in Chassell, Michigan, perfect for exploring Michigan’s Keweenaw. Learn more about the cottages at chassellbaycottages.com or reserve your stay from the Superhosts on AirBnB. Follow them on Instagram @chassellbaycottages.