TRAVEL · TANNING SPOTS VOL. 1 · 7 MIN READ
Our favorite tanning spots
Three beaches we keep going back to, and what to do when you are not lying on them.
LOS ROQUES. MENORCA. LA ROMANA. SUN FIRST, EVERYTHING ELSE SECOND.
People ask us where we go. This is the first answer: three beaches we return to every chance we get. All three made the list for the sun first. Long open hours, clear water and nowhere you have to be. They also made it for everything around the beach, the food, the people and the places to stay, so we wrote that down too.
This is volume one. There are more on the way.
01 · VENEZUELA
Los Roques
Madrisquí and Crasquí. The remote one.
Los Roques is a remote archipelago off the coast of Venezuela, and it is the best place we know to wind down and get back to basics. Sand, sun and the clearest turquoise water you will ever see.
Stay at a posada. Posadas are usually run by a Venezuelan family, and every one is like a boutique hotel, but family oriented, with a very personal ambience and service. Most serve traditional Venezuelan food, the grandma recipes, and there is no better way to taste Venezuelan cuisine.
The posadas are on Gran Roque, the main island of the archipelago. From there you hire a boat service to take you out to the other islands, right through that water. Sometimes the captain fishes on the way, so lunch is ceviche made with fish as fresh as it gets.
WHERE WE GO
Madrisquí and Crasquí. The classics. The service sets you up with a full beach setup, and water sports can be added.
Gran Roque. Home base. Pick a posada and let the family feed you.
THE TAN
There are literally no obstructions from the sun, anywhere. Tanning here is not a hard sport at all.
That also means very, very high UV. Sunscreen always, reapplied after every swim, and GLOW in the weeks before you fly so your skin arrives ready.*
02 · SPAIN
Menorca
The calas, the food and one very good ferry. The family one.
Menorca is a very family oriented island. Maó, the capital, is where most of the shops, restaurants and galleries are.
Eat at Anna & Pepe, especially the meatballs and the tortilla. Shop at L’Esparter and Can Sab. L’Esparter is from Menorca, so you will not find it anywhere else. Can Sab is multi-brand with an amazing selection that includes home and furniture.
From Maó there is a ferry to Hauser & Wirth. Go at least once, and eat at Cantina while you are there. A little further from anywhere populated, Caragol and Cap Roig are the restaurants worth the drive.
THE CALAS (THAT IS WHAT THEY CALL THE BEACHES)
Plataforma de Chalet. Our personal favorite. Very European vibes, an easy place to tan and an easy dip into clear turquoise water.
Cala Blanc. Next door and more typical Menorca: you sit on the rocks and jump into the water.
Carrer de sa Platja de Ponent. A bigger sandy beach with a relaxed restaurant for drinks and a bite.
Cala Binidalí. More secluded. Still sand, no restaurant.
THE TAN
Plataforma de Chalet is the easiest tan on this list: lie down, get warm, step into the water, repeat.
The Mediterranean breeze makes the sun feel softer than it is. SPF goes back on every time you get out of the water.*
Start GLOW eight weeks before you go and the Menorca sun lands on skin that is already primed, so the tan comes in even and golden.*
03 · DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
La Romana
A house, a pool and a golf cart. The easy one.
La Romana is a very residential area. You rent a house, and that is where you will spend most of your time and do most of your tanning. Service comes with every house: they prepare food, make the beds and look after everything. All the perks of a hotel, in a beautiful house usually with a pool, and way more affordable than the US.
Most houses come with a golf cart too, and that is how everyone gets around. Honestly, enjoy that. The house, the pool and the cart are the trip.
The major plus is the people. Dominicans are the nicest, most special people ever.
WHERE WE GO
Minitas. The nearest beach, with a very good restaurant right on the sand, a couple of food trucks, even a pool and a sand volleyball court.
The dock. A selection of shops, grocery stores and bars for when you leave the house.
THE TAN
Your own pool and your own lounger, all day, every day.
Pro tip: rent a boat at least one day. The water is beautiful, you will have the best day of the trip and you will come back with the best tan of it.*
Keep GLOW going the whole trip. SPF and Two gummies with breakfast by the pool keeps your skin primed while the sun does the rest.*
Caribbean or Mediterranean
Both. In our opinion the Caribbean and the Mediterranean have the best beaches in the world, and these three are where we would start. Remote and barefoot, European and easy, or a house with a pool and a boat for a day.
Book it soon
Book next year now. Flights and houses are more affordable the earlier you book, and the best posadas and rentals go first. If you can swing it this year, there are still a few weeks of hot weather left in some places, and the Caribbean stays warm all year.
Whichever you pick, count back eight weeks from the day you fly. That is when to start GLOW, so your glow is already showing when you land.*
EIGHT WEEKS BEFORE YOU FLY
Start your trip tan now
Two gummies a day. Visible glow by week 6-8. The 3-pack covers ninety days for $74.00.
SHOP GLOWCOMING IN VOL. 2
More beaches, more places to eat between swims
Join the list and the next volume lands in your inbox first.
JOIN THE LISTStay golden,
THE SOLARA TEAM
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. GLOW is not a sunscreen and is not a substitute for sun protection. Always wear SPF.
