Bring the Beach to Your Unique Backyard

Especially as the temperatures in Phoenix heat up, thoughts of relaxing on the beach become even more appealing. But it can be hard to carve out the time to get the entire family together at the beach even for just a long weekend. So a good substitute is bringing that beach feel and fun right to your UNIQUE backyard.

Working with What You Already Have

As the owner of a UNIQUE swimming pool, you already have the one critical feature needed for a great beach style staycation, a magnificent pool. So now you just need to add a few more of the attractions and amenities that you find at the beach.

• A Shade Umbrella- Having a way to add a little shade to your pool area will certainly make it more relaxing. A shade umbrella can easily be inserted into the sleeves near your pool that are used for a volleyball net.
• Cold Drinks- If your family has a favorite drink when at the beach, then be sure to have some on hand for your staycation. This could mean making a huge batch of fruit smoothies, nonalcoholic frozen drinks or getting a special type of soda. But this small extra effort will help to make your staycation special and not just feel like another day in the backyard.
• Special Snacks- Again, making a little extra effort to create a fun and UNIQUE menu will add to the fun of your staycation. This could mean making fruit trays and stashing them in the fridge for a mid-day snack or even making special popsicles with berries in them for the kids. And don’t forget how much everyone enjoys making s’mores after a long day at the beach. You might need to substitute your grill or fire feature for the natural fire pit on the beach but that won’t change how great the s’mores taste!
• Beach Games- If you find that your family is very active at the beach but just sits around in the backyard, try to bring some of the fun beach style games to your backyard. Frisbee, paddle ball and corn hole are all fun for the entire family and can encourage that competitive nature to get everyone more active.

Other Items to Prep for Staycation

To keep staycation fun and relaxing, try to have items like beach towels, sun screen, water bottles and other beach type necessities pre-staged near the door. You don’t want to be searching for items in the house and get distracted by other to do items, cell phones or electronics. Part of the relaxation benefit comes from mentally buying into the fact that this is a day of vacation just like a day at the beach.

Plan the Perfect Evening as Well

Many beach towns offer a special activity or event in the evening for families to enjoy. You can wrap the night up with sparklers, an outdoor movie or even listening to your favorite concert as you stare up at the stars. Getting to the beach this summer might not be possible, but you can certainly create just as much fun in your own UNIQUE backyard.