Walk into any smart beach club this summer and the sunbeds tell a story, the towel has quietly become a status symbol. We put three of the most desirable, from an eco all-rounder to a full designer statement, to the test.
A great beach towel now has to do two jobs: perform on the sand and look the part beside the pool. We judged our three on the things that actually matter — material, size, quality, how good they look, and whether they justify the price.
The Everyday Hero Dock & Bay — The Beach Towel
The company. Launched in the UK in 2015, Dock & Bay set out to fix the humble beach towel — bulky, slow-drying, sandy — and has since become a certified B Corp with real green credentials, its towels spun entirely from recycled plastic bottles and shipped in plastic-free packaging.
The towel. This is the quick-dry, sand-free specialist. The recycled microfibre-style weave is impressively absorbent yet dries in a fraction of the time of cotton, shrugs off sand with a shake, and folds down to almost nothing in its matching pouch — a genuine boon for travellers. It’s thinner and less plush underfoot than a cotton towel, but that’s the trade-off for the packability. Aesthetically it’s cheerful rather than chic: bright cabana stripes in a huge range of colours, smart enough for the pool without pretending to be couture. Value: outstanding — hard to beat at the price, and the sustainability story is a bonus.
The Instagram Favourite Business & Pleasure Co. — The Beach Towel
The company. Founded in 2017 by two Australian friends who fell for California, Business & Pleasure Co. built its name on “Outdoor Nostalgia” — beach umbrellas, chairs and towels channelling 1950s Coney Island glamour and the sun-drenched world of Slim Aarons. It’s the look every beach club is chasing right now.
The towel. This is indulgent: a generously sized, soft sheared-cotton towel with neat fringed tassels and those instantly recognisable retro stripes (the navy Capri stripe is the signature). It’s plush and lovely to lie on, and photographs beautifully — this is the one doing the heavy lifting in everyone’s holiday feed. Being cotton, it’s heavier and slower to dry than the recycled option, and it demands a little more care, but for pure lounging it feels a cut above. Value: strong for a design-led piece — you’re paying for the look and the heft, and it delivers both.
The Designer Statement Missoni Home — Marea Beach Towel
The company. The Italian house founded by Ottavio and Rosita Missoni in 1953 turned the zig-zag knit into one of fashion’s most recognisable signatures. Its home line brings that same chevron to the beach — and few objects say “designer holiday” quite so instantly.
The towel. The famous multicoloured zig-zag is rendered in dense, luxurious cotton that feels every bit its price, and the generous 180 × 100 cm cut gives you proper room to stretch out. It’s the heaviest and least practical of the three — slow to dry, needs careful laundering, and you’ll think twice about dragging it across wet sand — but that’s rather the point: this is as much a poolside accessory as a towel, and it looks sensational draped over a lounger or, out of season, folded in a smart bathroom.
Value: steep in absolute terms, but as an entry point into an iconic luxury house it’s a relatively attainable one — and the design endures season after season.
Three towels, three very different jobs. For sheer usefulness and value, Dock & Bay wins hands-down — the one to actually take travelling. For that of-the-moment beach-club look at a sane price, Business & Pleasure Co. is the sweet spot and if the towel itself is meant to be the statement, only Missoni will do. Choose by the holiday you’re planning: the adventure, the lounge, or the show.
How we review
Travelling for Business pays for the rooms, flights and products we review unless we explicitly say otherwise. We never accept paid reviews or gifted stays in exchange for coverage.
