Spent the whole day at the beach and got some great use of out of the lily pad. The beach is 100% rocks this year but that doesn't really prevent us from getting into the water. The only thing it prevents is a nice, stable area to place a chair (or dig in an umbrella!).
The kids love having lunch down by the water and the ability to come and go in and out of the water as they please. It gives a lot of freedom ... and the grown ups get to sit in the chairs and relax.
However, there are many pleas for us to join them out on the pad!