For anyone interested the portable beach umbrella we bought a few years ago was from Portabrella. They have a pretty good website. I think we paid something like $54 USD. But, it was worth every cent. Four sections connect together to give it ample height, and it has a nice tilt feature and is vented on top to help allow stronger winds pass thru (which is good for Orient Beach which can get quite windy). The base screws into the sand and you have to make sure you get it deep enough for stability. We have used it on SXM, St. Barth's, Barcelona, Mallorca, Ibiza, etc. and it quickly pays for itself. It comes with a really nice carrying bag that zips shut and the whole thing fits into any suitcase 26-inches or larger. It is also surprising light and the bag has a shoulder strap which makes carrying it a snap.

It really comes in handy when you visit a beach with no rental chairs/umbrellas, if the chairs that are available are too expensive or look uncomfortable, or if the chairs are all sold and taken (which happened to us once on Ibiza). Please note that we don't use it every time we visit a beach. Sometimes if a place has comfortable, well-padded chairs and throws in a free cocktail we also believe is supporting the local beach bars and restaurants. But, having this as an option has really helped.