we take a cooler everywhere,,,we are usually a larger size group. When on Orient for example...we have our own cooler,,,we pay for chairs and umbrellas,,,we buy beer and always eat from one of the beach front restaurants so that establishment makes a lot of money from us. It is a day trip over to French side, so we are there almost all day,,,I see no problem bringing a cooler, to have some of your own drinks, snacks,,,as long as you patronize the establishment as well. In the past, we rented chairs /umbrellas from packlite and just sat on an area of beach that was not directly in front of any particular establishment, and that worked too.....a lot cheaper than renting chairs. Coolers only hold so much, so even in that situation we still try and buy drinks or extra food from nearby places.