I have a confession: I’ve packed my JOLYN swimsuits for three different trips, and somehow I’ve spent more time wearing them than actually swimming in them. Which is almost comical considering these are swimsuits designed for women who actually get in the water. But that’s also real life when you travel.
In July, I visited one of my best friends in Charlotte. We sat around the pool sipping homemade palomas she made, catching up and enjoying a much-needed girls’ visit. I wore my JOLYN swimsuit, but I didn’t get in the water because I was at the very end of my period.
A couple of weeks later, I was in Stowe, Vermont, with Chrysler testing the 2027 Chrysler Pacifica. We stayed at The Lodge at Spruce Peak, and between the schedule, the short summer days, and everything happening during the trip, there wasn’t exactly a pool day.
Then came Portugal. For my birthday, we spent a few days in Lisbon before heading to Porto. I packed my JOLYN swimsuits fully expecting to take advantage of the pools at both hotels. Except the pools closed early. By the time we got back from sightseeing, eating, and exploring, there simply wasn’t enough time. And if we had gone to the pool before leaving for the day, I already knew my kids wouldn’t have wanted to get out. And then, because apparently Portugal wanted to really test me, we had rainy weather, which put a damper on our beach plans too.
The great paradox of travel: sometimes you pack for the vacation you think you’re going to have. So no, this isn’t the kind of swimsuit review where I’m going to tell you I spent hours surfing, swimming laps, and jumping into hotel pools wearing JOLYN. I didn’t. What I can tell you is how the suits fit, how they feel, what I like about the designs, what I’d change, and whether I think they’re worth adding to your swimwear rotation.
| Quick Snapshot | |
| 💰 Price | $38–$52 per piece (tops and bottoms sold separately) |
| 👙 Styles Tried | Blake Top + Valle Bikini Bottom; Doris Top + Sandra Bikini Bottom |
| 👩🏾👧🏾 Best For | Moms who want to get in the water; not just pose beside it |
| ❌ Not Ideal For | Anyone shopping purely for the cheekiest cut or a poolside-lounging-only suit |
| ⭐ Would I Buy Again? | Yes, and I’m checking out their other styles. |
So, What Is JOLYN Swimwear?
JOLYN has its roots in competitive swimwear and has built its brand around women who are active in and around the water. The company says its swimwear was created with female athletes in mind and focuses on durability, secure fits, and performance. That athletic background is noticeable.
These aren’t swimsuits that feel like they were designed solely to look cute while you’re sitting in a beach chair. The brand makes training and surf styles, with details like racerbacks, adjustable or tie-back tops, drawstring bottoms, and different levels of coverage and support. And honestly, I appreciate that. Because as much as I love a pretty swimsuit, once you’re traveling with kids, I’m also thinking about whether I can chase someone down, get in and out of the pool, sit on the edge, bend over to grab a towel, or spend an entire afternoon at the beach without constantly adjusting my suit. Nobody has time for that.
The JOLYN Swimsuits I Tried
JOLYN sent me two swimsuits, and one of the things I immediately liked was that the bikinis are sold as separates. This is a bigger deal for me than it might sound. I typically need a larger top and a smaller bottom because I have a fuller bust and a smaller waist. Buying a bikini as a matching set can mean compromising somewhere, whether I’m squeezing into a top that’s too small or buying bottoms that don’t fit the way I want. Being able to choose my top and bottom sizes separately makes much more sense for my body. And my wallet.
JOLYN Blake Top + Valle Bikini Bottom
The first combination I tried was the Blake top in Jam Ribbed, paired with the Valle Bikini Bottom in the same color. The Blake has a lace-up back, more front coverage, and is available in a D cup. It’s also designed for higher-support, higher-impact activities.
Blake Top: $52
Valle Bikini Bottom: $52
The Valle is a medium-rise, medium-coverage bottom designed for activities like surfing, paddling, and general ocean adventures. It’s lined and made from JOLYN’s SurfTec fabric, which has UPF 50+ protection.
JOLYN Doris Top + Sandra Bikini Bottom
The second suit was the Doris top in Peacock, paired with the Sandra Bikini Bottom. The Doris is a sporty racerback style with medium support and impact. JOLYN describes it as having wide straps and a fixed racerback, which gives it a more athletic feel without looking like a traditional competition swimsuit.
Doris Top: $52
Sandra Bikini Bottom: $38
The Sandra is a full-coverage, high-rise bottom built to stay securely in place through every stroke and kick; steady support for swim training, laps, and water drills, not just standing around in the shallow end. It’s lined for privacy, has a drawstring waist, a clean finish at the leg and waist openings, and is tagless for comfort. The fabric is chlorine-proof, pill-resistant, two-way stretch, with reinforced stitching built to hold up. JOLYN rates it high impact and recommends it for swim, surfing, water polo, paddling, lifeguarding, and general pool or ocean activities. And that drawstring is one of those little details I like in an active swimsuit. If I’m going to be moving around in the water, I want the option to secure the waistband rather than wondering if my bottoms are going to shift every time I move.
The Material Feels Like Quality
The first thing I noticed when I handled the swimsuits was the material. It feels substantial; not stiff or uncomfortable, but like you’re holding a swimsuit that was actually made to be worn repeatedly rather than something that looks cute for one vacation and starts feeling tired afterward. The SurfTec fabric used in the suits I received is a recycled fabric designed for ocean activities, with UPF 50+ protection. JOLYN describes it as soft, stretchy, and comfortable while still maintaining its shape. That’s important for me because I don’t want to spend money on swimwear that feels flimsy.
JOLYN also puts a lot of emphasis on longevity, including chlorine and saltwater resistance and construction details designed to withstand repeated use. I haven’t had these suits long enough to personally tell you what they’ll look like after years of chlorine exposure, so I’m not going to make that claim for you. But the quality of the fabric itself was immediately noticeable.
Here’s Where I Would Size Up
If you have a fuller bust, pay attention to this part. The tops ran a little small for me. I was sent a medium, and while I could wear it, I would have preferred a large for more coverage. With a fuller bust, I don’t want my swimsuit top to give me that “one wrong move and everything is coming out” feeling.
Cute? Yes.
Comfortable? Mostly.
The coverage I wanted? Not quite.
So, if you’re busty like me, I would take a close look at the measurements before ordering and consider sizing up in the top. JOLYN provides bust measurements and fit guidance for its swimwear, and some styles are specifically available in fuller-cup sizing. This is also why I love that JOLYN lets you purchase tops and bottoms separately. My top size and bottom size are not the same, and I’m not interested in pretending they should be.
The Bottoms? I Really Like Them.
Both bottoms fit me well. The Valle and Sandra give me the kind of coverage I tend to gravitate toward for family vacations. I’m not necessarily looking for the cheekiest bikini when I’m with my kids. There is a time and place for that. Family vacation isn’t always it. Between the Valle’s medium coverage and the Sandra’s full coverage, I’ve got options. And both give me a little more confidence when I’m dealing with the realities of a mom body. I don’t need my swimsuit to hide me, but I do appreciate a suit that provides coverage without making me feel like I’ve aged 30 years and am wearing something my grandmother would have packed for a cruise.
That’s the sweet spot.
JOLYN offers everything from fuller coverage to slimmer cuts, so you can choose based on what makes you comfortable rather than being stuck with one silhouette.
Personally, I think the Jessica and Vera styles, with their higher-leg cuts, would probably be more flattering on my particular body shape. The Valle and Sandra are the practical choices for me. And sometimes practical wins. Especially when you’re traveling with children.
JOLYN Swimwear for Travel: My Take
This is probably where JOLYN makes the most sense for me. I travel quite a bit, and my ideal vacation swimsuit needs to do more than photograph well. It needs to pack easily, feel secure, work for a pool day, handle the beach and still look cute enough that I don’t mind wearing it with a cover-up while grabbing lunch.
The fact that JOLYN offers different styles and levels of coverage makes the collection easy to build around how you actually travel.
A sporty top for an active beach day.
A more supportive style when you’re planning to actually get in the water.
A fuller-coverage bottom when you’re traveling with the kids.
A more high-cut bottom when you’re feeling yourself and want a different look.
That’s what I like about the brand. It doesn’t feel like you’re choosing between “athletic” and “cute.” You can have both.
Is JOLYN Good for Moms?
I think so, especially if you’re the kind of mom who actually wants to participate in the vacation rather than sit on the sidelines. The secure designs make sense for moms who are getting in the pool with their kids, taking them to the beach, paddleboarding, kayaking or just being active on vacation. And then there’s the coverage issue. Because let’s be honest: after kids, our relationship with swimwear can change. I’m not trying to hide my body. I’m also not trying to spend my vacation sucking in my stomach while secretly wondering whether my bikini bottom is slowly disappearing.
- I want to eat my lunch.
- I want to get in the pool.
- I want to take pictures.
- I want to be comfortable.
The Valle and Sandra give me that balance of coverage without feeling frumpy, which is probably my favorite thing about them.
The Beauty in the Bump
Somewhere between an MBA program, two daughters, and building my brand, my relationship with my body has changed. And honestly, so has what I need from a swimsuit. My girls are both real swimmers, not wading-around-the-shallow-end swimmers, thanks to years of Goldfish Swim School lessons; my oldest swam competitively on their SwimForce team, and my six-year-old is right behind her. Which means I’m not the mom perched on the edge anymore. I’m the one actually getting in. I am not chasing the version of myself who wore a bikini without a second thought. I’m just trying to live in the one I have now: eat the lunch, keep up in the water, do all of it without doing the constant tug-and-adjust dance the whole time. Finding pieces that let me do that without overthinking it is its own quiet kind of self-care.
What I Would Consider Before Buying
My biggest consideration would be the top sizing. If you’re fuller-busted, don’t automatically order your usual size. Check your measurements and pay attention to the specific style you’re buying. JOLYN’s fit can vary by fabric and design, and the brand itself provides style-specific sizing guidance. I’d also think about what you’re going to do in the swimsuit. If you’re mostly lounging at a resort pool, you probably don’t need the same level of support as someone who is surfing, paddleboarding, or doing other high-impact water activities. That’s one of the reasons I like that JOLYN has different categories rather than treating every swimsuit like it needs to serve the same purpose.
The Funny Part? I Still Need to Actually Swim in Them.
This is the part of the review where I have to laugh at myself. Between Charlotte, Vermont, and Portugal, I had three very good opportunities to make this a proper swimwear test. Instead, I spent my time doing what I apparently do best on vacation: exploring.
- In Lisbon, we were out seeing the city.
- In Sintra, we were visiting palaces and taking in the scenery.
- In Porto, we were eating, walking, and exploring.
And when we finally made it back to the hotel, the pool was closed. Then the rain came. Honestly, that’s travel. You can plan the perfect pool day and end up spending the entire day somewhere completely different because you found a restaurant you wanted to try, a neighborhood you wanted to explore, or a site you didn’t want to miss. I’m certainly not complaining. I’d choose a day exploring Portugal over sitting beside a hotel pool every single time. But I will be packing my JOLYN swimsuits again. Hopefully next time I’ll actually get them wet. Honestly, if the swimsuits didn’t get wet, that just means I clearly need to plan more trips. I’ll take that as my sign.
| Buy It If… | Skip It If… |
| You actually want to get in the water, not just pose beside it | You’re shopping purely for the cheekiest, least-coverage option |
| You have a fuller bust and smaller waist and hate matching sets | You don’t want to hand wash and hang dry your swimwear |
| You want swimwear that holds up to chasing kids, paddleboards, and repeated wear | You want a top with more coverage right out of the box (size up instead) |
Credit: JOLYN
So, Is JOLYN Swimwear Worth It?
For me, yes. At $38 to $52 per piece depending on the style—and with the brand frequently offering sales—JOLYN sits in a price range that feels reasonable for swimwear with this level of construction, especially when you can buy the top and bottom separately. And that’s probably the biggest selling point for me.
I’m not shopping for swimwear based on what looks good on a model with a completely different body type. I’m shopping for what works on my body. I want support up top, coverage where I want it, and a bottom that stays where it belongs. I also want to be able to mix and match sizes without paying for a set that doesn’t fit me properly.
JOLYN checks those boxes.
Would I call these the swimsuits I would buy if I only cared about lounging poolside and taking Instagram pictures? Probably not. But if you’re a woman who wants a swimsuit that can go from family beach day to paddleboard excursion to hotel pool—and you’d rather not spend the entire day adjusting your bikini—JOLYN is definitely worth a look. And for my fellow moms with a fuller bust and a smaller waist: don’t sleep on the ability to buy your top and bottom separately. That feature alone might have sold me. Now, I just need to stop traveling during weather that refuses to cooperate and actually get in the water.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is JOLYN swimwear worth it?
Yes, especially if you’re active in the water or traveling with kids. At $52 per piece with tops and bottoms sold separately, the fit customization and fabric quality make it a solid investment compared to standard matching-set bikinis.
Does JOLYN swimwear run true to size?
Bottoms ran true to size for me. Tops ran a little small, especially for a fuller bust — I’d size up from your usual size and check JOLYN’s style-specific measurement guide before ordering.
Can you buy JOLYN tops and bottoms separately?
Yes. JOLYN sells swimwear as separates, which is ideal if your top and bottom sizes don’t match. It was the single feature that sold me most on the brand.
Is JOLYN swimwear good for moms?
Yes. The secure, athletic-inspired fits hold up whether you’re actually swimming laps with your kids or just being active in the water, and styles like the medium-coverage Valle and the full-coverage Sandra offer comfort without feeling frumpy.
How do you care for JOLYN SurfTec swimwear?
Hand wash in cold water and hang dry. This is standard for performance swimwear, but it’s worth knowing if you typically machine wash your suits.