Alcohol ok? Something expensive and meant to celebrate with new friends at their new home?
I like chimes in principle but in reality, the constant sound would annoy me. When we moved from Chicagoland to San Diego, we very much appreciated our beach umbrella and chairs. It’s one of the larger umbrellas with the fold down sides and vents. Either that, or a pop open beach cabana, with two chairs, and a matching beach blanket/ towel can be found for about $200 on Amazon, Bed Bath, etc.
That being said, when I retired, the company had a standard set of gifts to choose from. I picked a Tommy Bahama watch that I loved. I had been working remotely for nine years so no party or engraved gifts!
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A silver frame, if that would suit her style. Can also be engraved. My husband was given an engraved silver tray when he left a job of 20 years. We both love it.
My H worked 45 years. He got a nice framed poster that his coworkers signed of a guy with a surfboard (tho he doesn’t surf or do much related to the water). He likes it and has it hanging in our bedroom.
He also got a clock with a plaque. The clock stopped working so S bought him 2 replacement clocks (1st one wasn’t quite the correct size for the hole). It doesn’t take up too much space but not as much sentimental attachment for him as the framed signed poster.
Not sure that he got much else from his work bunch. We had a small retirement gathering and someone gave him a personalized via silkscreen nylon camp stool that has a zippered storage underneath. He uses that a lot in his puttering around projects around the house and smiles when he sees it.
Recent retiree here. I left my job in the midst of the pandemic when we were all working remotely. The nicest gift I received was several bottles of wine + prosecco delivered to my home from my close working group (4 or 5 people, not the company). The box included some snacks like breadsticks and cheese straws.
On my last day, and after the wine box had been delivered, we got together for a Zoom happy hour. We each had a beverage of choice. People said kind things about me and we had a happy, sentimental conversation. I won’t forget that.
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Frankly, when I retired, I received VISA gift cards, and they were great, as I was able to purchase a couple of items that have served me well in retirement–a new suitcase, and a tablet, both for traveling.
The clock I received from my employer, with the plaque listing their name and my dates of employ, is still in one piece but goes through AAA batteries like crazy!
I think a gift card is a good idea, but I also think a gift card to a nice local restaurant is good. I am sure few days before they move they wouldn’t have a lot of food in the house and they probably wouldn’t feel like cooking. To be able to go to a nice restaurant in between packing would be a nice treat.
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Apparently I am the odd ball. I can’t stand wind chimes. I find them very annoying. And most beach areas are very windy which is very impractical for wind chimes.
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This is def a possibility! Which is hard to buy for someone you don’t know well or how they live!
I had no idea that clocks were such a gift thing - admittedly I would likely not one gifted to me unless it was one that really spoke to my aesthetic.
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Gift card–you get what you want. Nobody, especially people who are retiring and moving, needs more "stuff’ to take with them, unless it’s something you choose (hence the GC).
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Just had to share this clock that came up in my feed and made me think of this thread - clock and beach!
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Since so may people are mentioning clock, I will one Chinese custom - we do not give clock as a present. The reason being the pronouncement of clock is similar to “end of life.” I made a mistake once and the recipient quickly gave me a dollar to “purchase” the clock from me. She loved the clock. 
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Wind chimes are like nails on a chalkboard for me.
But lots of people love them
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Yes, people generally fall into two categories: those who love wind chimes and those who can’t stand them. I am with you here; personally I would not be happy to get them. Have had two sets given to me… placed them in the back of the house where there was no wind.
A basket with some good quality beach towels sounds like a good and useful gift for someone retiring to a beach house.
I retired last summer from a team of mostly worldwide coworkers (and no in-person at all in the end, due to Covid). To me the precious gift was the gracious sendoff they gave me at the beginning of a weekly big-team Zoom meeting. It included a personalized “Quiz” (with cutesy graphics) about some of my experiences on that team (the last years of decades of various other teams). Later the quiz was posted online, and I was able to make printout of all of their sweet comments and good wishes added to it.
I did have some corporate “points” to pick an item. For the main item I selected a softsided Yeti cooler that I’d never spurge for on my own . We knew retirement would mean road trips, especially when Covid prevented air travel.
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Maybe we are a bit out of the ordinary, but we have a hard time using gift cards. H has a stack in his closet, some of which are for businesses that closed during the pandemic. For this reason, I think a carefully chosen item would be much more appreciated.
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I keep all gift cards to stores in my wallet. I keep online ones next to my computer. That way, I remember to use them.
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I know personally I prefer gift cards to stuff. We’re not “stuff” people and what I do have I’m pretty particular about. Quite honestly a lot of what we get in gifts gets regifted or donated unless I know the giver will be coming to my house.
Do you have any idea which type of person the retiree is? That would make a big difference if I were choosing.
A beach themed gift box subscription? I have given my husband a couple of gift box subscriptions ( beer and outdoor adventure gadgets) and he enjoyed them and he is really difficult to buy things for. I think the excitement of getting the gift in the mail each month adds to the appeal.
There are other travel themed gift box subscriptions out there.
From Parent Cafe, it shows how different tastes are in so many things. I would be nervous to get the couple more “stuff,” especially something like wind chimes which folks love/hate, towels which is quite a lot of personal taste re style, color, thickness, etc.
Honestly, the only things H can recall about his retirement and gifts were the signed framed poster from coworkers, the folding personalized nylon camp stool with zippered storage, and when prompted, the click with plaque (which he chose over a plain plaque).
When I retired/left, I got a nice lunch snd a lacquered photo album (which I never used and ultimately donated decades later).
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