Sun lounger towel battles in all inclusive holidays

I’ve literally just come back from Cyprus and had a swim up room. Massive terrace with sunbeds and table and chairs. Thought it would be perfect but it wasn’t ideal. The depth of the pool was too deep for my daughter so one of us always had to go in with her. She also wanted to use the slides in the shallow kids pool - this was ideal as she could go in alone but we then needed sunbeds there. Luckily, there was always sunbeds around this pool so we could pop over whenever we wanted.

The swim up room was worth it as it allowed my asd son time in the room whilst we went in the pool - he hates the heat and rarely goes in the pool. We also used it at night for a drink. However it definitely wasn’t perfect with young children.

In my experience, the best hotels tend to make multiple pools and a private beach.

We usually do a swim up room for this reason but have been this summer to the Lindos Imperial in Rhodes and been amazed by the relax pool where there was no one but us and no issue getting loungers at the beach.

Book somewhere with a swim up pool. That way you step out of your apartment straight to your own sunbeds, with a pool there. They cost a little bit more, but worth every penny.

We have just come back from Proxima hotel in Kusadasi, Izmir, Turkey. All Inclusive.
We got up for breakfast at 730 and there are always sunbeds available here noone put towels out before then as there are plenty. They also have a beach space with plenty of sun beds and parasols, just under 10mins stroll down the road. The reviews said this walk was terrible and dangerous but I was pleasantly surprised, there isn't a path but there is space to walk without being on the road and even with 3 children it was fine. 10 min bus ride to kusadasi town and the transfer is only an hour had a fab time and food was best we have had in Turkey despite usually staying in 4 star plus and gone every year to different hotels for 4 years.
Antalya has amazing hotels but not ideal unless you want to stay on resort as there isn't much around them.
Marmaris is great for evening walks but very busy expensive hotels.
We did late September in Marmaris and it was lovely but the pool was freezing and things were closing by the day, did get really cheap boat rrip and jet skis though!
Also I absolutely get up to get a sunbed as if there isn't any your stuffed in Auhust in Turkey as it is too hot to go out until the evening. I get it is annoying but when you only have one holiday it's not worth the risk although in my defence we use them all day, i dont waste a minute! the kids have a nap under the parasol in the afternoon. If we go out to the beach or whatever I remove the towels

This is one of the reasons I’m reluctant to book an AI with kids as I couldn’t stand it. We are planning a villa holiday, I know we will have to clean up and do some cooking but we’ll have some meals out, so simple breakfast and lunch and give each other some alone pool time for a rest from childcare! I know it’s not the same but for us the thought of our own pool, privacy, nobody else’s kids and nobody overindulging in the bar, swung it for us! Good luck with the hunt!

If you have 3 young children how much will you actually use a sun lounger? I would imagine you'll be in the water with your kids when they are, then when they get out they will want to be on to the next activity?

Yes, but if you pay peanuts you can get surrounded by monkeys. Just trying to help based on our experience.

The IKOS quote for our next holiday was £20k. Probably cheaper to buy a sun lounger.

I recommend IKOS resorts - all pools are heated and plenty of space all round. No sunbed wars needed plus the food and service is first rate. On

Look at reviews, helped us choose a place it was repeatedly said more than enough loungers for everyone. Xx

Probably to bed so they can get up at sparrow fart the next day and get a sun lounger! Absolute lunacy to me but each to their own I guess!

The Kanika hotel chain in Cyprus allocate your sunbeds for your entire stay.

We don’t usually do this type of holiday and don’t usually sit by a pool until after lunch. I refuse to go out and bag a bed. I have a strategy that usually works, but not always. I find one one the people who run the pool/towels. I ask them if there are any beds. They usually move someone’s stuff from a vacant bed. I give them a large tip. The next day they will approach me and ask me if we need beds.
I don’t agree that if you pay more you will not have this problem. It happens everywhere.

This.

4 is usually OK, 3 a nightmare I'd rather stay at home.

We've been on a few of these types of holiday - never had a problem getting a lounger whenever we wanted. The towel hoggers are just idiots.

I completely agree, very selfish and bad manners. If you’re going off for a meal you should take your things and allow someone else to use the lounger while you’re gone unless you are literally grabbing a slice of pizza and returning to your bed.

We’ve never personally had this issue as often get a private pool or stay in high end places but it would really cheese me off.

What really pisses me off is families who reserve 4 or 6 loungers by the pool, including for all their young children who never spend any time using them because they are in the pool or running about the whole day. But for the 2 seconds their kids sat still, they occupy a lounger for them with their towel for 8 or 10 hours.
These sorts of people are selfish fuckers.

Not read all the replies but there are at least two hotels in Paphos, Cyprus where you are allocated sunbeds on arrival. That I've been recommended. One was adults only and one was family. I'm considering booking next year.

I will not set my alarm on holiday for a sunbed.

This year was a Beachcomber hotel in Mauritius for us, same price if not cheaper than the med in August but downaide is two long haul flights. Sunbeds readily available at 10am straight after breakfast.

I think ‘sunbed reserving’ spectating ( and meddling) has officially become my holiday sport! 😉

From my balcony, I watched the “early birds”—usually husbands under strict orders—marching out at 6:30am to claim their spot with towels.

Observing the die-hards who must have their bed. The look of dismay when a newcomer dares to sit there is priceless.

There’s the chaos when towels are shuffled between beds (guilty😊), moved, or handed back to staff. Sometimes I’ll casually pile a couple on the floor, and like magic, others follow suit.

And the best bit? Removing a towel when I don’t even want the bed—only to watch the awkward confusion when the “rightful owner” comes back to find someone else happily stretched out. At least the person stretched out is genuinely innocent.

The truth is—’WE’ haveall created the sunbed-reserving culture by playing along.
If everyone just stopped, or simply ignored the towels, reserving would disappear overnight.

I refuse to get up early on holiday. The problems are

1. people getting loungers for whole families when their little ones are in the pool all day
2. reserving and then not coming back

this year, the lifeguards would ring a bell and you had to go back to your sunbed and they cleared away towels for those not at their sunbeds.

we do find that non British hotels are better. This year was mostly French and Dutch and if we couldn’t find a bed upon arrival, we got one within 20 minutes.

if you spot sunbeds that aren’t used, take their towels off and move the sunbeds so they don’t know it’s you.

i hope you have a lovely holiday!!

We went to an AI recently where the pools didn't open for putting towels down until 9am, which I thought worked well. It was hit and miss at different times of day as to whether you'd get beds but in terms of 'culture' it was accepted that beds could be left unattended and still be 'yours' and it would have been an absolute no-no to do what you've suggested. I'd say no one would dream of doing that there.
I'd say it worked quite well, actually. Yes you might turn up one pm and there weren't beds and you'd have to sit on the pool edge or grab a table by the bar. But equally another day you might well grab beds early and not be on them the whole day but you didn't feel guilty about it knowing you were in the other situation the day before. It was sort of an accepted swings and roundabouts scenario, I think.

If these are genuine reviews (putting towels down at 4.30 to get a bed AT ALL and not just the prime spots) I think I'd avoid if the ratio is clearly just not enough beds to people.

More pools is weirdly better than more sunbeds at one pool. The reason is people tend to congregate at the pool with the most facilities. Multi pool resorts often have at least one pool that is a bit tucked away. If you can get a room near that pool then you won't have a problem getting a sunbed, even later in the day.
At 2 different AI hotels recently we've seen the main pool rammed with towels by 9am, yet had no problems getting sunbeds at other pools at any time of day.

In the hotel I've just returned from, the staff put a tag on empty beds (once spotted) with the time on it.

30 minutes of no use and everything removed.

If everyone took their stuff with them when going for lunch, their would be less need for anyone to reserve a bed. Easy and fair.

No early morning reserving…everyone can wander down.

Reserving, creates….reserving!

It’s a shame that the hotels can’t come up with a different strategy around this , but unless your actually given your own lounger or brolly and can book it in advance , there isn’t much the hotels can do. I did stay somewhere once where you could do this , but not everyone wants to think about doing this and you had to know where you wanted to be the night before.
Some remove the towels , but that takes a degree of guts to do and many don’t want the confrontation on holiday !