Resorts without sun bed hoggers?

[stopitandtidyupp]

AIBU to ask if you know of any Spanish or Greek AI hotels that you don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to put a towel on a sun-bed?

One with a huge pool that isn't square. ( I don't like square ones)

It doesn't necessarily have to be all inc.

Any budget really.

Does a place like this exist?

Agree that a private villa or apartment on a quiet complex is nicer than a hotel and the price difference between that and decent quality AI is usually large enough to provide a substantial eating out budget, topped up by some easy food, and plenty of drinks and snacks.

Just be shameless and move people’s towels. I always do this if I come down and there’s nowhere to sit. I’m not standing around so that a beach towel can recline in the sun getting a tan until its owner decides to come down.

Don't people get angry with you when they arrive for 'their' lounger?

Formentera. The beaches are so beautiful there’s never anyone around the pool, even when I’ve stayed in August.

”We went to the canaries a few years ago, and I set the alarm for 3.30am so I could stumble out with the towels.”

Words absolutely fail me.

We went to the canaries a few years ago, and I set the alarm for 3.30am so I could stumble out with the towels

Ugh, I would rather stay home.

OP, A private villa is your friend here.

Exactly. I would rather stay at home than go on a ‘holiday’ which involves stressing about towels and sun beds and getting up at the crack of dawn or the middle of the night.

I think the problem is caused by the All Inclusive set up. If most or all guests were staying B&B or HB then they would be more likely to go out and about for the day, but because they can get unlimited food, drink and snacks at the hotel, for no extra cost, more of them are more likely to stay round the pool more, and the hotel doesn't necessarily provide sufficient sunbeds.

If you are set on AI, you'd probably have to go quite high end, where there is more likely to be allocated beds, or lower guest to bed ratio, otherwise ditch AI and go the private pool route or use the sunbeds on the beach instead, depending on which aspect of the holiday is most important to you.

Alternatively, if you went to one of the mega hotels in somewhere like Egypt, where it is more expect that people rarely leave, are there more likely to be enough sunbeds?

The disappointing truth is, you have to go to more expensive hotels. In more value-oriented places, including most AI hotels, the hotels don’t give a stuff about whether there are enough sun beds for their guests. Posher hotels care more about guest feedback and repeat business.

There is a video clip on YouTube somewhere of the staff at an AI hotel in Spain (one that enforces the ‘no subbed nabbing at 3.30 am’ rule) blowing a whistle, sparking a scramble for sun beds by holidaymakers. Who’d want to do that? The stress when you are supposed to be relaxing!

It’s true that the Germans are the worst for this. I remember being in Spain and two German girls would get up at dawn to reserve prime sun beds, chairs, a table and an umbrella, then they wouldn’t show up at the pool until 4 pm!

Went to Lanzarote all inclusive last year stayed at the THB tropical island during the school summer holidays and never had any isssues with sun beds. Still plenty stacked up at lunch time

Arona Gran in Tenerife fits your requirements perfectly.

I think the trouble is you have a hotel with 100 sunbeds round a pool, and 400 residents.

You just don't have to be next to the pool.

Generally the more you pay, the easier it will be, I should think. There's always the beach, too, for a change.

Santa Susanna Resort Hotel (Spain). The sunbeds are locked up until the pool opens at 9am so no 6am towel dibbers.

Why do the hotel need to enforce a "no reserving sunbeds policy"? Surely the fact that the policy exists gives you carte blanche to move towels yourself and direct anyone who gets pissed off at you to the resort staff.

Hotel Louis Corcya Beach

Sani Resort have a no reservations policy and they monitor it, if sunbeds remain unoccupied for a period of time they scoop up the towels on them and move the belongings to one side. I’ve only seen them do this once though as they also seem to have enough to go around.

6am is good going! We went to the canaries a few years ago, and I set the alarm for 3.30am so I could stumble out with the towels. Was only about 30 feet from the apartment, took a minute or so, and I’d say hello to at least 3 people doing the same

This sort of lunacy is what causes the problem

If a hotel has a no reservations policy I just move towels and sit down. People get annoyed occasionally but honestly if they're going to be selfish what do they expect?

The best I saw was a party of five reserving seven sun loungers all day every day. There were NEVER more than three people in them and they were all empty for several hours every day!

Without a guest list and knowing their personalities, this is impossible to answer

If there is a no reservations policy I would also move towels where there's nobody in sight and no other belongings there. Tough if they come back and don't like it, they can take it up with the hotel staff. Fortunately never had to do this yet.

Book marking mainly but for anyone reading not looking for AI the marbella marriott beach resort has a no reservation before 10.30 am rule that they do enforce

Thing is, if the sun beds are chained up until the pool opens at 9 am, you get the ridiculous spectacle of people poised expectantly with their towels at 8.59 am waiting to shove the elderly and infirm out of the way to grab the beds first. So I don’t see that as a selling point for the Santa Susanna resort hotel, I’m afraid.

Hipocampo Palace Hotel in Cala Millor, Majorca. Extensive lawns around a huge free-form pool, always plenty of beds available. Not AI, but half board available and food is excellent.

Hope others will keep the suggestions coming - you have the same priorities as I do, and after 3 trips to Cala Millor we'd like a change but are finding it hard to find somewhere with similar availability of beds (and even more importantly, shade)

The whole hogging sunbeds thing is ridiculous - I know sometimes you have to, but behaviour like a pp “saving” her spot at 3.30am in the morning just creates the problem.
I second private villa. Can’t hack hotels now!

Without a guest list and knowing their personalities, this is impossible to answer 

Erm! Read above 🤷🏼‍♀️

Thanks all. I guess it doesn't have to be AI. I would rather self cater then get up at 3.30am.

A decent luxury hotel will go out and get more sunbeds if you complain you could not get one. Many of them also have at least some suites with private pools. Some suggestions: magazine.trivago.co.uk/hotels-with-private-pools/

Ikos Oceania in Halkidiki...... sorry for spelling.
Fantastic AI and I mean AI not queues for ice creams and cheap drinks in platic cups..... even the mini bar in the room is free and replenished daily.
Pool is on a hill and edge of pool overlooks the sea, beach a stone throw away, private with waiter service. Beds at pool not reserved but if busy beach is fab anyway.
Warning summer prices are steep! We only go outside of summer. On the plus side you won't spend a euro once you are there