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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

People reserving hotel sun loungers with their towels...

118 replies

MoreCatsForMePlease · 18/04/2022 19:26

Arrrggghhhh!

I just returned from a lovely week away in the Algarve.

I was not able to get a sun lounger by the pool during my entire stay! Every time I went to the pool, all of the sun loungers were reserved with towels/ books. There'd only be actual people on around half the loungers.

There were signs up everywhere asking people not to do this, yet every morning, without fail, a scrum of people would run out and do it anyway!

I'm not brave enough to tell anyone off or complain Sad

Has anyone been at a hotel that has actually put a stop to this twattery?

OP posts:
Sunnytwobridges · 18/04/2022 22:09

If I noticed one with a towel/book unattended for more than 15mins I would just move it and deal with whoever. Usually they would just move on.

AProperStinging · 18/04/2022 22:09

@MoreCatsForMePlease

Why have 30% of people said that IABU, yet nobody on here has actually justified that position in a post?

I am actually quite keen to hear people's excuse for this behaviour!

I didn't vote, but in my opinion yabu twice over.
  1. Yabu for wanting to spend your holiday motionless on a plastic camp bed surrounded by other people doing the same thing.
  1. Given (1), yabu for moaning about it on mumsnet after the holiday rather than just picking the towel up and sitting where you want to sit. It's a towel. It's not going to bite you.
Rewritethestars1 · 18/04/2022 22:18

Someone stole my towel once. Id literally gone to the bar a few feet away and been less than 5 minutes. I came back to my towel gone and the bed empty. Maybe someone took it and binned it thinking I was a bed hogger but I was just getting a drink. It was a nice towel so maybe someone did steal it which is a bit gross.

Just move them op. I never used to but im more confident now so I will.

Hooveslikejagger · 18/04/2022 22:23

Yep, in the Algarve. One of the life guards would monitor those beds like a parking warden. Any bed deemed not in use would have a sticker with a time written on it slapped on it, and an hour later if still empty = stuff removed and chucked in a big pile on the side.
When people returned and were eventually pointed in the direction of the life guard and started moaning/ranting at him, he just shrugged and pointed to the pile.

Some days that pile was huge.

TizerorFizz · 18/04/2022 22:24

@CeeceeBloomingdale
Everyone is so young on this thread! When I was young it was the Germans who put towels on the sun loungers! Before breakfast at crack of dawn. If only we could get away from pesky Brits?

WaitingForEgg · 18/04/2022 22:26

I once moved a dirty newspaper that had been left on a lounger (at a very nice spa hotel in the uk) when I was 8 months pregnant to sit down. Half an hour later I got an earful about my “rudeness” for the dirty newspapers owner. People are incredibly entitled

Notimeforaname · 18/04/2022 22:30

Ah the sunbed Olympics Grin These never fail to make me laugh.

CeeceeBloomingdale · 18/04/2022 22:34

[quote TizerorFizz]@CeeceeBloomingdale
Everyone is so young on this thread! When I was young it was the Germans who put towels on the sun loungers! Before breakfast at crack of dawn. If only we could get away from pesky Brits?[/quote]
I'm not that young, I think it was a stereotype created by British comedians, I've only ever seen Brits do it despite staying in predominantly German resorts on occasion. I've watched grown men behave like toddlers over having dibs on a certain 'spot'.

Notimeforaname · 18/04/2022 22:35

"3 Germans and 9 sun loungers" 🤣

BeerLoas · 18/04/2022 22:40

I’m just back from Cyprus - no one did this and didn’t have a problem at all. Lots of Brits there as well as other nationalities. It was a v nice hotel, perhaps not peak season but was busy and no one had a problem. Reserving sun loungers with a towel is a dumbass thing to do meaning you’re the problem and it’s not exactly fool proof since I can just, ya know, mooove your towel.

Pennox · 18/04/2022 22:43

I think the best hotels are the ones that hire dedicate pool staff that come up to you as you arrive and sort out a place for you. I've been to hotels like that in the Indian Ocean and Caribbean where they find the beds for you and a spot and put fresh towels on for you. They can sometimes go and get extra beds that they've squirreled away somewhere and they patrol the beds and clear any that have just got towels on them and left for ages.

Obviously it means the hotels have to pay a member of staff to do this job so it tends to be in more expensive hotels. I could be doing with the free for all ones now.

Kite22 · 18/04/2022 22:44

YANBU to find it annoying
but YABU to have accepted it and not had a sunbed for your entire holiday.

Gogodonu · 18/04/2022 22:47

Olympic Lagoon Ayia Napa is superb for many reasons, not just allocated beds

MissMarpleRocks · 18/04/2022 22:50

Sunrise Pearl
Grecian Park - I think they do also.

We don’t often stay in hotels as we stay with family so don’t know about other hotels.

electrocautery · 18/04/2022 22:53

I've seen this, most notably at a hotel in Lanzarote. The vast majority of holidaymakers tend to set their alarms for 6am, Grab a sun Lounger, put their towels down, then go back to bed for about three more hours, then get breakfast.
The time we went there were a few early morning rain showers. ( or was that the pool attendants hosing down the patios? 🧐?) Was so funny to see them coming out to be faced with wet towels...

NameInUseAlreadyAgain · 18/04/2022 22:54

We go to a hotel where they actively remove unattended towels before 10am. It's great

Mamofoneboy · 18/04/2022 23:08

@bigbluebus

The one and only time I went on a cruise there was a rule that you were only allowed to be away from your lounger for a maximum of 1 hour. The deck was patrolled and if a lounger was devoid of a body but had a towel on it the staff member wrote the time on a ticket and clipped it to the lounger. If the person hadn't returned after an hour then the towel was removed freeing it up for someone else.
This is the best idea! The only time I leave my sun lounger is when i go for lunch (or it was before I had DS - I think that will change) and I hate worrying about my stuff while I’m away
gogohm · 18/04/2022 23:12

Never had an issue myself, plenty of Sun loungers where I've stayed and I've travelled a lot

Manekinek0 · 18/04/2022 23:19

Same happened when we were in the Algarve. Another guest had a bit too much to drink by lunch time and threw a few towels in the pool so she could take the loungers. We were hoping the owners would turn up but no one was brave enough to claim them.

BadLad · 18/04/2022 23:26

A Union flag towel seems to solve the problem of getting a sunbed.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=pDWZAu5OU9M

latetothefisting · 18/04/2022 23:41

@Sunnytwobridges

If I noticed one with a towel/book unattended for more than 15mins I would just move it and deal with whoever. Usually they would just move on.
It's not unusual for someone to swim for more than 15 minutes though! Or go to the bar, queue and walk back.
AnnaSW1 · 18/04/2022 23:59

I always move the items off and then move the lounger so they don't know who to blame! It's a fun game

dane8 · 19/04/2022 00:03

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Shmithecat2 · 19/04/2022 00:12

I must admit, I started bagsying sunbeds 3 days into my last holiday. Went down about 7.30am, put my towels down, went back up to sort stuff put for the day and was on my lounger by 9am. It wasn't for the lounger or location of lounger though - it was for the parasol. So many of the loungers had no parasol or shade, which was really unpleasant for the first couple of days. No amount of SPF50 or hats could make it bearable. If there were more parasols, it wouldn't have been an issue.

Neverreturntoathread · 19/04/2022 00:18

@Jedsnewstar

Where I go in France every few hrs an alarm goes off for everyone to return to their loungers and get out of the pool. The lifeguards run around are remove all towels from Loungers with nobody on there, all the guests there help, they play funny music while doing it, it’s brilliant. Takes 10mins. Then about 4is onwards the beach going selfish twats return and seeing their face when they get told off and pointed towards a pile of towels is priceless.
Love this!!