5 star holiday resort would your kids toys to get taken

[pinkhipposgoswimming]

We've never been on holiday before since having the DC. I have a 2, a 3 and a 5 year old, and after much saving we went away for half term to a nice sunny country and stayed in a 5 star all inclusive. Took a few toys with us and purchased beach buckets in various shops at extortionate prices.

Toddlers mainly liked taking things into the pool. But so many things went missing. At the end of each day the pools were all cleared, stuff fished out and the various inflatables and toys are piled up in one area of forgotten stuff. Only on one occasion did something turn up. On the last day I saw someone put a load of what I was 99% sure was our stuff in their pushchair. The thing is it was one of the sets of things purchased there so I couldn't be sure. Should I have challenged them ? Do people in 5 stars hotels steal children's pool toys deliberately? We lost 12 items in a week.

Is it just stuff being misplaced or borrowed? I can't stop other children playing with my DC's toys and with 3 to keep and eye on in a pool its impossible to manage that. Just as my DC played with others stuff.

Although realistically it sounds like you had a ridiculous amount of stuff so probably it was hard to look after it all. I only let my kids take one toy at a time for this specific reason.

Bloody foreigners, stealing our beach buckets! 😉

This has nothing to do with star ratings (would it be more expected in a 3 star? Because poorer people are more likely to steal? Odd way of thinking). It's the holiday pool free for all. If you want to keep something keep an eye on it, otherwise it appears to be fair game. This perplexed us a little at first, and we were the mugs who trundled off to the gift shop to buy the overpriced inflatables (no doubt fished out of the pool and reboxed) and beach buckets. But you quickly discover that when people leave they leave their crap stuff which then goes in the pile for others to use. Therefore if stuff is abandoned somewhere people tend to assume it has been left behind and needs a new home.

I did find that if there was something we wanted to keep hold off we kept an eye on it and if it did switch hands everyone was very receptive to a "sorry, that's my unicorn inflatable, we are leaving the pool now so do you mind if I grab it" - a message you can convey across languages believe it or not.

I think a lot of people leave toys at the end of the holiday for others to use so some people will think that has happened.
Some will think they belong to the hotel.
Others just won't care where they came from, or give it any thought.

There's a fortune to be made from pre loved buckets and spades, especially if they are Castle shaped.

As others have said, take a permanent marker along with you and write in big letters your surname on a visible part of the bucket/inflatable. Tell your children if they have finished playing with an item that they return it to you.

Do you expect people that are in a 5 star should behave better than those in a 4 star or something?

I don't get that logic at all

How many stars was the hotel? I don't think you've mentioned.

I think you need to keep an eye on your stuff for the reason others have said - lots of people leave pool toys behind for others when they go home. So if you see your toddler playing with a bucket you didn't bring it is reasonable to assume it was abandoned. With a 2 year old I would expect you to be close enough to reclaim anything another child wanders off with. You don't have to snatch it off them shouting MINE to do that.

Of course kids will play with any toy they find! And of course pool toys end up all over the place and all mixed up and lots disappear.... Can't believe you're comparing that to phones or wallets being stolen! Totally par for the course that if you take toys to any pool you have to watch them like a hawk and after a while go retrieve them from whatever child is playing with them. If you don't do this you aren't likely to get them back at the end of the day. This shouldn't make you sad, it's just kids being kids and parents not paying much attention as they have more pressing things on their mind.

Haha....it was only 5 I'm afraid

🤣

We then flog them to the newbies who haven't had chance to go to the shop yet to recoup the cost of the holiday 🤣

Surprisingly, it happens. With my first DD I remember ‘losing’ a whole drawstring bag full of Disney princess dolls on holiday. We had gone over to the pool bar for lunch and on our return, the bag had disappeared. Ended up having to replace them when we got home as they were DDs favourites. I didn’t see anyone playing with them all holiday, I was eagle eyed round the pool. DH couldn’t see the fuss but I was really annoyed, I remember!

I’m a bit sad you only took your kids to the beach once. IMO beaches are much more fun for little kids than hotel pools. And yes, I know pools have loungers, drinks, toilets,showers etc, but beaches have sand and waves and shells and seagulls and crabs and seaweed……..

That’s a stealth boast if ever I’ve heard it.

I don't get it. When the 2yr old picks up your stuff you say "you can play for it and give it back soon ok" and the parent with that child gets the message. Off course you take your things back, even if it's from your 2yo.

This.

If you write your name on it in waterproof pen then you can just that belongs to you.

People perhaps assume they belong to hotel or have been left by previous holiday makers. In bucket example I’d have let another toddler play with it but kept eye and when they discarded it retrieved it or if they were still playing with it when you are packing up just asked for it back - can I have her bucket were off now thanks. Your own stuff from home makes it easier to spot eg if resort shop hoops are yellow are yours is blue.

I have twins - are your children playing with loads of toys at once? It might be an issue just let them have one or two. My twins are almost 16 now and we have never had the problem you have had despite often going abroad. In fact I often offer my kids play things if a child looks like they could benefit from using it (ie a child playing by themselves) and I just ask the parents to put back next to our Sun lounger when done and everyone always has.

Very good idea

Take less toys to pool. If you go with a ball and 3 hoops you know you come back with that. Children need to play but they need to take care of their things. So not playing with ball bring it back to pool chair where you’ve set up don’t just abandon it.

The honesty or otherwise of a person does not increase with the number of stars or the cost of an hotel they are staying in. Sorry to break this to you.

Goodness. Who knew 5 star hotels were frequented by such ne'er do wells? You don't get that at Butlins.😁

You leave stuff on the last day. If people leave stuff unattended it counts as last day stuff and can be taken, to be left back again.

5 star has nothing to do with it! You still get complete fuckwits in 5 star, and 6.

YABU, everyone knows that Toy Thieves do this to fund their 5* holidays.

I'm just back from a week in Greece and couldn't believe the price of the pool inflatables in the hotel mini-market. 50 Euros for the Unicorn!
Buy before you travel and mark it with waterproof markers.

I don't think the class of hotel makes the slightest difference - people are people, and some are chancers.