If I was in charge of sunloungers…

[SunSunSunGimmeSun]

…the front row (next to the pool) would be non-reservable. Only to be used by those people with children currently in the pool. No phones or books. “Eyes on”

All further back rows would be free for anyone, but they’d each feature a timer. If you leave your lounger, you’ve got 15 minutes ‘grace’ while you nip to the loo, go get a drink, drag child from pool, etc.

After those 15 minutes, a very loud alarm would sound, your things would be scooped up and piled into the Sin Bin.

I know, I know, you want to sit with your family, and it takes longer than 15 minutes to get your lunch, yadda yadda yadda… but if no one was hoarding loungers, there’d be plenty to go around; when you got back from your lunch, you’d find a row of lovely empty space, not rows and rows of abandoned towels.

<gavel>

Yesssssss. Gets right on my tits when all the sun loungers have towels on but no bugger on them.

you are being unreasonable. I am generally in the pool or swim up pool bar for a lot longer than 15 mins

Try holidaying somewhere that has enough loungers for their guests instead

I prefer to sit at the back so peoples kids don’t splash me, scream down my ear or disturb my reading! No argument from me - I love beach bars where you pay for a bed rather than free for all lounger hogging

YABU. It's not my problem that you've got kids, either in or out of the pool. If I've paid for my holiday the same as you have, I'm just as entitled to a poolside lounger as you are.

Not that I actually go on the sorts of holidays that involve sitting by a pool, to be honest! But if I did, I wouldn't want to be stuck at the back looking at a forest of parasols and the backs of people's heads just because I don't have kids.

This sounds like a lovely relaxing holiday. Someone staring at me in my swimwear to make sure I don't glance at my phone while on the front row of sun loungers while loud alarms randomly sound behind me. Ahhh bliss.

45 mins is reasonable

The major irritants are people who either reserve then and the bugger off for the whole day or reserve two sets one each in the sun/ shade.

Or, go to a decent hotel

But while you’re in the pool, or at the bar, you don’t need the lounger…

So where do you suggest I keep my towel, book, sun cream etc?

Sounds more like a boot camp than a holiday. Who wants to have to drag all their stuff to lunch with them and then rush through so they can make sure they have somewhere to sit for the afternoon?! It’s not anyone else’s fault that you can’t get your ass in gear in time to get the lounger you want. And it definitely isn’t on to treat other guests like second class citizens because they don’t have children who need constant supervision.

This is a good point. Maybe it could be a vibrating alarm instead 😉

TBH though, the number of people completely ignoring their kids in the (deep) pool is really freaking me out. I think I’d find the phone police and alarms more relaxing than worrying about other people’s children.

Does your hotel provide pool side lockers then.. maybe that would be a part solution.

Sounds like you need to relax a bit more OP, other people's children are not your responsibility

This is why I go to small hotels. This was mid morning at the little three star hotel we went to in Corfu last year. Always loads of free Sunbeds any time of the day.

Very unreasonable. If you’re unable to get a front row lounger you just need to go in the pool with your children. Ours loved us being in the pool with them. Childless people can’t be relegated to the back rows simply because they have no children.

I would have thought that, in this day and age, that it should be possible to have a sunlounger that snaps shut (rather like a Venus flytrap) if it is not sat on for, say, 15 minutes.

Books, hats, sunglasses etc would be digested and then spat out and the sunlounger would open up again. (A deposit would be necessary before a hotel towel is issued, in case it is consumed by a lounger.)

I only stay at hotels with allocated sunbeds, you choose them and they are yours for the whole holiday

There's a campsite in France that plays a certain song once an hour. Idea is that when you hear it, you return to your sun lounger.

The lifeguards have a quick stroll around checking- any unclaimed loungers have their towels removed and the beds are freed up. Possibly not completely foolproof, but probably helps.

One of the many reasons I prefer self-catering holidays. No shared spaces, no noisy children, no competing for facilities. But definitely YABU. People have paid for their holiday, they can lounge where they like. It's not their problem that you have small children.

I love this what hotel is it

But what if it malfunctions and I get consumed by the sun lounger?

The rules aren't the problem, it's that some poor underpaid person has to enforce them. And that person gets called upon constantly by those who want the Pool Police to validate their sense of grievance about something or other.

The world is a better place when public spaces are protected by the culture of the people who use them, not by someone waving a rulebook.

Off topic, but: no gavels please, we're British (unless you're an auctioneer).

A-ha! I have found my people! (Person, anyway)

Yes. This can be added to the plan, along with the poolside lockers.

we stayed at a place where you paid to rent the sunloungers - it had a hut you went to to book and an interactive map so you could see which ones were free and click on the ones you wanted. You could book for 1/2 day, whole day or the whole week. meant you didnt have to rush down in the morning to claim a spot and could go to the beach or the water park or back for lunch etc and not worry about it.

But while you’re in the pool, or at the bar, you don’t need the lounger…

You need to be able to find your stuff when you emerge dripping from the pool.

Heaven help anyone who moved DHs things while he was swimming, which would include his very expensive glasses ... you wouldn't want him stumbling bat-blind to a rear row either.

How would you tell if someone had deserted their lounger vs being actually in the pool with their kids?

Maybe more sunloungers in a nice location away from the pool would be a good option for people who want to lounge in the sun on and off rather than actually swimming?