Resort holiday pool etiquette

[Holidaynewbie]

I’m a newbie to resort holidays (as we usually get a villa with a private/shared pool) and realised I have no idea what the etiquette is around the pool.

I assume you go to down from your hotel to the pool area with swimming stuff on and something on top but what do you do about getting back to your room? Guessing there aren’t changing rooms - do you just throw your clothes back on over wet swimwear?

Also, I’ve heard several horror stories about sunbeds. When we put our towel on the sunbed I assume then it’s ours? Will bags with suncream, phone, books etc be safe to just be left there?

AIBU to not know this?! Feel like a bit of an idiot asking!

Thanks in advance

Just have something to wear to throw over your swimming stuff to go back through the hotel.
No, you can’t leave your towel and assume the sunbed is yours, and no, don’t leave anything behind on it, like phones, keys, sun cream etc. But it’s fine if you’re just going for a swim.

Thanks for the reply. Where do you keep your towels then when you’re in the pool and not lounging on a sunbed?

It's a bit naff to go down really early to reserve a sunbed and then saunter back from a leisurely breakfast hours later. But there's generally no avoiding playing the towel on the bed game at some point if you want beds together with a decent sunny spot or near enough to the pool to watch the little ones.

Just be sensible. If you're planning a whole pool day grab a spot. Unless you're using all day just accept you need to compromise.

Just seen your edited reply! Thanks

Re the towels on the sunbed I meant when you’re in the pool.
I know it’s definitely NOT good etiquette to leave towels there when you’ve sauntered off for breakfast or lunch 😂

Everyone does though. A beach towel, maybe a hat and a magazine. Not valuables of course. Just be sensible and don't get sucked in to the early lounger grab routine.

Choose a hotel that has enough sun beds for the guests. It’s incredibly important to me.

That, and the sun beds need to be wooden not plastic!

I fully admit to being a holiday hotel snob.

edit for typo.

Resorts we’ve been to will remove towels from unoccupied beds or find additional beds. No swimwear to be worn in the hotel.

I think the sun bed but varies from hotel to hotel . Yes it would be best if no one reserved them 1st thing and removed their things when they go for lunch etc. However in my experience in hotels that don't have many sun beds people reserve them from 1st thing and leave a towel and maybe a book or similar there all day and don't take their stuff away until the end of the day.

Some hotels clamp down on this and lifeguards take stuff away but in practice this is rare.

Agree with pp that most people wear something light or easy to go back to their rooms or wrap themselves in a towel. As long as you aren't dripping water everywhere it's fine.

You can keep your towel on your bed for the time you're using the pool and bed, or if you pop to the loo or fetch a drink, but its rude to leave it there if you're going away for hours, and it's rude to use it to bag a good bed ages before you want it. I wouldn't leave the crown jewels in my bag, but your book, sun cream and general bits will be fine left on your bed while you swim. If it's hot, most people tend to dry off on their sunbed for a while after swimming before going back in so you don't drip your way through the hotel. Then you put a cover up on or even wrap a towel round you to go back to your room.

its rude to leave it there if you're going away for hours, and it's rude to use it to bag a good bed ages before you want it

Agree but everyone does it so you get sucked into it, otherwise you’ll never get a sunbed all week. I hate myself when I do it though.

I go straight from breakfast to the pool so I wear my swimming costume with shorts and a Tshirt over it in the restaurant, then take them off by the pool.

Most reasonably nice hotels will ask you not to go for lunch in your costume or in anything wet, so you need something to put on if you go straight from the pool to lunch.