Sunbed wars!!

[ForMintShaker]

On holiday at an all-inclusive style resort , been to different ones over the years but god I am so so over the sunbed wars. I researched for hours when booking and thought I'd booked a decent one without the sunbed problem. Me and partner here with DD (4) and basically have concluded that people are probably leaving towels here at night time for the morning after , it's bloody bonkers.
Current situation is that we came down for breakfast at 9 and managed to grab one bed , which is all we need as someone always in the pool with DD, but a row of chairs in front with adults (over 60s, no kids ) have left towels and positioned a chair blocking anyone on the other rows getting to the pool without walking all of the way around. I moved the chair to get through and then a woman put it back and has now disappeared!!!! Hasn't been back for over an hour
Anyway , petty example I know, but god it doesn't half put a dampner on the holiday itself. We wanted a holiday with mini disco etc and although I know it's possible to pay more and have private pools etc I just wish the hotels could do more. We have told reception but 'nothing we can do' is the response.
Think I might stay at home next year 🤣🤣

Oh we’ve been to that hotel a couple of times. We always sit around the quieter pool though so never had any major sunbed issues.

People definitely do put towels out super early though. I used to put mine down on the way to breakfast if I wanted a decent spot.

That side with the animation team is always busier. I can’t say having to walk round to get in the pool would bother me much though. Them reserving sunbeds and then not bloody using them is what drives me insane!

There’s no need to let it ruin your holiday or future plans. Simply move the chair which is in the way. If someone moves it back, while they are still there, move it again. You don’t need to speak but if you do, state that it is in the way of accessing the pool and so you are moving it.
Towels on chair? Remove it and take the chair for yourself. If a body is not on it then it’s not in use. If confronted, again just state the obvious, ‘this seat isn’t occupied but I’m here so I’m going to use it.’ If they try and argue, hold a hand up and say ‘speak to hotel management.’
life is way too short for this shit.

Have you been to the Chinese there yet though? The sushi there is so good it’ll cheer you right up.

I'd probs just smear a bit of melted chocolate on the sunbed in the right position so it looks like a skidmark. Bet nobody would touch it then. 🤣

That space is too small to walk through any way.

I wouldn't want to be lying down there having people walking past showering me with drops of water from the pool and kids running up and down all the time squealing.

The whole sunbed wars thing is very low budget.

Just move the chair, the towels and their stuff. Who gives a fuck what they think. This is why cheeky arseholes get away with this behaviour, because no one calls them out on it.

OP, you’ve made me nostalgic for the old, very un PC beer ad, where the bloke throws his beer, wrapped in his towel, on to a sunbed, to the tune of the Dambusters march.
I shall now have to go and find it on YouTube….

Go down at 3am to reserve a row of 3 sun beds right in front of the pool for tomorrow!

I’ve never been on a holiday with sunbeds, but I’m wondering if you need to have another holiday immediately after to recover from all the stress?

We had the worst holiday in Croatia due to this. We worked out that to get a sunbed you needed to go down at 6:30am. The pool/towel service didn't open until 9 which was when you could queue up to get your umbrella. People would be queuing from 8:30am

So everyday I set my alarm and took my book and everyone's towels and sat and chilled out until breakfast time.

Everyone else came down to put towels down and then disappeared before coming back at 9 with their umbrella and then disappearing again , many for the rest of the day.

DH was on umbrella duty.

One day I'd been in the sea and closed my umbrella so that I could dry off in the sun for 10 mins.

A women came and demanded I give her my umbrella because I wasn't using it and she needed it for her baby. I pointed out the entire row of umbrellas in front of us that no one was sitting under but no ,she wanted mine.

We don't usually do all inclusive but our booked villa holiday had been cancelled on our day of departure and all we could get was a last minute all inclusive. Never again.

I would move your lounger to in front of theirs on the path bit, it looks large enough and put it long ways and if they say you are blocking the path tell them you can't get through because they are blocking the path and you have a child in the pool you need to be able to get to if she gets in trouble. I would be tempted to get up before 4am and bag 'her' seat and see if she moves your towels. Nothing more infuriating.

We went to Portugal a few years back now and we did not get a sun lounger once, spent the entire week sat on chairs in the outside bar area. All the loungers had towels and stuff on and half of them weren't used. There was us and 5 children. Only way we could get a lounger was go down to the beach and pay!

Have you mentioned it to the pool staff on duty? If so, what did they say? If not, why?

Just clamber over all the sunbeds and chairs when you need to get to the pool 🤣! It’s so selfish.

Well, their age isn't relevant, but yup they are tossers as are all the sunbed reservers, whatever their age.

Move towels yourself, tell the lifeguards or staff and ask for more beds or for them to move towels and most importantly make a complaint to reception. These things aren’t changes unless people make it known they’re not happy.

No, I don't actually and I would move towels from an unused sunbed, but I don't get her anger at a chair blocking a gap that is too narrow to politely walk through, and I don't get the relevance of age.

I don't see how the gap would be too narrow to walk through 🤔

So would I!

and if anyone was sat in it I’d say “excuse me please I need through”

No you're right their age isn't relevant , I think the point I should have made , but didn't , is that this pool is the kids pool and so adults reserving beds and blocking access at a pool with kids in , is frustrating. Particularly when they don't have kids with them.
We're not playing the game , and we're coming down at normal time and luckily managing to get 1 bed to share for the 3 of us. It's better than nothing.
We went back to the room at 11pm last night and no towels on the beds then

Ultimately , it's not ruined the holiday, obviously , but does remind me of the selfishness of some individuals and makes me think twice about this type of holiday next year. It's a shame though.

DH has spoken to hotel but they've shrugged shoulders and said nothing they can do. I will be leaving a review saying about this issue. As when I booked last year there were positive reviews saying how there were no issues with sunbeds , it was pretty much my number 1 stipulation in booking 🤣
Me and DH aren't particularly confrontational so don't think we'll throw towels in, as tempting as it is ! 🤣🤣

This would drive me to distraction!

the only way to manage it is to speak to the hotel. Every day if necessary. As a pp stated let then know that you’ll be writing an extensive review.

on a holiday a few years ago I had gone to the pool at 10am and seen a cabana that had been “reserved” with a child’s tshirt. I sat there all day until 4pm when a woman came and remonstrated that I had taken her space. The pool staff were straight over and dealt with it very well. but it blew my mind that people could behave like that

I stayed at a hotel earlier this year where they sent a guy round every morning at about 9am chucking towels in the shallow pools 😅

The hotel’s response is really poor. I thought most hotels no had signs saying beds could not be reserved and towels would be removed after 20 minutes.

I just move towels off if they're left there for a long period of time and we want the beds, fold them neatly and put them to one side. Then if questioned just say oh they were empty when we started using them an hour ago etc maybe staff cleared them, most hotels have a policy on this even if they don't act on it.

DH & I did a 'fly and flop' holiday at an adults only hotel in May. It is not our usual sort of holiday but we do it occasionally - usually when we're fed up of the British weather!
We had a room overlooking the pool and it was greatly amusing to see people out at 7.00am reserving their sunbeds and even sitting on them waiting for the restaurant to open for breakfast at 7.30. It was cloudy and windy at 7.00 so not even warm!
DH and I often went out for the morning and came back around lunchtime to the 2nd pool area overlooking the seafront and had no problem getting a lounger at all. It was just as near to the pool bar and toilets (if not nearer) and had a lovely breeze which made the sun bearable. Only the front row ever got reserved by the same few people every day!
I really don't get the selfishness of people, nor why they have to have a particular group of sun loungers in the same spot every single day of their holiday.

How do you use the pool if you lose your bed after 20 mins?