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Original poster

Has anyone been to a hotel in Europe with decent lounger system?

34 replies

Discoverysnakes · 30/05/2023 10:27

I’m on holiday at the moment - lovely hotel but the hogging of loungers is beyond ridiculous.

Glance out the window at 6 am and every lounger bar one has towels on. They then sit there empty for hours and hours. I actually went and sat on one ( of a bank of 5 ‘reserved’ and got aggressively shouted when the person arrived). Appreciate I could do this every day but it’s unpleasant and my kids get upset.

Even if I wanted to get up very early and bags one ( which I don’t) I’m a single parent so can’t actually do this. I just want one lounger for the three of us at one of the pools before 5 pm…

Actually spoils the holiday a bit - would genuinely pay quite a bit more to find a hotel
with a decent system to remove the stress …

OP posts:
towrag · 30/05/2023 10:56

sunrise beach cyprus

Original poster
Discoverysnakes · 30/05/2023 11:13

Thanks will take a look!

OP posts:
Alltheusernamesaretakennow · 30/05/2023 11:31

The Maritim Antonine hotel in Malta had a policy of not allowing loungers to be reserved (this was a few years ago, so worth checking!)

mollibu · 30/05/2023 11:33

Hotel Guayarmina Princess in Costa Adeje, Tenerife!

You prebook your sun loungers on the app or at the reception screens for the following day. So handy, there's no rush to get a sun bed after breakfast.

Original poster
Discoverysnakes · 30/05/2023 11:41

@mollibu - that sounds perfect and my kids love the Canaries.

The thing that drives me nuts is if everyone just took a reasonable amount, left them free when not using there would be enough for everyone.

Family of 4 next to me atm have 3 of the sunshades. Asked if we could take one - nope.

OP posts:
Original poster
Discoverysnakes · 30/05/2023 11:42

Oh it’s adults only! Will keep looking 😁

OP posts:
Im99912 · 30/05/2023 12:21

I’m at the Mogan princess beach club in GC
its AI cheap
all rooms have an amazing sea view
they have a policy that you can’t get a sunbed till
10am
fab hotel with a small AI beach club for food and drink
you do pay for the Sun loungers at the beach 10 euros for 2 beds and parasol as it’s under private management
I prefer the beach club as you have the benefits of AI buy your on the beach and loads of Sun loungers

very small resort no where to walk but you can get buses to other resorts

gogohmm · 30/05/2023 12:43

Not had an issue ever, choose hotels with plenty basically.

Phos · 30/05/2023 12:47

gogohmm · 30/05/2023 12:43

Not had an issue ever, choose hotels with plenty basically.

Never seen a hotel providing that info at time of booking though, basically

Evenstar · 30/05/2023 12:57

The Alexander the Great hotel in Paphos allocates you sun loungers for your whole stay

loobylou10 · 30/05/2023 13:05

@gogohmm how helpful! OP obviously does have a problem, hence the post!

the80sweregreat · 30/05/2023 13:13

Another vote for the Princess hotel in Tenerife ( costa Adeje) the app worked well and you booked up your numbered sun lounger the night before.
There was a bit of a problem for those checking out early (but not being picked up till later to go home ) as you can't book a lounger for that day , but there were plenty of chairs and parasols around to sit on or you could sit inside.
It did stop the madness of having to get up early etc.
I went last year, might not be like it now, but it wasn't a bad system

Throwncrumbs · 30/05/2023 13:14

El pinar , Ibiza, lovely area, lovely kid friendly beach, shallow for a long way out, the hotel is smallish, and I’ve never had a problem getting a lounger any time I’ve been there!

the80sweregreat · 30/05/2023 13:17

That particular hotel i mentioned in Tenerife is adult only though.
I'm away in August and dreading looking for sunbeds and not assertive enough to take towels off them ( if it's obvious they won't be occupied for hours)
I hope they have this booking app idea, but I doubt they will..

maddiemookins16mum · 30/05/2023 13:18

Never had this at hotels in Cyprus, might have been luck though. The sunbed hogging relies on certain aspects of the holiday.
Is it a hotel on all inclusive? (People tend to stay on site more)
Is there ‘nothing to do locally’ (as above)
Does it have a water park/slides (as above)
Is it ‘cheaper’ - people don’t (won’t have a lot of extra cash to spend outside the hotel).
We stayed in Majorca last year, JS Porto Colom suites - masses of beds all day.
Also, if the hotel has lots of families, by the very nature of the occupancy level, the beds get taken up.

FatCatBum · 30/05/2023 13:21

Im99912 · 30/05/2023 12:21

I’m at the Mogan princess beach club in GC
its AI cheap
all rooms have an amazing sea view
they have a policy that you can’t get a sunbed till
10am
fab hotel with a small AI beach club for food and drink
you do pay for the Sun loungers at the beach 10 euros for 2 beds and parasol as it’s under private management
I prefer the beach club as you have the benefits of AI buy your on the beach and loads of Sun loungers

very small resort no where to walk but you can get buses to other resorts

That sounds awful, as an early riser having to hang around for half the day before you can get a sunbed is ridiculous

Original poster
Discoverysnakes · 30/05/2023 13:26

Thanks for the suggestions.

It is AI but I wouldn’t describe it as a cheap hotel. One of my DC has SEN so limited as to type of holidays ( needs consistency) and if I’m honest confidence on my own with them hence ending up in this type of hotel/holiday. I do get what your saying though that the type of holiday increases the sunbed hogging

OP posts:
Hollyhead · 30/05/2023 13:30

We went to the Atlantica caldera in Crete which was massive so no need to lounger hog. There were also notices saying towels would be removed.

the80sweregreat · 30/05/2023 13:34

It is sad that people do this, but it becomes a case of ' everyone else is, so will I ' attitude I think. Unless the hotel get a grip and actually give them out individually, it's a difficult one to police without an app of some kind or even a ticket system ( which means the hotel having to get someone to do this job !)
Making it fairer doesn't seem to bother them too much ( going by past experience)
Even if people are complaining , they rarely do much about it.
Of course, the ones you pay for outside on the beaches are always plentiful !

Muhwanda · 30/05/2023 13:36

In Cyprus, Protaras - the hotel ‘Sunrise Pearl’, you pick your spot at the start of your hol and room tags are placed on loungers. If others become free you can move (hotel staff reallocate) it was so nice not to have to stress about it! Hotel staff are good at booting anyone off that may accidentally get on the wrong one etc

wildestdream · 30/05/2023 13:37

No t helpful I know but my dad used to just throw the towels in a corner and move the lounger. I used to be so embarrassed as a child but as an adult I understand his frustration!

the80sweregreat · 30/05/2023 13:42

I think it can ruin holidays and who wants to be up at 5am! With apps for everything now , it can't be that hard for the bigger hotels to create one for this facility and put a few numbers on the umbrellas and loungers.

Original poster
Discoverysnakes · 30/05/2023 14:47

I had a chat with one of the managers - they have hired an extra member of staff apparently and are going to try and remove the towels at 8am. Also have some extra parasols ( I saw them bringing them in). There are signs up already stating the towels will be removed but we shall see! He was saying they then get the problem of people shouting about that and losing towels which I also get. We’ve been here before and it is way worse this time for some reason!

@Muhwanda that sounds good.

It is frustrating because if everyone was just reasonable the problem wouldn't arise.

OP posts:
the80sweregreat · 30/05/2023 14:59

Some hotels have a towel booth for the guests or an area away from the pool side.
Surely they could round up the towels are put them to one side to be collected by the ones being kicked off? I appreciate it means a member of staff taking the rap and doing the collecting , but it's better than the guests having a row pool side over who sits where or who moved their things.
Hotels need to sort this out I think ( especially during the very busy times )
Or just invest in many more loungers and parasols. Double the capacity for use.
( I know this is all easy for me to say and it's all money / space related as well, plus some hotels simply don't care enough )

Surely2023IsTheYearForMyRainbowBaby · 30/05/2023 16:21

We stayed at the Protour palmeras player in Sa Coma in Majorca last year. Plenty of sun beds and no one hogged them. It's also a few mins away from a lovely beach and it's AI

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