Reserving sunbeds

[OhamIreally]

I have just got up and reserved two sunbeds at the resort I'm in.

I hate doing it but 25 minutes ago all the sunbeds were clear then when I looked again 10 minutes ago about 30% were reserved with towels.

Now, I am not an early riser and I fully accept that the early bird gets the worm BUT this is not early risers going for breakfast and reserving a sunbed on the way as breakfast hasn't even opened yet.

This is the last day of my holiday. Most days we haven't had sunbeds as I have refused to do the reserving thing and we have gone to the beach instead.

I'm really upset that this is a thing and that I've had to do it.

Thanks for letting me vent. Don't know what the answer is.

We stayed at a lovely hotel in Kos that allocates loungers to the rooms, it was bliss.

Actually I have been to one place - AI in Turkey 20 years ago, just DH and me. The hotel was mostly full of German pensioners, and they really did fit the stereotypes with towel placement! We still used to be able to get loungers though, as there was only the two of us.

Generally it isn’t that the hotel hasn’t provided enough sun loungers though, it’s that too many people want the most desirable spots. For example, row in front of kids pool or those that get the sun first.

Quite - just get more sun beds. I have been reading about a hotel in Paphos, Cyprus where everyone has an allocated sun bed. Perfect!

Ugh, I HATE this. On one holiday in Tenerife there w were kids of free sun beds next to the unheated, adults only pool and only a few next to the heated kids pool which meant a bum fight every day. One family grabbed 5 sunbeds even though their kids were a baby and 2 toddlers! Meanwhile all 5 of us were sitting on the concrete floor next to them. I only ever take 2 sunbeds between us. The kids can squeeze on with me or DH!

I must recommend the Sunrise Pearl Hotel in Protaras in Cyprus. We went there recently and you go down to the pool and they allocate you sunbeds - you say where you would like to be eg beach, kids pool, adults pool etc and then those are yours unless you go and ask to switch! They also have waiters bringing coffees or smoothies or cocktails to your sunbed. It was so much more relaxing than the stressful situation in Tenerife where if we wanted sunbeds DH and I had to have breakfast in shifts so one of us could sit on a sunbed!

https://www.sunrisepearl.com/

Erm I meant bun fight not bum fight 😳

and “loads of free” not “kids of free” 🙄

Although a bum fight describes it perfectly.

Mumsnet is a big enough forum that it could drive change on this.

If everyone just stopped engaging in the early morning race for a sunbed, turned up when they want to actually sit on a sunbed and not before it would help loads.

Then if there aren't any free beds look for one with just a towel, that looks unattended (no shoes, hats or bags is a good clue) and shift the towels. All Mumsnetters swear a solemn oath never to dob in a towel mover and always to support the towel mover if there is a confrontation.

Even better if people proactively moved towels when they see someone leave the pool area.

Eventually culture changes and people stop reserving a bed for 12 hours a day and instead just use one when they need it.

Obviously it would be better if hotels took the initiative but I guess staffing is the issue

I get up early on holiday for a run so get the sunbeds then. It gives me time around the pool in peace reading etc. before the family get up for breakfast. There are usually a few early swimmers and it's my quiet time.
But I would never reserve and go back to the room for hours like some people seem to.

My worst experience was when they unchained the sun beds at 6am, if you didn't claim your sun bed then, your family wouldn't have a sun bed that day, it was awful.
I have also seen people get into huge arguments after moving someone else's towel, not what you want on holiday.

This would be a common sense answer, I agree. However, I've stayed in resorts in Egypt where people have reserved multiple loungers - full sun exposed loungers, shaded loungers and snack bar/pool restaurant chairs for each of their family of six people.

You see the worst of human behaviour in large resorts.

This year, I had a houseboat on the water with a private sun deck in Italy. Best holiday ever. 😅

I just move the towels. If anyone comes back and says anything I just say, oh there wasn't a towel here when I sat down, there seems to be a folded pile on that table though if you've lost yours.

There's several hotels in Cyprus that do this. I'm staying at one that doesn't but does remove towels from unused beds after 2 hours. It means the sunbed reserving seems to start from 8am instead of dawn. I haven't bothered as there's spare sunbeds every day somewhere.

I was in a hotel in mainland Spain earlier this month. Towels left on sunbeds before 10am were removed unless there was at least one person in attendance ie on a sunbed or in and out of the pool. They enforced it as well. It worked brilliantly, nobody was up at the crack of dawn, people could enjoy a leisurely breakfast, there were sunbeds available all day.

I can never understand this, and I blame the hotels. They knowtheir max capacity. Just buy enough sunbeds?!

This, this is the answer. All the recent places I've been to have had plenty of sunbeds, so you will always get one. Meaning no reserving rush, and when people leave, they will free up the beds, as they can always find another when needed. It's like buffet restaurants - if you know there isn't enough food for everyone, yes you will be there first and load up your plate, as otherwise you might not get anything. So hotels need to stop cramming more people in than they have facilities for.

I think this is the answer. This hotel isn't a big AI, it's nice, and family oriented and does state that reserving sunbeds isn't allowed.

I love the idea of the Mumsnet pact to drive change! In a way I have been trying to uphold this myself. We have been philosophical about not having a sunbed the other days and the beach is fabulous- generally I prefer being out and about. By the time we return late afternoon we have managed to scrape together a couple but we've had a bit too much sun so today I wanted a day by the pool to get some shade and realised this was the only way to achieve it.

I promise I didn't reserve then not use them!

This kind of selfish behaviour is one of the reasons we usually choose to holiday in private pool villas. I tell DH at the start of the holiday which sunbed I prefer and I am guaranteed it for the whole holiday (only slightly tongue in cheek 😁).

It's Alexander the Great in Paphos. We went there last year!

The theory is great, but it didn't really work in practice. There wasn't enough sun loungers where people wanted them, not enough umbrellas. The hotel grounds are very small and there was just too many guests to be comfortably accommodated. We only got some shade on day 3 (of 7!) Any groups over 3 or 4 simply couldn't get loungers together.

But I don't think they organise the loungers so their guests don't have to get up early - there is actually a public footpath that runs through the hotel grounds in front near the beach. The grounds are quite small. I imagine if the public wanted even to take one or two loungers, then this would start to severely impact the hotel guests ability to get a lounger!

This is definitely a thing in Sandals resorts. The butlers are out at dawn reserving sun beds, so if you don’t have a butler, you need to be up really early to do the same. The annoying thing is, they reserve beds on the beach and by the pool when clearly the couple can’t be in 2 places at once.

We love Sandals and even if you don't have a butler the pool/beach guys will always sort your sunbeds out for you if you tip them at the start of your holiday.

People are very selfish. Particularly those with kids.

We always book a swim up room for this reason as you have your own deck, sunbeds, chairs etc .

We always self cater or camp. Occasionally I feel a little hard done by then I read threads like this. I will not be going to a resort hotel until we’re no longer tied to school hols and can go when it’s quiet. Never had a sunbed problem on the big European campsites. We’re not early risers and I don’t see anything remotely relaxing up getting up at the crack of dawn for the privilege of lying next to a pool all day.

I saw a TV programme about this once where they blew a whistle and everyone charged to get a sunbed. It was awful. Then there were two young women who had moved towels from sunbeds. An older couple arrived and wanted 'their' sunbeds back. The two women refused to move. So the man tipped them off the sunbeds onto the floor. Someone had quite clearly filmed this incident on their mobile phone. I have been on holiday to many different places and have never seen people racing for sunbeds or people being physically removed by the 'owners'.

Does anyone remember that Carling Black Label ad about sunbeds? You can find it on YouTube.