Tourist reveals the best tactics for hogging sunbeds at hotels on holiday – but people are divided
A TOURIST has revealed the best tactics for reserving sunbeds at hotels, but people are not happy about it.
People fighting over poolside sunlongers is a common sight at hotels throughout Europe during the summer.
However, some view the practice as a huge social faux pas.
One of those was Tiktoker Alice Benham (@alicebenham), who admitted she was at once baffled by people trying to get down to the pool to put their towel on a sunbed.
However, she admits that she now has respect for those who get up early and has even learnt some of their best tactics.
In a video she filmed on holiday and shared on Tiktok, she said: “I’ve been here for about five days now, and something that has continued to baffle me is the whole save a sun lounger with your towel situation.
“The first few days, those people annoyed me. I was like, that’s selfish. Why have you got to do that? Now those people inspire me.
“I have been overhearing some of their strategies. They’re setting alarms, they’re waking up at four or 5am.”
Despite knowing how it’s done, Alice still isn’t interested in joining them in their battle for bed space.
She said that would ruin a key part of her holiday.
She added: “They’re quite frankly, going to lengths that I am just not willing to go to for a sun lounger.
“I’m waking up at 11am, missing the hotel breakfast and just taking whatever scrappy sun lounger I can get. And you know what? I’m OK with that.
“I wish I could ask them if it’s really worth it because to me, a lie in on a holiday is a gift, and that feels a lot like work to me.”
The video has been seen more than 130,000 times, with other users divided over whether or not they would get up early to reserve sunbeds.
One who wasn’t happy about it said: “Take the towel off if no one’s there, they don’t own it! I always do this.”
Another wrote: “Some people are just really sad.”
However, some said they were on board and even did it themselves.
One commented: “If I didn’t have kids I wouldn’t. But when there’s not enough parasols then it makes me do it as they go first.”
A second added: “I’m all about the sun bed. I’m up at 6am every morning holiday or not. Breakfast 7.30 sunbathing by 8.”
There are some unwritten social rules about whether or not you can reserve a sunbed.
Etiquette expert William Hanson revealed how long you should wait before it’s okay to remove someone’s towel from a lounger.
He told the Mirror: “Reserving sun loungers with a towel for longer than 30 minutes is a big no-no, beyond that grace period it’s first come first served.”
However, there are some caveats to that 30 minute grace period.
For instance, if someone is actually using the pool, then the lounger is still theirs to use.
Another video shared on Tiktok sparked debate about which nations are the worst offenders when it comes to sunbed hogging.
A German commenter wrote: “I’m German and live in the U.K. On my last holiday to Greece it was the English that had the towels out before 6 am.”
Meanwhile, someone else said it was French holidaymakers who were the biggest hoggers, writing: “The French were up at 5am on my holiday I couldn’t believe my eyes.”
But one Brit admitted that we are just as bad as anyone else when it comes to sunbed hogging.
They said: “I’m at an English hotel in Spain and can confirm it’s us Brits. Lots of towels and no Germans.”
Staff at a hotel in Tenerife were caught removing them after cheeky tourists had dumped the towels and left.
A mum was recently left fuming on her holiday in France by “ignorant and selfish” Brits who were reserving sun loungers at the campsite she was staying.