Latest news with #sunbedwars
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Revealed: The UK regions with the worst offenders for rising early and snapping up sunbeds - where does YOUR area rank
Everyone loves to blag a poolside spot in the sun – and this year has seen fierce battles between those looking to grab their loungers early. Even though most resorts prohibit the reserving of sunbeds, it's common to see them draped with towels while holidaymakers are off having their breakfast – a travel etiquette no-no. And now the worst-behaving Brits have been revealed – with one region coming bottom of the list. Those in the West Midlands are most likely to get up early when they're on holiday in order to reserve their sunbed. This was closely followed by people living in England's North West and North East, Wales and Northern Ireland. The results come from a YouGov survey of more than 2,500 UK adults, who were asked about their part in the so-called 'sunbed wars'. Those living in the South West and Yorkshire and the Humber are least likely to spring out of bed to snatch a lounger. Across the UK, 12 per cent of those asked admitted to this behaviour – with people in Northern Ireland and Wales just above the UK average, and Scotland coming in at 10 per cent. Though over one in ten revealed this habit, it marks a decrease from the 72 per cent who admitted doing so five years ago, according to GetYourGuide, an online marketplace for travel activities. Benjy Potter, a spokesperson for the company, said this shows that 'the days of getting up at the crack of dawn to simply sit are fading fast' – though footage on social media from this summer shows the dawn scramble is very much still a thing. But it seems that some habits are harder to break. The research revealed that almost a quarter of Brits still indulge in a full English breakfast at the airport before jetting off. Booze has been given a brush-off, with 30 per cent of UK travellers saying they drink less alcohol on holiday now than they did five years ago. Only 12 per cent admit having a tipple at the airport before flying, with those in the North East (18 per cent) most likely to hit up Wetherspoons for a pint. Despite this, many tourists are still playing up when abroad. This week, holidaymakers were left shocked as they watched a 'stampede' unfold for prime sunbed spots at a popular five-star hotel in Crete. It was sparked by influencers who wanted to take selfies 'all day' on them – infuriating other guests. Dozens of guests were seen charging towards available loungers as the pool opened for the day in chaotic scenes at Akasha Beach Hotel & Spa on the Greek island of Crete. And earlier this month, British summer workers got revenge on 'selfish' tourists in Zante who reserved sunbeds – by 'hiding' their towels and flinging them up trees. Waitress Millie Newsham, 20, was on her way back to her hotel room at 6am after a night out with friends last week when they noticed towels had been placed on sunbeds to reserve them. Footage shows the group dragging towels off the loungers, chucking and scattering them around the poolside. The Brits can be seen flinging the towels onto railings and a tree.
Daily Mail
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Mother's controversial method for securing sunbeds DIVIDES opinion: 'You're part of the problem'
A British mother has sparked fierce backlash on social media after demonstrating her controversial method to bag a prized sunbed whilst on holiday. Venice Alexandra, from Essex, documented the eyebrow-raising tactic in a TikTok video taken during her stay at a hotel in Tenerife in June. Sunbed wars have been raging across Europe in recent years - a trend that sees tourists compete for prime sunbathing spots at hotel pools and on beaches, often armed with towels and blankets to 'reserve' their place before returning hours later. The peak season practice has spiralled in popular hotspots frequented by Brits, such as Spain and Turkey, with staff at hotels clamping down on 'sunbed hoggers' by hiring bouncers and introducing parking ticket-style systems. But in footage shared to her page, @lifewithven, Venice unveiled her strategy to secure a lounger by any means - even if it meant waking up hours before the first alarm of the morning goes off. She explained in a caption: 'At 6am every morning, the same sunbeds at the kids pool get taken. 'I'm not usually one to race for a bed on holiday, however, the way our pools are set, there's limited beds by the kids pools. The mother recorded herself posing in the mirror at 6.30am clutching a number of towels whilst wearing pyjamas and flip-flops, having hauled herself out of bed to embark on her mission. She added in accompanying overlay text: 'I am up and ready to go to war for these beds.' Venice ventured to the pool area outside and draped towels over three sunbeds to secure the prime spots, adding: 'No one comes between a mum and visibility of her kid going down a slide lol.' Remarkably, the mother captured the moment she took herself 'back to bed' to catch up on sleep whilst avoiding the early-morning rush to snag a lounger. She smugly added: 'Venice 1 - Everyone else 0.' Over 470 viewers flooded the comments with negative responses, with many blasting the mother for her 'pathetic' and 'selfish' tactic. One person wrote, 'Now you're part of the problem,' while another said, 'Disgusting... you save beds, then come down at lunchtime, plain selfishness.' A third said, 'I'd chuck your towels in the pool and use the beds,' as a fourth added, 'Sad and pathetic.' Another wrote: 'Clearly you're a cheap person staying in a cheap hotel. Anywhere decent doesn't allow this.' A fellow viewer said: 'How do you even enjoy the holiday when you're forced to get up at 6am and stress about these things. Simple solution is to just go to better hotels.' Over 470 viewers flooded the comments with negative responses, with many blasting the mother for her 'pathetic' and 'selfish' tactic However, one person defended: 'Y'all so mad but she made sure to save her spot before anyone else likeeeee I don't see a problem if you care that much then do the same. "First come first serve" yeah and she was first.' It comes after a British couple captured the hilarious moment they discovered every sunbed had been snapped up by sun-worshipping guests in Benidorm only a minute after their hotel pool opened. Mark and Karen had recently enjoyed a relaxing break at the Hotel Ambassador Playa - but were left stunned after noticing all but one broken poolside lounger had been occupied within seconds at 8.30am. Sharing a clip to their TikTok page, @benidormmarkandkaren, Mark and Karen documented their own experience of having to hunt for a prized bed.
The Sun
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Mum reveals desperate sunlounger hogging attempt after getting up in the dark hours before pool opens
A MUM has shared how she got up at 6am to beat 'sunbed warriors' at a popular Spanish holiday hotspot. Venice Wallace, 29, has shared she got up in the early morning and in the dark, to try and reserve the best spot for family when on holiday. 4 4 She commented how she would be ready "go to war" for the sunbeds in her Tenerife hotel, when recently on holiday with her son, aged four, and her partner, Luke, 34. Unable to find a good bed for the first seven-days of her holiday, Venice then decided to set an alarm to be able to put her towels down and secure a bed at 6am. The property manager from Essex said: "We were there for 11 days and there were no rules around the sunbeds. "It was just a free for all and I've never experienced that. "Every morning, we'd get up quite early and I'd look over the balcony to see all the sunbeds covered in towels. "So, when we would go down at like eight or nine in the morning, we'd never get a front row seat to the kids' pool with the slides." Venice explained how when she then decided to get up early to secure some of the loungers, "there was no arguing or anything". She added: "I never would have done it, but now that I'm a mum I understand it. "You need to be able to see your children." The mum shared a video on TikTok - which was captioned "Venice 1, everybody else 0" - of the ordeal. Sunbed wars take place at hotel used in filming of tv show Benidorm Since positing, it has gained over 1.6million views. Some viewers praised Venice for her boldness. However, others were quick to judge and blamed her for being "part of the problem". One said: "I swear on my life that if I'm coming down to find 'reserved' sunbeds like this with no one in sight, I'm removing those towels. "Mad? Go see what the staff have to say about it." The 29-year-old added that she gained a lot of hate in the comments from Spanish locals, but as she speaks Spanish - she has since argued back in more recent videos. 4 She said: "A lot of Brits give us a bad name, so they were saying 'we hate the tourists', 'don't bother coming here!' "The population of Spain are attacking you in the comments but they don't know that you grew up in Spain and probably speak better than their ancestors." Another popular spot in Spain recently announced that it would be removing sunbeds and parasols from its top beaches. In and around Palma, more than 1,700 loungers are being removed by the government as locals have complained they cannot find sunbathing spots. The news follows a time where people are becoming increasingly frustrated over the amount of sun lounger space and availability. Often, videos are uploaded to social media showing holidaymakers battling for spots - or in Venice's case - rush to secure a spot at ridiculous hours. Plus, another holidaymaker was recently slammed after she said that it's 'normal' to bagsy sunbeds before breakfast and to hog the best spots. 4
Daily Mail
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Brit tourist shares hilarious hack for saving loungers in sunbed wars video - but can YOU spot it?
British holidaymakers have been captured racing to secure loungers in Benidorm as sunbed wars heat up - but one parent has been branded 'sad' for unleashing an eyebrow-raising tactic to bag a prized spot. The chaotic scene unfolded at the Hotel Flamingo Oasis in the popular Spanish resort on 14 May, with dozens of sunseekers seen sprinting toward empty beds in the early morning as the pool area opened. Sunbed wars have been raging across Europe over recent years - a trend that sees tourists compete for prime sunbathing spots at hotel pools and on beaches, often armed with towels and blankets to ' reserve' their place before returning hours later. The peak season practice has spiralled in popular hotspots frequented by Brits, such as Spain and Turkey, with staff at hotels clamping down on 'sunbed hoggers' by hiring bouncers and introducing parking ticket-style systems. But in one video, shared to TikTok by @lightworks89, a particularly cut-throat parent arrived at the pool, equipped with much more than a beach towel, to claim a prime spot. Guests at the four-star hotel can be seen spilling out into the area and shrieking as they dash to dump their belongings on one of many empty loungers. However, amidst the carnage, a young boy in orange shorts can be spotted weaving his way through the crowd and instinctively leaping horizontally across five loungers to secure them. Over 6,000 viewers rallied together to share their astonishment in the comments, with many people branding the actions of the holidaymakers 'pathetic.' One person wrote, 'Sad people. go on holiday for a week and never leave the sun lounger,' while another said, 'That is absolutely pathetic.' A third commented, 'That's not a holiday. That's my idea of hell. It's not even sunny,' as a fourth added, 'Council estate with a pool. My idea of hell.' Another wrote: 'So sad... should pay a small refundable deposit to allocate sunbeds to rooms. it's so embarrassing.' One viewer was left amused by the frenzied scene, as they commented: 'I actually think this is class. The sunbed race is now part of the entertainment.' Meanwhile, others took aim at the parent who had appeared to instruct their child to race ahead to claim several loungers. One person said: 'I'm so glad I don't do cattle class holidays, I won't embarrass myself fighting for a sun lounger amongst the feral kids and drunken parents.' A second wrote: 'This is actually sad. A child actually laying down to save beds. Some holiday. I'm so glad I take my kids out exploring rather than getting them to save me a sunbed, sounds fun.' It comes as British holidaymakers were recently seen queuing for over an hour in a bid to secure the best poolside spots at a Canary Islands resort. Over 6,000 viewers rallied together to share their astonishment in the comments, with many people branding the actions of the holidaymakers 'pathetic' Sunseekers armed with towels, suncream, and flipflops were captured in bizarre footage on May 28 lining up for the pool at the Barceló Lanzarote Active Resort, Las Palmas, Spain. Isabelle Hanssen, whose balcony overlooks the pool watched on at the pool goers eagerly waited in line. According to the halfpipe skier, the queue is usually made up of Brits with a few Germans also standing in line. Isabelle, from the Netherlands, also revealed that the queues start from as early as 8am despite the pool not opening until 9:30am.
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Couple shares hilarious video of a Benidorm hotel with no free sunbeds one minute after the pool opens
A British couple captured the hilarious moment they discovered every sunbed had been snapped up by sun-worshipping guests in Benidorm only a minute after their hotel pool opened. Mark and Karen had recently enjoyed a relaxing break at the Hotel Ambassador Playa - but were left stunned after noticing all but one broken poolside lounger had been occupied within seconds at 8.30am. Sunbed wars have been raging across Europe over recent years, which sees tourists compete for prime sunbathing spots at hotel pools and on beaches - usually armed with towels and blankets to ' reserve' their place before returning hours later. The peak season practice has spiralled in popular hotspots frequented by Brits, such as Spain and Turkey, with staff at hotels clamping down on 'sunbed hoggers' by hiring bouncers and introducing parking ticket-style systems. Sharing a clip to their TikTok page, @benidormmarkandkaren, Mark and Karen documented their own experience of having to hunt for a prized bed. They said, 'When you get up at 8.31am and the pool opens at 8.30am,' before revealing the view of the pool from their hotel balcony. In front of the camera are hundreds of guests sprawled out on loungers, with seemingly no sunbeds available whatsoever. They then find one sunbed available to lie on - only to discover the reason no one is using it is it's broken. They added: 'Looks like it's 100 per cent chance of no tan today!' Over 400 viewers shared their thoughts in the comments. One sneered: 'I can't understand how people enjoy this as a holiday. Genuinely boggles my mind.' 'That's my idea of hell. That isn't a holiday,' blasted another. Meanwhile, a third person accused Mark and Karen - a British couple who live in the Spanish hotspot - of making a rookie error, adding: 'Why would you get up so late knowing this happens? You can nap on your sunbed!' Another holidaymaker said: 'Looks like where I'm staying in July…. I better get prepared for bed wars!' But there were also plenty of people who had a range of ideas for Mark and Karen to still enjoy their holiday away from the hotel pool. One suggested: 'Go and explore. The towns and villages around Benidorm are gorgeous. Never understood why anyone would want to stay in Benidorm.' More than 400 viewers shared their thoughts in the comments - and there were plenty of people who had a range of ideas for Mark and Karen to still enjoy their holiday away from the hotel pool Someone else pointed out: 'Aren't there miles of beaches in Benidorm?! Why is everyone crowded around a pool?!' But one bright spark had an idea on how everyone can avoid the sunbed wars when they're on holiday. They said: 'Ttake an inflatable lilo with you, you can lie anywhere and move around easily and it's much comfier!
