Like Jay Trip i've never been challenged either, i did get a dirty look once from the people who's beds i moved firmly into the shade (when they finally came back, ye know, 3 hours later! ) but i just gave a great big grin back There are times when being 6' 3" and well built is an advantage!!!!

However, like Jay Trip says, it would be a great idea to ask the hotel or campsite, etc, what their policy on this laying down of the towels is? If it's something they discourage, then i think you've got a green light

But like my Dad says it is @rses that keep seats not towels

Indeed they do! Although from my experience, it's the @rses that keep the seats with their towels that i hate most

Although from my experience, it's the @rses that keep the seats with their towels that i hate most

PMSL.

We went to Bali on honeymoon and somone removed our towels and nicked our beds whilst we were away for lunch - thought that was a bit cheeky
It was obvious we had been there for a while.

In Egypt someone went for lunch and came back to find some Russians had nicked their shade and brolly and left the diners sunbeds out in the roasting sun

Been here a week on the Costa del Sol and after 4 days we had to move rooms (long story) anyway, now we are overlooking the sunbed area and pool.
We've been getting up around 7.30am and enjoyed a nice cuppa tea on the balcony in the morning watching the sun rise......
All the beds have gone by the time I've got up......these people must be stark raving mad, they pay 1 euro for each mattress which they collect from a guy who takes their money in a little storage place by the side of the pool, so they "buy" the bed for the day, so you can't remove their towels if they have paid for the mattress and decide not to use it.......
If there is no mattress on the bed and just a towel, then that's a different matter, but really I just think sad I can't be @rsed to get up at the crack of dawn for the prime spot and packed in like sardinas.

There's hundreds of the things across the promenade.

Sanji

It's nice to know that you have got some early morning entertainment anyway Sanji to go with your cuppa

Hope you are having a great holiday.

Doe (though that smilie was particularly appropriate for this thread)

I even took a sunshade from a German couple who had one above the bed an were using 2 as windbreaks
This was on the beach at the Hemera in Side and although it was March is was still hot.I just walked up to them and said "Excuse me I need a sunshade and as you have 3 I thought you woundnt mind if I take one".They just smiled as I walked away!.My husband is a coward and was prepared to fry!
I only use the sunbeds for a short time anyway as I like to wander but I wouldnt dream of leaving my towel,expecting it to be there a couple of hours later.

I'm not brave enough to remove towels, I hate confrontation and I'd be scared that there was about 8 of them and only me and hubby

In saying that if I'd gone for dinner and came back and someone had knicked my bed then I wouldn't be scared to say something. I don't know what it is really - I suppose I don't get upset enough unless I know I'm in the right

I think there has to be an etiquette here ....

1) If you've paid for the bed, then it's yours for the rest of the day ... if others turn up and there are lots of empty beds that have all been paid for, then i'm afraid that's tough luck

2) However, if they are free (and a free for all!) then i'd never go moving someone's towel if they had just popped away for lunch* , etc, but it's the people who bugger off for three hours, or who put towels down at 6am then don't turn up at the pool until 10am ... nope, those are up for grabs as far as i'm concerned

* I must quantify the above statement by saying that if WE were going for lunch we wouldn't leave our towels on the loungers, i don't really feel it's the right thing to do

Christ, moral etiquette for sun bathing, whatever next!

CiderMonster wrote:

Christ, moral etiquette for sun bathing, whatever next!

We all sound like such nice moral people we should probably all go on holiday together and then there would be no problems.

It would be a case of, "after you" but no "after you" and us all removing our towels when we went for lunch so as not to preclude others from using them.

What I want to know is where are all the other Holiday Truthers when I am on holiday ?
Doe

Doe,I will be in the Yorkshire dales this year so I wont be removing towels from sunbeds there.

I dont think I would ever be brave enough to remove towels from sunbeds either. I do like the idea about asking what the hotel policy is though and if they say "remove them" then may employ that tactic this year! We've always been fortunate to have been able to holiday out of season when all the kids are back at school and have never had a problem with the sun bed hoggers but this year will be completely different as we're going real soon . We shall see what happens and whether I shall be brave enough.

Im with Cider though. I wont leave towels down if going for lunch. I may only be gone an hour or so but why deprive some other considerate person of a spot for a few hours. At least it then gives me the option of not going back if I dont want to.

Mind you, once we're settled, we dont go very far and either hubby or myself will stay if the other wants to go somewhere. We only ever keep two beds for ourselves - daughter spends 90% of the time in and out of the pool and if she wants to sit, she can share my bed.

Sarah

I too like gussiebaby like to watch what I call 'The Sunbed Olympics' from my balcony. Recently in Mallorca I watched the blokes nonchalontly walking round the pool area as if just for a morning stroll untill the 'keyman' came then it was , 'on your marks, get set, GO!' One bloke was obviously being directly by his wife on the balcony where to put the bed as he was walikng backwards and forwards with the sunbed looking up at the balcony. The rule that I don't understand is that the towels must be straight, some even do hospital corners!! This hotel catered for mainly British but I have been in hotels with Germans where sunbeds were 'chained' to a parasol for the week.

That happened with us as well once (hence us now always booking private apartments - can't cope with the hoo har that big complexes seem to involve)

There were inlet type of things going round the edge of the pool area. The hotel locked the sunbeds of an evening. Sooooo in order to 'grab their spot' towels were tied round a parasol and then through the legs of 2 little tables. Spot, parasol and tables saved - just the beds to go. Oh the stress those people must have been under to go to such lengths.

We used to always go for lunch and leave our beds. We'd been on them all day (this was when we stayed at the hotel mentioned above) and were only popping into the hotels snack bar for a light lunch - plus we could see the beds from where we were eating. and I wasn't going to run the gauntlet of trying to find another bed. Different matter had we been leaving the hotel I suppose but we never did. If we had a day round the pool then we stayed for the day.

As mentioned earlier we don't bother now. We book a private apartment and go out for the day in the car to visit the country we are in and then drop into a beach late afternoon for an hour or 2. We buy 2 lay back chairs and a parasol and park ourselves somewhere on a nice beach. No hassle.

Glynis HT Admin wrote:

We used to always go for lunch and leave our beds. We'd been on them all day (this was when we stayed at the hotel mentioned above) and were only popping into the hotels snack bar for a light lunch - plus we could see the beds from where we were eating. and I wasn't going to run the gauntlet of trying to find another bed. Different matter had we been leaving the hotel I suppose but we never did. If we had a day round the pool then we stayed for the day.

Yes that is what we do too

Thank God, those days of trying to find a sunbed amongst those pre-booked by early towel throwing people (and I am not just referring to Germans) are over for me. The Power-of-the-Towel brigade where husband is despatched at 5.30am by horizontal wife to the swimming pool area with hotel towels to book sunbeds that will not be occupied 'til 5.00pm.

As a member of the Silent Majority, this was something I was not prepared to accept. The hotel staff usually turned a blind eye to my complaints. Let's face it all the staff want is a quiet life and tips, tips, tips. And from what I can see the Towel Throwing Hoardes give the least tips, that is if they give a tip at all.

But, all is not lost. I haven't booked a 'Santa Pondlife Holiday' in years. I book privately owned apartments/duplexes/houses etc. The sunbeds are laid on which are MINE for the duration of my holiday. I don't have to throw a towel on them. Furthermore, the airconditioning is supplied in the cost, not an optional extra. It is the same with television. Not only that the owner usually provides a large parasol for MY roof terrace, a smaller parasol for MY balcony and smaller parasols for the beach along with patio furniture etc.

We can book low cost airline flights (Ryanair, Easyjet, Monarch etc) and have several holidays instead of one.

We're off in two weeks to a popular resort (4th time this year so far using different locations) and our sunbeds are waiting for us (not us waiting for them). The total cost for two including car hire, flights, apartment = £750.
However, I will raise a (cold) glass to the heroes and heroines in the nearby hotel fighting for the right to use a sunbed by a swimming pool.

I will happily admit I always wake up early when on holiday usually between 6-7am and the first thing I do is gather up the towels and off for the sunbeds . At least 2 of us spend every day by the pool and confess to being a fully made up member of the early morning sunbed brigade. This is my favouite part of the day . I lay our towels out ,its cool, I sit and chat on my sunbed over a coffee to the other early morning regulars then at 8am go and wake up the rest of my family for breakfast ,Usually returning to the sunbed around 9.30 with the whole family where we spend the rest of the day . If there were only going to be 2 out of 6 of us there for the day then I would only take 2 but if all my family of 6 are around for the day I will take 5. No the children are not always on the beds but they are teenagers now who do like to sunbath . they come and go all day . If they were disappearing for much of the day then of course I would give those beds to someone I saw trailing the poolside for sunbeds . We all pay a lot of money for our holidays and if the poolside is where we decide to spend our time then I dont think it reasonable to expect 6 of us to share 2 sunbeds. I try to find 1 or 2 sunshades but again if only 1 was being used I would hand it to someone in better need.

Well said Lyn,
We're the same as you. I'm the really early riser in our clan and head off to the poolside before 8 to find 4 loungers where we can spend long hours enjoying the sunshine. I'm not ashamed to say that most of our holiday is spent in and around the pool only taking short breaks for breakfast and lunch. After paying good money for my hol I'd hate to think that we couldn't get sunloungers on any given day. However, if we go walking in the resort or head off to the beach, obviously I wouldn't reserve a bed for when we get back. Then it would just be the luck of the draw whether there'd be any left. I do think that people who reserve beds early morning and don't make an appearance until after lunch are selfish and are taking the Mickey.

Leprosy ... god knows what you wrote the first time, as i think a lot of people on here would still find your rather snobbish post offensive!!