At popular Mediterranean resorts in Spain, Greece, Turkey, and Portugal, sunbed wars erupt with redoubled force during the summer months, wreaking havoc in hotels. Even the scorching heat of Southern Europe can’t stop sun-starved tourists from fighting for the best spot by the pool.
From Spain to Portugal, from Greece to Turkey, the beaches and pools of the Mediterranean have turned into battlegrounds over the past three months. Usually, decent people with impeccable manners are forced to resort to extreme actions. Tourists wake up at the crack of dawn to find themselves at the front of the line when hotel staff opens the pool door.
The conflict first erupted in May in Tenerife, as evidenced by a TikTok video of the Mario Kart tune that signals the start of the annual race. In it, a crowd of tourists can be seen rushing to the pool, some running to the sunbeds and throwing their belongings, others throwing towels on the seats in front of them, details here.
Thomas Clifford, who filmed the video, said: “I couldn’t believe it! People sniped their towels from the stairs. I felt sorry for the poor guy trying to clean the pool when everyone jumped on him!”
At the same resort, father-of-two Matthew Vine enjoyed a quiet early-morning coffee on his balcony, watching in disbelief as over-eager sunbathers crawled out in the early hours and began taking up sunbeds. And this even though the pool did not work until 10 in the morning.
A month later, the front moved to a hotel in Mallorca, Spain, where people were caught occupying several seats at 7 pm during the week. The scandalous stunt was recorded on TikTok by a tourist named Jillian, who said: “It’s 7 pm and these people have been reserving their sunbeds for a week.” To prove her point, she filmed the scene from her balcony, revealing a full row of lounge chairs by the pool, each with towels.
Majorca is a very popular Spanish resort where the most serious battles for sunbeds take place. In July, several tourists, who demonstrated a professional technique of organizing queues, began to lay out towels for the night near the swimming area.
“To control the frenzy with sunbeds, the doors from the hotel to the pool were closed until 8 am. So people lined up their towels on the floor in a line by the door. I have to add that it was not young people, but mainly elderly and middle-aged people,” said the vacationing Jeff about his experience at a four-star hotel in the Camp de Mar area of Majorca.
A few weeks later, other tourists were caught at the Spanish resort laying out their towels as early as 5 in the morning. Rebecca’s mum posted a humorous video on social media of hotel guests leaving bundles of towels on the ground in an attempt to reserve a spot hours before the sunbeds are available at 9 am.
In the video, the tourist jokes: “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the winners of the annual Sun-bed Showdown award.” They’re smarter, more experienced, and more hated than any sports team in the world… Look at the massive collection of towels at 5am to get the best spot by the pool and, if you’re really lucky, an umbrella.”
Laura Jane Lowe, who was staying at a hotel in the resort town of Torremolinos, Malaga, used a special tactic to avoid the fear around sunbeds. After hearing that tourists had been queuing since 5:30 a.m. to get a seat, the 31-year-old woman decided to bring along her inflatable sun lounger. In a video posted on TikTok, she explained: “I booked a vacation without reading detailed reviews. Turns out the place I’m going to has the worst couch potato wars you’ve ever seen in your life.”
Another tactic was used by a vacationer in Spain who decided to beat sunbed lovers at their own game. The man put on a tracksuit and sneakers for better maneuverability, stood patiently in line, and when the pool opened, rushed forward with a wad of towels under his arm. His act was caught on video on TikTok.
The problem with sunbeds has not yet been solved and remains relevant in the summer season, spreading even to the beach. For example, in Benidorm, a local official begged vacationers not to go down to the beach at night to take the best places near the water, warning that towels would be removed.