It’s arrived at that time of year when a lot of us are starting to think about going abroad, but one woman recently drew people’s attention to the topic of sunbeds. April Claire has recently been on holiday in Spain and she had an experience she wasn’t prepared for when she looked out from her balcony this week.
According to her video, she’s been visiting Salou, and she’s witnessed a few “wars” break out over the sunbeds, which appeared to leave her equally stunned and amused. It’s something you sometimes expect to see when you travel, but the scene April encountered seemed to take her by surprise as it’s been happening regularly.
It’s not the first time someone has brought the topic to people’s attention either. Previously, a hotel was praised for how it dealt with guests who attempted to reserve sunbeds.
In footage she shared on TikTok, you can see that at a certain time of the morning guests literally ran to the pool area to reserve their spots for the rest of the day. They arrived carrying towels, flip flops and anything they could to bag their seats by the pool.
April claimed “sunbed wars” broke out, though she did have a little giggle at it. It certainly got a lot of people talking though.
One person commented on Tuesday (May 26), asking: “Omg, was that this morning?” To this, April replied, noting that it was.
She also shared similar footage earlier in the week, which showed a similar scene unfolding. People also commented on this video.
Someone else said: “They are always full. We’ve started going down in the afternoon. Best time for it.”
Another noted: “Just couldn’t be bothered. I need to see outside the hotel pool.”
One more also replied: “There are still so many beds free.” April responded to this though, writing: “By 9.01am they were all gone.”
“Sunbed wars” is a slang term for the fierce, often rather amusing competition among holidaymakers at busy resorts to claim the best poolside or beachfront sun loungers. It typically involves tourists waking up super early to sprint or “save” prime spots by draping towels over them.
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It’s generally driven by holidaymaker FOMO (fear of missing out) or, in some hotels, a limited number of sun loungers. Such drama is often seen at popular destinations across Europe, such as Spain and Greece.
However, some hotels put rules in place to try and stop such “wars” from happening. They can actually prevent people from reserving the beds in some cases.
Some ban the “dawn dash” (putting towels on chairs early in the morning) and actively manage pool areas to ensure fair access for all guests. Rules vary between different hotels, so it’s always best to check if it’s allowed.