Is there anything that sums up a resort holiday more than a mad dash - and the occasional scrap - for a sunbed? I don’t think so.
Year after year, we see the same scenes play out as people rush to nab themselves a sunbed.
Last month, one hotel guest took to TikTok to share footage of holidaymakers in Tenerife dashing before 8.00am to snap up a poolside sunbed.
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But in an attempt to avoid such chaotic scenes, there’s an altogether sneakier tactic going on at a resort in Majorca.
TikTok user Gillian shared the ‘absolutely ridiculous’ move some guests were pulling to ensure they had a sunbed for the whole week.
In the clip, Gillian pans across the rows of poolside loungers at 7.00pm in the evening all of which are covered with guests’ towels in an attempt to bag them for the week.
An unimpressed Gillian branded it ‘the worst sunbed wars I’ve ever seen’ and explained: "It's 7 o'clock at night, and these people reserve their sunbeds for the whole week. They don't move them.
"They lie there so you can't get a sunbed. It is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous."
And it wasn’t just Gillian who was left fuming by the selfish move - her post was soon flooded with comments from others who were quick to slam the sunbed hoggers.
One person said: “I’d move them, chuck them or whatever. When they ask where their towels are, you don’t know, the chair was empty.”
Another said: “Throw all the towels in the sea then you can have any sunbed you want.”
A third commented: “Honestly I would get in so much trouble”
Someone else wrote: “I would get up in the morning. Keep an eye and if nobody returns to their beds within half hour and bags etc aren’t there I'd remove the towel myself.”
If you’ve ever wondered how long it’s appropriate to reserve a sunbed for, then etiquette expert William Hanson has explained the unofficial rules.
In an interview with the Mirror he said: "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, he did caveat this ‘rule’ by saying this only applies to the times when people reserve the loungers first thing with their towels and then don’t use them all day.
It’s less acceptable to go and take over a lounger that someone has been lying on all morning but has been away from for half an hour due to taking a dip in the pool or going to grab a bite to eat.
Claire Reid