Brits have been caught in a mad dash for poolside perfection as “towel warriors” sprint to claim prime loungers at a Magaluf resort the moment it opens. Aaron Turner, 34, captured the extraordinary scenes while on a getaway with his fiancée Shauna Wall, 32, and their daughter Halle, four, in the Majorcan town.
Determined holidaymakers at Hotel Sol Barbados were filmed forming an orderly queue long before the pool area opened. Aaron, who had been visiting from Ireland, said eager guests lined up from around 9am each morning – an hour before the pool became accessible – despite an abundance of available sunbeds. The orderly lines of visitors would quickly descend into chaos once staff removed the barriers, he added, with tourists discarding etiquette in a rush for the best spots.
Aaron said the queues would “get pretty long” ahead of the pool’s 10am opening, and pointed to the race for coveted lounging spots as the reason behind the bizarre routine.
“I thought it was hilarious,” he said. “I’ve seen videos of it online before, but [this] was the first time I experienced it myself.”
Although the wide array of sunbeds on offer made the display somewhat baffling, the 34-year-old said it was an entertaining spectacle to watch unfold. “We got a good laugh out of it,” he added.
It’s not the first time the race to secure the best sun loungers has escalated into heated competition among Brits abroad.
Footage emerged of two British tourists arguing over a sunbed at a hotel in Lanzarote last month, after one holidaymaker accused another of stealing the loungers she had been using earlier in the week.
The Brit was caught on camera threatening to report her fellow hotel guest to management, warning: “You’ve picked on the wrong person,” and urging them to “turn around and walk away”.
While most hotels don’t allow visitors to reserve sunbeds, tourists have been caught trying to do so by leaving their towels and belongings nearby – in some instances forcing staff to intervene and reinforce rules against the practice.
Responding to chaotic scenes of holidaymakers attempting to reserve sunbeds at a Tenerife resort by piling their possessions near a hotel pool at the crack of dawn earlier this year, one social media user likened the tactic to “a military operation” and others branded it “selfish” and “ridiculous”.
