A tourist holidaying in Tenerife has been praised for taking matters into her own hands against alleged sunbed hoggers. Ellie McAdams, who was staying at a resort, recounted how she removed towels from loungers that had been unoccupied for hours, with the lifeguard's approval.
Tourist's Bold Move
In a TikTok video, McAdams explained that she and her companions had been searching for sun loungers all morning. They noticed a group of sunbeds by the pool that had been unoccupied for four hours. After consulting the lifeguard, who gave them the go-ahead, they removed the towels and took the beds.
McAdams said: "So we've been wondering aimlessly all morning, looking for a sun lounger, and we then notice that there was a group of sun loungers right by the pool that have been currently unoccupied for four hours. So, what did we do? We removed their towels and sat on the beds. We went and asked the lifeguard, and said 'they haven't been there for four hours, maybe move their towels?' and he said 'yeah, go for it'."
Social Media Reaction
The video has been viewed over 11,000 times, with hundreds of comments praising her actions. One user commented: "No sun lounger should be reserved and unoccupied for more than an hour." Another added: "Well done. I remove towels every day when I'm away on holiday. People have to learn."
McAdams later updated that the beds remained unoccupied for five hours, confirming she did not return the towels. She stated: "You can't claim beds and then f*** off out for the day. You can't do it. It's rude and it's selfish."
Sunbed Reservation Etiquette
While there is no universal rule for reserving sunbeds, many hotels enforce policies that allow staff to remove towels from unoccupied loungers after one to two hours. Some resorts require pre-booking or allocate beds to specific rooms. Online forums generally frown upon reserving beds with towels for extended periods, deeming it selfish.
McAdams noted that this was the only time she struggled to find a bed during her holiday, as she and her group never woke up early to reserve loungers.
