Tenerife chaos as Brits sit on sunbed stacks for '2 hours' and refuse to move

Holiday destinations are seeing the increase of "sun-bed wars" erupt across Spain as desperate tourists scramble to secure their sunbathing spots.

The latest move, described as "weird" by one TikToker shows an unnamed hotel in Tenerife, where it appears guests are sitting on sunbed stacks which have not yet been dissembled and set out for guests that day. The video, by @hellerdee, looks down from a presumed balcony at tourists sitting and waiting for staff to come and set up the loungers.

The caption read: “Weirdos waiting 2 hours for sunbeds to be unlocked.” The poster used the hashtag Tenerife in the clip. The issue, while not new, has caused outrage among fellow holidaymakers who have mocked people for getting up at early doors to secure their loungers for a day around the pool.

Commenters were quick to share their outrage over the habit. One said: "Can you imagine cutting your night short on holiday to get up early to reserve a sunbed?" Another added: “If you're getting up early to get a sunbed you need to get a life."

“Ahhh nothing says relaxing holiday like getting up at the crack of dawn 2 fight 4 a lounger,” a third user joked. Another simply labelled it “worst nightmare”.

Some even shared their own nightmare experiences with securing a sunbed. “Just got back from Majorca and people were outside at 5.30am reserving sunbeds,” one comment shared.

Another added: “Nothing worse than these type of people. I was in Barbados and 2 people left their towels on a bed until 4pm and then used them for 30 mins getting the last bit of the sun.”

Others expressed how stressful being in such a situation must be. One added: “Thank god I’ve never stayed in a hotel where people were waking up at 6am and fighting for sunbeds. Cause I’ve heard some mad stories. Real life back home is less stressful than that. What’s the point of a holiday.”

Getting up early wasn’t the only issue that triggered viewers. Many commenters also wondered how many of these sunbed hoggers were even using the beds for the full day.

“That’s just taking it to the extreme, how many of them put their towels on the bed and then left it there all day,” one commenter asked. The poster replied, “95% of them!!!”

While individual hotels reserve the right to stop people from bagging their sunbeds at the crack of dawn, and set their own rules, one Spanish beach has started imposing fines for such behaviour.

Calpe, a seaside town in Costa Blanca will get anyone doing such a thing to cough up a £210 in peak season. The rule extends to beaches along Calpe's coastline where offenders face having their belongings confiscated by police.

The same account posted a TikTok a few days prior which showed footage of the hotel from a balcony view. By the pool, there were several sunbeds left with towels draped over them, but no one sitting on them.

In their caption, they wrote: “A follow on from Tenerife Sur sunbed wars… towels and no bodies on beds. (Pile of beds at the back locked and get unlocked 11am… these are the 9am ones with towels and no people on them)”

Commenters were equally outraged. “Ngl I’d give it like 5-10 mins and if no one appeared I’d just move the towel and the bed and use it anyway,” one said.