After recent conversations with holidaymakers and from a poll run on my Youtube channel and Facebook group, the sunbed wars in Mallorca rage on. And what’s more, many of the hotels aren’t doing anything about the problem.
In recent days, I have spoken to holidaymakers visiting the island and I’m amazed to find out that the early morning dash for hotel sunloungers still takes place.
I want to raise the issue of sunbed wars in Mallorca because I want the hotels to firstly care that it is happening and secondly to do something about it.
In this article, I call out hotels who allow sunbed wars to take place in Mallorca.
And if you are visiting the island and experience this problem, then I want you to let the Mallorca Under the Sun community know too either on the Facebook group or on Instagram.
Because how can a hotel promote a “holiday” if it involves getting up early, and in many cases racing with guests to secure the use a sunbed by the swimming pool?
Because it isn’t a holiday if you’re up at 5am to make the sun lounger dash.
It seems incredibly unfair for guests to pay the same yet are unable to get a sunbed because they are unable to run fast enough in the pre-breakfast sunbed scrum.
By allowing the sunlounger race in the morning obviously discriminates against the elderly or disabled guests and I would love to know if any hotel takes this into account.
I first experienced sunbed wars in Mallorca when on holiday in Alcudia in the 1980s and I’m amazed that hotels on the island cannot find a solution to this problem almost 40 years later.
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What are the sunbed wars?
I’m talking about hotel guests getting up at as early as 5am to run down to the pool and place a towel on a sunbed.
And then proceed to hog the sunbed while at the same time, have no intention of using their reserved sunbed for the entire day.
I scoured the internet to find the funniest video showing the sunlounger dash in action to more clearly illustrate my point, and here it is.
Sunbed wars in Mallorca hotels – real experiences
The poll on my Youtube Channel and on the Mallorca Under the Sun Facebook Group produced some shocking results.
Asking those currently on holiday or who had been on holiday this year, if sunbeds at the hotel where they are staying are already reserved before breakfast? Between 70% to 80% said “yes.”
There have been claims that there are not enough sunbeds for the number of guests staying at many of the hotels in Mallorca.
*Disclaimer: The comments on my Youtube channel and my Facebook Group were posted by members who have claimed to have stayed at the following hotels mentioned below.
At the Globales Santa Ponsa Park, one Facebook member said the queuing started at 7am, and there was a scramble for the beds.
Worst of all, she mentioned she didn’t get a sunbed for her entire 2 week stay. She said she would rather stay in a villa in the future.
Similar is happening too at the Globales Palmanova Palace. One group member said “the hotel has signs saying not to (reserve sunbeds), but they don’t stop people.”
The Jutlandia hotel in Santa Ponsa is another culprit with claims that guests are reserving sunbeds and not using them until late afternoon.
Another member commented “you snooze you lose” which basically sums up what is happening.
It seems the Globales Apartamentos Verdamar in Santa Ponsa have tried to resolve the problem by charging guests 3.50€ for a sunbed until 16:00, from which point they are then free.
So they are essentially charging for sunbeds that should be free for its guests.
I would love to know your thoughts on this! Please leave me a comment below.
What’s more, this policy also gives the guests the right to leave the towels on the sunbeds and and not even use them if they wish.
I even had a friend who is a former rep comment that she was threatened by a guest for removing the towels from block-booked sunbeds that weren’t being used in a four star hotel on the island.
How can hotels stop sunbed wars in Mallorca?
1. Lock the sunbeds away at night. We stayed at the Bluesea Club Marthas in Cala D’Or last summer and their policy was to collect all the sunbeds at the end of the day and clean them.
The sunbeds were then stacked up, and locked for the night.
The next morning, they were released after breakfast.
There was still a small crowd of people waiting to be first in line for the sunbeds, but it was better managed than allowing guests to block book sunbeds at 5am!
However, guests arriving at this hotel on the first day of their holiday can almost count on not getting a sunbed.
On our first day, we went to the beach.
By the afternoon, when guests went to lunch, there were so many towel-tied “reserved sunbeds” and we weren’t sure what to do about it.
2. Limit reservations: Maybe the hotels should have a policy of only being able to reserve a bed for half a day. Allowing everyone the chance to get a sunbed.
So maybe guests can only reserve a sunbed from 08:00 am until 14:00. Or from 14:00 for the rest of the day.
This will allow twice the use of sunbeds among guests.
3. Remove towels lying on sunbeds for more than an hour. This is a simple one. It would need a pool monitor to do this.
4. Promote the dangers of lying in the sun all day. As much as I’m hearing about sunbed wars in Mallorca, I’m also seeing many cases of chronic sunburn.
Sunbed hogging is also bad for your skin and lying on a sunbed for an entire day in high temperatures may contribute to severe sunburn and heatstroke too.
5. Hotels need a better supply of sunbeds for guests.
4. Change the way hotels are allowed to promote their property. It seems that the hotels who are the worst offenders must make it clear when promoting the holiday experience on holiday booking websites.
Hotels do not highlight the problem they have with sunbed wars and maybe they should have to.
There should be a clear disclaimer at the point of booking stating:
“In order to enjoy the sunbed facilities by the pool, you will have to be prepared to get up in the early hours of the morning and race the other guests to secure a sunbed.”
Or words to that effect, because this is actually happening and many people do not know about this before they book.
How to check if there is a problem with sunbed wars at the hotel you are staying in.
Check the TripAdvisor reviews and look at the comments. Come on over to the Mallorca Under the Sun Facebook group and type the name of the hotel into the magnifying tool to see if any other group member has written about their experience.
And here is another terrible example. Why are are the hotels allowing this to happen?
How can you get a sunbed in a Mallorca hotel
Firstly, many hotels have signs up asking guests not to reserve sunbeds, but as you can see by my research, this isn’t working.
What’s more, holidaymakers do not want confrontation on holiday.
Going on holiday is supposed to be a happy experience. It’s also when you will see the same people around the pool and at mealtimes.
So fighting with other holidaymakers who you are likely to see at mealtimes or by the pool doesn’t seem like a great solution.
Plus you don’t know how they will react.
But if you’re willing to take a risk, there may be a few diplomatic steps to take.
1. Take a photo of the sunbeds that have been reserved.
2. Return an hour later and if a sunbed is not occupied, maybe consider folding up the towel, putting it to one side, and when the owner returns, mention that they’d left their towel behind when they went out. And where to find it.
If they say “the sunbed has been reserved,” then point them in the direction of the hotel rules and show them the photo of the unoccupied sunbed and the time it was taken.
At the end of the day, reserving a sunbed with a towel does not indicate ownership.
The final resort – buy your own sunbed
If you are staying for a two week holiday, it may actually be worth buying your own sunbed from a beach shop.
Buying your own sunbed will mean you can guarantee having somewhere to sit by hotel swimming pool without having to get up at 5am.
But will the hotels allow this? Well they are not giving guests any option.
Furthermore, would it be too much to ask holidaymakers to be considerate and share?
It’s going to be a busy summer on the island, so I’m expecting the sunbed wars in Mallorca to rage on.
Do you have videos of the Sunbed Wars in Mallorca?
If you have any videos showing sunbed wars in Mallorca, please go ahead and post them on the Mallorca Under the Sun Facebook page. We would love to see them!
If you are posting on Instagram, tag me and use the hashtag #sunbedwars, and tag the hotel. It’s important they see what’s going on too.
By raising this issue, I hope that hotels will work to provide a solution and deliver the holiday they promise on their websites.
If any hotel would like to show me how they have gone about resolving this issue, and would like to give a balanced opinion to this story, then do please contact me. I would love to share.
Watch on Youtube – Sunbed Wars in Mallorca Rage on
If you can’t get a sunbed – book a tour instead
If you really can’t get a sunbed, then after complaining to management, please let other guest know, and leave a Trip Advisor review too if the hotel refuses to help.
But do go on to make the most of your holiday and consider booking from these best rated Mallorca excursions.
Or get extra inspiration for your holiday here.
