'I bagsie a sunlounger before pool opens despite rules - my holiday is sacred'

A mum who swore she’d never get involved in dreaded sunbed wars now says it’s the only way she can enjoy her family holiday.

Lianne Smith, from Bristol, jetted off to Menorca with her husband, two kids, parents and brother for a sunny week in Cala’n Bosch. But her hopes of chilling by the pool were left shattered when she realised her hotel was plagued with so-called "sunbed warriors" who like to wake up at the crack of dawn to reserve loungers.

Despite clear signs saying it wasn't allowed, that didn't stop hotel goers from claiming their sunbeds in prime positionsas early as 8am. After a few mornings of her family being separated around the pool, Lianne finally gave in to the "if you can’t beat them, join them" mentality. It comes amid a warning to Brit tourists planning all-inclusive holidays to Spain as travellers are targeted by a crime spate.

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Determined to enjoy the £3,500 break, the mum-of-two found herself sneaking out while the kids were still snoozing to bag some beds.

"It goes against what I think is right," the 39-year-old told What's The Jam. "It’s annoying, but you pay all that money - and if you can’t beat them, join them. It’s the downside of going on holiday. I dread it. They say you’re not allowed to do it, but no one stops it."

Lianne says the hotel pool didn’t officially open until 10am, but by 8.30am, around 30 percent of the lounges were already gone. Many of them were reserved for children who spent most of the day in the water.

Lianne, who returned from her trip earlier this month, said: "The first morning we tried to get sunbeds together, but by the time we arrived, people had already staked their spots well before the pool even opened.

"When we showed up, there was no way to sit next to each other – everyone was spread out all around the pool.

"We tried arriving later on another day, but it was the same story every time. We had to start waking up early and sneaking out while the kids were still asleep just to get towels down.

"What really gets to me is when people reserve beds for their kids – it feels unfair. We’d never reserve spots for all 10 of us. The kids are usually in the pool anyway, so we just share beds."

Lianne shared her experience on TikTok, where most commenters agreed with her approach. While she praised the hotel’s kids' entertainment and overall atmosphere, the mum admitted the daily dash for sunbeds left her longing for a lie-in.

So much so that she’s now considering booking a villa next time. She said, "Most people agreed it’s super frustrating. We spent one morning at the beach, but usually, we prefer to hang around the pool.

"There were loads of people, and some didn’t mind as long as you were actually using the sunbeds from early on. One person mentioned they’d been somewhere with a ticket system to book sunbeds in advance.

"I’m honestly surprised there isn’t a better way to manage it all. I like the idea of booking spots, but I’m not sure how much that would actually help."

“It’s frustrating having to get up so early - it takes the relaxation out of the holiday when you have to wake up, get dressed and rush down just to save a sunbed."

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