The latest sunbed wars footage has gone viral as tourists battle for loungers below, completely overlooking a deserted rooftop pool above
Racing to reserve a sunbed has become a holiday stable across Europe (Image: GettyImages)
The early morning scramble for sunbeds at a popular holiday resort has once again sparked debate online after a viral TikTok video showed tourists queuing before sunrise just to secure a spot by the pool.
The familiar sunbed wars phenomenon has become a staple of package holidays in peak summer season, with guests often racing to reserve sun loungers as soon as hotel pool areas open, or even earlier. While some see it as part of the holiday routine, others say it ruins the relaxed atmosphere they expected when heading abroad for some much needed downtime from their busy routines at home.
Now, a social media clip from a hotel in Crete has reignited the conversation, showing just how far some holidaymakers will go to bag the best spot in the sun. The clip, posted by user @heyiitshannahyoung, has racked up more than 116,000 views and 1,500 likes, and was filmed at the Akasha Beach Hotel & Spa in Crete.
The user simply captioned it: “If only they knew,” with the 40 second video capturing the familiar holiday scramble that plays out at resorts across Europe every summer.
In the footage, holidaymakers can be seen queuing as early as 8:10am, towels in hand, waiting for the gates to open at 9am so they can claim the best sun loungers around the main pool.
As the clock ticks closer to opening time, the queue steadily grows, with guests packed together in anticipation of the daily dash.
Once the gates finally open, the rush begins and sunbeds around the lower pool are snapped up within seconds as guests race to secure their spot for the day.
But what caught viewers’ attention most is what’s happening just metres away. While the main pool area is covered in chaos as holidaymakers dash to the sunbeds, the video shows a rooftop pool at the same hotel sitting completely empty with rows of untouched sun loungers available and no queue in sight.
The contrast quickly sparked a wave of reaction online, with social media users split over the familiar holiday ritual that plays out at resorts every summer.
READ MORE: Get Daily Record Premium for just £1 per month in exclusive offer to celebrate the World Cup
While some defended the scramble for sunbeds as “just part of the experience,” others said the footage shows everything wrong with hotel pool culture during peak season.
One user commented: “Hotels should provide enough beds for everyone.” While another added they had never seen anything like it before, writing: “I went last year in June never happened this is wild!!”
Others were far more blunt, with one user saying the scene would put them off booking altogether, as they wrote: “That’s just written that hotel off my list. That’s a shame but I’m not doing that.”
Another viewer simply branded the behaviour ridiculous, commenting: “People are so stupid ahah,” to which the original creator replied: “Especially on holiday,” alongside multiple laughing face emojis.
Meanwhile others suggested a more hand-on approach to stopping this from happening, penning: “I would be throwing the towels off if no one is actually using the beds.”
