‘YOU are the problem!' holidaymaker slammed as she says it's ‘normal' to bagsy sunbeds before breakfast & hog best spots
A BRITISH tourist has defended putting towels on sunbeds while nipping for breakfast on holiday.
Rachel McGuigan and her husband David enjoyed a plush vacation in Turkey.
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The couple, who work for a water gardening company, were holidaying with their friends Adam and Hayley.
They stayed at The Residence Hotel in the resort of Fethiye, west of Antalya.
But she divided opinion after they put their towels on their poolside beds for half an hour while they went for their morning meal.
She got angry reactions from some holidaymakers.
One person said said: 'I just remove them, if full.
'I don't care and the hotel doesn't care.'
Another added: 'Just throw the towels in the pool.
'It's not allowed to do this in most hotels and resorts.'
But one social media user said: 'I don't understand.
'I thought it was normal to get up, grab your towels, pop them on your bed then go for breakfast.'
Fuming holidaymakers foil fellow Brits sneaky plans to secure sunbeds seven hours before hotel pool opens
'I just thought it was crazy that people were so upset about leaving a towel for half an hour to go for breakfast,' Rachel shared.
'They accused me of being selfish and all sorts.'
Rachel, of York, then posted about it on her 'Holidays & Hangovers' TikTok page.
She then decided to stoke the fires further by posting a joke one of her leaving towels at 5.30am to go on a series of fake excursions that lasted until bedtime.
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The punchline was that they never got to spend a minute on the sunbeds they reserved at dawn.
In the footage, she shared a screenshot of an angry user's message that read: 'Really annoys me that people put towels on sunbeds then go away somewhere?
'Why? Everyone wants to enjoy their holiday.'
Rachel captioned her clip: 'Fine, you've all caught me out, this is how our day really looked…'
However, many furious Brits took the joke literally and flooded her comments section for a second time.
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One riled tourist said: 'So you reserved the beds and didn't use them but wouldn't let anyone else use them? Have you ever thought that you may be the problem?'
Another raged: 'You go on holiday for a rest but end up getting up early like you do at home just to put towels out. Hotels are not for me, that's why I Airbnb, not having a go, just saying.'
'The most council estate thing ever!' said a third.
And one remarked: 'Some people ain't getting the joke, love it!'
After managing to rile a few feathers, Rachel explained: 'After the first time, I thought it would be funny to play up to it.
'It was a joke and I didn't expect anyone to take it seriously, but I ended up opening a can of worms about sunbed reservations!'
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She added: 'We went to The Residence in Fethiye for two weeks in May for the second year running.
'There wasn't a lack of sunbeds so putting our towels down before going for breakfast wasn't an issue for anyone.
'I was surprised with everyone commenting about it.'
Rachel admitted it can be 'annoying' when some tourists leave their towels on sunbeds 'for hours on end'.
But she doesn't see it as a problem if it's 'only for half an hour and someone stays with them'.
Experts weigh in on whether you should reserve your sunbed with a towel on holiday
EVERY summer, hotels become the sites of frantic battles, as guests try to reserve the best loungers with their towels first thing in the morning.
But etiquette and elegance expert Katarina, who shares her expert opinions about manners on TikTok at @katarina.etiquette, says people need to be less selfish and more considerate of other hotel guests.
In the footage, she said: "If you're staying at a hotel, avoid blocking the sunbeds if you're not planning on staying. It's disrespectful toward other guests.
"Unless the hotel has a reservation system in place, only occupy the sunbeds when you're staying by the pool."
Renowned etiquette expert, William Hanson, believes there is a 30-minute grace period on poolside reservations.
This is where hotel guests can use a towel or a book to reserve a spot for no longer than half an hour.
William told the Sun Online Travel: "In the morning, at the start of the day, and you're by the pool after breakfast, then it's fine at 8.30 to put your towel on the bed to reserve your spot.
"But later on in the day after you've used the lounger, and go off for a massage, for example, which is going to be an hour, then you can't use a towel to reserve the sun lounger."
If you're grabbing some grub at lunchtime, William said holidaymakers are allowed to eat at the hotel bar or restaurant providing you're not gone longer than 30 minutes.
He said: "It also gives your towel time to dry off."
William said despite the grace period, "You can't hog the sun lounger for the entire day."
Meanwhile, Laura Akano, the Principal Coach and Trainer at Polished Manners doesn't believe holidaymakers have a right to reserve a lounger at all.
She told the Sun Online Travel: "I think it should be a first come first serve basis - if the resort doesn't have a booking system."
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