10 Aug, 2023 @ 18:45
1 min read

Benidorm sunbed turnoff: Peak summer means peak lounger madness on Spain’s Costa Blanca 

BENIDORM has found itself at the epicentre of Spain’s outbreak of sunbed violence as tourists have been filmed screeching out of the gates to bag a plum poolside position.

The sun-bedlam has become so bad that some resorts have been forced to hire bouncers to stop tourists tussling during the morning stampede for sunbeds.

One British mother said her holiday at Magic Aqua Rock Gardens in Benidorm was ruined after her fellow holidaymakers ‘swarmed like ants’ to claim sunbeds, leaving her close to tears.

Sunset Beach Club on the Costa del Sol, which finds itself at the epicentre of the Sunbed Wars

The ruthless tourists forced Cayleigh Tuffs, 34, to sit under a water slide with her husband Andrew and their eight-year-old daughter on the first day of their holiday.

“We’ve seen people throw towels across the pool to get beds and people are running even though it’s massively slippery,” she said.

“We go on holiday five times a year and this is the first time we’ve ever seen anything like this.”

Such ‘horrible’ experiences have been turning tourists off from Spanish holiday resorts, with Cayleigh vowing she will never return to Benidorm.

Katherine Green, a 35-year-old mum from Yorkshire told the Olive Press she had a similar experience at Sunset Beach Club on the Costa del Sol. 

“There is literally a queue of over 100 people waiting to access the pool in the morning and, at 9am, when the gate opens,” the holidaymaker said. 

“And some people even just jump over the fence to get the best beds,” she added, before admitting her family had been forced to join the scrum or face losing out.

Belfast man Kev Armstrong did not mind all the sun-bedlam

“We’ve had to get down there shortly after 8am to guarantee a spot as there are just not enough pool chairs and beds.

“Incredibly, as soon as the door opens people start pushing as well as running and jumping over the sunbeds to get to the best spots.” 

However, not everyone seems bothered by the situation, as Belfast man Kev Armstrong told the Olive Press the morning routine is ‘part of the holiday experience’.

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Walter Finch

Walter Finch, who comes from a background in video and photography, is keen on reporting on and investigating organised crime, corruption and abuse of power. He is fascinated by the nexus between politics, business and law-breaking, as well as other wider trends that affect society.
Born in London but having lived in six countries, he is well-travelled and worldly. He studied Philosophy at the University of Birmingham and earned his diploma in journalism from London's renowned News Associates during the Covid era.
He got his first break in the business working on the Foreign News desk of the Daily Mail's online arm, where he also helped out on the video desk.
He then decided to escape the confines of London and returned to Spain in 2022, having previously lived in Barcelona for many years.
He took up up a reporter role with the Olive Press Newspaper and today he is based in La Linea de la Concepcion at the heart of a global chokepoint and crucial maritime hub, where he edits the Olive Press Gibraltar edition.
He is also the deputy news editor across all editions of the newspaper.

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