sunbeds

Sunbeds in Benidorm are reported to be “totally empty”, but you may be floored to learn the story behind it. A man detailed what he thinks has been happening at the popular holiday destination

Every now and then we witness something that blows us away, and one man was recently left floored after seeing an unexpected sight in Benidorm. According to him, the sunbeds have been “empty” recently and the scene is quite something to behold.

Harry, known as Harry Tokky on TikTok, claimed he’s never seen Benidorm beach so “empty” before as he shared footage of disregarded sunbeds and a super quiet atmosphere. Known for sharing his adventures in Spain, he’s someone who knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the popular holiday destination, but this is a sight he perhaps didn’t anticipate to witness recently.

It comes as people reported a difference at the travel hotspot a few months ago. Back in December, someone else told of how the strip appeared to be super quiet too.

In the clip, Harry said: “I can’t believe it. Benidorm is deserted. Have you ever seen so many empty sunbeds in May in Benidorm? Because I haven’t.

“I know what it is. It’s because they charge people for the sunbeds. It’s got to be. Would you pay for a sunbed here in Benidorm?

“It’s currently 26 degrees. It’s absolutely gorgeous in Benidorm. Why on earth would nobody be taking a sunbed? Honestly, answer me that question.

“It’s really quiet down here today. It really is. I’ve never seen so many sunbeds. Normally this beach is absolutely rammed – you can’t even move, but there are a lot of sunbeds available.”

The video got several people talking, as it’s been viewed hundreds of times. They had all sorts of things to say about the situation, but not everybody agreed with Harry’s theory.

One person said: “Flights aren’t cheap anymore. Checked a few times over the last month and that’s what I found anyway.”

Another added: “When I come back, I’m sitting on my towel.” A third replied: “Getting too expensive.”

However, others had different ideas and thought the price was quite reasonable. Some also noted they’ve seen the beach packed in recent days.

Someone else replied: “It’s a decent price to come and go all day if you want to.” Another noted: “And yet when I was there today it was rammed. What time was this, 6am?”

A different person noted: “It was packed earlier.” One more also said: “Depends what time of day it is.”

What you need to know

According to reports, you have to pay to reserve a sunbed on Benidorm’s beaches, such as Levante and Poniente. It’s said to be €6 (£5.18) per sunbed and €6 per parasol per day.

There’s no need for advance reservations as you pay the attendant on the beach, and your ticket allows you to use your chosen spot all day. While it’s not clear if this is the only reason they’ve been claimed to be so “empty”, it’s one theory presented by people.

It’s clearly still a travel hotspot though, as Benidorm welcomes over three million visitors annually, making it a super popular tourist destination. In fact, the city’s overall population swells by up to 12 times during peak periods.

The council has been contacted for more information.

A British tourist has praised a hotel for taking action against guests who try and hog empty sunbeds by reserving them with towels. She said she witnessed something that was worth highlighting

Many of us relish a holiday abroad, but one issue that never fails to cause a headache is the notorious sunbed wars. One woman recently claimed she witnessed the drama firsthand, reportedly in Greece, and couldn’t speak highly enough of the way the hotel handled it.

The British tourist, known as WelshTaiTai on TikTok, shared footage of what unfolded during her sun-soaked holiday. While most of us cherish the chance to travel, the age-old habit of reserving sunbeds can quickly spiral into chaos, rows and wholly unnecessary stress when you’re supposed to be unwinding.

It’s hardly a new debate either. In previous years, images have surfaced of holidaymakers literally camped out to stake their claim on a sunbed.

In the video, she described some guests as being “naughty”, claiming there’s a sign at her hotel clearly stating that sunbeds must not be reserved. It politely requests that guests refrain from leaving towels on the beds to stop others from using them.

Yet some guests chose to ignore the rule, prompting the hotel to reportedly take matters into its own hands. Staff are said to have gathered up all the offending towels and draped them over a wall, freeing up the sunbeds for other guests to enjoy.

Alongside the clip, she wrote: “POV: You wake up early for the perfect pool day only to find every sunbed ‘reserved’ with a random towel and nobody in sight. Then the hotel staff start removing the abandoned towels and suddenly people appear from nowhere acting shocked.

“If you’re not actually using the sunbed… you don’t own it. Simple.”

The clip has racked up hundreds of views, with many viewers quick to share their thoughts in the comments section, offering a wide range of opinions.

One wrote: “Wish every hotel would do this.” Another added: “Needs to be carried out in every hotel. I look for reviews and if this happens, I won’t book.”

A third chimed in: “Give those staff a raise. Just back from Majorca, where people were out at 5.30am reserving beds. Their towels were in the pool by 6.30am when the cleaners arrived to sort the beds etc. These guys are heroes.”

Meanwhile, a fourth remarked: “I would book a hotel purely on this rule.” Yet another observer noted: “Need more of this. You work 52 weeks and spend three weeks trying to get a sunbed.”

Others described it as “excellent” that the hotel had taken action to put a stop to “sunbed wars”, with many agreeing the policy should be adopted far more widely.

What you need to know

If this is news to you, hotels are well within their rights to prevent guests from reserving sunbeds, and many already have policies in place to tackle the problem.

Various methods are employed by hotels to address the issue. Some instruct staff to remove unattended towels, while others encourage guests to use booking apps to ensure fair access.

Such measures exist to stop guests from “hogging” beds — an all-too-familiar frustration that nobody wants to deal with while on holiday.

GREECE has slapped a sunbed ban on 251 of its beaches meaning tourists will have to ditch the loungers for a simple towel.

The rule aims to limit overtourism on the beaches as well as tourist developments, such as hotels and sunbeds for hire, to keep the beaches in their natural state.

So for tourists heading to the 251 beaches on the list, they’ll need to stick to either a towel or just sitting on the sand.

And some spots have even stricter rules – on beaches that are part of the Natura 2000 programme, you won’t see hotels cordoning off areas as a ‘private beach’ section, instead they will be open to everyone.

There will also be no changes to how the beach looks, so no concrete piers, sea walls or paved paths.

Essentially, anything that messes with the natural state of the beach, is not allowed.

Read more on travel inspo

GO ON

All the little-known websites for cheap or FREE tickets to gigs, theatre & festivals

HOLLA

Never pay full price for hols again… 25 apps, sites & clubs for huge discounts

So, if you want a beach bar and to rent an umbrella, you’ll need to head elsewhere.

A release from the Greek Environment Ministry stated that the ban “seeks to effectively protect beaches that have particular aesthetic, geomorphological or ecological value, as well as to preserve the types of habitats and the species of flora and fauna found on these beaches”.

The Ministry added: “In particular, the number of shorelines and beaches within areas included in the National List of Areas of the European Ecological Network Natura 2000 is increasing and in which the granting of simple use, as well as any other action that may endanger their morphology and their integrity in terms of their ecological functions, is now prohibited.”

The ban follows Greek authorities dealing with a number of incidents in recent months on the protected beaches.

According to local reports, riot police recently took down a number of shacks on the island of Gavdos, just south of Crete.

One of the beaches included on the list is Elafonissi Beach found on the southwest coast of Greece as it is a protected Natura 2000 nature reserve.

Its not the easiest to get to – visitors must head across a shallow lagoon.

It was named the second best beach in the world by TripAdvisor‘s Travellers‘ Choice Awards Best of the Best 2026 and also 15th best in Europe in the World’s Best Beaches 2025 awards.

The beach is known for its pink sand, which gets its colour from crushed seashells – though removing any of the shells or sand is forbidden.

One recent visitor said: “One of the most beautiful natural paradises in the world.”

Other beaches include Kalamaki Beach near Athens, Tobruk Beach near Heraklion and several beaches on the island of Samos.

If you are heading to Greece and are not sure what beaches the ban applies to, download the Gov.gr MyCoast app, where you can see a map of all the 251 beaches.

If you are thinking of going on holiday to Greece, there’s one city that’s better in spring with funiculars, sunset rooftops and wine tastings.

Plus, there’s a stunning Greek island that will pay you to move there and give you a house.

Tourists in Tenerife were recently taken aback when they looked up from their sunbeds to be met with an unexpected sight. Many couldn’t believe their eyes due to what they saw

Tourists in Tenerife recently witnessed an unexpected sight after looking up from their sunbeds, and it comes after people have encountered unlikely experiences at the destination. Many tourists jet off to the Canary Islands hotspot in hope of catching a tan and having a much-needed rest but some admitted they were faced with a rather different holiday lately.

It was brought to people’s attention by a man known as Sam T, who claimed the weather in Tenerife is very “deceiving”. After he posted footage from his sunbed, looking up at the sky, it got many people talking about how their holidays have been impacted by the same surprising factor.

This isn’t the first time the topic has been brought to people’s attention either. Just weeks ago, holidaymakers made another similar complaint.

Lying on his sunbed, Sam was hoping to get some sun on his skin, but it looks as though mother nature had other ideas. As he filmed up towards the sky, you could see the blue sky was gradually clouding over and turning grey.

It also sounds like there may have been a bit of thunder and lightning too. The footage quickly got people talking, as they were keen to share what their own experiences at the destination have been like.

One said: “I just don’t get the hype with the Canaries. Beaches ain’t pretty and there’s always so much cloud.”

Another wrote: “Been here since the 19th and it’s been so inconsistent. It’s cloudy then a bit of sun. Rubbish really.”

A third replied: “The weather sucks. No sunshine, clouds always around the mountains. Five more days then I go home.

“Never ever coming back. I’ll try to leave earlier. Biggest disappointment of this year.”

Even though Sam admitted it’s been hot during his stay, he noted it’s been “overcast a lot of the time”. He also admitted he’s visited a few times in the past, but this was the first time he’s experienced so much cloud.

Someone else wrote: “I was here 15th to 22nd and had lush weather!” Another responded: “Still absolutely boiling though.”

One more also noted: “Been here since 18th April. It’s been mid 20s every day – been scorching.”

What people need to know

Generally, Tenerife is not considered a cloudy island overall, but it has distinct microclimates. The north is greener and often cloudier, while the south is consistently sunny and warm.

Clouds commonly form over the central mountains, and occasionally spill over to coastal areas, particularly from September to May. However, it’s also been noted the weather in parts of the Canary Islands has been worse than usual this year.

During early 2026, Tenerife experienced significant, unseasonably bad weather, which has been described as some of the worst in over a decade. March was particularly impacted by Storm Therese, which brought heavy rain, high winds, flash flooding and rare snowfall at high altitudes.

It also led to travel disruption and flight cancellations. This is why people have been talking so much about the weather there recently.

Many holidaymakers like lazing around the pool and soaking up the rays when on an Egypt break. But tourists in one resort got more than they bargained for when they were relaxing by the pool in their resort

Egypt is a top holiday destination amongst Brits, with approximately one million British nationals visiting the the country each year. The destination known for its diverse blend of ancient history, world-class marine activities and year-round winter sun. However, as well as exploring, many holidaymakers like lazing around the pool and soaking up the rays when on an Egypt break. But tourists in one resort got more than they bargained for when they were relaxing by the pool in their resort.

Paolito Entertainment, which puts on hotel and resort entertainment, shared a video of some baffled holidaymakers in Egypt being greeted by someone dressed as Monster’s Inc character Michael Wazowski.

The ‘green monster’ was seen jumping on some people’s sunbeds as they tried to ignore him.

Next to him was also someone dressed as fictional character Cheburashka.

They captioned the post: “Hotel-style entertainment done right.”

The post racked up 178,000 likes as many admitted they would find it amusing.

One person called it ‘their dream’, while someone else added: “I wish this would happen to me.”

However, other people weren’t so keen.

“That looks terrifying,” admitted one person, while another said: “They don’t look very entertained.”

A third confessed: “Don’t want to know who is inside there.”

While someone else asked: “What the heck Cheburashka doing out there?”

As of April, 2026, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) considers major tourist destinations in Egypt safe to visit, but maintains strict warnings for specific border and desert regions.

Areas advised against travel

The official FCDO advice for Egypt warns against:

North Sinai Governorate: All travel due to ongoing security operations and the risk of terrorism.

Egypt-Libya Border: All travel within 20km of the border (except for El Salloum, where only essential travel is advised).

Western Desert: All but essential travel to the area west of the Nile Valley and Nile Delta (except for major sites like Luxor, Qina, Aswan, Abu Simbel, and the Faiyum Governorate).

Northern South Sinai: All but essential travel beyond the St Catherine-Nuweibaa road, excluding coastal areas.

Ismailiyah Governorate: All but essential travel to areas east of the Suez Canal.

Safe tourist destinations

The FCDO does not currently advise against travel to the primary tourist hubs, including:

Cities: Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, and Aswan.

Red Sea Resorts: Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada, and Marsa Alam.