Ian Foran observed holidaymakers queuing for up to two hours for their spot

Katie Dollard and reg-msp Administrator

07:40, 30 Aug 2025

Holidaymakers in queue for hours before sprinting to claim poolside loungers morning “sun bed war”.

A Manchester man enjoying his first all-inclusive hotel stay was left stunned by the morning “sun bed war”.

Ian Foran had booked a stay in Torrevieja, Spain with his wife and two children – but was left shocked by his first glimpse of the stampede to secure a bed near the pool.

The 41-year-old shared a clip of the bizarre scenes to TikTok, where it has had more than 1.4m views.

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“It was our first hotel-type holiday as a family as we usually do villa holidays,” Ian, from Manchester, said.

“Each morning I was up for sunrise on the balcony around 7am and the first morning I noticed workers putting up barriers around the pool entrance.

“Shortly after people getting there to mark their spot around 8am, before the pool opened at 10am.

“Some even brought a mug of tea, a book and their own ashtrays for the wait. I thought it’d be a laugh to narrate it David Attenborough-style. Little did I know it’d have the reaction it did.”

Ian’s clip has had over a million views on TikTok

In the clip Ian films different times from 8am to 10am. At the beginning, there are just a few people – but as the clock ticks on, hoards of people arrive to wait.

The gate was opened at 10 and the stampede were released, with some running to secure the perfect spot.

Ian captioned the video: “Real life sunbed nature watch in the hotel this morning.”

It has since gained 22,700 likes and 2,200 comments from viewers. Carly commented: “God forbid I EVER end up in a hotel like this.”

Matt added: “I am struggling to understand the mentality of waking up early, to queue for a spot to lie down on.” Nick said: “May this life never find me.”

Dolly added: “When looking for a hotel I actively search out whether or not this happens in the reviews – if it does I am going nowhere near it.”

Ange joked: “Anyone else read this with David Attenborough as the narrator?”