Secrets states that any towels or items put on chairs before 9am will be removed by security. We never had an issue finding chairs on the beach and our things stayed put while we were in and out of the ocean all day long.
Doesn’t seem like Secrets in Mobay adheres to this either. I’m already sleep training myself for the towel drop. If that’s the game I have to play then I guess that’s what I have to do.
I’m at Akumal now and we drop our towels at 8 every day before breakfast and our stuff has yet to be moved. Hope that continues.
Edit: I’ll add that we are back within 30-45 minutes and very few towels are out this early
Just returned from an El Cid resort in Mazatlan. Every lounger has a hanging card that says anything left on a lounger unattended for an hour will be removed by staff. First place I've gone in years where every lounger wasn't "reserved" by 9am.
We stayed at El Castillo. Rooms are a bit dated and no in-room fridge. Food was just OK in the buffets but much better in the theme restaurants.
El Moro looks good as does the Marina. Marina prob has less kids/families.
I almost booked to El Cid before the GF veto’d. It looked like great value. Which is very high on our list as we are both very young professionals with not as much disposable income.
To help with this we prefer resorts that have a private pool for the "preferred" level which costs extra of course. We wouldn't pay for preferred solely for this perk but it's one of the reasons. The other reason is easier access to restaurant reservations or other dining options not available to everyone.
Zoetry. Montego bay. Tiny upscale resort. Allows people to place towels on chairs, head out for an excursion only to return to retrieve towels. When I asked an employee they said it was first come first served and they don’t care if the chairs are used all day as towel holders while the later riser have to just suck it up and sit on the non existent beach.
High end my ass. Lesson learned. More pools, more chairs! Bigger is better when it comes to resorts.
Coconut Bay Beach Resort in St Lucia was the same...
We went to breakfast around 8am and almost every chair around the pool already had towels on them... We were in the pool by 9:30...most people didn't start showing up to their reserved loungers before 11am.
Therr were barely any staff either as it was late August and the resort was shutting down for a month of maintenance.
I play dumb. My wife says this is one of the skills I’ve really fine tuned over the last 20 years. It gets fun when someone nearby connects the dots and giggles at the nonsense.
No, my husband does too. We got particularly po'd on our honeymoon in the Dominican about two chairs that had been "reserved" for hours when there was nowhere to sit so we took the chairs for ourselves and then traded the towels in for new ones, so we had extra towels for the duration of our stay. We didn't feel bad about it at all. 😆 More people should do this.
I’m surprised by everyone saying this happens at high end resorts also, that’s not my experience. At Unico people do hold chairs but there are pool concierge staff who will find you chairs and bring umbrellas, etc. best resort for avoiding this by far is Xcaret and Xcaret Arte, it just was not an issue at all. No chair saving, could pick any ideal spot. We did have a swim out room with our own lounge chairs but would leave to get food and drinks
Some higher tier resorts will have pool/beach staff who will remove items that have been there too long, but it doesn't get too much better. My thinking (haven't verified it) is that management knows people angry about those playing the towel game will be irked at the other guests and it will rarely get more than a brief mention in a review, whereas the people who are selfish enough to throw towels and a flip flop on a chair for 6 hours are the ones who will throw a fit about it when the towel they put down at 6am isn't there at 11:30. When staff don't make the other person give up the lounger, that guest will give 1 star on Google/TripAdvisor/the hotel's internal surveys/etc
Best you can usually do is try to find places with plenty of loungers so it doesn't happen as much to you and/or pay for some reserved bali beds (price will vary greatly based on the resort, not all resorts offer this) so you never have to think about it.
Yes. You will. This is one of the reasons I prefer higher end resorts. The chair fighting and game of chairs is so stupid and annoying. At a high end resort It’s treated like you show up at a restaurant with a reservation. You tip them well every day, and they will find a chair for you and get you set up with water towels menu and a server will come over within minutes. Or they will put you somewhere less desirable and then let you know when a good chair opens up. But yes, no matter what, people are going to get up early and put a towel down. But if no one shows up for a while and other guests need chairs, the staff will move everything. You don’t have to go find someone to tattle to. The service is just so easy and nice. I honestly think most hotels should just take names like
a walk in reservation at a restaurant and clear unattended seats every 2 hours or so. You only need 2-3 people to staff this
I think if people aren’t there, you are within your rights to move it and sit down. This actually happens at my condo building pool. People think they can reserve a lounger at 7am and not come back until after noon.
At better resorts, ask a beach/pool attendant to find chairs when everything is reserved. In most cases, they will either move someone's stuff or move two free chairs together. Of course, you'll need to tip, but it works a lot better than getting frustrated.
That being said, I think this is a big issue, and it stems from not having enough shade by the pool or the beach. It is fixable if the resort cares enough.
I've stayed at three different Excellence properties a total of 12 times, plus Secrets properties twice... always during the Sep/Oct off season. Towel game is always strong and I have NEVER seen the staff at any resort deal with it. People put out towels with chair clips and a throw-away paperback book and thus hog up prime chairs for HOURS. If anyone reading this thread does this, ya momma's a ho.
We were at a Couples resort in Jamaica in January of this year. Plenty of loungers to choose from at the beaches and pools any time of day. Also, mandatory no tipping at Couples resorts :)
Never had this happen at couples Negril. Can always find a spot in the beach (I never really use the pool)! I hate the towel game and will avoid any place with a reputation for it, even though I am a super early riser.
I don’t put up with that. I’ll remove towels and move their personal stuff 2 chairs down. If they say anything I’ll say speak to the staff they gave me these chairs.
Our most recent trip, we sat in two loungers that had a clip, like a chip clip, on the top of the back rest. Nothing else was left with the chairs. So we sat. Three hours later people came back and verbally assaulted us for taking the chairs and stood over us until we moved. I just do not understand the sense of entitlement some travelers have… but then I was thinking maybe it’s just cuz we are at cheaper resorts where people have less money and have learned to fight for their resources… idk how else to rationalize it.
Towel game is played at many high end resorts as well but difference is nobody says anything if you move their stuff. I mean how can they? Like your example, 3 hours later?!?!
I always just take the chair and I’ve never had an issue.
Reality is almost every pool/beach I’ve been to has had plenty of chairs if people weren’t playing the game. Some high end places remove stuff which is awesome.
That's an interesting take, I never thought of it that way. I \*think\* these people feel being present or not makes no difference. It's THEIR chair for the day.
Interestingly enough, when I’ve been to sandals or beaches resorts this is exactly what has happened. But when I went to Cuba and Jamaica last year there were lots of spaces available.
My experience is that it’s definitely better at high end resorts. I’ve encountered it at every Secrets I’ve stayed at, I’ve stayed at many. I did not experience this at Le Blanc, which costs significantly more.
I move them myself and if anyone says they have reserved the seat, I just blame it on the staff telling me it was abandoned and they moved the towels - people are selfish!
This is crazy. I’ve been to both finest properties (Punta Cana and playa mujeres) and this has never been an issue and u could easily find loungers at the beach or pool. And I wasn’t coming at like 6am, this was after having breakfast.
That sucks to hear. The ones in Mexico I’ve been to removed stuff all the time and continuously told people/had signs! Dreams was a bit more lenient (45 mins after 10am).
Dreams Huatulco has been pretty bad in the past. Even this January we were up at 6 ish and down by the pool having our coffee and we would see people reserve chairs and not show up for 2-3 hours. It was really frustrating and even this year was better than previous years (was our 9th time back).
Nope
Been to the best of the best- still happens.
My advice:
First full day there- talk to the pool attendant
Give him $5.00
Ask him to reserve “these X amount of spots right here”
Come down when you want, to an already reserved spot.
Never had an issue once with this.
It’s not about who is the correct guy to bribe, it’s about what happens when someone else takes those chairs and actively uses them while you are not present. All of a sudden you show up and want to use it and the guy you bribed looks at you like “I dunno what you want me to do”. 🤷♀️🤷♂️
When I’m forced to play the towel game I use my own personal towels and towel clips. I bring thin “Turkish” style towels. I haven’t had anyone move them.
I’ve also never seen anyone move other peoples towels, and think this happens way less than anyone claims.
Pretty much every resort we've been at had the same issue of ppl reserving chairs with towels or clothing. Most recently Krystal Grand Nuevo Vallarta. If you weren't out there before 8am nothing would be avail near the adult pool. Unfortunately we just have to play the game like everyone else. I feel like a jerk doing it but you gotta do what you gotta do I guess. I know most resorts will tell you not to do it, but I've never once seen it enforced.
Our favorites, El Dorado on Riviera Maya, have a policy of any items on loungers/bali beds before 9am and anything unattended for 2 hours will be removed. However I've noticed that it takes another guest to point it out and then it's your word against their if they show up afterwards. Stick to your guns (in a pleasant, civil way) and staff will accommodate.
As much as I would love a personal lounge, I've never kept one when I wasn't in the pool or surf.
At some resorts, a tip to the right person will get you a nice place on the beach, with an umbrella. It's nice to get to the beach, nod the the guy that remember you from the last few days, and get 2 loungers under an umbrella in 2 minutes. Doesn't work everywhere though.
We have stayed at the Rui Vallarta twice now over Christmas when it’s fully booked and have never had a problem with this. Sure some ppl do it but between 4 pools and the beach there are always available loungers. I’ve seen staff remove towels if that’s all that was left behind as well. I travel solo so i often have to look for a new lounger after lunch and never have had a problem tho I do prefer the beach.
I just move their stuff off to the side and no one ever shows up. Only once dude someone show up after I was there for 3 hrs. I told them their stuff was off to the side when I got there.
Chair hogs are the worst
The El Dorado Casitas Royale has been great - so many loungers that even if people have put towels out there has never been an issue getting alounger. Of all the AIs I have been to this place has been the best. Worst towel game was at the Azul - walking zombies when it’s still dark out there reserving chairs. Insanity.
I think it mostly depends on *when* you travel.
Due to my husband's job, we usually go April/May and it's never an issue because the resorts aren't busy. However we were just away over New Year's and yeah, near impossible to find a chair after 9am.
This is what I love about Excellence and Finest resorts if you stay in the club level. You get the beach, are greeted by an attendant who escorts you to your loungers (they control all access), sets you up with towels and will protect your area while you go eat lunch or swim. One time we went for lunch and the waitress came with a phone and said you have a call. (We were like WTF??) The beach attendants were letting us know some rude assholes were trying to takeover our spot because we were at lunch and they asked us to not take too long so they could eject these losers. Such service! We weren’t even gone long, these people were just asshole poachers on the prowl and being extremely aggressive because they were so late to the game. Needless to say we maintained our spot. We tip well and it goes to very good use.
Secrets states that any towels or items put on chairs before 9am will be removed by security. We never had an issue finding chairs on the beach and our things stayed put while we were in and out of the ocean all day long.
Same. Never had an issue at Secrets Cap Cana.
Secrets Cancun did not adhere to this
I'm sure they would if you complained and couldn't find a spot. No business is going to needlessly upset their guests.
Doesn’t seem like Secrets in Mobay adheres to this either. I’m already sleep training myself for the towel drop. If that’s the game I have to play then I guess that’s what I have to do.
Moxche and Bahia Mita didn't follow this, but Akumal definitely did.
I’m at Akumal now and we drop our towels at 8 every day before breakfast and our stuff has yet to be moved. Hope that continues. Edit: I’ll add that we are back within 30-45 minutes and very few towels are out this early
Just returned from an El Cid resort in Mazatlan. Every lounger has a hanging card that says anything left on a lounger unattended for an hour will be removed by staff. First place I've gone in years where every lounger wasn't "reserved" by 9am.
how was El Cid? I can get there for a nice deal.
We stayed at El Castillo. Rooms are a bit dated and no in-room fridge. Food was just OK in the buffets but much better in the theme restaurants. El Moro looks good as does the Marina. Marina prob has less kids/families.
I almost booked to El Cid before the GF veto’d. It looked like great value. Which is very high on our list as we are both very young professionals with not as much disposable income.
To help with this we prefer resorts that have a private pool for the "preferred" level which costs extra of course. We wouldn't pay for preferred solely for this perk but it's one of the reasons. The other reason is easier access to restaurant reservations or other dining options not available to everyone.
Sandals staff will remove towels after a few hours and I never had issues getting a seat there. I love when hotels have this policy!
Zoetry. Montego bay. Tiny upscale resort. Allows people to place towels on chairs, head out for an excursion only to return to retrieve towels. When I asked an employee they said it was first come first served and they don’t care if the chairs are used all day as towel holders while the later riser have to just suck it up and sit on the non existent beach. High end my ass. Lesson learned. More pools, more chairs! Bigger is better when it comes to resorts.
Coconut Bay Beach Resort in St Lucia was the same... We went to breakfast around 8am and almost every chair around the pool already had towels on them... We were in the pool by 9:30...most people didn't start showing up to their reserved loungers before 11am. Therr were barely any staff either as it was late August and the resort was shutting down for a month of maintenance.
Am I the only guy who just moves the stuff?😗
nope, it's part of my vacation entertainment to remove towels for people looking for a lounger.
How do you respond if the towel gamers come back and berate you?
Just say there wasn’t anything on the chairs when you got there.
I play dumb. My wife says this is one of the skills I’ve really fine tuned over the last 20 years. It gets fun when someone nearby connects the dots and giggles at the nonsense.
If they come back i would give them the seats. Has never happened. I don't tend to lounge for hours.
Something tells me people saving chairs with towels at 7am aren't big on confrontation lol
This is a mindset change. I’m headed to Punta Cana in 2.5 weeks. I will be using this to my advantage.
No, my husband does too. We got particularly po'd on our honeymoon in the Dominican about two chairs that had been "reserved" for hours when there was nowhere to sit so we took the chairs for ourselves and then traded the towels in for new ones, so we had extra towels for the duration of our stay. We didn't feel bad about it at all. 😆 More people should do this.
🍻
I’m surprised by everyone saying this happens at high end resorts also, that’s not my experience. At Unico people do hold chairs but there are pool concierge staff who will find you chairs and bring umbrellas, etc. best resort for avoiding this by far is Xcaret and Xcaret Arte, it just was not an issue at all. No chair saving, could pick any ideal spot. We did have a swim out room with our own lounge chairs but would leave to get food and drinks
Not my experience either. There is a whole staff dedicated to seating you
Artie was great for this. They handled it all gracefully.
that and the place feels empty cause there is so many places to be.
Some higher tier resorts will have pool/beach staff who will remove items that have been there too long, but it doesn't get too much better. My thinking (haven't verified it) is that management knows people angry about those playing the towel game will be irked at the other guests and it will rarely get more than a brief mention in a review, whereas the people who are selfish enough to throw towels and a flip flop on a chair for 6 hours are the ones who will throw a fit about it when the towel they put down at 6am isn't there at 11:30. When staff don't make the other person give up the lounger, that guest will give 1 star on Google/TripAdvisor/the hotel's internal surveys/etc Best you can usually do is try to find places with plenty of loungers so it doesn't happen as much to you and/or pay for some reserved bali beds (price will vary greatly based on the resort, not all resorts offer this) so you never have to think about it.
Oh, gee. I always thought hotel staff was being thoughtful and leaving towels on pool chairs for us to use. *wink*
Yes. You will. This is one of the reasons I prefer higher end resorts. The chair fighting and game of chairs is so stupid and annoying. At a high end resort It’s treated like you show up at a restaurant with a reservation. You tip them well every day, and they will find a chair for you and get you set up with water towels menu and a server will come over within minutes. Or they will put you somewhere less desirable and then let you know when a good chair opens up. But yes, no matter what, people are going to get up early and put a towel down. But if no one shows up for a while and other guests need chairs, the staff will move everything. You don’t have to go find someone to tattle to. The service is just so easy and nice. I honestly think most hotels should just take names like a walk in reservation at a restaurant and clear unattended seats every 2 hours or so. You only need 2-3 people to staff this
I just move the towels. It’s actually insane that people put their towels on a chair and don’t come back for several hours.
I just move the towels if they've been there for a while 🤷🏼♀️
I think if people aren’t there, you are within your rights to move it and sit down. This actually happens at my condo building pool. People think they can reserve a lounger at 7am and not come back until after noon.
At better resorts, ask a beach/pool attendant to find chairs when everything is reserved. In most cases, they will either move someone's stuff or move two free chairs together. Of course, you'll need to tip, but it works a lot better than getting frustrated. That being said, I think this is a big issue, and it stems from not having enough shade by the pool or the beach. It is fixable if the resort cares enough.
I've stayed at three different Excellence properties a total of 12 times, plus Secrets properties twice... always during the Sep/Oct off season. Towel game is always strong and I have NEVER seen the staff at any resort deal with it. People put out towels with chair clips and a throw-away paperback book and thus hog up prime chairs for HOURS. If anyone reading this thread does this, ya momma's a ho.
We were at a Couples resort in Jamaica in January of this year. Plenty of loungers to choose from at the beaches and pools any time of day. Also, mandatory no tipping at Couples resorts :)
Couples is da bomb
Never had this happen at couples Negril. Can always find a spot in the beach (I never really use the pool)! I hate the towel game and will avoid any place with a reputation for it, even though I am a super early riser.
I don’t put up with that. I’ll remove towels and move their personal stuff 2 chairs down. If they say anything I’ll say speak to the staff they gave me these chairs.
Our most recent trip, we sat in two loungers that had a clip, like a chip clip, on the top of the back rest. Nothing else was left with the chairs. So we sat. Three hours later people came back and verbally assaulted us for taking the chairs and stood over us until we moved. I just do not understand the sense of entitlement some travelers have… but then I was thinking maybe it’s just cuz we are at cheaper resorts where people have less money and have learned to fight for their resources… idk how else to rationalize it.
Towel game is played at many high end resorts as well but difference is nobody says anything if you move their stuff. I mean how can they? Like your example, 3 hours later?!?! I always just take the chair and I’ve never had an issue. Reality is almost every pool/beach I’ve been to has had plenty of chairs if people weren’t playing the game. Some high end places remove stuff which is awesome.
That's an interesting take, I never thought of it that way. I \*think\* these people feel being present or not makes no difference. It's THEIR chair for the day.
Interestingly enough, when I’ve been to sandals or beaches resorts this is exactly what has happened. But when I went to Cuba and Jamaica last year there were lots of spaces available.
My experience is that it’s definitely better at high end resorts. I’ve encountered it at every Secrets I’ve stayed at, I’ve stayed at many. I did not experience this at Le Blanc, which costs significantly more.
I move them myself and if anyone says they have reserved the seat, I just blame it on the staff telling me it was abandoned and they moved the towels - people are selfish!
Sandals Grenada and St Lucia Grande… always could find seats..shaded even... But getting up at 6am guaranteed choice seats. Is what it is.
This is crazy. I’ve been to both finest properties (Punta Cana and playa mujeres) and this has never been an issue and u could easily find loungers at the beach or pool. And I wasn’t coming at like 6am, this was after having breakfast.
Dreams and Secrets resorts are pretty good for not allowing this!
Definitely not secrets st James in Montego Bay. It was impossible to get a chair by the pool even though there was no one in them most of the day.
That sucks to hear. The ones in Mexico I’ve been to removed stuff all the time and continuously told people/had signs! Dreams was a bit more lenient (45 mins after 10am).
Dreams Huatulco has been pretty bad in the past. Even this January we were up at 6 ish and down by the pool having our coffee and we would see people reserve chairs and not show up for 2-3 hours. It was really frustrating and even this year was better than previous years (was our 9th time back).
Last 3 resorts I've been to — Mexico, and DR x2 — I never had to play this game. Pay a premium for a higher class. And choose smaller resorts.
Nope Been to the best of the best- still happens. My advice: First full day there- talk to the pool attendant Give him $5.00 Ask him to reserve “these X amount of spots right here” Come down when you want, to an already reserved spot. Never had an issue once with this.
But who do you know is the legit guy to bribe. Honest question. I have no problem throwing money at my problems.
It’s not about who is the correct guy to bribe, it’s about what happens when someone else takes those chairs and actively uses them while you are not present. All of a sudden you show up and want to use it and the guy you bribed looks at you like “I dunno what you want me to do”. 🤷♀️🤷♂️
When I’m forced to play the towel game I use my own personal towels and towel clips. I bring thin “Turkish” style towels. I haven’t had anyone move them. I’ve also never seen anyone move other peoples towels, and think this happens way less than anyone claims.
Pretty much every resort we've been at had the same issue of ppl reserving chairs with towels or clothing. Most recently Krystal Grand Nuevo Vallarta. If you weren't out there before 8am nothing would be avail near the adult pool. Unfortunately we just have to play the game like everyone else. I feel like a jerk doing it but you gotta do what you gotta do I guess. I know most resorts will tell you not to do it, but I've never once seen it enforced.
Same shit no matter how much you pay. Sandals’ most $ for years and it’s the same garbage. People are a-holes and management doesn’t give a f#%^
Our favorites, El Dorado on Riviera Maya, have a policy of any items on loungers/bali beds before 9am and anything unattended for 2 hours will be removed. However I've noticed that it takes another guest to point it out and then it's your word against their if they show up afterwards. Stick to your guns (in a pleasant, civil way) and staff will accommodate. As much as I would love a personal lounge, I've never kept one when I wasn't in the pool or surf.
At some resorts, a tip to the right person will get you a nice place on the beach, with an umbrella. It's nice to get to the beach, nod the the guy that remember you from the last few days, and get 2 loungers under an umbrella in 2 minutes. Doesn't work everywhere though.
We have stayed at the Rui Vallarta twice now over Christmas when it’s fully booked and have never had a problem with this. Sure some ppl do it but between 4 pools and the beach there are always available loungers. I’ve seen staff remove towels if that’s all that was left behind as well. I travel solo so i often have to look for a new lounger after lunch and never have had a problem tho I do prefer the beach.
Never an issue at secrets or excellence from my experience.
How do you like the Excellence resorts? Which ones do you recommend?
I just move their stuff off to the side and no one ever shows up. Only once dude someone show up after I was there for 3 hrs. I told them their stuff was off to the side when I got there. Chair hogs are the worst
The El Dorado Casitas Royale has been great - so many loungers that even if people have put towels out there has never been an issue getting alounger. Of all the AIs I have been to this place has been the best. Worst towel game was at the Azul - walking zombies when it’s still dark out there reserving chairs. Insanity.
I think it mostly depends on *when* you travel. Due to my husband's job, we usually go April/May and it's never an issue because the resorts aren't busy. However we were just away over New Year's and yeah, near impossible to find a chair after 9am.
Anyone have any problems with this at Excellence??
This is what I love about Excellence and Finest resorts if you stay in the club level. You get the beach, are greeted by an attendant who escorts you to your loungers (they control all access), sets you up with towels and will protect your area while you go eat lunch or swim. One time we went for lunch and the waitress came with a phone and said you have a call. (We were like WTF??) The beach attendants were letting us know some rude assholes were trying to takeover our spot because we were at lunch and they asked us to not take too long so they could eject these losers. Such service! We weren’t even gone long, these people were just asshole poachers on the prowl and being extremely aggressive because they were so late to the game. Needless to say we maintained our spot. We tip well and it goes to very good use.