Holidaymakers have been caught queuing for hours to claim sunbeds at a hotel from ITV's Benidorm.
A mum has mocked 'selfish middle-aged fellas' who queued for hours then swarmed like 'ants' for sunbeds at ITV's Benidorm hotel, forcing her family to perch on plastic chairs.
Annie Redfern went away with her partner Declan Nash, 30, and seven-year-old daughter Belle Redfern on July 20 for a 10-night holiday.
After arriving at Sol Pelicanos Ocas hotel in Benidorm, known as Solana Hotel in the hit TV show, Annie realised all the sunbeds were already taken, but put it down to it being midday.
At 6.30am the following day Annie claims she was stunned to see a large number of people queueing to bag a coveted sunbed, even though the pool didn't open until 9am.
Outrage as people queue for hours to get sunbeds at Benidorm hotel
Branding the situation 'crazy', the marketing consultant and master's student said this happened every morning and that the line was made up mostly of 'middle-aged men'.
Annie said sunseekers swarmed like 'ants' into the pool area, meaning if she wanted a day by the pool she'd have to perch on a plastic chair as all beds were already claimed.
The mum-of-one shared a video of the bizarre sight on TikTok, where it went viral, racking up more than 192,000 views.
Annie, from Hull, East Yorkshire, said: "We thought if we're going to go to Benidorm, we might as well see what the Benidorm hotel is like.
"We arrived there at 11.30am and there were no beds but obviously at that point we just thought it was because it was midday.
"The next morning, I started seeing queues starting at 6.30am, at this point I didn't even know what time the pool even opened.
@annieredfernx Everyday from 6:30 people would Que to get there spot run to a bed put there towel down and go eat breakfast..... this should be a punishable offence 😂☀️ #benidormtiktok #solpelicanos #sunbedwars #benidorm ♬ Benidorm Theme - Mark Thomas
"We had gone down to go and get a latte and there were just loads of people all lining up.
"I can't believe that's how you spend your holiday, it's crazy.
"You see them go, put a towel on the bed then run off straight to the breakfast then eat the breakfast then run straight back. It was a whole routine.
"What we realised was either wives were sending their husbands or the husbands were just doing it because so many of the line was made up of middle-aged men.
"It was just like a sea of people."
The holidaymaker explained that the only way to get a sunbed without joining the giant queue was by waiting until 5pm when everyone left for their evening meals.
Instead, if they wanted to sit down when the family weren't playing and swimming in the pool, they were forced to resort to plastic chairs - meaning they didn't get to do much sunbathing.
Annie said: "You can just go sit at a table and obviously I've got a child so we're always in the pool anyway so I don't really get much sunbathing.
"It was funny but then about 5pm, people would obviously go out for tea because then the beds would start becoming available and that was the only time without getting in that queue that you could get a bed.
"It's selfish. Maybe do it one or two times so you can get a spot or have a day on the sunbeds, but there was one woman, and she was at the front every single day.
"They [people queueing] were speed walking, and as soon as the guy would come down and open the barrier, it was like ants."
A video she shared on TikTok of the sunbed dash quickly went viral, amassing more than 192,000 views and sparking heated debate online.
Annie said, "It [the video] caused uproar, I didn't expect people to get so angry about Benidorm.
"Benidorm divides the UK, it's like Marmite, you either love it or you hate it."
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Online commenters were quick to criticise the situation, with one writing: "My idea of hell this is."
Another said: "I'd rather go to Blackpool in the winter."
A third added: "I love Benidorm but I would never lose sleep when there's so much more you can do in Benidorm."
The Sol Pelicanos Ocas hotel has been contacted for comment.
Have you ever queued to get a sunbed on holiday? Let us know in the comments.
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