Spain's sunbed wars reach Majorca coast as empty beach swamped with towels

One of Majorca's most popular beaches has become a hotspot for the notorious sunbed wars. (Image: Getty)

A large, picturesque sandy beach on the northeastern coast of Majorca, heralded for its fine white sand and clear turquoise waters has become the latest victim of the notorious sunbed wars that are gripping tourist hotspots across Europe. The tourist practice of getting up at the crack of dawn in the hopes of securing the prime beach spot with towels has become a growing concern at Cala Agulla, near the town of Cala Ratjada.

Local residents complain that this is becoming an increasingly standard spectacle, particularly during the peak summer season, as holidaymakers compete for the best beachfront locations. Now, recent video footage sent to Mallorca Magazine, captured by a resident at 9am on Monday (July 21), shows Cala Agulla's beach virtually empty but with sunbeds already claimed by strategically placed towels. The video's author noted: "The rental companies even replaced the towels after strong winds had blown them away".

Cala Agulla is surrounded by numerous hotels, so local media suggests that these early-morning reservations are primarily being made by tourists. (Image: Getty)

Cala Agulla is surrounded by numerous hotels, so local media suggests that these early-morning reservations are primarily being made by tourists. Another resident confirms this is no longer an isolated incident, with such behaviour becoming increasingly frequent during high season.

While this controversial practice is thought to have been limited to hotel pools - with many videos going viral showing guests rushing for the best beds as soon as the pool doors are opened - the habit is clearly now becoming commonplace on these popular holiday islands' beaches, too.

Indeed, last summer, similar incidents were reported at Playa de Palma's Balneario 10, where sunbeds and parasols were regularly claimed before sunrise.

While this controversial practice is thought to have been limited to hotel pools, the habit is clearly now becoming commonplace on beaches, too. (Image: Getty)

This latest incident comes just over a week after a British couple holidaying in the popular resort town of Salou, near Barcelona, were involved in a spot of bother. Jo and Martin were staying at the four-star, £140-per-night H10 Salauris Palace when they were hit with stern warning cards on their towels after leaving their sunbeds for half an hour. The holidaymakers were outraged as they claimed other hotel guests had left their spots unattended for two hours with no consequence. The livid couple took to TikTok in a now-viral video to slam the note as “Two Tier sun bed policing”.

Meanwhile, last month, a group of Brits caught holidaymakers sneaking out to secure sunbeds at 2am at a hotel near Magaluf in Majorca, but devised a clever solution to foil their plan. Mandy Boyd, 34, from South Wales, was staying at Aquasol Aparthotel and was sitting on her balcony when she spotted some men attempting to secure sunbeds in the middle of the night, despite the fact that the pool did not open until 9am that morning.

Accompanied by her friend Sally Willows, Ms Boyd went to the pool and quickly snatched the towels.

"I hate it when people reserve sunbeds and don’t use them all day. I just find it really inconsiderate," she told Luxury Travel Daily. “It was shocking to see them reserving beds at 2am, especially when there was zero chance of those lads being up to enjoy them.