A GERMAN tourist has won a payout after failing to secure a sun lounger despite waking up at 6am to beat fellow holidaymakers.
The father of two reportedly spent 20 minutes each morning trying to find a spot to relax but every space had been reserved with a towel the previous day.
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The hotly coveted sun loungers were already reserved at the crack of dawn Credit: Getty
The man forked out over £6,000 for a family holiday package on the Greek island of Kos Credit: Getty
The hotel and tour operator on the Greek island of Kos refused to take action against the rule-flaunting holidaymakers, leaving the man’s children to lie on the floor.
The man, who has not been named, spent £6,203 (€7,186) on a package holiday in August 2024 with his wife and their two children.
The hotel in which they were staying had rules against guests reserving sun loungers with towels.
But when the family woke up early in the morning, they fell prey to a phenomenon known as “dawn dash” in which every lounger was “taken” – even at 6am.
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The holiday providers ignored the man’s complaints and so the disgruntled tourist took the matter to court in Hanover.
The judges took his side and the man secured a £851.75 (€986.70) refund from the tour operator.
The court found that, though the tour operator did not control the hotel, their holiday package had been “defective” because it had not provided the “character” that the man had a right to expect.
Judges decided they had a duty to ensure a “reasonable” ratio of sunbeds to guests.
A recent poll in Germany found that two in three were against the practice of reserving sunbeds with towels and over one in ten would remove the offending terrycloths.
Despite the stats, a separate survey found that German tourists believe themselves to be the most guilty of committing a “dawn dash” offence.
But a poll of Brit tourists found that they blamed their own nation as the worst for hogging the sunlit spots.
It comes as Greece slapped a ban on the use of sun loungers at over 250 beaches.
The bizarre ruling aims to crackdown on overtourism and preserve wildlife.
Tourists will need to stick to towels to abide by the new ruling if holidaying in the areas included in the National List of Areas of the European Ecological Network Natura 2000.
The holiday trip turned sour when the family failed to secure sun loungers at their hotel Credit: Getty
Every spot had been reserved – leaving the hapless tourists’ children to lie on the floor Credit: Getty
