A BRIT tourist was left fuming after TikTokers swiped bed towels from a sun lounger she had been given permission to reserve due to her disability.
Wheelchair user Elaine Simpson, 77, from Manchester, was staying at the Aquasol Aparthotel near Magaluf with her family to mark her 51st wedding anniversary.
But her plans to enjoy the special day by the poolside were ruined after a group of friends nabbed the towels they had used to save their spaces at the permission of hotel staff.
Elaine was joined for the trip by her husband and teenage grandkids for a week’s break in the sun.
But when they arrived, she was put into a hotel room that was five floors up and as far from the pool as they could have been.
Because she suffers from chronic arthritis and is in a wheelchair, this made it a challenge to claim a hotel sun bed at opening time.
She told the Sun: “We could never have made it down for 9am to get a sunbed.
“So we went out to the beach and paid for sunbeds for the whole week.”
Her anniversary came towards the end of their trip – and she wanted to have one day of being able to enjoy the poolside at the hotel.
So she asked reception if they could make an exception to hotel rules and let her reserve a sun bed for that day.
“I went to the man on reception and explained the situation,” she said.
“And he said ‘you have my approval to reserve some sunbeds around the pool’.”
Her teenage grandsons dutifully laid out fresh towels on the sun beds that night so they could save spots for the whole family.
But when they arrived in the morning, the towels had been taken and they were once again left without a space – spoiling the relaxing poolside day they had planned.
“The only thing that was available apart from that was white plastic chairs, she added. “They were too hard. And I can’t lie down on the grass, I’ve got chronic arthritis.”
To start with, they were told it had likely been a lifeguard who removed the towels in error.
But it later transpired that a group of friends, who were unaware an exception was made for the family, had taken the towels.
They had shared a video on TikTok of the lads putting down the towels – who the friends had assumed were tourists attempting to get ahead of the morning rush.
The TikTok shows them sneaking down in the dead of night to swipe the towels in what was painted as an act of justice against queue jumpers.
Comments on the video lambasted the family for what was perceived as an inconsiderate act of breaking the hotel rules.
Elaine told the Sun: “It was vile. My grandsons are 13 and 15, they had no right to post any pictures of them.
“They were just trying to look out for me.
“They’ve not right to do that without checking the facts.
“What somebody saw, and the truth, are completely different.”
Elaine said her daughter has since made contact with the TikToker who posted the original video, who apologised profusely for the confusion and took the clip down.
But she added that the experience hasn’t entirely soured their trip.
They plan to go back to the same hotel next August, and hope to arrange a more wheelchair friendly room with staff.
