HOLIDAY HORROR
I’m a proud holiday horror mum who races to nab 23 sunbeds at dawn – I paid for my all-inclusive so I’ll do what I want
Scroll down to find out how other guests react to Jennie's behaviour
ALARM beeping, Jennie Rees jumps out of bed, grabs her belongings and makes a beeline for the hotel lifts.
It’s 5.30am but the mum of two is not rushing to catch an early-morning shuttle bus to the airport.
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She is heading poolside to bag TWENTY THREE sun loungers.
She may have bed hair, and PJs askew, but doesn’t care.
With great care, she puts towel after towel on the sunbeds of her choice.
The normally calm mum then adds books, bags, floats and kids’ toys to give her loungers a “lived in” look.
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Satisfied she has scored the ones with the best views of the pool, she returns to bed.
She says: “My holiday mornings start with ‘shotgunning’ sunbeds while other guests are snoring.
“I am proof of the saying, ‘You snooze, you lose’.”
Jennie, 46, a hospice catering manager who lives with fiancé Dan Harris, 49, an IT consultant, and her children Mollie, 18, and Harry, 14, in Milton Keynes, is not embarrassed by her actions.
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Far from it.
She says: “I am proud I get up before sunrise to gain pole position at the pool.
“The most sunbeds I have nabbed is 23.
“Last year we had extended family with us and I ensured we all had a premium poolside view.
“I don’t care if I get called a ‘mum behaving badly’.”
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And this isn’t the only cringe-making action Jennie indulges in.
She says: “I take my Bluetooth speakers to the pool for a personal party.
“I am sure some people get annoyed, but you don’t go to an all-inclusive family holiday resort and expect it to be totally quiet.”
Jennie, who loves holidaying in Greece, Spain, Egypt and Turkey, justifies her behaviour by saying it is only once a year and that in the UK she acts responsibly.
She says: “I save all year for our holiday so want a bit of fun, and don’t do anything illegal.
“As a holiday-loving mum, I make sure me, Dan and the kids get value for money and have a VIP break.”
And she is not alone in wanting to let rip on a sunshine break.
A survey by law firm JMW found 36 per cent of Brits take more risks when abroad, because they are “away from it all”.
Jennie and Dan fork out around £6,000 each August to treat themselves and the kids to a five-star, all-inclusive family break.
She says: “As soon as I get home from our annual holiday I start saving for the next one.”
And after shelling out so much for her fortnight in the sun, the hard-working mum resents having to follow the other holidaymakers’ “unspoken rules”.
'A HOLIDAY, NOT A NUNNERY'
She says: “If it’s an all-inclusive resort, don’t complain if my family is making noise, yelling, enjoying music, splashing and hogging sun loungers.
“It’s a holiday, not a nunnery.
“Besides, if you offend someone, it’s not likely you’ll bump into them on the school run.
“Seven years ago, we did get a note put under our door asking us ‘politely’ to stop making so much noise, and to be aware of other guests.
“We were with a group of 25 people so quite loud.
“But unless you do get a note complaining, anything goes.”
Jennie goes into holiday mode as soon as she gets to the airport in the UK.
She says: “We add lounge access when we book.
“You get all you can eat.
“When the kids go through customs, I grab extra plastic bags designed for dangerous liquids and stuff them full of pastries and free sandwiches to eat later while on the plane.
“I get horrified looks from posh travellers but don’t care.
“I want value for money.
“The kids used to be embarrassed, but now it’s second nature.
“Dan is on board, too, and it is a double act.”
But it’s on the plane where she casts off all cares.
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She says: “My shoes come off and I wander around the cabin with bare feet.
“I even go to the loo without shoes.
“People look shocked and some stick up their noses, assuming my feet pong. But they don’t.”
There is another in-air no-no she is guilty of, too.
She admits: “I recline my seat the moment the seatbelt light goes off.
“It doesn’t bother me, even if the person behind us bangs the back or grumbles.
“People who say it’s not polite to recline plane seats are bonkers.
“If plane seats recline, why not make them do that?
“I paid for it and I’ll enjoy it.”
But not everyone sees things the same way as Jennie when it comes to aeroplane etiquette.
A study by data collection agency Statista found that reclining your seat is the No1 in-flight annoyance, followed by smelly passengers and parents who let kids run riot.
Upon arrival at her destination, Jennie has a sneaky trick for getting what she wants at all times.
She says: “At the resort, the first thing Dan and I do is work out which pool attendants and resort staff can help us, then I tip them.
“If you tip cash at the start, the key managers look the other way when you move sunbeds, or if the kids start causing chaos.
“And they will help you with those little extras to make your stay extra-VIP.”
Jennie also makes sure she studies the layout of the resort so she knows the quickest way to the pool for her pre-dawn sunbed raids — and how to get best access to the restaurant.
'DO WHAT YOU WANT'
She says: “I really hate queueing, so always plan our food assault for the very start of mealtimes, or towards the end.
“I find out, by watching and talking to waiters, when the food gets replenished and we can feast.”
But healthy eating for the family is not high on Jennie's agenda while on holiday.
She says: “I tell the kids: ‘Drink Coke all day, or eat ice cream for every meal.
“It’s your holiday, do what you want.’
“I do love chips for breakfast and will usually make a huge chip butty.
“Some people are horrified that I am not nibbling on fruit salad, but I can’t go to a resort that doesn’t have chips for breakfast.”
Jennie also comes fully prepared for her sunbed raids.
She says: “I bought a towel on Amazon which is white and has ‘RESERVED’ down the middle.
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“It looks like a VIP towel and works a treat.
“People assume that we must be a celeb family.”
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