Swim-up bars conjure images of overwater bungalows. The reality is less glamorous. Photo / Scott Webb, Unsplash
Swim-up bars conjure images of overwater bungalows. The reality is less glamorous. Photo / Scott Webb, Unsplash
Swim-up bars are an exotic travel trend that belong in the same luxurious bracket as overwater bungalows. The adult paddling pools are enjoying something of a purple patch and you'll find them from Bora Bora to Taupo.
A beachy, immersive experience for holidaymakers who want to maximise bathing andbeverage time - one can see the appeal. However, it's worth not looking too deeply.
A Canadian travel and food blogger, Hayley, has published a warning to users of swim-up bars via her TikTok, Two Food Piggies. Watching visitors luxuriate for hours on end, she noticed that nobody appeared to be leaving the water.
"Vacation pro-trip," the blogger told her TikTok followership. "Do not hang out in the pool where the swim-up bar is."
While on holiday in Riu Baja, California, she took the opportunity to ask guests what they do, if they need to go to the loo. The answer shocked her.
"One girl didn't understand why some people were leaving the pool to use the washroom."
Many guests were openly admitting they pee in the pool rather than lose their place by the bar.
"People sit there for four to six hours without leaving and consuming alcoholic beverages," she said. "They want to save their spot at that pool there."
Tiktoker Two Food Piggies revealed her gross realisation about the swim-up bar fad. Photo / Screenshot, @twofoodpiggies
The video, which has attracted 4.4 million views, divided swimmers.
While some were horrified by the unabashed admission of bathers, other viewers readily admitted they do the same.
One person wrote "The amount of people admitting peeing in a pool in this comment section disgusts me."
