Drinking beer in the pool or hot tub - Declasse? Rude? Acceptable?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I saw two instances of this, once over the past weekend, and once last year. In both cases this was in a low-end hotel with a swimming pool and hot tub.

  1. The hot tub was big enough to fit maybe 8-10 people. A bunch of young European men were crowding it, and most of them had cans of beer. Every now and then one of them would get up and get a couple more beers. Apparently they brought a cooler. Everyone else in the tub seemed pretty annoyed by them. It didn’t help that they were loud and boisterous, and seemed unconcerned that there were other people there.

  2. A guy pops open a can of beer, then wades into the pool and tosses around a ball with one of his kids. His other family members were drinking pool-side. They too brought a cooler. At one point I saw the guy empty the can into the pool – maybe a few tablespoons of liquid. It was most likely pool water.

For some reason, this really bothers me, but I can’t figure out why. I’m pretty sure it’s not illegal, but it strikes me as a bit bizarre and a little rude.

I will note that in the second case, the posted rules stated that there should be no food or drink in the pool area. But a continental breakfast is served there every morning. And this family, at night, took up about half of the tables with empty pizza boxes and juice boxes. As of yesterday morning, the food and drink rule had been crossed off of the sign.

Am I alone in not liking this behavior?

2

Hotel pool? Very rude.

Private pool? Up to the owner.

3

Because the stick up your ass has a stick up its ass. That doesn’t excuse messes or actual rudeness, but you seem to be hung up on the beer-drinking itself.

4

I don’t see a big problem with it as long as you aren’t making a mess. What do you expect at a low end hotel pool?

5

So, what are you supposed to do in a pool or hot tub that has a swim-up bar?

I can tell you what I usually do - order a drink.

6

I’ve never been to one of those, so I don’t have a context for that.

The thing is, if it were a patio, I wouldn’t think twice about it. And this was the closest thing there was to a patio. But somehow the combination of pool and alcohol seems reall incongruent to me. Except on a cruise ship. :slight_smile:

7

Huh? I’ve stayed at hotels for the sole purpose of sitting by the pool and enjoying a beer or a cocktail. Poolside bars are far from rare, and I’ve stayed at places without poolside bars that are more than happy to let you bring your own beverages in. At most, they say “no glass.”

Even the young European guys… if they were silly drunk and causing problems, that’s one thing. If they were just a group of guys being young guys having fun in the hot tub and happened to have some beers with them, then I don’t see the problem. Yeah, it can be annoying if you were looking for a long, relaxing soak in the hot tub, but in a public pool you can’t always choose the mood you want.

8

If I see an adult drinking alcohol in any body of water, 100% of the time I’ll assume they’re peeing in said body of water as well.

ETA: As long as we’re on the subject let me just mention my buddy’s wife was drinking wine w/ her friend in a hot tob. The friend went in for just a minute, came back and she’d gone underwater. They got her to a hospital quick enough to save her but she never left a care facility for the next couple of years. Then she passed, all of 43 years old. So if you’re drinkin’ in a tub, for pete’s sake BE CAREFUL!

9

Oh, please. Some of us are capable of having a beer or two without losing control of our bodily functions.

10

Blush in the Spring
White wine in the Summer
Rosé in the Fall
Red in the Winter
Beer on the couch

11

I can’t imagine wanting to hang out in a pool where I couldn’t have a drink. The two go hand in hand. Most hotels I’ve stayed in recently have poolside service to bring the drinks to you… I guess it’s declasse if you have to bring your own.

12

You are nuts. These people are in a place designed for relaxation while on vacation. It is a completely appropriate time and place to drink a beer.

13

I’m surprised that it is even legal to bring an alcoholic beverage to a hotel pool. Obviously I don’t spend much time at hotel pools.

14

Beer and pools go hand in hand! Just look at the last two products at least one of which I won’t be buying! http://mainframereview.com/remote-controlled-beer-cooler-delivers-to-floating-ice-chest-who-then-delivers-to-floating-beer-pong/

Since I already have the remote cooler.

15

Rinsing the beer can out in the pool is pretty crass but nothing wrong with having a beer in/at the pool or hot tub imo.

16

We do it all the time on vacation, except substitute a lava flow or lemonade & vodka for me. Not sure what the issue is.

P.S. No, I don’t pee in the pool or the hot tub. Yuck.

17

I’d be okay with it around the pool area, or even in the water if you stayed near the edge or at the swim-up bar.

That seems a little weird, though. Play with the kids, or sit and drink, but not both. Don’t spill your drink into the pool I’m swimming in (or look like you’re careless enough to do so).

And dude, you really need to work on your stealth bragging.

18

Ah, Mr. Arm, you’d be praying for more alcohol in the pool if you knew…

19

I think this is where the disconnect is for me. When I go to the pool, I go to swim, not to stand around. And swimming while drinking sounds like a bad idea for me.

I asked my friend that I went to situation 1 with. She seems to remember the European guys getting kicked out because of their drinking.

20

One of my favorite things is drinking a beer in the hot tub after a day of skiing. Even in the big group tubs common at condos. And I am not alone in this vice. Plunk it right in the snow between sips. 15 degree air, 32 (or less) degree beer and 104 degree water. Ahhhh.