Tropical Deluxe Princess — Hotel in Higüey

So, the review will be long. And it’s not even 4* hotel. I've been in this hotel for two weeks. 10 days have already passed, and to be honest, I was going to write a more positive review upon returning home. But since even the hotel management was rude, I'm writing a truthful and real one now. The beach. Actually, that's what everyone comes here for. The first three days water was brilliant, it was cleaned twice a day, although there was only a few seaweeds. Are you also thinking "oh, cool" now? But no. All the following days there was a lot of seaweed and they didn't bother about it at all. They clean it once every two or three days, when it starts to stink. Ask the reception about this, of course. But they'll tell you "we didn't know." How it’s possible? On photos you can see further clean beach that doesn’t belongs to this group of hotels! The cleanliness of the beach is also questionable. Even at 7 am, plastic cups, bottles, napkins, cigarette butts are still lying around in the bins. The room. All the rooms are spacious, comfortable. And that's cool. The first two rooms they wanted to put me in stank terribly. The third one seemed fine at first glance. The air conditioner works great. Well done! But it needs to be cleaned and tidied up. After the temperature change in the room, I saw dirty mirrors and remnants of someone else's toothpaste. I wiped everything down myself. But the faucets in the sink and shower... I'll attach a photo. As well as the cobwebs on the sofa. If you need shower gel/shampoo, you'll have to run around. The maids rarely have it with them. Bed linen. I've never seen them in such a state even in three-star hotels. Towels... I asked for extra ones. They are grey from age, shabby and with holes. My friends use towels like these for their dogs when they come in from the garden after the rain. This is disrespect for the guests! Restaurant. The girls at the reception and the supervisors are amazing, friendly. The waiters - it depends on your luck. Some of them know what a smile is. Some turn away and show with their whole appearance how much you annoy them. The rest are neutral. Guys, if you want tips, you should know: they are given for great service, and not for the fact that you came to work (for this you have a salary). Also, get ready to have dinner/lunch with cockroaches. Yes, they crawl around the restaurant. And the kitchen is near. Hygiene, sanitation? No. The waiter just took a napkin from the table, threw off the cockroach and left. Flies on the food, sliced ​​hard cheese melts from the heat. One napkin per person. And if you need another one, look for it yourself or wait 10 minutes. Drinks? Wait until they talk among themselves and decide when to bring them to you. Lobby. Guys, you are the face of the hotel! Try to smile at people. And somehow solve problems, and not repeat "I don't know". The language barrier is terrible. At least the reception should speak English. You are an international resort. And half of your guests are from the USA and Canada. If you hate people so much, maybe you'd like a different job? People come to you, pay you money, and instead of relaxing, they give you contempt and a "leave me alone, figure it out yourself" attitude. Wi-Fi. This is a real quest. It is stated that it is available in the rooms and on the territory and is included in the all-inclusive. NO! In the room it works at different times of the day in different places, on the territory it is the same. It only works in certain places. Dominican vibe and relaxation? Hospitality? No, not about this place. They will treat you as if you came to their home without an invitation and demanded lobster, black caviar and Crystal champagne. Too bad. The hotel has great potential and a beautiful territory. It is obvious that it is looked after. It is a pleasure to walk along it in the morning, afternoon and evening. You just need to understand that people come to you for rest, not stress! We are not going to your home and not for free. We also work to earn money and spend it with you. Try to...

The Tropical Deluxe Princess provides an aesthetically pleasing, mostly relaxing stay but neglects real service and guest experience.

The grounds maintenance was impeccable. There was never a leaf out of place, and birds roam free throughout the resort but you rarely saw any “evidence” of that. The beach was likewise very clean, and safe, with only resort-approved vendors present none of whose were too pushy. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for the vendors and time-share pushers on the ground in the resort. It is not relaxing to be constantly harassed to buy something. In fact I’d say that part of the perk of staying at an all-inclusive is that your purchasing decisions are made in advance and when you arrive you can just “be.” The pristine nature of the grounds does not extend to the inside of the rooms. Though they were certainly well cleaned, our room had a dangerously broken glass table top and wonky lamp, and an air vent which inexplicably fell from the wall on our third day and was never replaced during the remaining four days. We asked for sheets for the trundle bed and blankets three times but never received them. During the first half of our stay we had to access our room while housekeeping was in it because our kids needed sunscreen and swimsuits after breakfast. We went on the balcony so as not to disturb them and she came out to tell us that she’d bring more towels later (there were never enough towels present for our whole family). When she left she locked all of us on the balcony. It was an honest mistake and we don’t fault her for it, but it was difficult for us to reach the front desk to request assistance and the person who was sent just unlocked the door and left without a word (in Spanish or otherwise). In fact no one from the hotel ever apologized to us at all for the incident even though we were locked on a hot balcony with our 1 and 3 year olds for at least 20 minutes. Additionally we asked for sheets for the trundle bed and blankets three times but never received them. The grounds crew, servers, and bartenders all provided great service and were friendly and helpful. The food was good (though a bit under-seasoned) and varied and the drinks were fine though the liquor is clearly watered down. The presence of a cafe and ice cream shop by the lobby was really a nice touch. The wildlife is ever-present but rarely intrusive which was great especially for our children. The staff at reception could not have been less helpful if they tried. There was essentially no information relayed to us at check-in regarding anything (accessing pool towels, restaurant reservation system, kids club access, participation in any scheduled activities, etc.) When I had to utilize the hotel’s onsite clinic for my 1 yo who was fighting a cold, I was told I’d have to bring her to the emergency room before any exam was even given. There is no onsite pharmacy. Though the doctor was able to contact an off-site pharmacy to deliver a nebulizer to the hotel the price relayed was under-quoted by $10 (cash only) and I had to leave my very sick baby asleep in the room while I trekked the mile to the front desk to receive it. It was then the additional $10 was requested which I didn’t have on me and I was escorted to my room to retrieve it. I didn’t even care about paying another $10 but I definitely did not appreciate being intimidated during a time of crisis and emotional distress by the staff who supposedly should care about their guests well-being. Ultimately, the resort is fine, we had a fine time, but the general ethos seems to be to get as much of the guest’s money upfront as you can and forget...

⭐ Review of Caribe Deluxe Princess Resort – Higüey, Dominican Republic 🗓️ Stay: July 16–18, 2025 Our experience at this resort was a mix of excellent service from a few standout staff members and very poor service from others, especially in key guest areas.

🍹 Kanalla Bar Service here was consistently bad, both day and night. One evening, we waited over an hour for a waiter who never came. My cousin ended up clearing the table herself, grabbing a rag from the bar to clean it, just so we could sit comfortably. Our joke that night was that she didn’t get paid for her shift 🤣. Honorable mentions: • Carlos: great cocktails. • Sheiskoky: great waiter, especially after dealing with a rude one we couldn’t even identify by name.

🍽️ Buffet We had mixed experiences here.

Negative highlights: • Stefany: poor attitude. We asked for water and coffee—twice—and she said she would return to the table, but never did. My friend went to get water herself, and Stefany scolded her, saying it had to be brought to the table… which it never was. Later, when I approached to check her name tag to file a complaint, she walked away from me, and once I managed to read her name from afar (I have 20/20 vision), she gave me a hostile look. She continued giving us dirty looks for the rest of our stay.

Positive experiences: • Ivan (manager): professional and responsive. • Ivan’s supervisor: came to our table to address the issue and spoke privately with Stefany. • Flor: amazing waitress. She told us, “It might not be my role to bring coffee, but the guest doesn’t know distribution—they know service, and service comes first.” What a mindset! • Sarah: very attentive at breakfast. • Carlos (chef): deserves a raise! Despite the heat, he chatted with us and made sure my meat was well done just how I like it. • Emilio (lunch waiter): excellent service. • 🏊‍♀️ Swim-Up Bar (Pool 1) • Enrique and Wellington: the best! Friendly, quick, and attentive.

🍷 Nopal Bar / Restaurant • Kenny: gave us the best restaurant service during our stay. When it was difficult to get reservations, he helped us secure two nights. • Carlos and Sheiskoky: again stood out with their service. • Candy: consistently friendly and helpful.

☕ Lobby Café • Candy: excellent customer service.

🎉 Entertainment Staff Absolute A+ team. Energetic, fun, and professional. • Randy (a.k.a. Daddy Yankee): outstanding! He even came to chat with us and helped resolve an issue we had. Thank you!

🍸 Lobby Bar • Luis (Friday mixologist): amazing. My cousin was feeling unwell after a bad meal, and he made her a digestive drink that helped her feel better. Thanks to his care, she was able to enjoy the night.

🧾 Final Thoughts The resort has potential, but service quality is extremely inconsistent. Huge thanks to the staff who made our stay better. As for the rest, we hope management takes action to improve training and guest service. ⭐ Overall Rating: 3/5 🛑 Points lost due to poor service in key areas ✅ Credit to the exceptional employees...