Caribe Resort — Local services in Orange Beach

My family has been coming to the Caribe off and on for 10 years (occasionally alternating with the Turquoise) Overall it’s a decently nice facility with a lot for the kids and adults to do and enjoy. However, in the last few years I have seen a decline in upkeep and care of the grounds. For the amount of money one pays to stay on this property, there are some serious issues that should really be addressed

1. the cleanliness of the pools was AWFUL. Trash would build up underneath the water falls and begin to just float in the water around us. As in even after the pool opened at 8 in the morning like nobody cleaned it at all or not well
2. There are not NEAR enough garbage cans set about the pools and the ONE on the side we sat on each day was overflowing by 11:00/12:00 each day and wouldn’t be changed out or taken down until late afternoon but not before spilling onto the ground
3. why are we chlorinating the indoor pools during open hours between 8AM-11PM?! Why can’t this be done once the pool closes at 11:00 at night by a night time crew so that it all Has time To settle by the next day so that our children aren’t inhaling such harsh fumes and chemicals while trying to enjoy the amenities that we paid for?!
4. trim the shrubbery by the lazy river. Please!!! I cannot tell you how many times I got tangled up in the brush of the overgrown trees and bushes. And the strength of the flow of the water isn’t strong enough to push you out of it fast enough
5. there are broken and missing tiles from the pools EVERYWHERE. Can this not be fixed and replace during “the off season”??? Somebody is going to cut their foot open on the damaged areas and it looks so bad
6. in our condo specifically and I realize this is really on the owner, however, I do think it’s the responsibility of the caribe to make sure the condos have everything the paying guests need to make their stay comfortable and enjoyable…again at these prices. Day 2 of our stay, 2 of our 3 keys stopped working. When my husband went to the desk they ARGUED with him that they were in fact working and everyone in our group watched with our own eyes as the light on the pad turned red and wouldn’t unlock multiple times and therefore wouldn’t let us in. They finally sent someone to change the battery on the pad. The refrigerator on our condo would not make ice or despise water due to a bad filter. Maintenance was called and nothing was done. Also there’s not an ice machine on the floor (or property) that I know of. We had to go buy bags of ice from the marina to keep on hand. The faucet extension leaked and shot water everywhere.
7. this should honestly be #1…AT THESE PRICES, regardless of who you book with, it should be the policy of the Caribe Resort that at least one parking pass should be included in your reservation. We were told at check in that NONE were included and we had to purchase all 3 in addition to what we already paid...

I had an absolutely frustrating and upsetting experience with the security staff during check-in — one that set an incredibly negative tone for my entire stay. Upon arriving at the gate, I politely stated that I was there to check in. Instead of a welcoming or helpful response, I was abruptly told I needed to provide a room number — even though I hadn’t been given one yet. I asked if I could simply give my name, but the woman at the gate dismissively insisted on the room number and told us to turn around and go find it ourselves.

Feeling confused and increasingly irritated, I had to call the front office myself. Thankfully, Brandon was courteous and provided the room number. We then had to wait through the car line again, only to be told by the same guard — after thumbing through a notebook — that the room number I was just given “didn’t exist.” At that point, I was beyond frustrated. It wasn’t until I insisted that Brandon had personally given me that room number that she finally allowed us through.

This entire experience felt unnecessarily hostile, disorganized, and dismissive. I shouldn’t have had to jump through hoops just to check in. It left me feeling unwelcome and disrespected from the very start. Security staff should be trained not only in protocol, but also in basic courtesy and professionalism — neither of which were displayed here.

Updated Review:

I’m deeply disappointed — not just by the original check-in experience, but by the dismissive and blame-shifting tone of the company’s response to my concerns.

The idea that guests should expect confusion or hostility simply because there are "over 600 units on the property" is both unprofessional and unacceptable. It’s not my responsibility as a paying guest to navigate your internal logistics or lack of coordination between departments. I should not be made to feel like an intruder for trying to check in, nor should I be told — after clearly stating my name and purpose — that there’s no way to verify my booking unless I somehow already know a room number.

Let me be clear: the security staff could have looked up my name. Pretending otherwise is either dishonest or an excuse to deflect responsibility. Other resorts — even those with larger footprints — manage to greet guests with courtesy and verify their bookings without issue.

What’s most frustrating is the implication that I was somehow at fault — as if I failed to follow your process, when in reality, your process failed me. The original interaction was unnecessarily rude, and the follow-up response only reinforced the lack of accountability and customer care. I appreciate that Brandon was helpful, but one courteous staff member does not cancel out an otherwise needlessly hostile and disorganized arrival experience.

If your security protocol is so rigid that it prevents basic hospitality, then it needs...

The pools and water slides were great as well as the view. We also had a very nice room. However there are some issues that keep this from being a great beach getaway.

The Elevators are terrible. One side in our building never worked right. It was basically like playing Russian Roulette with the Elevator. You didn't know if it would go up or down - or get stuck (which happened twice to us) or show up at all. I dont mind taking the stairs if Im on the bottom 4 floors or so - but 12 floors up - No thanks! There were no signs posted to let you know if the elevator was working or not - so you never really knew. We gave up and started to use the elevators on the other side of the building, which would have been fine if not for the heavy amount of people who were there for the holiday. 2 of the normal 4 elevators working was just too few for the amount of people in the building.

The room key stopped working twice on our trip. Which would normally be a very minor annoyance until you realize that - you have to ride the elevator back down to get it fixed. Which could take anywhere from 5-15 minutes for one to arrive (a bigger deal than it sounds with 4 children waiting to get in the room). What should be a 5 min round trip to the counter could turn into a 20 minute ordeal.

The Lazy river went down and was in need of repair while we were there.

The motorized back doors that lead to the pool were not working.

There were no sheets left in our room for the foldout bed.

The luggage carts were not located in the parking area - but rather the lobby. Again - not a big deal, until you had to ride or wait for the elevator to take them back up after a grocery store trip.

The beach is not very convenient to get to if you have a large group or lots of small kids. They do offer a trolley service - but you still have to lug all your stuff about 300 or so yards down a boardwalk to actually make it to the beach, then another several hundred feet in the sand to pick out a spot. Also not a big deal - unless you plan on taking a cooler or toys etc for the children to play with.

The overall resort is also beginning to show some age and is in need of some fresh paint, cleaning, and all around maintenance.

Still - it is a great place for kids or families with small children for the pools and water...