De Heeren @ sea — Restaurant in Curaçao

Down from 5 to 2 stars. This time the manager was at the entrance with the reservation list. We confirmed that we had a reservation, but he told us we were not on the list. My girlfriend sat down on a bench to look in her bag for her phone to prove the reservation, but the manager turned away to walk us to a table at a pilar which my seat was looking right into, giving my girlfriend the feeling as if he thought she made up the reservation. At the time the waitress came, my girlfriend had found her phone with the Facebook Messenger conversation confirming our reservation at a table in the beachy sand. The waitress went to the manager and after showed us to a table on the sand. If this table was available, then why weren't we seated there in the first place? Of course, one would expect the manager to come up to us in the course of the evening to offer apologies for the lost reservation and the inconvenience, but though he passed our table frequently and talked with other guests, he has ignored us completely. As we announced in our reservation, we ordered the promoted Valentines special for two which was to include two glasses of prosecco. However, after quite a wait, the dishes were served without the prosecco. We asked the waiter, who turned out not to be aware of that promotion, but he went to ask and returned with the prosecco. Later on we observed new guests at a table next to us being served the same, but again without the prosecco. As for the selection of dishes, the fish filet one had a black burned skin. At the other table next to us we overheard and could observe the complaint about a beef tenderloin served completely rare except for the outside. Our native Curaçao waiter recognized us immediately from our previous visit months ago, which is a great treat when serving so many people all the time. This night he was a busy man as all tables were occupied. Nevertheless, he had his usual moment of smile and friendly word of attention at each table frequently; hats off. A man who understands his work and hospitality even when he needs to rush. It is then strange to see the manager micromanaging during the evening to a level directing the waiter and after that the waiter had thoroughly cleaned a table with a cloth the manager coming up, getting a cloth and do it again. As the waiter, the other personnel serving and recollecting the dishes were doing fine too, Curaçao natives as well. Overall it was easy to see that the whole was understaffed for the number of guests present, likely causing the dishes that failed or the kitchen under equipped and not the chef to blame. Altogether an evening filled with observing management failures. I am sure that there are native Curaçaoans capable of doing a better management job than this fellow Dutchman.

Great seaside terrace. Part of it in the sand. We thoroughly enjoyed our time, food and...

We were excited to go here. But the minute we entered the place, the instantly unfriendly and cocky Dutch manager didn't even look us in the eye when he came up to us with the list of reservations and asked us if he could help us. We booked reservations a day before so it was not a surprise we were coming to the restaurant that night. Though we were placed at a table for four persons in the back of the restaurant because "they had no table for two" anymore. Fair enough. Until we were awaiting our dessert we were all of a sudden "friendly requested" to move to another table (behind a massive pillar that blocks sea view) because a party of four had just spontaniously entered the restaurant. He could've at least let the party know that we were awaiting our dessert and might leave in awhile and offer them a place at the bar until we had finished our time at the table. He decided otherwise. In the restaurants we quite often visit in Amsterdam, you won't be moved in the middle of dinner and if they do, they offer you a glass of something for the hassle. At least, that's what I would do if I were a manager of a restaurant. You would expect the manager to offer apologies for the inconvenience, but he has ignored us every time he passed our table. While having cozy conversations with other guests.

The food was nice. Bit copied from Loetje in The Netherlands but that should not ruin the day. The people serving us did a great job. The Dutch manager though..... never seen a person manage a place so badly, uninterested and unfriendly.

If I were the owner, I'd immediately find replacement. We won't return until...

Bad Experience at Heeren @ Sea Curaçao

Unfortunately, my recent visit to Heeren @ Sea Curaçao was a major disappointment. Despite the beautiful surroundings, that turned out to be the only positive aspect of the evening. The service was uninterested and rude, making the experience unpleasant from the start.

We ordered the seafood platter to share, but what was placed on the table defied all expectations. A platter full of disappointments: dry white pasta, dry white rice, dry bread, and dry shrimp – all completely flavorless. When the waitress placed the platter down without explaining what was on it, I already found that strange. The tuna steak was tasteless, and the shrimp soup and fish curry were unbearably salty. We barely ate anything.

After some hesitation, I called the waitress to express our dissatisfaction. Her response was downright irritated, as if it was our fault that the food was inedible. She brought the manager, who was also far from friendly. Instead of showing any understanding, he childishly pointed to each item on the platter and asked if I didn’t like this or that. I could hardly believe he was doing that. He suggested splitting the bill, but I just wanted to leave. In the end, only the waitress returned to settle the drinks, without the manager bothering to come back.

In a decent restaurant, a complaint like this would be taken seriously with an attitude of "How unfortunate, how can we fix this?" But at Heeren @ Sea, customer satisfaction doesn’t seem to be a priority. (Too spoiled by all...