Tropical Deluxe Princess
Tropical Deluxe Princess is one of Punta Cana's better value plays for families: a beachfront resort on Playa Bávaro with 310 rooms, 124 of them family rooms, a palm-grove setting and a full Princess complex around it. Your wristband reaches well beyond your own hotel. The restaurants, pools and club house of Caribe Deluxe Princess next door are open to you, and the Avalon Casino and Legacy disco at the Grand Bávaro Princess entrance are a free shuttle away. The family suite layouts, with bunk beds and a second bathroom, are what keep parents coming back.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +Five included a la carte dinners on site (Italian at La Tagliata, Asian/teppanyaki, Tex-Mex at Nopal, Dominican at El Pilón and Brazilian at Fogo), plus the Higüero buffet, and the Caribe Deluxe Princess restaurants next door are open to you too
- +Built for families: 124 of the 310 rooms are Family rooms, and the suite layouts with bunk beds and a second bathroom are some of the most practical in Bávaro for parents with two or three kids
- +Beachfront on Playa Bávaro (locals call this stretch Arena Blanca), wide white sand with calm water most of the year
- +Separate programs by age: a Mini Club for 4 to 12, a dedicated club for 13 to 17 with video games and table soccer, and an evening kids show in the Princess Theater
- +The Princess Avalon Casino (7pm to 5am, 18+) and the Legacy disco sit at the Grand Bávaro Princess entrance with free transport, so nightlife is on the complex without a taxi
- +More included sport than most at this price: tennis, pickleball, mini-golf, archery, beach soccer, yoga, kayaks, catamarans and snorkel gear, plus one free intro scuba lesson in the pool per stay
- +Kanalla Sports Bar serves food around the clock, so late-night snacks are never a problem
Cons
- −The grounds are spread out and the internal tram runs only from 7am to midnight, so after a late show or the disco you are walking back
- −Mosquitoes and sand fleas are a recurring complaint around the lush, palm-grove grounds at dusk; pack repellent
- −Some room blocks have reported musty bathrooms and mold; housekeeping deals with it when flagged, but humidity is a known issue in older blocks
- −Sargassum lands on Bávaro beaches in the warmer months, roughly May to September, and day-to-day cleanup is uneven
- −Most a la cartes require a reservation and popular ones fill fast, so book your nights as soon as you check in
- −La Cava (gourmet) and Mediterráneo are not part of the standard plan; they are reserved for VIP Deluxe and suite guests
- −Included Wi-Fi is basic, and the resort's own all-inclusive sheet promises it only in the lobby, so do not count on streaming from the room
- −Premium-brand drinks, the spa, motorized water sports and the sports-bar arcade all cost extra
Dining covers more ground than the price suggests. You get the Higüero buffet, five included a la cartes (La Tagliata Italian, Asian/teppanyaki, Nopal Tex-Mex, El Pilón Dominican and Fogo Brazilian), a creperie, an ice-cream counter, the Beach House snack bar and a 24-hour sports bar, plus the Caribe Deluxe venues. Reservations are required for the a la cartes, so plan ahead. La Cava and Mediterráneo are kept for VIP Deluxe and suite guests. The three pools split neatly into a kids' pool, an adults' pool and the shared Caribe Deluxe pools. Downsides are the ones traveler forums keep raising: spread-out grounds served by a tram that stops at midnight, bugs at dusk, the odd musty bathroom and seasonal sargassum.
This is the pick for budget-minded families who want beach, pools, kids and teen clubs, a la carte variety and a casino all in one complex without paying for a premium brand. It competes with Barceló Bávaro Grand, Iberostar Selection Bávaro and Grand Bahia Principe Bávaro and wins mainly on family room layouts and the reach of the shared Princess facilities. The airport is about 25 km away, and Saona Island catamaran trips and Altos de Chavón are the classic days out.
Common Questions
Which Princess facilities can Tropical Deluxe guests use?
How do the a la carte restaurants work?
How serious are the mosquitoes and insects?
Is the beach good, and how bad is the seaweed?
How does getting around the resort work?
What day trips are worth doing?
Restaurants (8)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Buffet | Higüero Restaurant |
| Mexican | Tex Mex Restaurant Nopal |
| Italian | La Tagliata Restaurant |
| Asian | Asian Restaurant |
| Seafood | Mediterráneo Restaurant (extra charge, at Caribe Deluxe Princess) |
| Caribbean & local | Dominican Restaurant El Pilón |
| Brazilian churrascaria | Fogo Restaurant |
| International & fusion | Gourmet Restaurant La Cava (extra charge, at Caribe Deluxe Princess) |
From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. Venues marked "extra charge" are not covered by the all-inclusive rate; the others are, per the resort.
What's nearby
Bávaro Beach20 min drive · 5.5 mi
Macao Beach25 min drive · 12 mi
Cap Cana Marina35 min drive · 19 mi
40 min drive · 22 mi
More things to do (21)
- Playa Blanca · beach30 min drive · 16 mi
- Juanillo Beach · beach35 min drive · 19 mi
- Scape Park · adventure park40 min drive · 22 mi
- Punta Espada Golf Club · golf40 min drive · 22 mi
- Higüey · town55 min drive · 26 mi
- Arena Gorda Beach · beach9 min drive · 2.4 mi
- Los Corales · town8 min drive · 2.6 mi
- White Sands Golf Course · golf4 min drive · 1.2 mi
- Iberostar Bávaro Golf Club · golf11 min drive · 4.3 mi
- Cocotal Golf & Country Club · golf13 min drive · 5.7 mi
- Cana Bay Golf Club · golf14 min drive · 5.8 mi
- Vista Cana Golf Club · golf20 min drive · 7.7 mi
- Catalonia Caribe Golf Club · golf20 min drive · 10 mi
- Barceló Bávaro Golf · golf25 min drive · 6.0 mi
- Dolphin Explorer · adventure park25 min drive · 12 mi
- Dolphin Island Park · adventure park30 min drive · 6.6 mi
- Indigenous Eyes Ecological Park · nature30 min drive · 17 mi
- Deep-sea fishing charter · excursion35 min drive · 19 mi
- Hoyo Claro · cenote45 min drive · 22 mi
- Cabo Engaño Beach · beach45 min drive · 14 mi
- Basilica of Our Lady of Altagracia, Higüey · historic site55 min drive · 27 mi
Amenities
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Style & Rooms
Room upgrades
Seaweed & sargassum
Punta Cana gets sargassum, typically worst May through August.See the month-by-month guide →Google Reviews★ 4.5 · 5,070 reviews
“Had great time. Lots of fun with Flavio activity. Food very good. Lots of variety for every taste. Caroline kept our room very clean. Beautiful 😍 resort. Beautiful pools nice area for kids. Beautiful beach. Had late flight and late pick up. Was able...”
“We recently stayed at this resort and overall had a lovely experience. The property is very clean, nicely renovated, and family-friendly, making it a great choice for a relaxing getaway. The atmosphere is quiet and peaceful, which we really appreciat...”
