We enjoyed our vacation very much - a lot more than I had expected. We travelled with a family of 12, ages from 3 months old to 60 years and we had a wonderful time. Lifestyles is a large complex of hotels, timeshares and villas at various levels of comfort and luxury, catering to a variety of types of experiences.
The area and the resort in particular are beautiful and well organized to provide a comfortable and satisfying vacation experience on all levels. At the same time, you are vacationing in a developing economy, the Dominican Republic, therefore you will encounter occasional things such as power failures, plumbing problem, and facility maintenance issues.
Puerto Plata is a well developed tourist region that seems economically advanced, clean, with wide roads, modern facilities and a gentrified historic area. There is so much to do and lifestyles resort is a fantastic base to explore the area. The resort is a sprawling conglomeration of buildings, winding stairs,terraces, alleys, pools that flow into each other, restaurants and beach clubs, set into the hillside, before the backdrop of a beautiful mountain scenery. There was something for everyone, from beach time or excursions, to spa time and resort entertainment or just relaxing and looking at the waves lapping on the beach . We did not have any problem with the sales people for the membership program. We told them gently a few times that we were here to relax, not buy into anything. They left us alone. We met various members/owners though, who are very happy with their ownership and ready to tell us all about it, so, if interested, one could always get the information that way. I would say, don’t be too afraid of the sales people, it’s their job to go after you, but you can talk to them and they will move on to the next prospects.
Why I would return: The resort has something for everyone and a great mix of Dominican and foreign guests of all ages and backgrounds. This feels very inclusive and mostly harmonious. The excursions organized by lifestyles are well organized. There are so many options that in a week you can only do some of them. As grandparents, we really enjoyed taking our grandkids to Ocean World, where we watched them interact with dolphins, sea lions and parrots. What a clean and modern facility! And it has certification under the American Humane Conservation program ( the first facility in the region) ! Some of our family members who went to the 27 waterfalls. They said it was the best excursion they had ever been too, although physically strenuous and not for the faint of heart. Other family members really enjoyed horseback riding on the beach and a wonderful day trip to Paradise Island. We explored Puerto Plata via taxi. The cable car ride was wonderful, again with modern, clean facilities and the views up on the mountain were out of this world. The Fortalesa San Felipe is a wonderful historic place to explore. It is a good starting point to learn about the colonial history of the Dominican Republic. The place could be right out of a pirate movie.
In between all this fun, we spent a lot of time at the beautiful VIP beach club in the lovely cabanas. It’s like having your own house on the beach. There are a lot of cabanas in a small space, but other than a few spring breakers, the guests were discreet and so quiet that it did not feel crowded. Everyone just wanted to relax. The beach is nice- not spectacular, but very pretty. There are probably no not-nice beaches in the DR. Confresi a crescent shaped bay rising into hills that are splattered with red roofed white villas on the left , and a small green covered cliff on the right. On the left, the water is wavier. This is where some surfing was happening. On the right, the water is quiet and people were snorkelling. We brought our grandkids ages 3 months to 4 years old to swim in that spot and they liked it. The water looked clean, blue-green in colour and the sand is beige. We saw only a little bit of seaweed one day. Other than on the weekend, there was hardly anyone on the beach, as most people spend their time in the beach clubs above. The beach is long enough for a good morning or afternoon walk.
The Royal Suites units are set around a beautiful, well maintained pool area with a bar. The time share units are very nice, spacious and decorated in a bold black/white/beige colonial style, in accordance with the historic ambience of Puerto Plata. The bathrooms are tiled floor to ceiling, the showers are walk-in with glass doors. Our kitchen was modern with euro style cupboards, granite counters, stainless steel appliances and a range hood. Other than for morning coffee, we didn’t use the kitchen though, as all inclusive is mandatory for Interval members. We were with a family group, in three units, spread around the pool area. We loved having our own space and then getting together for meals. Most of us are well travelled and some have a well developed culinary palate. Those who don’t, like the 4 year old, enjoyed the section of pizza’s and burgers, while the rest of us could find what our heart desired. The chefs in this resort really know how to prepare meat and fish. The meat was always tender and well spiced, the fish was very tasty, Dorada, mahi mahi, red snapper, calamari - all of it tender and well seasoned. There is a barbecue station, and then there is a large variety of many excellent dishes to choose from, with lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. The smoothies and green juice were awesome for breakfast. Everyone in the family was pleased with the food - buffet, à la carte restaurants and snacks at the beach bar. The three à la carte dinners that we had were very enjoyable. I thought the Dominican food at ElPilon was the best. The goat stew had tender meat that was mild in flavour. Those who had the fish absolutely loved it. While the deserts at the buffet are a bit repetitive, the deserts at the à la carte restaurants were interesting . We had corn pudding and sweet beans at the Dominican Restaurant. The Indochine restaurant was surprisingly less “white washed “ than we expected, at least a lot less than it would have been back home in Canada. But then, it was probably Dominican -Asian. We found it exciting and different. The Miso soup was strong and hearty. The Mexican restaurant also seemed quite Mexican, and properly spiced their dishes with lots of heat. The best part was the Mariachi singer. Everyone got up and danced to classics such as “Volver,Volver” and “Guadalajara”. What a fun night for the whole family! We are not big drinkers, but we tried out a variety of drinks at various bars, some with more and some with less alcohol. With thought it was good. We enjoyed Proseccos together in the beach cabanas and cream topped ice café in the afternoon.
Within the resort there was something to do for everyone, the 1 and 1/2 year old loved meeting « Peppa Pig » and other costumed characters , as well as jumping in the bouncy castle . The four year old loved jumping in the ball bin and scaling the climbing wall. There was a bubble party as well. The Royal suites pool area has a children’s pool that allowed them to touch bottom, which was nice. The baby was always safe in the shade, thanks to the beach cabanas. The younger adults liked the live music at night and some of us enjoyed visits to the Spa. The therapists are fully licensed, which allows many Canadians to use their insurance.
The staff at the resort are great. They are dedicated and hardworking. Our timeshare was very clean and was done up everyday. Our family members with babies were able to have some of their laundry done. The staff seem happy and healthy. Many of them have been working there for many, many years. I am not sure how the all inclusive things works, but the system does seem to take into account that the guests give tips. This makes it a bit complicated, if you don’t have small change. It’s probably best to have wads of 100 pesos or 2 dollar bills. At the beach cabanas, we gave a bit more because the workers often strip the whole mattress and cover everything in fresh towels, which is a huge endeavour.
Lifestyles resort is quite high density, but the good thing is that anything you need is handy. We needed to go to the pharmacy twice and even had a quick consult with a doctor about a cut on a toe. All was nearby and only took a few minutes. My husbands suitcase was lost and didn’t arrive until 3 days later. It only took a few minutes to go the store across the street to get everything he needed.
Why I would hesitate to return:
Off and on there was a sewage smell, sometimes less, sometimes strong . It was the worst in the Confresi area. We saw exposed pipes in a ditch that didn’t look too new. Sadly, we also smelled it once or twice down at the beach. The water always looked clean, but this was concerning. A couple of times a cloud of smell got caught between the Royal suites over the pool area, which was not pleasant. This is a very high density resort built with European/ North American interests, set into a spectacular and ecologically sensitive area, in a developing country. Yet, they seem to have a leaky waste management system.
In general the facility management seems to be in arrears. The walkways are old, crooked, stamped concrete with peeling paint. The workers have to scrub some areas with brooms every day, but it does not do much to improve the impression. The least maybe could be to pressure wash and paint or best replace all of them. The Csomopolitan buffet restaurant, with new flooring would look amazing and would do much better justice to the good food that is served there. The Tropical lobby needs to be painted badly and needs new flooring. It’s quite a let down when you arrive and it is not indicative of the actual great experience you will have at the resort. The Confresi has a gorgeous lobby, but there the pools need resurfacing.
We were also a little but put off by the evening show. The Dominican dancers were dancing their hearts out for a crowd of visitors that seemed to thoroughly enjoy the tiny bikinis on the girls, adorned with just a few feathers on the back…It would be nice if this was a tad more egalitarian and sensitive towards the experience of the colonial history.
This is an all inclusive and there are some guests who will drink their money’s worth. These are very few and far in between, but when it happens, it’s unpleasant.This kind of attention drawing behaviour, the F-word every second sentence, shirtless stumbling and spilling of drinks, is very gently and ineffectively discouraged but the Dominican staff, who did not seem to be able to put the drunk guest into line. Some guests at the Royal Suites put their personal speaker with loud music in the common pool area, even when they weren’t in their Condo. Guests didn’t like it, but there was no one to talk to.
Lastly, something might have to be done about the excessive use of disposable water bottles. Many guests bring their own reusable water bottles, but there are not enough places with drinking water where one could refill them.
Overall it was the perfect place for a vacation with a large family group. The resort made all the individuals in the group happy and allowed us to spend worry free time together. It’s a busy place that has all the conveniences, but if you are looking for a more curated, personal or tranquil experience, you might have to look a little harder to find that there.
I want to thank Elena Carvetta for making my stay one of the best. You took care of everything my transportation from and to the airport. My one bedroom apartment was very nice anything I needed they took care of. I loved having my own golf cart as well. I want to thank you Elena for everything. I'm booking with you again. I recommend if going to Dominican Republic look up Elena Carvetta she will take very good care of you.❤️
This all-inclusive resort is focused on building new residences, while the current ones are in various states of disrepair. We had no water in the evening due to leaking water tank. They have an army of staff trained to treat you differently based on the color of your wrist band. Not a member/owner? You are blocked from restaurants, beaches, golf carts and services no matter how much you pay. You will pay for wi-fi in your unit, per device. No beach to relax on. The beach chairs are all up on a very high seawall. We all got sick eating at the buffet. Can' think of a reason to go back, except for Maria, our housekeeper who was very hardworking!
