This was the best vacation we had in a very long time. It was very relaxing and the staff was outstanding and extremely friendly. My wife and I loved every minute we spend there. The staff went out of their way to make feel special everyday. I am looking forward to going back soon.

The place is amazing. It is enormous. They are expanding and you can notice. Our first time and we went as guests and we had VIP access. If you are a member your experience will be totally different from a "cheapcaribbean" or any other of those websites. However, regardless of your "status" everyone is really friendly. The buffets (open for everyone) are amazing, great quality of food and great staff. The VIP restaurants are superb, specially AZUL! We stay at a Presidential Suite and everything was fine. Some issues with one of the toilets but it was fixed immediately. The pools are amazing. They are everywhere. The beaches for the general public are great however, really crowded and remember that there are people who bought their stay at a very low prices therefore, you may see some "characters". On the other hand, at the exclusive beaches, totally different ambiance and service. There are some exclusive pools too that are quiet and the service excellent. We loved our stay. The VIP Party for Members Only on Saturdays is amazing. The stomach bug is not the location, is the water (I have stayed in different hotels in DR and always had the vowel problem)... stick to bottled water!...At the end of our stay, we bought our membership and please be informed that I said I will NEVER EVER get into any Clubs or timeshares.

We just returned Puerta Plata and the Lifestyles Resort. Our experience was terrible and we are all still sick. First the airfare to the DR is expensive and the accommodations are not cheap so your expectations are high.

We had booked a 6 bedroom villa (for the 11 of us) but upon arriving we were told the villa we had reserved a year ago was not available and they switched into two 3-bedroom villas that were run down and in disrepair. We would have liked to know this before leaving the USA so we could have made a decision as to coming. I believe this was deceptive on their part. Although the bedrooms had a/c the general living area did not and it was hot. The weather switched from torrential rains to very hot. And although they cannot control the weather the tile around the villa was like walking on ice when it rained. Many of us slipped and almost fell. Plus the rain came in under the doors and wet the floors in the bedrooms and the living area which we needed to put towels on to soak up. Also after the rains the rooms were covered by bugs driven in be the rain and it was a mess.

The staff tried to be accommodating as the lady who cooked and cleaned did a great job. However she even slipped on the wet tile and fell and hurt her arm. The beaches were beautiful and well kept and the staff was great. I agree with Natalie M that the food was not great and several meals we couldn't eat as they were that bad. Many of our dinner reservations were changed from 6:30 to 8:30 without our knowledge or agreement. You couldn't get transportation sometimes at night as you would call but they didn't show up and it is pouring rain.

Don't drink the water, don't brush your teeth with it, don't use the ice and don't eat salads washed in it. One of our party had to go to the medical center and was told he had a parasite. Rampant lower track distress (if you know what I mean) Great if you're coming back to get a colonoscopy. The lifestyles people are always in sell mode so beware of accepting invitations to presentations. You're trapped inside because outside Lifestyles (we took some tours) it is very poor and rundown and risky.

Given what we paid for transportation, housing and food/drink this has easily been one of the most expensive and disappointing vacation experience of our lives. Enough said don't get suckered like we were. Best of Luck.

First and formost, this review is from the standpoint of a member of their vacation club. This resort also has numerous other travel agencies that book the resort as well, and their experience is completely different than the experience that a member would have. There are some great deals from some "big-box" websites that will allow you to stay at the resort for next to nothing; however, many of the things mentioned in this review will NOT apply to your stay, as you will not be able to gain access to the members-only areas of the resort. The deals that you can find are a great way to check out the property, and see if you are interested in joining. You can also book trips to the resort via members, which will give you some additional access to different areas of the resort.

We stayed at the Presidential Suites. This is our third time in a Presidential Suite, and as always, it was a fantastic experience. The accomodations are top notch for the Dominican Republic. It is more space than we truly need, but it is nice to spread out and enjoy the room on rainy days.

As far as food, the highlight of the trip is always the dinners. As a member we are entitled to eat at the members only restaurants every night, and even though the menu hasnt changed much over the years, we have never had a problem with the food. We usually hit the buffett for breakfast and lunch, and while the menu there can be static, we have never gotten sick from the food. We usually drink the water from the servers, but otherwise stick to bottled water, even to brush our teeth. We also take a probiotic before and during our trip, which also adds some additional assurance from picking up a bug.

The beaches there are also phenomenal, especially the service that you get (again as a member) at Serenity Beach. Yes, there is seaweed in the sand (compliments of mother nature herself), but generally found the beach clean and well groomed. We had some torrential rain, and the crew did a great job at cleaning up the beach in a timely and thorough manner, as the waves did pick up some of the seaweed as well as some drift wood and other typical sea "trash". I have read people complaining of raw sewage being drained in the ocean, but I can say I have never seen evidence of that happening. Certainly some drainage will eventually make its way to the water, and yes some of it might be stagnent water, but there isnt evidence of raw sewage being disposed on the beach.

The staff is also very accomodating. Keep in mind you are on "Island Time", and the official language in the DR is spanish, not english. As americans we tend to think that everyone should just speak English, but that isnt the case. There are folks that truly have gone above and beyond to make sure we have a fantastic experience every time we stay there.

The only annoyance are the folks with the white polo shirts and clipboards. They resort is a vacation club, the success of which is on them signing up members. The white polo shirt guys with the clipboards get paid to bring you to a sales pitch. Even members are hit up for add ons to their membership. I personally dont mind this, as I like to hear what the options are, and what is new at the resort, but I can see why some might find this as a significant annoyance. They do have difference levels of membership at various price points as well.

As for areas of improvement, they could do a better job with some of their gift shops. For a higher end resort (especially from a member perspective) the quality of the goods and merchandice was lacking.

Overall, we personally love the resort, what it offers to its members, and the people that work there. Clearly members are treated differently than non-members, but keep in mind the members have paid to have that additional level of service and treatment!