We booked a 4 bedroom villa, with VIP status, from a Lifestyle Member listed on eBay.

Upon arrival at the resort, there was confusion, due to a reporting error of the size of our party, (which was provided on 3 separate occasions) to be 3 adults. This obviously caused significant problems, due to fact that the resort was expecting a party of 8 adults. They negotiated us a counter deal to take two one-bedroom apartments and to cancel our 3 VIP inclusive fees to compensate our loss of the 4 bedroom villa.

The Residence apartments were somewhat dated, but comfortable, except for the concrete couch and bed, which were very uncomfortable.

The resort grounds were beautiful and very well maintained by a large staff of service people. However, unless you had a golf cart, you were forced to walk, typically 2-3 miles per day to visit beach, shops or restuarants, which created some safety problems during the nighttime, as the sidewalks and stairways were not well lighted and the walking surfaces were uneven.

The best restaurant in the resort was Bellini's, the worst were VIP Gourmet and Blue Lagoon. The lasagna, pizzas and spaghetti dishes and services were excellent at Bellini's. We waited for several nights to obtain a treasured reservation at VIP Gourmet, which proved to be a lot of hype of upscale dining, with exclusive dinner choices, but proved to be one of the worst meals during our 7 day stay. We all ordered the VIP Filet, which came with much culinary fluff and frills, but with little inspection, we found that what appeared to be a 2" beef fillet mignon, ACTUALLY was a 1/4" sub-quality, fatty, tough piece of beef, sitting on 2 pieces of vegetables. The entire meal was of poor quality and entirely unsatisfactory. The second runner up of worst meal is awarded to Blue Lagoon - - billed as an exclusive steak and seafood resturant - - of which they failed in both cases. Again, the beef fillet was fatty and could not be consumed and the fish selection was poor and prepared inadequately.

I have made two trips to Lifestyle Resorts - my first & my last..

We booked through an owner, a 3 BR villa.

Villa
The villas was not a newer villa but in decent shape. Everything worked and no need for immediate repair. The beds are very uncomfortable as well as the furniture. You will go home with a sore back. In fact the beds on the beach were more comfortable than the villa and the kids were asking if they could just sleep on the beach. We brought in the pads from the lounge chairs to sit on in the living room, as they were more comfortable than the seats there. The air worked well, the pool and kitchen fine. The air conditioner was very loud when turning on and off and would wake you from your sleep, also the windows had shutters on them without a screen or exterior window so the bugs had free access to come in through the slats. We didn't get too many mosquitos though. The fridge was always stocked with drinks. We left a note for more beer and water and it was stocked right full. Our maid was prompt for breakfast and made some wonderful eggs and juice every day, we stopped that service near the end so we could try the buffet for brunch.

Beach and Pools
Renting from an owner and having VIP access is the ONLY way to go! We were treated like royalty on the beach and pool. The VIP beach was easy to find a bed everyday and the drinks and snacks readily available. We spent most of our time at the VIP beach but also tried VIP World (pool) it was great as well.

Food
We ate at the VIP gourmet three nights, food was excellent there. We also tried the Mexican, Chinese, Italian and buffett. Italian was not bad, the rest were absolutely horrible. If we had to eat the buffet everyday we would have suffered. Only could find one or two items that we could even eat. The breakfast buffet was good. Suffered stomach and "bathroom" issues upon leaving and coming home.

People and place.
The employees at the resort were fantastic, tons of workers everywhere and all had a smile on their face and eager to help. We tipped well but witnessed others who did not and couldn't tell any difference in service to them. We were approached 7 times to take a timeshare tour. Their methods were progressively more aggressive, so if this bothers you, be prepared. They offered free tickets to the beach party and Casino show( which you get free anyway) free photos, etc. We were prepared and refused the "10 minute" tour. When I offered to pay off the man, he finally left us alone, another started up though, probably looking for the payoff.

Other
The shuttle from the airport was ready, as we were an hour late arriving, and whisked us off to the resort. The drive there and back was frightening. No road rules exist and our driver was speeding through town, intersections, pedestrians, and scooters. It is best to shut your eyes until you arrive.

When we arrived at the resort, we were offered a deal to switch out of the villa into a junior suite and we would receive a free vacation and our money back on this vacation, we refused.

We went to OceanWorld and had a great time doing the Dolphin swim and Sea Lion Encounter

Overall we had a great time, we would recommend it to others as long as you are prepared but won't go back again.

I must say reading some of the previous reviews scared me a little. I had already booked our February vacation there, and after reading on this site, I had no idea what kind of trip I was in for.
We arrived to the nicest reception. We were offered drinks upon our arrival, and there was no wait to check in. We were then escorted to a beautiful and spacious villa with our own private pool. It was the nicest accommodation we have ever stayed in on a Caribbean vacation.
the food was nothing to brag about, but it was fine. I did not go on vacation for a fine dining experience. I definitely would suggest going to the VIP Gourmet restaurant if you can.
the service was EXCELLENT. All the employees were so courteous and happy to help.
We booked our vacation through a Platinum Member who was selling on EBAY, so we had all of the VIP services. I truly can say I think if you want to go on this vacation to this resort - that is the best way to go. the food and drink and luxuries really made the whole experience so enjoyable.
The resort is very large, but they have a shuttle service that comes to take you wherever you want to go, and they are very quick.
I highly recommend this resort. We had a wonderful time there and we are going back again in May and again in February of 2009.

We returned last Saturday morning, March 15th, from our trip to Lifestyle Crown Villas in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. We booked this through an owner which was a wonderful experience. I must say I was skeptical but everything was just as I expected. I was the one who booked the trip for all four couples so I was a little nervous that It would not be to everyone's liking. My trepidation was unfounded. Everyone loved it.

The Crown Villa, which was not a new model, was beautiful in itself. It had four bedrooms and 4 1/2 baths with our own private pool. We were a group of four couples who have travelled together in the past. We had a maid, Exelia, who was very willing to do anything to make our stay pleasant. We could have had breakfast cooked at our villa every day, however, we chose to have it only two mornings. The next day after arrival and the day we were leaving.

This was an all inclusive resort and we were required to pay the resort $37.50 per person per day for food and drinks. A very good value for the money. We certainly got our money's worth. As we were guests of the owner and he was a VIP member, we had all top shelf liquors and great restaurants to choose from, especially the VIP Gourmet Restaurant. We went there two evenings and both times the food was excellent. The other restaurants varied. Blue Lagoon was OK, not excellent but still not bad. Some of us liked our food at the Blue Lagoon but some did not. Bellini Italian Restaurant was excellent. The best lasagna I have ever had. We also tried the Mexican Restaurant and if it were up to me, I would not ever go back there. I had the fajitas and they were so spicy hot I could not eat any of it.
The Buffet food was very good and I must say we all went there after our experience with the Mexican.

The VIp Beach was amazing. The beds on the beach were so comfortable, I fell asleep. Because of the VIP membership of the owner, we ate and drank at the VIP areas to our hearts content. We were always able to find a bed if we searched long enough. We usually made it to the beach in the early afternoon.


If you go as a guest of the owner and he has VIP privileges, do not miss the Sunday Night Party at the VIP Beach. The food was amazing and the desserts were to die for.

We took one excursion, a catamaran snorkel cruise.(Tip Top Catamaran). Wonderful day and a wonderful crew. Food was good on the catamaran too. The crew put up the sails for the ride back. This was an all day excursion. Certainly worth it.

My husband and I also took a helicopter ride from the resort. It was only 15 minutes but it was amazing.

The only down moment was the golf cart. It broke down 3 times and the last time they replaced it (thanks to Agustin in VIp Reception) and then it got stolen three times. Each time it was found and returned.

Bright spots as far as employees go, Agustin in VIP Reception was extremely helpful. Exelia always had a bright smile. We found the Domincan people very warm and friendly. My husband even got friendly with the security guard who was teaching him some spanish. He even made a special effort to come say goodbye to us. We did give the security guards some water and Pepsi as it is a long hot day and night for them. They were so appreciative.

All in all a great vacation. I would book through the same owner again as he was so helpful and concerned that our vacation would be wonderful.