Left the resort 03/12/07, having had been there for 2 wks.

OK peeps, shooting straight from the hip here....in life, you get what you pay for. This was a cheap holiday, but felt that the experiences far exceeded the expectations.
Yes, OK, like previous reviews, ants, water...blah blah blah, but being really honest here, only had a cold water shower twice, maybe three times...but Dominican 'cold' water is a darned site warmer that Brit 'cold' water. Never had any probs with AC or ceiling fans. Sprayed repellent into the room each night before we went out, as you have to in any tropical country, so no qualms there....and guess what, if you do wear a 'gold' wristband, the mozzies don't discriminate between colour!! :-)
I don't typically travel well (stomach) but saying that, never encountered any problems with any of the food. It was always varied and tasty.....and I'm pretty fussy! OK, you do get the birds and the flies, but this is an open area, put up with it, it's really not as bad as some of the reviews have stated....you only have to wave your hand a little....besides good practice for dealing with the 'VIP' reps.
VIP reps.......some peeps don't mind going to 'look see', some peeps do. Those that go, get rewarded with a bottle of rum, t-shirt, cap etc. Those that don't want to go, be firm with the 'rep', but don't be rude....and don't get suckered by the emotional content.
Did a couple of trips, Paradise Island, great, but prob a touch too much for what you get. It cost $140 p/p, but prob worth $100p/p
Did the Ocean World night time trip, 'Bravisimo' $69p/p and the food alone was worth that.....lobster (as much as you want) and prob one of the best pieces of beef I've ever tasted. Following this, you get to see a show, in Spanish, and then either retire to the casino for an hour, or the disco. I did the casino, got lucky too!! (hope Jason reads this lol)
The beach was favoured by many, not the biggest I've been to, but plenty enough.....5 mins walk, tops. What we found to be pleasureable was:- going to the beach in the mornings, nice sea breezes and crashing surf, returning to the buffet at lunch, (you must go to the Italian at lunch too....pizza, finished off with, 'to-die-for' ice-cream' then slinking off to the pool to take in the afternoon rays and taking advantage of the pool bar. (bloke called Silvio, top man, top service) well worh throwing a few 'bucks' at!!

Met some great peeps there too, a dozen of us all gelled, so made it sooo much easier....you always had someone to talk to...even if the only chat was, 'yeah, I'll have another banana mama please', or, 'who wants beating at table-tennis next' lol

OK, prob missed loads off, but feel free to email me if you have any queries......oh, and enjoy whilst it's still standing, as reps tell of plans to knock down and build appartments in the future!

his is simply the worst accommodation we have ever stayed in. Dirty linen. Dirty Towels. No water in Morning to shower or flush toilet. Rain water came through ceiling past fan. Inch and half gap under main door allowing all sorts of wildlife to come in during day or night. Food was cold covered in flies and a sickness bug waiting to happen. Pool toilets looked like they had never been cleaned. Lack of lighting round accommodation makes an interesting walk home after a couple of drinks. Staff are rude and look like they have no interest in job at all.

This was so bad we upgraded as did 18 others to the Tropical suites for an extra £120 per person for the 2 weeks. Well worth it as food was great......No sickness bugs or any other problems. Only problem we found was so many mosquitoes. Make sure you take some really good repellent. Other problem was guys hanging around restaurant trying to sell vip holiday weeks. If you decided to have a look then make sure you no what you are paying for. Ie we where led to believe that there was a further 3400 Hacienda resorts that would provide VIP treatment as they do in Peurto Plata. In fact this is not the case. Also if you decide this is for you then haggle. Go away and think about it they then start chucking all sorts of deals at you.

Garden Club due to be ripped down next year
Tropical, crown and villas are very nice. facilities are good. entertainment is ok......music by pool is far too loud....beach is ok considering its the atlantic.
choice of restaurants is good all though we found the buffet to be the best.

Oh and DONT book your trips through your reps!!!!! Go to the beach and speak to the guys in the huts. Haggle and get the same trips for about 30-40% cheaper!!!!


Overall if we hadn't of had the problems at the start it would have been a very good holiday. We would probably return in the future!!

Having read the reviews before going on holiday on 31st October 2007 we were expecting the worst.However it just goes to show you cant please everyone.Those expecting a 5 star holiday with no insects and perfect facilities should get a life.This is what you pay for, it is a very hot country, and insects are part of life here.
Although the accomodation was basic, it was adequate and clean.We had hot water and stopped insects with a towel under the door.The staff were helpful and friendly and the food was good.The pool area was well maintained and overall we were pleased with our stay.Yes you do get a green wrist tag, and yes people did have gold ones and silver ones, so what, if you pay more you get more.
We were able to see other areas of the Island on trips, and yes the people are poor, however wherever we went they were friendly.Some of the scenery is great, the views picturesque, the beaches and sea were what you think of a tropical island.I recommend the trips on the catermaran and the trip to paradise island.The snorkling was great.
We were lucky with the weather it was perfect, beware to book after November 1st as this is the start of their summer season.The weather the previous week had been poor.Overall we enjoyed our holiday and would recommend to others.

We read loads of reviews before visiting Lifestyle Vitalis this September gone - chavs creating havoc and peeing in the pool, a rep's child peeing in the pool, loads of room facilities not working, being treated like a second-class citizen for wearing a green armband etc....

I'm pleased to say I was pleasantly surprised. The Vitalis is very pretty and the dinky hut/chalets have a lot of character. Yes, our door had a gap under it and a few ants got in, but I stuck a towel under the door at night and wasn't troubled by the ants at all.

Other people will refer to how poor the DR is and that the staff are badly paid, so don't expect first-class service. I found the staff to be fine and friendly (some more than others) - their just not always in a particular hurry to sort things out - but then it is the Caribbean after all.

We did have a bit of a long wait, standing our ground with dogged determination, when our air conditioning broke down. Eventually we spent one night in another 'hut' and our air conditioning was fixed the next day. Some people got in a strop and demanded to leave while we were there. I can only say there are 5 star hotels in Puerto Plata and the VIP club and all that snobby stuff, if you can't exist without first-class treatment, but you won't come across that in 3-star Vitalis.

We were lowly green bands and chose that option for the value for money (as we were also taking a trip to expensive Turks and Caicos on route). The thing about this is not so much we were made to feel like second-class citizens, but more that's it's really confusing knowing where you can and can't eat. As a result, we ended up drinking in bars we weren't supposed to and eating in restaurants we weren't supposed to be in. You have to get your head around it.

The 'green band' food was fine I thought, and the whole thing good value all in all. I particularly enjoyed the beach and swimming in the sea - and the Spa is to die for - had a couple of massages there. This all-inclusive experience could be just the ticket if you want a nice, hot chill-out place for a week or two, do a bit of horse-riding and go on a few excursions (all sorted out for you) - nothing too taxing.

Me and my husband Paul did go scuba diving with the local club on site run by Stephanie and Peter? (Scandinavians). They are great, but sadly the diving wasn't up too much. Maybe they've blasted the reef for fish catching, I don't know. In nearby Turks, however, the diving is well worth it with shark, ray and all sorts.

If you're the philosophical type with a sense of humour, you'll be fine here and have a good time. We were out of season, so it was quiet and we didn't run into the drunken shenanigans that some other posters have written about.

Be aware - unless you go on a lot of excursions, life revolves around the site. I think it would hard work attempting to travel through the Dominican solo or as a couple. The driving is terrible and you would probably be hassled for money constantly. Our scuba diving van passing through the town of Puerto Plata met with some hostility with locals trying to clean the windows and being rejected. They were banging on the van and shouting and the place felt a bit edgy. It is a poor place and that's very obvious.

Aside from that, have fun. x

Sarah B