Lifestyle Tropical Beach Resort & Spa — Hotel in Puerto Plata

How to start.. we went for two weeks (my husband and I, with my father in law who is a VIP gold member). We've been there multiple times more than 5, we had 5 years without going and we got very disappointed. The trip did not feel as VIP as it was years ago. We lost the first 3 days being stressed and disturbed. First about the famous tour they make so they can sell you an upgrade. They told us they needed to talk to us about the|"new things" the only things they showed and talked was about the new villas. No one mentioned the ice night club is closed, serenity beach also, tapas I not open anymore in the days, only for dinner, there’s a law that hookah are forbidden so no more at VIP Pool, etc.||Second day we realized our room had a water leak coming from the ceiling, we reported to the reception, they said maintenance would go, they checked and according to them it was fine. When we came back in the room it seemed worst so we went to complain about it the said the could only change us to a "non renovated room since they were fully booked on the renovated rooms" which I'm not sure at what year they were renovated because the lack of cleaning. When we entered inside the closet to check the water leak we realized there was A LOT OF mold find the pictures attached, as well in the shower that we did not realized the first night as we arrived exhausted from the trip. We decided to wait until day 3 to get changed as it doesn't make sense to downgrade and then to change again. On day 3 the concierge in charge of us Juana Toribio, assured us two rooms. The one of my father in law was fine, and our room had TWO beds, is not a big deal but no one informed us about having 2 beds. We just decided to leave it like that as we did not wanted to move rooms for a third time. They were ok rooms, not what we are used to. There’s a big lack of cleaning in the showers they should do deep cleaning in them.||When we showed the pictures of the mold to the front desk, to the guy trying to sell the upgrade, to Juana Toribio the concierge, their faces were like if that’s something normal, like if they would pay to stay in a room like that…||Tropical front desk staff they’re terrible, they lie on your face, they don’t care about your needs. They said they forgot to update on the system that we moved to another room so our key was not working, and it’s not true since Marianne from guest service confirmed the change was done, they probably just forgot to activate it properly.||Some of the employees don’t give good service, sometimes at the restaurants they pressure you into ordering or they don’t do eye contact, one lady when we went to book for the restaurants, was very rude when we were booking. I heard there’s a lot of new employees so PLEASE GIVE THEM SOME TRAINING.||The shuttle service is not as efficient as before, they pick you up in the wrong places not anymore at the regular bus stop in front of VIP gourmet restaurant, two times we had to over walk to get the bus as they did not picked up us at the place they were supposed to.||When you go to the vineyard to get the bottles of alcohol, now it’s ONE per week, before it was ONE daily, what a change…||The guest service employee called Marianne was by far 100 times more helpful and useful than Juana. Juana was not able to do anything correctly. ||The party of the Saturday’s, the first Saturday got cancelled for rain, we understood. The second one, the day was perfect for the party and they cancelled again, without giving explanations. We guessed what’s the reason and I will just not mention it, but I find this is very sad as the party serves to do a different activity.||Good things: Wilfredo De Los Santos, he’s our favorite employee ever, since we met him 10 years ago, he’s always energic, happy and treat us amazingly, always goes a step further and we want to thank him.||Jorge and Ronny from VIP pool, and the others too but I don’t remember their names, thank you for all, you were amazing too!||All the team of Harmony beach, thank you, you are awesome too. Great drinks.||The team of VIP Gourmet ( we went|For dinner 3 times) they were impecable, the best service we had from all the restaurants, was here.||In conclusion, we are very disappointed stop focusing on harassing people to upgrade, focus on giving some training to your employees, to refresh your rooms, and to evaluate if you’re really giving the VIP service that you used to give before, this is not what...

As an avid world traveler, I’ve stayed at resorts around the world, Lifestyle Tropical Beach Resort & Spa ranks as inarguably one of the most disorganized, disappointing, and inconsiderate experiences I’ve ever had. If I could give negative stars, I would. Here’s why you should avoid wasting your time or money here:||||Blindsided before arrival; the “Bait-and-Switch”:||- Two days before our trip, our entire 28-person party was “reassigned” to a lower-quality resort on the property.||- Only later would we learn our original accommodations at Cofresi were flooded; no communication, no apology, just a downgrade.||- Staff confirmed management is white, European, and completely disconnected from the local culture, which shows in every aspect of this resort’s operation.||||Check-In Chaos & Orientation Failure:||- Check-in was confusing and disorganized. No one explained how to navigate the sprawling, maze-like property.||- We were handed a complicated map with zero guidance, just “good luck.”||||Room & Resort Conditions:||- While our room was okay, others in our party faced issues with delays, maintenance, and cleanliness.||- Our room was infested with mosquitoes, making it nearly impossible to relax or sleep.||||Food Poisoning & Outdated Towel Policies:||- By Day 3, over half of our party was violently sick. Likely culprit? The buffet triggered a domino effect of diarrhea and vomiting. It would be beneficial to reinstate the COVID policy of requiring guests to sanitize their hands before entrance||- The resort’s absurd towel policy, where soiled towels are collected, washed, and returned, meant vomit- and feces-covered towels stayed with us longer than any guest should tolerate.||- Clearly more concerned about preventing theft than promoting health, cleanliness and guest experience.||||Vienna Café: Great Coffee, Nonsensical Rules:||- Delicious pastries and coffee, but no take-out allowed unless you bring your own mug.||- Staff admitted take-out cups were once available, another example of cutting corners at guests’ expense.||- Worse, our kids were denied service entirely due to a bracelet “error,” and the staff aggressively enforced this. Shoutout to Jose Minaya, the only person who handled it reasonably.||||Facilities & Amenities:||- The gym? Dirty, outdated, and ignored by staff who allowed unsupervised minors despite posted rules.||- It rained often during our stay. Instead of offering umbrellas, we were forced to leave a $20 deposit for one. Again, they assume guests are thieves.||- No WiFi. Seriously. In 2025. There is no basic WiFi available for guests. That’s not just outdated, it’s unacceptable.||||Shuttle Confusion & Accessibility:||- The resort is huge and shuttles are essential, but service is sporadic and disorganized.||- During peak hours or rain, you’re left waiting with no plan in place. Poor planning all around.||||Some Bright Spots (Yes, There Were a Few):||- Pilón served delicious Dominican cuisine and provided excellent service. Sancocho was amazing, and staff were kind enough to offer a traditional stomach-settling drink after hearing about our illness.||- Bellini, the Italian restaurant, impressed with the pizza, easily one of the best meals on-site.||- Vienna Café (if you’re allowed in), and Moomtaz had great service.||- Jan Carlo and Clari at the spa were phenomenal.||- Marlenes Ramos, our waitress at Jazz, deserves a raise.||||But Then Came the Jazz Incident:||- One of our guests with a different bracelet was singled out, refused entry, and watched by an armed security guard in the lobby. Completely over the top.||- Hostess Melba Anilsa was aggressive and rude. It was humiliating and unnecessary.||||Bottom Line:||||Lifestyle Tropical management doesn’t prioritize guest experience, it prioritizes control, cost-cutting, and outdated policies. Between the mismanagement, foodborne illness, chaotic logistics, and lack of basic services, this was one of our most frustrating vacations ever.||||Avoid this resort. There are too many beautiful, welcoming, well-run places in the Dominican Republic to waste your time and hard...

Review

My family and I booked this “resort” for 4 nights after we spent 5 days with my husbands family in a town about two hours outside of Puerto Plata. I was so excited to be able to relax after visiting family & friends. My son who is 14 and my daughter 7 months my husband and his mother wanted to have a good time unfortunately the chaos started when we arrived to check in to this resort. Upon check in they gave us our rooms. I had booked two. Unfortunately they said they didn’t have a conjoining room or rooms next to each other which i was upset about seeing as i wasn’t going to have my family separated in different buildings. We had to wait and finally they somehow had two rooms next to each other after they told me they did not. Great. Now we have rooms close to each other. The one room with the king bed which my husband and infant were staying in the phone was not working the entire stay. I have an infant and cannot use the phone for customer service so i had to use my mother in laws room which my son was staying in as well. My son had an accident the first night in the bed. I tried to clean it best i could and minimized the almost non existent stain. They refused to change his sheets the whole stay until the last night after we tipped the cleaning staff. With no towels on top of that for my mother in-law or son to use after showering. They still wanted us to pay $400 for cleaning services seeing as they couldn’t use that mattress for anyone else. Even though initially the mattress had red brown stains on it to begin with. We refused to deal with this situation until we checked out. We just wanted to enjoy the stay. Luckily i had extra sheets they gave us for the babies crib which didn’t even have a sufficient matttess. It was multiple sheets and blanket folded together. I had to hoard those sheets so they wouldn’t take them because i didn’t want my son to sleep on a bare mattress. I was glad my mother inlaw had bought us a bassinet initially to use while we stayed with her in her home so i took the cushion from that with us to use. After this problem with the mattress non of the staff treated us well, any time they saw us they would turn their backs to us. The bartenders were serving my 14 year old alcohol which i didn’t not find out until the last night there. Then as we were leaving i told them i wouldn’t pay $400 for the “stain” and we attempted to leave. They would not let our driver past the threshold. We had to turn around and pay. Seeing as i had no choice, i ended up paying $200 as a “discount” for a non existent pee stain. Which i will be disputing with my credit card company. The resort looks beautiful on pictures and the views are incredible but that’s about it. The pool had a bunch of empty plastic cups swimming inside from the bar. The food and alcohol they served us gave us horrible stomach problems and had to constantly use the bathroom. My son was vomiting from it. Some staff was great others were horrible. Even after crying in the guest service office over a couple hundred dollars and the embarrassment they made us feel. The country is absolutely stunning. The “resort” however, i will never be returning to and most definitely not signing a membership. The way we were treated was incomprehensible. Without a membership the staff treat you horribly. There was no hot water. She shower was subpar one of the knobs was completely broken. I’m extremely dissatisfied with our stay. If you plan on coming to DR make sure you steer clear of this resort. Go anywhere else. They all want you spend a ton of money. They attack you like sharks. And if you don’t buy their excursions or tip the staff. You are nothing to them. VIP blue bands are lowest of the low. Nothing came with it except the food and alcohol and some of the pools + gastrointestinitis. Beach access was down several flights of stairs. So if you have a baby or anyone who is immobile forget about setting foot in the ocean. We came home and baby has a fever now. Good luck if you choose this resort. Believe all these low...