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

we have just returned from the lovely dom rep wich i must add we have been to before, but after seeing in what we where staying i was a bit disapointed but when we went inside my heart sunk it was dirty old and very tatty,but i thought we only have to sleep here, but we lived out of our suitcases because i just could not fetch myself to put our clothes away. the food was terrilbe i saw a chef one night drinking under the food area where he was serving food.there was only one pool bar and no where to sit at night. the staff were very pleasent but to me did not look very happy,i would not go back there and not recommend it to anybody. from a very disapointed middle aged couple