Had a great time. The staff works very hard and do their best to make you feel you are on vacation. Joining in on the daily activities makes the place even more fun.

If you will read a review you need to read this its long but u will be happy u did !!!!!!!!!!
one okay where to start with this vacation from hell no other was to put it i paid for a all-inclusive vacation with unlimited a la carts that’s what my vacation package covered that was on my package as there was a lot more as well but i got nothing restaurants was a joke to get into i had to be in line @ hs b4 they opened to TRY to get into a restaurant even tho u been in line don’t mean ull get in i waiting 3 days in a row and i never got into a restaurant the buffet food was horrible not even edible at times soo many people got food poison i can’t even describe they have a medical centre in sight for this reason i assume it happens often the beach has on the nice side were all the beds are and hot tubs Vip only and has security to make sure only vip get in as for the rest of the resort members only in about 80% u may not use if u where not a shareholder so they will get the next day in the morning for a tour DO NOT GO they will take you to a vip section to buy timeshares what a joke 80 thousand dollars and would not let us leave i was there for almost 4hs till i got really rude to leave and told me to find my own way back to my part of the resort (this resort is huge) 90% are timeshares regular room are worse then motels no joke i went with a group of 6 of us i paid for a jr suite ocean view i was the only one i got a jr suite (very nice ) but no ocean view said that was a ocean view i had a pool and would not change for what i paid for to get a towel its like pulling teeth tip ull get one snorkeling was included well they said no when i was there didn’t know anything about it i didn’t have my paper with me so i paid and got a bill sure enough i came back and it was included soo when u get there ur mini fridge well it had nothing took them 4DAYS to fill only because i mad a stink for about 6 hs till i ripped out the fridge and took it to the front desk and told them to only bring it back when its full came 2 hs later at 2am the resort manager caser what a waste a life didn’t care for any issues i had well he said he did but did nothing about them i spoke to a nolitours rep she did nothing said under new management nothing she could do this place was a joke i paid shy of 1500 per person for me and my husband so almost 3000 for new years what a waste of my hard eared money well i will never go to this resort or any lifestyles resorts again even if its free new name for this resort is GRAND AMBER BY LIFSTYLES so be aware plz don’t waste you money (for people that had gone and been in the same situation as me plz fight for your money back i made a complaint with nolitours i am still waiting for a reply but i also made a complaint with a company called TICO.ca (travel industry Council of Ontario) they have just started mine they will get u ur money back for a vacation or a voucher for another vacation we all work for our money don’t let them steal it away) maid was amazing but my glasses went missing 350 gone the night chef jr was sooo nice amazing man was the only one that was nice at all thank you for reading i hope you do not book this trip spend ur money else ware thank you cindy
plz message if u need more info ill be happy to help i hop i didnt forget any other inportand info plz keep in mine its a new owner not what if was b4

Appon arrival they put my friend and I in terrible rooms. We paid for a 4 star resort but got crammed in the 2000 block (old trash rooms).We were in a group of 21 people over half of them were staying in the 3000 block (newly renovated rooms), which is what was advetised to us before booking. We spent the first two days of our two week vacation in the lobby fighting for the rooms we paid for. That would be my only complaint, the rest of our trip was wonderful! Amazing beach, great excursions(zipline and monkey jungle, ocean world, runners safari, snorkeling, para sailing, banana boat), staff were great. By the way thats so much to the entertainment crew Blacky, Bon Jovi, J.C, Tonny Montana, and Eddy Murphy. They kept the vacation fun while being at the resort from being on the beach daily to the shows everynight. If you are going to this resort you defintly have to take part in the shows and activities on the beach its a GREAT time. The food got better after the second week, alot of selection but nothing agreed with my tummy. The spa is wonderful but the fitness room could have been open longer (hours are 8-6). If your not very mobile or your lazy dont come here theres lots of stair but there is the option of getting a shuttle from place to place. You get 3 dinners out on the resort for 1 week the italian and mexican are the best. If your going to ocean world dont book as an excersion just go straight there and buy at the gate, youll save a crazy amount of money. Over all experince it was a ten for me, worth ever penny that I paid.
P.S.. Make sure you have a well matched traveling partner

I want to start off by saying that before we actually went on this trip, I was traumatized by all the terrible reviews this place was getting. I was so nervous to the point of being scared to go on this trip ~~~ My expectations were ZERO in the end, so I jumped on the plane with absolutely no idea what to expect.

Arrival: This was a very organized event (not what I had read in previous reviews). We arrived at appx 1:30pm and were asked to go to the Theater where the gentlement would hand out our envelopes with room numbers / keys. If by chance our room was not available, we would need to wait until 3pm.

Our room was not available, no biggy, off to the Cheers bar we went for a nice cold Presidente while we waited. 3pm arrived, room was ready and off we went.

We were initially given a room in the 300's and it met our needs. Nice balcony, nice size room, no problems...Tested the lock key before leaving, oops, doesn't work. So back to the lobby I go and mention this. Luckily for us, they made an error in the rooms and were told we should be in the 42 building. Junior Suites, here we come. This was a great room. 42311 was great. Walls are thin however, so just watch the noice late at night.

One last thing on the rooms....There was flooding every day in the lower levels (Junior suites building 42), so I would recommend you ask for a room either on the second or third level to avoid any issues.

Resort:
Beautiful grounds and very well kept pools and area. The lobby maintenance person in the evening "Tony" does an outstanding job and is really a pleasure to speak with. There are many many stairs at this resort (remember it's on a hill). We counted 104 steps froom builing 42 to the main lobby. Doing this trip a couple of times a day as we did, is a great workout :-)

This place is not convenient for people with mobility, young children or folks that just don't want to excersize on a regular basis (you are on vacation remember).

There is a sewage smell and as long as you cover your nose when passing, you should be good. The resort is on a hill and there is a stream running through it, so I don't think there is much they can do. Wasn't too much of an issue for us anyway.

Treat people and staff with respect. A 'por favor' and 'gracias' with a smile goes a long way. I never ever had any issues dealing with anyone about anything.

Dining:
You will not starve. Both buffets at the Confressi offer a variety of dishes that is sure to please anyone. We once ventured to the other resort for breakfast but didn't see anything the others didn't offer, so ended up staying on our side for the remainder of our stay.

We watched not to eat any of the salads that may have been rinsed in the water and just overall watched what we ate during out stay. Note: Even 'gold' bracelets folks eat in these buffets, so if it's good enouph for VIP folks, it's definately good enouph for us regular folks.

We received 3 A la Carte reservations when we arrived. Pre-booked by Nolitours. We loved each one. The Dominican El Pilon, the seafood restaurant & Mexican (both located on the Tropical side). The Sunday night VIP was ok, there were too many people waiting in line for food at the same time for my liking, but an enjoyable dinner none-the-less.

Beach / Pool:
Plenty of chairs and space. No issues with either of them. Both areas are well kept and you're sure to find a nice spot.

Timeshare People:
OK, I was scared about these white shirt guys after reading all the reviews. A simple and firm NO GRACIAS did the trick for us. Sure our guy came around every day to say hello, with hopes that he could lure us on this tour, but we stuck by what we said and he simply just became a nice friend we ran into every day. Winston is his name and he is really pleasant. We gave him a little something before we left to show our appreciation for just being nice and not hounding us each day.

Excursions:
Puerto Plata Runners: Nice day excursion which takes you into the mountains to visit a school, people's home / kitchen and a few other stops. Please note that when you stop at the school, the children will surround you looking for treats - we were not prepared for this and were upset we didn't bring anything with us (not even a pack of gum). It was a terrible feeling not to have anything, but I'm a softy when it comes to children.

Deep Sea fishing: Caught a nice size Mahi-Mahi. 1/2 day excursion was fun, especially if you enjoy the deep sea.

Puerto Plata City: We hired our own taxi driver (probably would have been cheaper to actually do the excursion with the resort). We're slightly dissapointed with the morning event, but did enjoy the Rum factory tour. Rum is cheaper here, so recommend you wait to do your purchases until you visit the factory.

Ocean World: A great dissapointment if you don't do any of the swimming with animal things. Paid 110$ for two for a day pass. We were done touring the place within 20 minutes. Would not recommend this place unless you plan on swimming with the dolfins, sharks and/or stingrays.

Overall ... Enjoyed our 14 day holiday. Yes, there were some small annoyances, however nothing at all that would stop me from recommending this place. The resort is doing their best to improve and even are soliciting feedback from guests. We received a free bottle of rum for our recommendations, delivered directly to our room. Have fun, be happy and enjoy yourself...Make the best of the situation and most of all, be nice to the staff. They are great and go out of their way to make sure you have an enjoyable holiday.