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| Lifestyle Tropical Beach Resort, Puerto Plata, DR |
Sharing memories of our pre-pandemic trip--
We stayed at Lifestyle Tropical (same group as Cofresi Palm) in Puerto
Plata. It was a pretty big resort where there was a shuttle to take you around.
If you do not want to wait for the shuttle or line up with many other
shuttle-riders (especially during peak dining hours), it is walkable.
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| lobby at Cofresi Palm, Puerto Plata, DR |
We managed to get rooms in the newer/renovated buildings. They were very
nice, clean and comfortable. We had some issues with the hot water in the
shower which we had requested to be fixed multiple times, until we gave up—I
had forgotten to put this in the survey! Outside of that, the rooms were great.
We had heard that the rooms in older buildings were not as good.
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| our room at Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR |
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| resident peacock (among many) at Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR |
While we brought our own reusable mugs/cups, we still had to use the
water from the bottled spring water. Tap water was not safe. Also, the bar
drinks mostly came in plastic cups and straws!-- and while the resort was free
of litter, there was garbage on the beaches. A local we spoke to said there
were no clear recycling efforts, unfortunately. The Dominican (and other
Caribbean nations) should find some way to address this.
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| Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR |
Service was good from the restaurant servers and bar tenders (even
better with tips). Service from the reception folks on check in and check out were
also good, but not as amiable during the stay. Mostly the Dominican people were
very friendly and keen to help.
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| some of the pool cabanas at Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR |
Food was good and the buffet at the Casablanca offered something
different every day. We got ala carte dining at the Rodizio (Brazilian) and the
El Pilon (Domincan). The Brazilian dining was not quite like the rodizios we
have in TO where they just keep serving meat until you give up. The variety was
limited, but the steaks were pretty good. It was also good to be exposed to
some nice Dominican food, which we do not have regular access to.
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| actually taking pics of the peacock and peahen at the top of Casablanca, Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR |
The resort offered a nice beach area, but you have to be fast (or tip
heavily) to get the nicer ones (double-decker or swing beds as well as the
covered cabanas).
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| cabanas at Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR |
In the evenings, there are casinos (they have shuttles for this too),
shows and bars. They also have a couple of stores (including a Duty Free store)
in the complex. And as this is a resort and spa, they have the Yin Yang Spa as
well which we didn’t get to try.
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| one of the shows at Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR |
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| spa at Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR |
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| stone's throw away from Ocean World, at Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR |
Overall, this was a good resort for our stay. But we don’t have to
spread the word—according to their tag line, tell it only to your best
friends.
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| Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR |
