The Bahia Principe Ambar is a wonderful, luxurious all inclusive resort if you like a nice, quiet, relaxing vacation with an excellent beach and great food. My boyfriend and I stayed here during the week of May 24th to 31st, 2008.

The beach at this resort is beautiful with white powdery sand and clear turquiose waters. Like many resorts, you do have to get up early to reserve a good spot at either the beach or pool, but it is defintely worth it!

The food is fantastic. The buffet was our favourite and we ended up eating there almost every night since there was so much more selection than in the restaurants. Even very picky eaters will find something they like every night. We did eat at the gourmet restaurant one night and I had the best lobster I've ever had.

The atmosphere at the resort is very relaxing and laid back. There is no annoying entertainment or animation going on all the time and you don't have to hear the same music everyday. This was a blessing for us. If you do like to party late into the night you can just head on over next door and get all the "action" you'd like.

The rooms are clean and comfortable. The beds are large and the nicest ones I've slept on in the Carribean. Air conditioning works great and really helps get the humidity out of the room, so it is a nice retreat at the end of a long day in the heat. The only bad thing I really have to say about his place is the poor workmanship in the rooms (tiles, etc.) But remember you are a long way from home in a poorer country.

I defintely recommend this resort to anyone thinking about going to Punta Cana!

Gran Bahia Principe Ambar Adults Only Resort in Punta Cana:

Warning, very long review!!!

Stayed: June 15-22/08

My boyfriend and I (both in our twenties) decided to take a last minute trip to the Ambar in Punta Cana. The price was great (only 1700 CDN for the both of us with tax included) and we could not pass up the deal even though I had only gone to Ocean Sand a month earlier!!

Check in:

After getting our luggage from the punta cana airport, we were off to the bus. The bus is air conditioned and very refreshing. There were people going to our resort as well as the Barcelo Punta Cana. We were dropped off first. Those people staying at the Gran Bahia Principe Punta Cana and Bavaro (not Ambar), were already checked in and given their bracelets and room keys which I thought was great. Out of the entire bus, there were only about three couples off to the Ambar. We arrived at the Bavaro side lobby and waited there for a couple of minutes until a trolley came to take us and our luggage to the Ambar side lobby. We were given welcome drinks, checked in quickly and we went up to our room. The bell boys brought up our luggage within five minutes. By the way, we were given exactly the building we requested. Contact Laura Vogler (she is incredible) at either: sales2puntacana@bahia-principe.com or ventas2bppuj@bahia-principe.principe.com. Here you can also ask about pre booking your ala cartes which we did through e mail!!!

Rooms:

Definitely ask for building 60, 64, 67 or 68. These buildings are closest to the pool and beach and still very close to the lobby and buffet. Our room (located in building 64) was great. Always cleaned by 1pm each day, plasma tv, lots of drinks in the mini bar with pringles, huge king size bed with pillow menu (memory foam pillow, goose down pillows, scented pillows…), great bathroom, all marble with jacuzzi and great shower with hot water and wonderful water pressure. All in all, the room was clean and one of the best I have ever stayed in at an all inclusive. At the Ambar you will have an electronic safe that you may use for free and there is lots of closet space for your clothing.

Resort:

The layout of the Ambar is fantastic. There are three rows of buildings, you can easily walk through them to get to where you need to go. From the beach to the lobby is only about five minutes. At the Ambar there are only three ala cartes (Mediterranean, Italian and Gourmet). The pool is a wonderful size, very clean, two whirlpools inside as well as a swim up bar. Around the pool there are many loungers throughout the day but the umbrellas go quickly (before 8am). The Beach is perfection, also very clean, not a lot of people (adults only section), many shaded areas/umbrellas at all times of the day.

Now the actual Gran Bahia Complex is super huge. Very tough to get to know, but you can do it, we did. They have trolleys running around that resort very often (every couple of minutes). Some of your ala cartes will be there. Just catch a trolley from the Ambar, that trolley will take you to the front of the Bavaro lobby. From the lobby you walk straight and you will see other trolleys, hop on one of those and they will take you to your ala carte. Some of the ala cartes are quite a distance away from the lobby, take the trolley unless you don’t mind walking about 15 minutes or more. You will be provided with a hotel map of the entire complex. Bring that with you when you go over to the other resorts, it is very straight forward. (hint** the Italian and the Steakhouse at the Bavaro side are close to the first pool, the Italian is on one end and the Steakhouse at the other end of the pool…the Mexican and the Gourmet are at the second set of pools, same layout).

Staff:

Most of the staff were very friendly and kind. Our maid was fantastic, the bartenders very nice as well as the reception staff. Some waiters were not the nicest (but I do understand why they would be so down). Overall, sweet people with big hearts. Especially at the ala cartes, wow, the service is incredible, we were amazed!

Food:

The buffet is located in the lobby, it is very large, air conditioned and comfortable. Men must remember that for breakfast and lunch and dinner, you are not allowed to wear tank tops or sleeveless shirts and for dinner, you must wear pants! At the ala cartes, men must wear collared shirts and long pants. Breakfast: very delicious, plenty of options with made to order egg station, bacon, breads, cerials, fruits, made to order smoothies, pancakes, french toast, potatoes, hot chocolate, cakes etc. Lunch at the buffet: you can eat lunch at the main buffet or the beach buffet, we stuck to the main buffet. We were never impressed with lunch (more because of the wait staff than the food): there was made to order pasta (which was great), breads, made to order meats, salad bar, potatoes, and some local food (not very good). Dinner: the buffet for dinner is terrible….we are not picky eaters at all and have been to so many all inclusives around the world, this was not good. Be sure to book ala cartes (we went to the buffet the night we arrived and never went back!!). The ala cartes were good for the most part. The Italian at the Ambar and at the Bavaro are ok, the Gourmet at the Ambar was fantastic (filet mignon to die for), we tried the Steakhouse and that was great (at the Bavaro), the Mexican at the Bavaro was also quite good (try the beef fajitas)! The service was wonderful and most of the places had a buffet for appetizers which was nice. Be sure to bring your receipt slip that you will receive when you make the reservations for these places. If you cannot book your ala cartes through the above e mail address, there is a guest services desk in front of the reception area and you can book through them between 7am-7pm.
Overall, we were not that impressed with the food and this would be the reason we will not return. My boyfriend got quite sick mid week and we do think it was the food (he barely drank alcohol and was not in the sun that long). We have been to many all inclusives the latest being Ocean Sand and the food at the past resorts do not compare to the Gran Bahia’s. It was either a hit or a miss with the food, some stuff was great, others not so great and even terrible! Just be careful what you eat.

Checkout:

Checkout is at 12pm, quick and easy, just hand in your card keys and say goodbye. You will have to wait for your bus or taxi at the Bavaro or Punta Cana lobby but the bell boy will bring you and your luggage on a trolley to the neighboring resort.

Other things:

You do not have to pay a connection fee like most resorts to make phone calls from your room. The phone cards in the lobby really do not work. Don’t waste your money on them, try to bring a cell phone or call collect.

They have room service available. Things ranging from: hamburgers, french fries, salads, fruit platters, sandwiches etc. The waiter comes very quickly.

We did not tip all the time, but we did tip and noticed nobody else really ever did. We tipped the maid everyday, we tipped every ala carte dinner and then tipped anyone who did a little extra for us. They really did appreciate the tips and they did deserve them.

We loved the adults only feature of this resort but remember, there is absolutely nothing going on at the Ambar. No music by the pool or beach, no animation team, no entertainment at night. For all of the above, the Bavaro and Punta Cana side can take care of you. The nightly entertainment at the Bavaro theatre was ok (circus show was excellent). They have a place at the front of the hotel called Pueblo Principe which has: casino, disco, shops, karaoke bar, piano bar and snack bar. Very nice little area to go walking around, but the people selling things in that area are annoying to say the least….just say no thanks if you don’t want to be bothered!

When we saw the Gran Bahia Bavaro and Punta Cana, we could not believe the size of this place, it is ridiculously big, if you are considering going to these places, be sure you like a LARGE hotel with MANY people and LOTS of families and small children. Once we left those resorts for dinner or entertainment, we were so happy that we chose the Ambar. It is very peaceful, relaxing and quite.

Wonderful resort, needs attention placed on the food, but overall, we had a wonderful vacation although I don’t think we would return only because we love trying new places! Message me with any questions, I would be very happy to answer them!!

I'll start by saying that the people who complain about this resort were obviously looking for things to complain about (we actually met a few of these people when we were there...and avoided them). This was a fantastic resort. My boyfriend and I (in our late 30's) just returned from a weeks vacation and found it nothing short of spectacular. We have been to several resorts in the past and feel that we can comment on lots of qualities.

The beach, the room, the grounds, the food, the staff were all wonderful. It is a large resort but we found it quite easy to get around, either by foot or by trolley, and there was always a quiet place to be found. You never felt as though you were in a huge resort with alot of other people. We enjoyed 3 of the a la carte restaurants - Italian, Fine Dining, and Japanese (which was our favourite), but the buffets offered such a fantastic variety of foods that you could never get bored with the selection.

The water sports were wonderful and we took advantage of the hobie cat sailing nearly every day as we explored the waters around the shipwreck that sits just offshore. There were always palapas/shade to be found on the beach at any time of day...perhaps not prime location, but lots were available. The beach was clean, as it is well raked every morning which made for fantastic swimming.

The entertainment was great as we attended several of the shows. The Michael Jackson show is not to be missed!
It is hard to put into words just how beautiful the resort actually is.

Pictures just don't do it justice however the staff make a huge effort to keep it clean and the gardens are beautiful. Funny story...we met a guy who was testing the cleaning staff by leaving trash around in different places and seeing how long it took to disappear...never more than an hour!

According to several of the other reviews of this resort and complaints about the language barrier....yes, many of the staff speak very little english. Big deal....we are visiting a different country...they do make an effort and certainly appreciate your effort to speak some spanish. There is ALWAYS someone to answer any questions.

One suggestion....when you change your dollars to american, get lots of small bills. It's not easy to change your $50's or $20's for $1's which are great for tips.

Off resort tours...we only did one - the Tropical Storm sunset cruise that included snorkelling(take a banana with you to see more fish) and swimming with a floating bar. Staff was great....thanks Paddy from Scotland :) We didn't go, but the safari tour was apparently wonderful.

If you are questioning whether or not to go to this resort based on tripadvisor comments....ignore the complaints. It's awesome!

We stayed at the Ambar from May25-June 1. We picked this hotel because it was new, adults only, and a 5 star. Well, we were extremely impressed. It is by far the best all inclusive we have been to. And we would go back in a heart beat.

Food- The buffet was amazing. My husband is an incredibly picky eater and he was very happy. We both were. There are so many choices, I find it hard to believe anyone could be unhappy about the food. Food is very important to us, and we like to indulge on vacation, so the Ambar was perfect for us. We did a few a la cartes, and they were okay; we much prefered the buffet.

Service- great service all the time. If you tip at the pool bar they are almost surprised, which I thought was fun.

Beach- Absolutely amazing; breath-taking. Another reason we would return.

Pool- pool was very nice. We took our own floaty, and I would recommend that if you like being in the pool you take a cheap one with you and then leave it there for someone else. There is nothing like floaties that you can buy there.

Drinks-Also very good. We did miss having frozen drinks in the buffet though. They only serve juice, beer, wine or pop in the buffet.

Room- Nicest room we have ever stayed in. And for once, a bed that didnt feel like stone! I have back problems, but I didnt have problems sleeping on those beds at night.

Weather-this is the only thing we didnt like. The sun was shining when we got there, but after flying for 24 hours we went right to bed. We didnt see the sun again until the day we left. Very cloudy every day. The good thing is we didnt get burnt, and didnt need to constantly reapply sunscreen. The bad thing is we hardly even got a tan, and I brought way too much sunscreen. Having said that, the sunscreen at the hotel is extremely expensive, so better to bring more than not enough.

Men must wear collared shirts and pants after 7pm, even to the buffet. They can wear shorts during the day, but their shirt must have sleves on it.

It was nice that the Bahia has a little market place on the resort, so you dont have to walk all the way down the beach to do a little shopping.

I didnt see any bugs while we were there, but I had a few bites to prove that they existed.

We had a great time, and enjoyed the serenity of adults only. Although, sometimes the adults in the pool were much louder than any kids would have been! But that is a trade off of an adults only. We went for relaxation, peace and quiet. And that is exactly what we got. I cant wait to go back!