Luxury Bahia Principe Ambar Don Pablo Collection -Adults Only - All Inclusive

Our 7 day trip at the Gran Bahia Principe was average but we were able to relax and enjoy the scenery of the beautiful coastline. The beaches in Punta Cana were pristine; however, the resort itself was lacking. Food options, despite having many places to go, were lacking and we found ourselves gravitating to the same 3-4 food items during the trip. The Don Pablo, Takara (Japanese) and Bella Italian restaurants were very good; Portofino, Mediterranean and the buffets were all average or worse. We found that the resort did not really conform to schedule as when certain places (particularly, snack bars) said they were open the staff advised they weren't. This also applied to schedules on the activity list as they may just decide not to have a given activity. With a few rare exceptions, the staff seemed disinterested and not overly willing to help. The resort also allows people (I'm unsure if they're employees of the resort or not) to constantly bother tourists while relaxing on the beach and even in the resort pool. This got particularly annoying as our trip went on. The grounds of the resort are well kept and taken care of while the rooms, while clean, were clearly beginning to show their age with a funky smell, mirrors that were deteriorating and shower doors that didn't really function. The resort is expansive as it's almost a mile from the front entrance to the beach which makes for a good jogging course. The resort also offers shuttles but we did not use them. Although you are intermingled with other Gran Bahia resorts, the staff made it clear we were only to visit the Ambar sections for dining and the beach. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal but we enjoyed exploring the resort and thought it would would make sense that we would be able to grab a snack while on the other side of the resort. The reservation system is interesting as I never encountered a restaurant at more than 50% occupancy yet reservations were required for non-buffets. Reservations are also required for sports activities and, even if the facility is empty, you will be turned away if you don't have a reservation to use sporting equipment. VIP, the tour operator, has some issues. They had our reservation wrong for the excursion we went on (Buggies - was ok for the price) and they forgot to pick us up at our scheduled time to go back to the airport. Thankfully, another van (and guests willing to share their transfer) was willing to take us to the airport! This saved us the cab fare! In summary, if you get a really good deal and enjoy beautiful beaches with the occasional annoyance: book it. Otherwise, there might be better options out there.

Stayed at the May 19th through May 25th, let me preface, I’m very easy going and “go with the flow”, however I do like the resort to be nice. Check In: No issues, arrived at 3:00 same as check-in. Requested block 67 corner room via email, didn’t get a corner but did get upper floor in building 67. Near the pool. Room: Very spacious and clean. Bathrooms have a large shower and garden jetted tub. We always had a Do not disturb until we went to pool/beach and our room Was always cleaned when we returned. Housekeeping did an outstanding job Grounds: Absolutely beautiful Food: Breakfast and lunch very good, buffets have much to offer and a large variety. Dinner , was good to very good. Staff: for the most part very good, but every now and then you would get a person that is just doing their job. Not a big issue. Would I go back, yes

This was trip # 6 for us staying at Ambar. We love the working staff. The rooms are clean and the food is served and prepared by genuine hard working, caring, loving, Dominicans. I hope they don't change anything because it is not needing improvement. Ambar is wonderful. The repeat customers are fun loving just like the working staff.

this was me and my wife's first time to the Dominican Republic. we usually travel all over the Caribbean and we've never been to a place with such great service and beach location. for the first time I felt like the staff actually cared if we were having a good time or not Beach service was great I actually have no complaints of the hotel. I've never considered going back to the same place twice because I enjoy exploring other hotels but when its just me and the wife we will definitely be back here again!

Pros: -grounds are beautiful and immaculately maintained -resort located on great stretch of beach with plenty of beach chairs and straw umbrellas (though you do have to go on earlier side in the morning to stake out a spot) -plenty of dining options (tip: you can make reservations via email before you arrive) -great service at buffet and restaurants -adults-only pool (though go early if you actually want to swim, most vacationers like to stand around in the pool and drink) -spacious rooms and bathrooms, all kept very clean -mini-fridge in room kept stocked -the resort is part of the larger Bahia Principe group of five resorts, so there are other areas, activities, and restaurants to explore (though most of the food options seem pretty much the same) Things to be aware of: -some service folks (e.g. luggage carriers, cart drivers) may expect a tip from you even though this is supposed to be all-inclusive, including tips -lots of smokers (around pool and on beach)

I did a lot of research prior to picking this resort, so I didn't have many surprises. THE RESORT: Overall, HUGE. The cleanest resort I've ever been too. Someone was constantly cleaning, painting, scrubbing, manicuring, etc. THE ROOM: I asked for 2nd floor, Bldg 64 but got 65 and 3rd floor. No elevators, so you better be in decent shape for the 3rd floor. Other than the location, I had no complaints on the room. Very nice. FOOD: Buffets were good and staff very attentive. Constantly cleaning tables and removing plates and kept glasses full. One of my favorite eating spots on a prior vacation was the beachfront grill and the snack bar didn't quite take the place of this. They didn't let you take plates from the snack bars to the beach area, etc. No place to get a late snack either (other than room service#. POOL/BEACH: Fantastic, beautiful. Had to get up early to get the prime spots, but still both are great. Didn't like that pool closed so early #6pm). OVERALL: I'd highly recommend this resort. Very professional staff. I prefer the friendly approach of resorts I visited in Jamaica to the professional approach that I encountered here, but it was still a fantastic resort and vacation.

We had an amazing time on our honeymoon. Monday night Michael Jackson show was awesome, Wednesday night lobster buffet was amazing, staff at the beach running the games were very friendly and hilarious. We will definitely be back to this resort. The only complaint is that we had to come home!! The "adults only" was also very nice. We visited the other pools and they weren't nearly as nice/fun as the adults one at the Ambar.

It's a nice resort but the only thing making it adult only is an invisible line from posted signs. Multiple resorts on the same property so plenty of options but the lack of wifi outside of the main lobby was a bit annoying. To get connected in the room it was a pay service. Food was best in the buffet as well as the serving staff, Ana was great. Victor at the lobby bar is always smiling and will flip some bottles to keep things lively. The beach was just ok as most days caution flags were out. The view was nice on the beach, no views from the room mostly garden except one building with pool views. The room was ok but a little hard to cool. No elevators so if you don't like steps stick to the 1st or 2nd floor. Also be careful on the bathroom floors they use a polished marble and it's slippery when wet so get a couple extra towels to put down.

My husband and I spent 5 days at this hotel and loved EVERY minute of it. Our room was excellent, 2nd floor, corner room with a king size bed. The staff at this resort will practically bend over backwards to make you happy. Now the food is not what I would consider a 5* restaurant, but they are preparing food for the masses and I would guess that most buffet restaurants are not considered 5* for most. I would travel back to this resort in a heartbeat, and I'm already wishing we had another vacation in the works so we could travel back! Thanks to the Ambar & the entire Gran Bahia resort!

The only bad part was checking in it took 3 hours beds are very hard I was going for my weading anniversity I request a queen bed and I got 2 double beds very hard beds and uncumfortable but everything else very nice trip the food is great the staf is great nice place.