TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

First experience with Bahia Principe. The Ambar was excellent and it was great being able to roam around all the other resorts and use their services as well. It didn’t truly seem like adults only because when using the other facilities of course their were kids but also on Ambar’s beach, there was no security to control children stopping at the adults only section. Disrespectful parents allowing their children to scream and shout at an adults only spot was annoying. Other than that, my only complaint I guess would be the language barrier and bartender behaviour. It’s not that big of a deal that many can’t speak English but the concern is that when you make attempts to communicate, they often speak over you in Spanish talking to other people and make your drink while hollering back and forth to others as though the English speaking are invisible. I ended up just tipping the butlers to go get my drinks. I would still return as the food, weather, room, spa, and buffet staff and ala carte staff were all amazing. The coffee shop was a plus as well. :)

We were staying at the Bahia Principe Punta Cana which is the resort next to the Ambar but we had full access to the Ambar resort - and we were so glad that we did as this is where we spent most of our time! Always something going on at the pool, entertainment staff were amazing and BIANCA is the best waitress ever! BIG shoutout to BIANCA as she could not do enough for us, she was always bringing us drinks and was so friendly. Please tip the staff as they work so hard and they deserve it!! Buffet was amazing with so much choice. Sports bar was great too. Can't comment on the rooms as we were staying next door but I'm sure they're great! Was lovely to be able to access the adults only resort and not have kids running around everywhere. Would definitely recommend!

I stayed at the Ambar by myself for 7 nights. The good: Perhaps because I was alone, but I was kindly given a room right next to the pool and beach. My room was cleaned daily and the maid was very nice and polite. I didn’t much enjoy the food, the buffet was very hit and miss for my palette, but the servers were fantastic. David looked after me every morning and lunch time and made sure my drink was always topped up. I booked Portofino which was nice enough and MEAT which wasn’t to my liking, as the concept of medium rare isn’t one that exists in the DR, unfortunately this is the only way I eat my steak. I hear some of the other restaurants were very nice, but I was not organised enough to book in time. I saw mention of people putting down their towels and being unable to grab a chair by the pool, whilst that may have some truth if you are in a group, I did not have this issue. I didn't spend too much time by the beach so cannot comment on the loungers there. The entertainment team were really friendly and enthusiastic. Antonio had a great energy and always livened up the shows. There was a nice rum tasting session and the poolside entertainment that has music, was always fun. The hotel was predominantly couples, families and older people. I was fortunate that I found some agemates (mid thirties for reference) and had a great time. But as a solo traveller it was still nice that I had the option to chill out and relax by myself if I wanted to. The not so good: When I arrived at my room, I noticed that I had no face towels. I let reception know and logged it on the app, but eventually had to ask ten times, over the next 7 hours before I finally got my towels. My room fridge was initially stocked up, however I noticed that drinks were being removed. I went from 2 vodkas, 2 whiskeys and 4 beers, to having 1 whiskey and 2 beers the next day, none of which I drank. The alcohol could have been better quality. The entertainment at the hotel could have ended a bit later given it is an adults only hotel. Although there is a Bahia disco (accessible to all Bahia hotels) a short drive away that ends at 2am. It would be nice if they played a mixture of music, which tended to be predominantly Spanish mixed with electro, that I'm not familiar with. Overall a good stay, most great service and I would stay here again.

A 25 hour flight delay on my 50th birthday wasn’t the best way to start the first day of our holiday, but needless to say when we eventually arrived at the Bahia Principe Luxury Ambar, Punta Cana, first impressions were good. Check in was quick and our luggage was taken with us via the golf buggies which provide the means of travel over the entire complex. The only downside is we never had a welcome drink, which would have been a nice touch after our delay. The rooms are massive and well laid out, however standard of decoration is scruffy and tired as with the rest of the accommodation areas. We had issues with all sockets in our room with some that just fell out and sparked dangerously, and edges of cupboards were literally just peeling away. Bed headboard artwork was also partially broken. Our son’s room was worse than ours with missing headboard artwork that had been ripped off and was left in the corridor and a terrible musty smell. We were on the third floor and there are no lifts throughout the hotel, so be careful and ask for a ground floor room if you have access issues. The mini fridge in the room was under stocked every day and we had to beg for bottles of water at the reception, There’s soft drinks, beer, vodka, and whiskey but if you’re a brandy drinker don’t hold your breath, we were just told they don’t do it in the mini fridges. The food is varied and tasty , however the three a la carte restaurants aren’t great. The staff are friendly and very attentive, providing you tip them! The pool is massive, with a swim up bar, however the banging music is that loud every day, it made it unbearable to be around, especially if you’re just wanting to chill out. A smaller, quieter pool is what’s needed here. The beach,is beautiful however, and you can still get waiter service there. We were lucky to see England play in the Euros in the massive Sports bar in the hotel throughout our stay, but were absolutely angered when we were charged $30 to reserve a table to see the final, especially as we should be all inclusive!!!! We felt absolutely ripped off by the hotel as did 200 other English fans on the day. The hotel had tried this before earlier in our stay when we booked for the Dominican party, only then to be told via email the following day that it would be €22 each!!!! Needless to say we cancelled!!!! Personally for us, this is no five star, but could be with lots of well implemented changes. We certainly wouldn’t return here as the Rui hotels offer a much better standard of holidaying.

Bahia Principe Luxury Bahia Beware: This is a long review, but I wanted to present the good, the bad, and the ugly I experienced ACCOMMODATIONS My corner room was fabulous. Spacious and clean with contemporary décor and soft fluffy towels. Great a/c and ceiling fan, restocked refrigerator. I have zero complaints. FOOD AND BEVERAGE Breakfast Buffet – Not a fan of buffets, I ordered fresh omelets, served by a gentleman with the brightest smile. I forgot his name, but he is a joy. Portofino – Skip it. The seafood pasta was tasteless, lasagna left a lot to be desired. Limbo – Nice atmosphere, great service, unimpressive food. Though I don’t recommend the restaurant, I encourage drinks at the bar, which is lovely. Yurta (Mongolian) Never having had Mongolian cuisine before, I didn’t know what to expect. However, it was THE BEST meal of the vacation! Go there! M.E.A.T. The third time was a charm. The first night, the restaurant was sweltering, and the chicken wings were delicious, but I sent my steak back twice and still wasn’t satisfied. I ordered rare and received well done, then an overly rare piece of meat that was so difficult to chew, I was unable to swallow it. Customer service was great; they brought me a ribeye without me even asking. I skipped dessert because I couldn’t stand the heat anymore. The 2nd night I was delighted to see my table (the coolest table in the restaurant) set up for me with the remainder of my bottle of wine (recommended by the excellent sommelier), my name spelled out with coffee beans, and a lovely napkin art. What a nice touch from the hostess, Adrianna! The 3rd night I had reserved M.E.A.T. again (10 days before b/c it was so highly rated), but I wanted to go to Yurt because it was so good. The F&B Manager offered me comped lobster and T-bone to encourage me to give M.E.A.T one more chance. Again, I was welcomed with a special table and given superb service. I really love that they did their best to please guests when things are unsatisfactory. Although customer service was excellent throughout the resort, I’d like to recognize a few people who went above and beyond to make my stay special. Arrecife Beach Bar: Alexandra, Bielka and William. I requested a special margarita that involved the juice of 4 limes, tequila, and a bit of Triple Sec (skinny margarita), and even though I know that is pretty labor intensive, they always made my personalized drink with a smile. In particular, Alexandra earned extra points by walking me to my room and assisting me with check-in and luggage transport on my first day. Breakfast Buffet: Glady and Adrianna brought me iced coffee from the coffee shop (they don’t have it in the buffet) and set up my table beautifully. M.E.A.T.: Pragido (sommelier), Omitozo (waiter), and Lidenni (hostess who decorated my table on nights 2 and 3). Such a nice touch! Guest Services: Daniela was sweet and super helpful. Spa: Santa – excellent massage! THU Nightmare. A friend was planning to join me in my (corner) room. When I called Bahia, they told me that she could pay the additional $75/night on her credit card when I checked in. I confirmed that she could “just walk in” to the front desk, and we could get her situated. (We would have updated the reservation in advance, except that I booked through JetBlue, which would not allow any changes whatsoever without a penalty.) I also emailed the Bahia Ambar manager twice (with no response) to confirm this again and manually add a person to my room and all restaurant reservations. Well, when my friend showed up, security would not allow her to enter the property! Apparently, guests need to reserve/check in with passports at least 24 hours in advance. While Julio at reception was resolving this, I was told that the upcharge for her to be added to my room was not $75/nt as I was told on the phone, but $175/nt. By the time she was granted access to the property (over an hour), she was on her way back to the airport, angry and disappointed. FRI “Yoga” at the beach was the worst in my life. The instructor ignored the participants and uttered no words of instruction. If you weren’t facing her, you had no idea she’s moved on to another pose, and she did nothing to correct this. She just silently moved through some stretches, sometimes with her eyes closed. Frustrated, I left after 15 minutes. SAT I spent the day between the beach and the pool, both of which were excellent. As everyone mentions, if you want a chair at the pool, set your towel down early (by 8:30). Tip: Keep your towels, set them down at 7am, then exchange them for fresh towels when the kiosk opens at 8 am. SUN The excursion (Punta Cana Adult Only Coral Nursery Snorkeling with Seafood Lunch $114) with Hispaniola Adventures booked through Viator was a fun experience. Manage your expectations about how many fish you’ll see (it’s not the Great Barrier Reef), and you should have a good time snorkeling, eating the seafood/lobster lunch, stopping at a deserted beach to enjoy fresh coconuts, and enjoying the open bar. MON Santa at the beautiful Spa gave an excellent massage. I liked that she began with legs and feet since that’s my favorite. TUE Finally, I had a nice meal at M.E.A.T. As a special accommodation, the Food and Beverage Manager (Damian) offered me lobster and T-bone steak (normally an upcharge). My appetite is limited, so I chose the lobster, which was very tasty. WED Last day with an 8:30 pm flight. Given all the problems on my first day, the manager (Orlando) granted me a late checkout so that I could maximize my time at the beach. Nice, but truth be told, I think they should have done more, given the misinformation and lax customer service before check-in. Given the cost, disappointment, and aggravation on Thursday, I thought they’d offer to extend my stay at no additional charge, offer some sort of discount, or credit for a future stay. Instead, I was told I could extend my stay at my own expense in my up-charged corner room at the standard rate. Very disappointing. What would it have cost them to extend my stay by a couple of days at no charge or give me credit for a future stay? I ended up having a nice time, but given what happened, I will never stay at this chain again.