TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Just returning from an absolutely beautiful trip away. I often travel solo and this hotel is ideal for solo travellers, as often these sorts of resorts are heavily designed to be romantic for couples or ideal for families, but this hotel was perfect for those who like a little solitude! Upon arrival the coaches/taxis only go as far as the Bahia Grand Aquamarine, so we was waiting around there for around half an hour to check-in and be brought to the correct hotel. We was given cold fresh towels and an absolutely stunning cocktail whilst we waited. The room: I had booked the swim-up corner Junior Suite for my stay and I was delighted with the room. It was spotless and well presented - the minibar was topped up daily and towels replenished as needed. The TV was a little confusing as the remote had very limited buttons and the channels weren't of much interest to English-speaking folk, but I did connect my iPad to the TV through HDMI so watched that mostly. There was no insects at all, during my entire stay I didn't even see a cobweb let alone a spider, and there was no cockroaches or anything like that - there are many cats all over the resort so I imagine that has something to do with it. The pool: I didn't use the main pool at all, my room had the swim-up and was in the sun from around 11am till 5pm so I remained there. The pool was very refreshing and was never too cold in the slightest. It was cleaned often and was behind some bushes so provided some privacy. The wait staff could provide service to the pools, but they did not. This is where the hotel begins to separate itself from other 5-star hotels I have stayed at, if you needed a drink or a snack you would have to walk to the main pool (or the coffee shop which was nearest) to get something. I just drank water all day from my minibar so it wasn't a pressing issue - but those in the rooms next to me did get annoyed with the lack of service. The food: I ate each night at an A La Carte restaurant so I only used the buffet for breakfast once. It was fine but nothing special. For a 5-star I expected a little more choice and higher quality. The restaurants were fine - you need to book these in advance on the app, there are comments to book these as far ahead as you can but as I went during a quiet time there were plenty spaces available each day. The Italian restaurant was okay, the menus are limited but the food was decent. The worst for me was the 'steakhouse' known as 'M.E.A.T.'. If I was paying for that steak in a restaurant back home I would've sent it back - was extremely fatty, under-cooked and little seasoning. The best was the Mexican restaurant, with cocktails topped up frequently and the food was incredible, and the best service I had during the tip. My biggest gripe with the restaurants was the staff made you feel little rushed. As soon as you finish the starter it is whipped off the table and the main was placed down, and again for the dessert. I was in each restaurant for around 45 minutes, not given a chance to let food settle or take my time. Staff: The staff I interacted with posed no issue, and were all very friendly. I'm not too sure on where the comments regarding the staff rudeness are coming from, I think maybe the staff are blunt, and don't engage much in small talk but it isn't rudeness. I gather from these reviews the majority saying they are rude are from American reviewers, and service in the USA is extremely over the top and in your face so I assume they are not used to being left alone and not engaged with in shops and restaurants. Yes, the staff could be a little more gracious but nothing to overly complain about. The beach: Postcard-like picturesque. Yes there is a lot of seaweed, but the staff consistently collect what they can and it can't really be helped. There were plenty of beds but I was travelling out of their peak season. Again, service on the beach would've been great but this was not provided. The vendors on the beach will simply not leave you alone - every 10 minutes someone is selling an excursion, a photo with a parrot, a coconut, glasses, hats... It's highly frustrating and I even pretended to be asleep to avoid a couple of them! It's the harassment and lack of service why I only spent one day at the beach, it's impossible to relax, and this really brings the hotel down. Entertainment: This was arguably the worst part, at night there is simply nothing to do. They have a singer whom I thought was a guest taking part in karaoke it was that questionable, and the saxophonist was okay but boring to watch. I spent most evenings on the terrace at my room. The area around the hotel is very rough - as our coach was driving through we were shocked that this is where the resort was! We was informed by our rep on the coach not to leave the resort alone unless you are with an excursion, not that we needed telling. It is very safe and secure in the resort, however. I will not return to any Bahia resort, especially for the price you do not get a truly 5-star resort. It is a nice hotel, but the food, area it is located, entertainment and service let it down massively.

Unfortunately this was the worst holiday I have gone on and will not be returning. This is not a luxury holiday at all. If you want a relaxing holiday do not come here! There is music blasting constantly and you can hear the bass everywhere you go, even your room. You can’t relax by the pool without the constant music. Even if you get five minutes peace, some inconsiderate person will play their own music on their speaker. You can’t relax in a bar in the evening because there’s always some sort of ‘entertainment’ that’s so loud you can’t even have a conversation. Even if you try and escape on the beach, you can still hear the bass from the music. Unless you want a party hotel, I would avoid. This hotel would be great for a stag, hen do or any sort of party vacation. Some entertainment is great but not when it is constant and it’s difficult to get away from it. It’s sort of forced upon you. It’s really difficult to get a lounger with any shade around the pool. People will put their towels on the loungers early in the morning and not even use them throughout the entire day. Staff do nothing about it which is very frustrating. But I do understand this is a problem with many resorts. The beach is beautiful but you will get hounded by people selling stuff all the time. The food here is very hit and miss. It’s not five star what so ever. The meat is always over cooked and the deserts are terrible. The only restaurants that were enjoyable were Yurta, Rodizio, MEAT and Limbo. Some staff are great and they are fantastic at their job but unfortunately a lot of them are awful. Many times we asked for water with meals and it wouldn’t arrive until we’d finished our meal. We would order drinks in the restaurant's and in the bars, and there were several occasions where they never arrived. The sports bar staff and the pool waitresses were all amazing! Obviously some of the restaurant waitresses were fab too! On a plus, the rooms here are lovely. However, there were many occasions where we would be woken up early to loud banging in the hallway from the laundry delivery throwing boxes of bedding around. We spoke with reception and they did sort it out, but that only lasted a few days. The minibar may get replenished but it may not! The maids were lovely though and they always made sure the room was clean. It’s a real shame I wouldn’t come back here because it’s a beautiful resort.

Not got off to a good start, we were allocated a room on the 3rd floor, no lifts and my friend is in a wheelchair, (travel agent partly to blame as she did say there we're lifts) hotel did offer us a swim up room at a 'special price of £840 for 2 weeks, they then offered us a corner room with 1 bed for 1 night with a room change tomorrow for a room with 2 beds, at this point after travelling 18 hours about ready to turn round and go home, hotel has now said we cane stay in this room and they will move another bed in, room smells fosty and app won't work to order room service, not impressed had high expectations of this hotel

the 6 of us stayed at the bahia principe luxury ambar on sept 6th via tui premium from birmingham.this was our 4th visit over many years and our first since 2017. check in was not the best ,we were given virtually no information and very confusing ,however a mention for ANTONIO from guest experience who escorted us to our rooms and got one of them changed quickly,in blocks 61 and 64 all top floor (3rd ) which i recommend but be aware there are no lifts in the blocks .the rooms were updated in 2019 and it shows very modern and clean maid service was very good throughout ,the shower al be it very big and nice is open to view to whoever else is in the room .we used the aquamarine pool nearby and it was very good drinks service was excellent must mention JUAN, our waiter kept us constantly supplied with drinks .this guy is a real asset to the hotel allways busy ,cheerfull and happy ,no problem getting a sun lounger and brolly which was necessary as the weather was very very hot and the sun strong we all got burnt to a degree ,please treat the sun down there with respect .we used the ala carte restraunts every night ,thanks to MARIA on guest experience for making booking fairly easy ,book as soon as you can to get the times and restraunts you want ,book in the ambar lobby at guest experience desk .most were great limbo was our favourite ,the fish restraunt our least ,but italians and meat all very good try as many as possible and make your own mind up ,all restraunts are easily accessed and buggys are available if mobility is an issue .the grounds were beauitifully kept by the hard working garden team .plenty of places to drink at night we tried the sports bar at ambar and the one at esmerelda these are air conditioned but can get rowdy .the beach is beauitifull with weed cleaned up every morning .be carefull in the sea the waves can get very strong we were knocked off our feet a few times ,so overall we enjoyed our return to the ambar and the improvements have raised the bar since our last visit ,our only negative experience was when one of our party took ill round the aquamarine pool due to the heat and fainted .the lifeguard attended and did some checks and other guests helped ,we managed to get the person to aquamarine reception where we asked the privilage club manager to take her to her room 5 mins drive away ,however a driver arrived and flatly refused to take her via there buggy to her room because we werent privilage club members ,pathetic i think in a situation like that ,we managed to get her there on foot ,but was disapointed they wouldnt help .having said all that to sum up ,a great hotel which is massive ,weather incredible and some great staff made our stay a memorable one ,would recommend this hotel .

This is my fourth time at Bahia Punta Cana, we live the resort, accommodations, food, staff. Ambar is amazing well worth the money, Entertainment team work very hard, they show everyone how to get the most out of their holiday, Bianca is our bar waitress always a beautiful smile, Melida kennin on the entertainment team, has been showing me the dance routines, making sure I am staying involved, love to everyone, I am coming back Nov 18 for 10 night ????