Returned home from this resort on December 6 after 7 day stay. Everything the hotel does/did was EXCELLENT. It was very busy but this did not reduce the service level.

Beautiful well maintained grounds.

Room lovely, large, clean, comfortable, plenty of clean towels every day -- did I say clean ... I mean CLEAN.

Restaurants and food - excellent. Canapes at the buffets at each restaurant were great. Cocktails at the door a nice touch. Hand sanitizer at the entrance to each restaurant, what a great idea. Food and service everywhere was great. Clean, clean, clean. Saw the odd fly (could count them on one hand).

Staff and service, excellent.

Beach was beautiful. How civilized to be able to sit there and have someone bring you a drink, even if it was a glass of water that you wanted. The water was very rough so we didn't do any water sports. Not sure if this is the norm or if it was extra windy. Only negative comment was that the "tourists" couldn't resist putting a towel on a chair in the wee hours of the morning which meant that if you didn't do the same it was very difficult to get a chair. Why do people think that it is okay to reserve a chair for the day and occupy it for just a few minutes? Its one thing if they reserve a chair then go for a walk on the beach or a swim but you don't see them all day. Are they going on tours outside of the property? People PLEASE try to be considerate of the other travellers who also paid money to be there. If you plan on leaving the property for part of the day let someone else enjoy the beach and have a chair to sit on.

We absolutely recommend this property for a relaxing, pampered type of vacation.

We just returned from a week-long trip celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary trip to BP Ambar. I did lots of reading of reviews and can honestly say this place lived up to all the positive reviews I read. It’s a great day in paradise when the major decision each day was where we were going to be, the pool or the beach. We found very little to grumble about and had a very positive experience and can’t wait for a return trip to the Ambar!

The Good….
The rooms are very well appointed and large
They were very clean and housekeeping was fantastic
The pool experience is first class; great pool side service
The beach was clean, lots of beach seating and very close to the hotel and pool area
The adult only setting is very relaxing... its your vacation!
The service throughout the property was fantastic, the staff was very friendly
Check in and out was smooth and efficient
Food was plentiful; the ala-cart restaurants were all B+ (we didn’t go hungry!!!)
The ala-cart restaurants reservations were all what we requested in advance of our arrival
The wine with dinner or any meal is very good
The main lobby is the central gathering point and social hub for the Ambar
FREE unlimited wi-fi in the lobby is a nice perk
Older couples or younger couple on honeymoon makes up the guest at this resort

The Nit-picky…
The food is different – not bad, just different, not lots of spice and many items are served luke warm
Service in all restaurants is European style – meaning you never know who will be waiting on you
No elevators, if you’re on the 3rd floor keep this in mind
The AC doesn’t get as cool as I would have like
Don’t waste your money on any of the Chef’s Specials.. not worth it
Wish there was more pool side music
Getting a seat at the pool can be problem if you don’t “towel a seat early”

Tips for the BP Ambar…
Request your building in advance of your arrival (we stayed in 65) perfect building; request a corner room and on the 2nd floor
Please tip the staff- take lots of US $1.00 and $5.00 – it will enhance your stay and the staff is extremely appreciative – they need your support!
Don’t take lots of clothes… dress shorts and collared shirts are perfect for all except the gourmet restaurant
Do take lots of sunscreen – very expensive on property
Share shuttle service to/from the Airport is easy and inexpensive – arrange in advance of our arrival

BTW - We booked our trip through Delta Vacations and had a very good experience with that process.

My boyfriend and I stayed at the Ambar for 5 days in early December. We booked through Apple Vacations which included transfers to/from the resort, and had an Apple representative on-site for any of our needs. We e-mailed Ambar about 7 days prior to arriving to make restaurant reservations and room requests.

CHECK IN/OUT I don't know why check-in hasn't been addressed by the resort as I read numerous complaints. We were dropped off at the Bavaro, told the staff we needed to check in at Ambar and waited an easy 15-20 minutes before getting a shuttle to the Ambar. Once we were there, we were greeted rudely by guest services who said "where are your papers? You don't have papers?" and then sighed, rolled his eyes etc etc. Someone else stepped in when she overheard us say "Apple Vacations" and helped us check in. She then led us to our room, pointed out where restaurants were, and the direction to get to the pool/beach. When I asked about being moved to a higher floor (as was requested in my e-mail) she quickly became defensive saying I would have to ask guest services. I got the same response when I asked about the dinner reservations. She said they should have been in the check-in envelope but didn't know why they weren't and we needed to ask guest services. I believe she was our "butler" but that was our only interaction with her for the trip. Went to guest services who did have our reservations. We could have changed rooms but not until the following day. After a long day of travel we let it go and stayed on the first floor. I wish they would have included some sort of welcome drink and/or cool towel as we saw other resorts doing. Check out was smooth, friendly and easy; I don't know why check-in couldn't have been the same!

GROUNDS/POOL/BEACH As others have said (and said and said) this resort is absolutely beautiful, clean and well-maintained. The beach is stunning (I don't know what "seaweed" anyone is talking about), and the pool is immaculately clean. We never had a problem getting loungers on the beach, but did put our towels out around the pool before breakfast. Service by the pool was friendly and quicker than on the beach, but the servers on the beach obviously had a lot more people to attend to. This was the highlight of the trip for sure!

FOOD/DRINKS The food is terrible save for Miguel making made-to-order eggs every morning and seafood gala night at the buffet. I am not a picky eater by any stretch of the imagination, but I do like my food to have flavor. Bella Italia was just cream, butter and noodles. Garden Grill was better, and Don Pablo was also palatable. Sadly, the nachos at the snack bar by the pool were the one thing we looked forward to eating! Less quantity, more quality would go a long way here. The drinks, on the other hand, were delicious! We had no problem getting the type of liquor we requested, drink service in the lobby (and by the pool) was always fast and friendly.

ENTERTAINMENT We went to 2 shows. They were cute and entertaining, similar to what you may get on a cruise line or in an amateur theater. We definitely enjoyed them, and thought that they did a nice job for what it was.

OVERALL We loved our trip once we were settled in. Doing nothing but sitting by the pool and beach was exactly what we needed. We would definitely return to Punta Cana, but we might try out a smaller resort before coming back to Ambar. As long as you know what you are getting into, you will have an enjoyable stay.

This review is only regarding my experience booking rooms and making reservations because I have not yet gone on my trip. My experience with Clara has been so good that I decided to write this review even BEFORE I go on my trip. This is really a rare experience for me. After must research regarding the best hotels in Punta Cana, I decided to go with the Gran Bahia Principe Ambar.

I am traveling with my husband and it is going to be our HONEYMOON. The Ambar hotel was an easy choice because it is Adults only. I got the best hotel rate from directly booking my trip on the Gran Bahia website. I compared other competitor websites (orbitz, expedia, etc) and the best rate is provided directly on the Gran Bahia website. The website itself is very informative.

For some reason, the website was not taking my credit card. I called the 800 number and I reached Clara, who was so amazingly helpful. She took care of all of my needs and answered all of my questions.

Luckily, when I booked my trip, they were having a special so I was able to also book airport transfers directly with Clara.

Lastly, today I emailed Clara with my a la care restaurant choices for my upcoming hotel stay and she quickly forwarded my email to personnel so that they can book my reservations. I have not yet received a confirmation to my restaurant choices but I am sure they will be coming shortly.

I am so excited for my upcoming trip. Best of all, my parents have decided to come too and they are celebrating their 30th anniversary!! I will provide another review after I come back from my trip.