We were due to stay at the Gran Bahia Principe Bavaro as we do one/twice each year for 2 weeks on the 27th june. We got to the hotel and laura (the lady who got us from the airport) told us that we had been upgraded to the Ambar!! Happy days, so we get over there half expecting it to be a mistake, but no we were shown to our room (62205) which was lovely. 4 poster beds, flat screen telly and a lovely big bathroom. The air-conditioning was a life saver it worked really well.
The pool is lovely- big, clean, sun loungers are great. Pool bar staff are really fun, look out for Carlos who was juggling bottles wrapped in cling film (after a few accidents haha), and Jose his sidekick. Also a great place to get chatting to people, its where we met our Canadian friends Rachelle and Rob (hi guys) and had a great time.
The beach is also beautiful the ambar has their own bit which has plenty of palapas but its quite a few metres from the ocean so its harder to get a palapa at the front.
The food was absolutley amazing. Don Pablo was fantastic the chef special Chateaubrian was the best piece of meat i have ever tasted. The italian was also beautiful as was the mediterranian. The selection at the buffet was huge but we only ate there twice as the a la cartes were just too good to miss.
We did 2 excursions- the Outback Safari which was great as usual, and Tropical storm sunset which wasnt great for me. Its good if you are a strong swimmer and snorkeller- im not, and its advertised as a booze cruise and personally i thought they held back a bit. Their 'floating bar' was a bucket of ice with a few beers inside. Enough said.
The waitresses at the lobby bar were lovely, friendly and really fast getting you drinks, we make friends with absolutley everyone every time and this time was no exception and we were gutted to have to leave. I would go back in a heartbeat and i would highly recommend it to anyone. I always go to the Bavaro side, and i would rate this higher just because of little touches- nothing massive its just everything is more refined. Cant wait to go back!!!!

My husband and I vacationed here in May 2009 and thoroughly enjoyed our time at the Gran Bahia Principe Ambar.
Beach - beautiful clear and warm water, white sand - what else can I say?! There were a couple of days where the water had lots of seagrass floating around, but that was primarily because of stormy weather. There are plenty of beach chairs/loungers, although the palapas closest to the shoreline do go quickly. By the time we made it out to the beach in the morning, at 9:30 or so, there were still palapas available, but closer to the hotel grounds. There are many other lounge chairs under palm trees that can provide plenty of shade.
Room - very clean. Cleaning staff came by two or three times a day for cleaning and turn-down service. The rainhead in the shower is a nice touch! Safe is included in the Ambar section - we kept valuables in here and never had a problem with theft, even if we left money out.
Staff - overall was very friendly and went out of their way to make us feel welcome and ensure we enjoyed ourselves. We did run into one or two disgruntled employees, but everyone has bad days here or there. To say that the staff and service was poor because of one or two people is an unfair generalization. We sometimes did not receive coffee we ordered with our breakfast but really, who cares - we were on vacation!
Food - plentiful and delicious! The restaurants and buffets offered lots of variety. The grilled lamb chops at the buffet were the best I've ever tasted! Presentation was also great.
I would and have recommended this all-inclusive resort to family and friends without hesitation. Also, please keep in mind that a 5* rating cannot be compared to a 5* by North American standards. Having said that, it is a wonderful resort, with beautiful, well-maintained grounds. The staff try very hard to accommodate all your needs.

we stayed at Ambar from July3-7. We arrived at the hotel at 2:30 after taking a taxi from the airport. I would definately recommend the taxi-it costs $38 and you get to the hotel in about 25 minutes. The receptionists were very pleasant. They told us our room wasn't quite ready so we had lunch at the Palmyra Buffet and looked around the grounds. Two hours later and after some fussing, they put us in room 60206. Building 60 is the best building at the resort. you are close to the ocean and have views of the pool. The outside restaurant is right at your doorstep. The room was nice, although the AC didn't seem to be doing a great job of cooling. The room service was unpredictable. I believe the best way to explain the problem is that there was an extreme lack of attention to detail. One day you wouldn't get all of your towels, the next day you wouldnt get your bottled water, the next day, no soap. It's that lack of detail that I think makes this less than a five star experience. We only had one major problem and it was ridiculous. While eating dinner at Don Pablo's restaurant, which is the nicest restaurant at Ambar, I asked for the pumpkin soup and the artichoke salad because I wanted to try them both. The server, Joaquin, was extremely rude and firmly told me no, that I was only allowed to have one of them. I explained that I wanted to try both. He continued to refuse until I asked to speak with a manager. Now mind you this is an all inclusive resort!!! Ramon, the manager came over and told me that he would ask the chef if it was possible. Then he and Joaquin went to the back of the restaurant and laughed like school boys at the situation. it was extremely unprofessional and unnecessary. The next day, I tried to speak with a resort manager and was told they were in a meeting until 10:30AM. I went back at 11:15 and they had gone into another meeting. The receptionist told me to write it down. We were checking out and I did not have time to write about the experience. Again, another reason this is not a five star resort. The best food can be found at the buffet-not the restaurants. Most of the people working at the resort were very kind and helpful. We went to relax so we did not go to the other side of the resort often. We saw the Michael Jackson impersonator at Bavarro and that was fun. We only did one excursion and that was the snorkling with sharks and stingrays. It was half a day and fun, although a bit expensive at $178 for two people. We walked down the beach to the little shopping market-which is quite a hike, but fun! Be prepared for the hard sell. At this market there is a little outdoor bar where you can get a water or a beer and sit and rest. We did not have any trouble getting umbrellas on the beach or chairs at the pool. There were many open seats everyday. We went to the gym everyday. There are free weights. bikes and two treadmills. The lobby bar is the best bar and the only place to get the premium liquor. Overall, a nice and relaxing stay. I do not think we would return when there are so many nice reorts in DR.

The grounds were impeccable, the rooms (jacuzzi tub included) were fantastic, the beach is beautiful (as always in Punta Cana), the resort has a lot to offer in the way of food selection and drinks - although the lobby bar closed way too early (11pm). The resort was so clean and the people were very attentive and helpful. The only thing that made this resort a '24 Hours All-Inclusive' was the small sports bar which was just outside the lobby area. That was a little disappointing. The people were friendly, although the maid service lacked cleanliness and they were not overly thorough. We had to make our own bed on a couple occasions, too. Made me feel like I was at home again that's for sure! We are generous tippers, but it didn't seem to help much. The Entertainment Team - Annoying and pushy!

One thing that you must do when you arrive at the Ambar is attend your orientation session. This is the ONLY resort in Punta Cana that does not have a shuttle bus that will pick you up and take you to the airport when your vacation is over. You will have to take the resort train over to the sister resort and be picked up there. This was not mentioned in our orientation for some odd reason so we ended up having to take a taxi which cost us $70US. The taxi drivers permit and license had expired which we didn't notice until after we were well on our way. If you take a taxi in the Dominican be sure to look for this before hiring the driver. We were taken on a detour though a dirt road in the middle of nowhere to get gas, he also stopped on the side of the busy road and made a deal with a local which we can only assume was for drugs. Eventually we made it to the airport - over 1 hour later!

Either way I would recommend the resort, but not the taxi service.

Enjoy your vaca!!