Bahia Principe Escape Ambar

Firstly we would like to recognise and thank our customer experience lady, Candy who went over and above every day to make our holiday the best she could. Her smile and enthusiasm was second to none and the new owners Hyatt need to recognise Candy by giving her a management apprenticeship as she is a perfect example of what customer service should be. So we stayed here for 10 days, from 18 March (returned home today). Although reading other reviews we had hopes of a good holiday experience and here is our story. Firstly after a long haul flight, you are dropped off at Bahia Aquamarine where you have to wait for a golf buggy to take you and your luggage to Ambar as there is no direct drop off. This takes time and isn't welcome after a long flight. Whilst checking in there were no welcome drinks but the Team member that met us walked us to our room (we arrived in the evening) so this was good as the lighting on the pathways isnt great and he explained where things were and ensured we were happy with our room. If you struggle with stairs be aware there are no lifts so you should ask for ground level otherwise you will struggle. Our room was big, clean and had a large balcony. The housekeepers kept it clean daily, but sadly the mini bar wasn't replaced daily. Oh and if like me you like a cup of tea in the morning in your room that's a challenge as there is a coffee maker that can make tea too but not at the same time, so this meant I had a cuppa whilst my partner was still waiting for his coffee to brew, not ideal and the hotel would benefit from putting a kettle in the rooms rather than a coffee maker which was quite old fashioned and not quick. The hotel grounds are well kept, clean and tidy with a big effort on the environment and recycling. All the staff are friendly and happy. Big thank you to the entertainment team who really work hard to make the holiday fun, especially loved the foam party So food and here we find issues, the main buffet was the star of this place, from breakfast with the 'coffee,coffee' man to the Evening meals you can't go wrong, in fact probably one of the best buffet experiences we have ever had. Steak cooked to order and loads of choice you won't go hungry. However the biggest let down is the Al a Cartes, they are sole less, staff are not interested and food is cold. If like us you have been to Al a Cartes before with dress codes you expect silver service experience be prepared to be shocked, these Al a cartes are more like Diners and a big big let down, especially if you make an effort to really dress up. Advice don't waste your time use the buffet at least the food is always hot. The other most upsetting and disappointing let down is that this hotel is geared up for the American market and staff feed on this. They are consistently tipped by Americans and have grown to expect tips. If you don't tip they don't go out of their way to make your stay memorable. They will also provide a better service to Americans in particular around the pool, where cans of beer are available but not if you are from UK.. Half way through our stay the hotel was taken over by Hyatt and there were clear changes, including taking Luxury out of the name and adding Escape. There were more managers on site and more customer experience people asking how the holiday was going. When our experience was shared we were all of a suddened treated better but it was already too late and sadly for us we won't return. We met some really great holiday people from many countries who were regulars and made our holiday memories but for us we will spend our hard earned wage and we'll earned holidays else where as this hotel really didn't hit the TUI Platinum mark and was not value for money or reached the expectation of other hotels we have stayed at in other Countries.

The resort was great last year. This year the changeover to Hyatt has taken place and I cannot get Hyatt .com or the new Bahia app to find my reservation for April 5. The Bahia app gives you a page to contact them but my email never goes through. Very disappointing start to my vacation. Tenth and likely last trip to the Bahia now Hyatt complex.

This is our second time at a luxury Príncipe property. Overall very satisfied! What relaxing week! The room was spacious and modern. Some complained about wear the only obvious improvement that needed to be made in our room was grout and caulking that needs attention. We def feel like we got our moneys worth. The resort is overall very clean. Grounds are just beautiful. Very clean pool and spacious. The beach was nice but very windy I’m not sure if it’s always this way or just the time of year. Can’t blame the hotel for the wind!

We are a couple in our 60s love to have fun but will never come back to this resort after four times being here. Then to probably 50 different all inclusive s… and this was a huge disappointment 10 nites in Our swim out room in building six, which is three buildings away from the pool was a beautiful room. Absolutely loved our private pool corner unit The problem was the noise. There is not a lot (if any) areas of this resort that is u can just sit and relax without loud noise. The pool is full on 90% of the time from 10 AM to 6 PM. which was a lot of repetitive rap and odd playlist. Felt geared for early 20s crowd. After three days of the party pool time …we just wanted to relax by our private pool play our own music very low, but couldn’t even do that because the music was so loud from the pool. (Again reminder we were three buildings away from the pool ) We also 2 days heard the music from the resort beside at the same time…lol let me tell you not a relaxing experience at all. Lol Other issue was the restaurant experiences. Very inconsistent service was either very good or absolutely horrendous on several occasions. There was a few stand out employees but there some that were obviously hating their job. I think what’s happened is the Hyatt is purchasing them and they have not been told whether they have a job or not it really Affected the service quality food, etc. Which in turn affects guest experience. Teppanyaki dinner was horrid! the à la carte food in that restaurant was also literally the worst dinner we’ve ever had. We walked out. Shut the restaurant down if you can’t get right. We enjoyed our nights in the lobby, but again, probably 5 out of 10 nights so loud you couldn’t even talk… Another odd thing for a “luxury” resort …they ran out of glasses 8/10 nites in the lobby….just not the same drinking a martini or wine out of a plastic margarita or champagne flute. Lol. Oddest thing the sports bar: charge $3.00 to play 1 game of pool! noise level was great until some younger 20 s come in and then it’s cranked up to the max.. all times we were there. A note to staff louder is not always better lol especially when you don’t have a great sound system.. Wings and fries amazing! Positives : Housekeeping was absolutely fantastic, coffee shop, grounds are lovely, and all the adorable catties around the resort . Very different experience from other Bahia locations I’ve been to.. Sadly will Never to return to this location

We’ve just returned from this resort, and had the absolute best time. The food is great, lots of restaurants to choose from which was fabulous. The teppanyaki was definitely a standout for us, as well as the Italian. The staff around the resort all work so hard and are so friendly. The entertainment team absolutely make this hotel - the guys especially, who brought all the vibes to the pool and parties etc! They were incredible and always set a good atmosphere. The resort was always clean, staff constantly collecting glasses etc. Could maybe do with a refresh in some areas like the pool and in the rooms, but nothing that affected our stay. We would definitely return!