Bahia Principe Escape Ambar

We booked this particular hotel to join our friends who had booked it earlier, this was before the Hyatt takeover. The appeal was it’s an adults only hotel, the location and the positive reviews it had attracted from repeat customers. Initial impressions were great. We had booked a junior suite deluxe corner, this room exceeded our expectations having fresh decor and was very spacious. The grounds themselves are impeccably maintained, probably one of the best we have visited. The Bahia Principe resort is huge with 5 maybe 6 hotels located in the same complex. There is just the one pool at the Ambar but this is a BIG one which incorporates a pool bar. The bar service can be a bit hit and miss. It seems to be a hit if you tip at the start of the day, a miss if you don’t. Service in the buffet restaurants is very good, but the à la carte venues service depends on where you go. We found the Mediterranean, Mongolian and Japanese restaurants to be what you would expect and the food far superior to any of the others we tried. Interestingly these three all had the air con working and are situated in other hotels on the resort. But the Ambar main buffet restaurant is the only one at the hotel where the air con is on. Ridiculous considering the heat and humidity. We are normally beach people but unfortunately couldn’t use it due to the huge amounts of seaweed washed up. They have worked hard to clear it but it has been to no avail. The whole of Punta Cana area seems to be the same looking out of the plane on take off. Since Hyatt took over they have let go a lot of staff, maybe as much as 50%, the hotel has really suffered due to this, the consequence being it’s hard to book dinner in a al a carte. The Ambar is not even close to the 5* it professes to be. One big problem with the Ambar it seems to now attract a small but noticeable clientele that can only be described as questionable? One incident of note is two men sitting at the pool bar with their hands down each others shorts! This was reported by another guest to management. The outcome of which I do not know. I think the telling thing about the Ambar is there were a lot of guests we spoke to have visited several times before pre Hyatt. Every single one of them refuse to come back again due to the Ambar’s declining standards. Needless to say we won’t be going back. To be honest if the Ambar is indicative of hotels in the Hyatt portfolio we will avoid the brand. UK guests pay a lot for a Caribbean holiday, they deserve far better than Hyatt can offer, as do all other nationalities.

Started well but soon went down hill We booked this holiday through TUI expecting a relaxing five-star adults-only experience. Unfortunately, the reality fell far below the standard advertised and represented extremely poor value for the approximately £5,000 we paid. One of our biggest concerns was the inappropriate behaviour that was taking place openly around the resort. On numerous occasions, we witnessed men engaging in sexual activity in the swimming pool. This behaviour was clearly visible to other guests and was entirely unacceptable in a hotel that promotes itself as a premium five-star resort. Despite these incidents occurring repeatedly, hotel management appeared unwilling to take any meaningful action to address the situation. We also raised concerns with the TUI representative at the resort but felt our complaints were dismissed and that there was little interest in investigating or resolving the issues we reported. Another major disappointment was the number of day visitors being allowed into the resort. We observed large groups of local visitors and hen parties using the facilities, which significantly altered the atmosphere of the hotel. Rather than feeling like an exclusive adults-only resort, it often felt overcrowded and more akin to a budget party destination. The entertainment team also appeared to focus a disproportionate amount of attention on female guests, creating an uncomfortable and unprofessional environment at times. This was not the level of service we expected from a premium resort. Standards of hygiene were also disappointing. Drinks were regularly served in dirty plastic glasses, which is unacceptable for a hotel marketed as five-star and raises concerns about cleanliness and guest safety. Perhaps most frustrating was the constant volume of the music throughout the resort. We specifically chose this holiday to relax and unwind. Instead, the atmosphere was comparable to an 18–30 style party holiday, with music played at such a high volume that it was often impossible to have a conversation without shouting. This completely undermined the peaceful and luxurious experience that was advertised. Overall, we feel that Bahia Principe Ambar fell well short of the standards expected of a five-star resort and, in our opinion, was closer to a three-star experience. We are extremely disappointed that a holiday costing around £5,000 delivered such a poor experience and failed to meet the expectations set by both TUI and the hotel. We notice that the former name of Luxury Ambar has now been dropped and is now known as Escape Ambar. Luxury gone and after 7 days you definitely do want to escape the rowdy atmosphere The complex is huge and the Ambar is marketed by themselves and TUI as an elite hotel in the wider complex. Guests from other hotels are not allowed in the Ambar but they all come in to the buffet areas and pools making it feel over crowded. Security do nothing when gangs of younger guests throw glasses and yellow warning cones outside the sports bar or when gen parties are screaming in the pool at 1am when. Had to call to ask them to do something. Positive, most staff are attentive and friendly, but the hotel is catering too much for a party vibe rather than 5 star luxury. Rooms nice and cleaned everyday. Food ok but calling the restaurants Ala Carte is mid leading. Maybe re name as themed as the food Is no better than the main I am awaiting a full investigation into these matters from TUI and Hyatt given the significant gap between the holiday that was advertised and the experience we actually received. Offered BMW, received a ford fiesta

Very subpar service for a 4 1/2 * resort food was mediocre we complained 3 times about the toilet running all night nothing was done we changed rooms the air conditioning did not work well the restaurants we booked we were given bad times we were told it was because they were full but when we got there it was only half full the pool was dirty the only good service we received was from room cleaning I would not recommend this resort to anyone!

Stayed at the Escape Amber for a week and had a wonderful experience with tons of activities and food choices. Be prepared to get lost exploring the huge campus. You may need a couple of weeks to fully enjoy everything.

Unfortunately, despite this being advertised as a 5-star hotel, we really didn’t feel that it lived up to that standard. Overall, the hotel felt quite run down and tired, and there were a number of things that really let the experience down. The room: Our room had a strong mouldy/damp smell, which wasn’t particularly pleasant. Cleaning was also quite poor, including on our arrival where there was hair all in the shower. This was not a positive greeting after a long journey. Standard items which who you would expect to be into the room, like soap, were not there. We ended up going to the shop and buying some. The minibar provisions were disappointing and felt very basic for a hotel advertised as 5-star. The bed itself was very large, which was great, but extremely firm, so comfort was a bit hit and miss. Service & staff: The service experience was very mixed. Some members of staff were absolutely lovely, friendly and helpful, while others were quite rude. Service could also be very slow at times at the pool bar, and in the biggest restaurant. One of the biggest things we noticed was the constant expectation to tip. There is a very strong tipping culture, and at times it felt as though tips were being actively sought rather than simply being given for good service. This did affect our overall experience. Be aware, there are no straws provided, and the cleanliness of the cups used at the pool bar is as questionable. Would recommend taking your own refillable cup. Restaurants: We didn’t realise that you’d need to book the à la carte restaurants ahead of arriving. Luckily, we were able to book a restaurant for most nights, with some support from the concierge. The à la carte restaurants were very mixed. * Greek: Very poor — definitely wouldn’t recommend. * Meat restaurant: We wouldn’t rate this one either. * Takkara: Absolutely lush and one of our favourites. * Italian: The food was okay, but the service was poor. * Nikkei: The teriyaki beef was absolutely lovely. * Limbo: Lovely experience and definitely one we would recommend booking. Just be aware that it can get quite warm, so dress lightly. Unfortunately, despite this being advertised as a 5-star hotel, we really didn’t feel that it lived up to that standard. Overall, the hotel felt quite run down and tired, and there were a number of things that really let the experience down. Pool: The pool was one of the biggest disappointments. It looked very worn, with tiles falling out, mismatched colours and a noticeable black rim around the pool. It really didn’t give the impression of a 5-star resort. There was also work being carried out around the pool from around 9/9:30am. We appreciate that maintenance needs to happen, but we did question whether this could have been scheduled for a less disruptive time. Beach: Unfortunately, the beach was another major negative for us. The amount of seaweed was quite disgusting and there was a very strong smell. We felt the hotel was poor at managing it. Machinery was being used to clear it, but it looked very old and, honestly, didn’t seem particularly effective. Positives: There were definitely some positives. The taxi train service around the resort was very good and easy to use. All of the drivers we encountered were lovely, friendly and extremely helpful. We also really liked having access to the other hotels within the resort, as it gave us more options and meant we weren’t restricted to just one property. Overall Unfortunately, we wouldn’t return to this hotel. There were some lovely staff members, some great food and a few really enjoyable aspects of the resort, but overall we found the hotel to be quite run down and, in our opinion, not 5-star standard at all. The combination of the poor room cleanliness, mouldy smell, tired pool, disappointing beach, inconsistent food and drinks, slow service and strong tipping culture really affected our stay. For us, this simply wasn’t the 5-star experience we were expecting, and we would choose somewhere else for our next holiday.