Punta Cana - Bahia Principe - Luxury Ambar
Overall Experience: 5/5
When we arrived at Bahia Principe we were dropped off at the Aquamarine Lobby. There were carts driving guests around the resort, so we took one to the Luxury Ambar lobby. Checking in at the front desk was easy. We were given information on amenities offered throughout the resort, as well as meal timings. We walked our luggage to our villa once we were checked in. Visibility on the paths at night is limited due to dim lighting, but once we figured out our bearings it wasnt a big issue for us. After breakfast the first day, our Air Canada Vacations rep JOSE (AKA BIG PAPI) brought us into the meeting room to give us an introduction briefing. We were nervous about him trying to sell us on upgrades or timeshares, but it was all useful information that we were glad to have learned. At the end he did give us information on the available excursions and pricings, but we also found that helpful.
When we left the welcome meeting with Jose, we were stopped by one of the “Privellege Club” members in the lobby. We were told that we would be able to get a $80 credit for the spa if we filled out a quick survey. He got us on a cart and drove us across the resort to their office. When we arrived we were told to get the credit we would have to sit through an hour long presentation, not fill out a survey. We were upset that our time was wasted, and we were mislead. Hopefully this helps people not fall for the same tricks. Maybe an hour long presentation is worthwhile to some, but we didnt feel it was during our stay.
Food/Restaurants: You couldnt go hungry here, the food was abundant and amazing! The buffet (Palmyra) exceeded our expectations by far. There were always so many delicious options to choose from. For breakfast there were all the standard options and more. Deli meats, cheeses, bagels, breads (toasters), different cream cheese flavour options, eggs done scrambled, hardboiled, quiches, egg bites, bacon, an assortment of different types of breakfast sausages, fried salami, hash browns, omelette stations, pancakes, waffles, crepes, french toast, churros, toppings for them, fresh fruits, panini/sandwich station, smoothie station. The giant Nutella pump was a big hit for guests. One of my favourite things was having honey comb every morning with breakfast. There were Dominican food options to try local cuisine. For lunch there were fresh fruits and salads, meats, sides, seafood, pizza, burgers, and stations were you could get cuts of meat and seafood cooked fresh on a flattop. The deserts I tried weren’t great, but the presentation was beautiful. Too many delicious options to list them all!
A La Carte - M.E.A.T restaurant: This was easily the best A La Carte restaurant, so good we cancelled one of our other a la carte bookings to come here a second time. We enjoyed the specialty cocktails. The chicken wings were huge, and had a delicious sauce on them. We had THE BEST steak we’ve had in our lives here (the Churrasco steak). The carrot cake and cheesecake were meh. The brownie/ice cream were good.
A La Carte - Maiko (Japanese): Would not recommend. Nothing was great, would have rather ate at the buffet that night. Chinatown specialty cocktail was good, but very sweet.
A La Carte - Portofino (Italian): The amaretto apple cocktail was delicious. The cream of mushroom soup, burrata capresse, and chicken parm were great. The tiramisu was good, the cannoli was meh.
Sports Bar: This place didnt require booking to get in for food. Everything we had was delicious. Most items come with fries, so we had more fries than we could eat. The cocktails were really good here. Service was awesome. There are pool tables and a “punching machine” available to play for tokens that can be purchased from a machine. Tons of tvs playing all sorts of sports throughout the bar. Indoor and patio seating available.
Coffee shop: The coffee shop seemed overly hyped up based on the reviews we had read prior to coming to the resort. They didnt seem to have most of the desert options we were excited to try from the menu we saw online. The coffee options were good.
Pool/ Beach: The pool was great. It was hard to get a seat. We notice many guests get up early in the morning and reserve spots with towels, and show up later in the day. The pool had music but it wasn’t blasting all day every day. The overall vibe was good. There is a towel station for fresh towels, washrooms, a regular bar, and a swim up bar. There was a booth where for $5USD you could get a big drink served in a pineapple or coconut, charged right to your room, so no cash was required. There were servers walking around the pool deck that checked often to see if they could get you a drink from the bar. There were resort workers that would come around and try to sell you excursions, or spa treatments. We found this annoying because it seemed to happen often, but they weren’t pushy if you declined.
The Beach had the white sand and blue water you’d expect. Ambar guests had their own private section of the beach for seating. Again, guests get up early and reserve seats, we found it alot harder to get seats at the beach than by the pool. There were way more people trying to sell you all sorts of things on the beach such as sunglasses, beach bags, hats, clothing, pictures with animals, cigars, excursions, and massages. It was like constant popup ads, it hindered the enjoyment of relaxing on the beach because we had to constantly tell people “No”. The groundskeepers were excellent with cleaning the seaweed that washed onto the shore. The water at the beach was pretty rough, comparable to a wave pool. I saw three people lose their bathing suits in the span of an hour, and a bunch of people getting knocked over by waves. It was fun none the less.
Room: The room is modern but some of the finishes were worn. The room smelled musty the first night, but went away for me after that. My wife says the room smelled a bit musty the whole time. There was complimentary wifi throughout the whole resort, and the connection was great. The shower had a rainfall style head, and a handheld shower head. The complimentary body wash, shampoo, and conditioner were nice. There was coffee and a coffee maker, sugar and creamers, glasses and mugs, bottled water, regular and diet cola, orange soda, beer, whiskey, rum, and vodka FOR FREE in the mini bar, restocked every day during cleaning. There was a turndown service every night. Our room had a comfy kingsize bed, a couch, coffee table, chairs, and a big bathtub. There was plenty of closet and cupboard space, but we wish there were more towel hooks along some of the unused wallspace. Our balcony had chairs and a place to hang wet clothes to dry. The outside of our balcony door didnt have a handle, and was pretty heavy. Be careful not to accidentally lock yourself out on the balcony. We stayed in Villa 67, where our friend YSAEL from guest services was eager to help us with anything we needed.
Entertainment: There was always something to see or do during our stay. Some of our favourite shows were the fire show, the circus, and the live singing by “El Divo”. The lobby had live music, dancing, and “silent disco” during our stay. There were aqua aerobics by the pool every day. Even if you dont join in, the music is great and its fun to watch. There was a foam party at the pool that we missed, but sounded fun.
