best holiday yet . skipper and maryann ,april10 to 24 we were booked to to go to the bahia punta cana gold , and we were upgraded to the ambar due to overbooking. this turned out to be a lucky break for us,the ambar was the nicest place we have been to in the dominican. we stayed at bahia punta cana gold last year and this was much better. the rooms and the service were excellent our maid cristina was the best,very friendly and great service, we stayed in building 69. t he food was very good in the buffet with one exception they had a big problem keeping the food warm, they have ceramic serving trays and they take a while to heat up, they need to pre-heat the trays the food and service in the al acart restaurants was excellent especialy the don pablo gormet . the pool and beach were fantastic,the pool was not crowded and they have good drink service,the pool is sparkeling clean and the beach is to die for ,not to crowded. the people that work there are super,even the gardeners, all of them are friendly . i must learn more spanish for next time after all it is their country. for sure we will go back to the ambar next year. we hope that the ambar does not get as big as the grand bahia which is steadly expanding and is out growing itself , i am greatfull to all the people at the bahia for making our holiday a wonderful experience.

My husband and I stayed at Ambar April 26 - May 2. We were traveling with another couple. Everything was wonderful. We arrived early (11:00 a.m.). Check-in was a breeze and we were able to get into our rooms immediately and were by the pool by noon! The beach was beautiful, food delish, service top notch. From our experience, all I can say is take negative reviews with a grain of salt. I was a little nervous about our vacation after reading some of the reviews. There are obviously people out there you can never please.

We checked in at 10p due to our on-time flight arrival. Our flight out was at 9p the following week. I asked Airtransat Holidays about check out for late departure - no problem. The hotel will allow a late check out at no charge. I asked itravel2000.com the same question - same answer. I asked the front desk 3 times at the hotel, including when we checked in, no problem - we can check out later that 12 noon at no charge.

What happened? We were forced to check out at 12 noon which meant we had to sit in the heat for 6 hours, plus the 3 hours getting to the airport plus the flight home - 15 hours in total.

The next day I slept the day away to recover - not a very nice vacation ending.

So here's how it works - DO NOT BOOK FLIGHTS THAT DEPART LATE IN THE DAY - you will lose a day sitting in the heat with your bags and you will lose another day recovering.

Forget what the agents and hotels tell you - you will be checking out at 12 noon or you can pay $300 USD to stay an extra 5 hours.

I will never go back to the Dominican without the proper arrival time and departure time.

Vacation was good. Food was good. Service was good. A very bad ending to a good vacation.

Just back from a wonderful week at the GBP Ambar. To sum it up in one word….Heaven!

We traveled with Transat. The airplane seats are small, but we survived. It’s a 25-30 minute drive from the airport to the resort, fortunately we traveled in a comfortable, air conditioned bus. The Transat representatives at the resort were great. We met with Nicole for an information session, and learned quite a bit. In my opinion, it’s worth your while to talk to them if you can. We also booked our excursion through their office.

Our room was fantastic. Very spacious, with a sitting / dining area. The bed was very comfortable with great pillows. The bathrooms have massage tubs and shower stalls, which were awesome. No problems with bugs. Huge closets, although I would pack a few wire hangers in your suitcase if you want to hang everything. The safes are in the closets, and are digital.
The maid did a super job every morning, and was very grateful for her tips. There were a couple of days that our mini bar did not get restocked with alcohol and Pringles, but that was not a big deal. As long as it was clean with fresh towels, that was perfect for us. I did write a note asking for specific thingsin the mini bar, but was not accommodated. I’m not sure if the same maid restocks the mini bar. Maybe someone can advise??

The pool looked great, although we didn’t spend any time in it at all.

It’s difficult to find appropriate words to describe the beach and ocean. To say that it was awesome, does not do it justice. White sand, turquoise water and rolling waves….that memory will be my happy place until I return.
We were late getting to the beach on the first morning, so needless to say, all of the palapas were taken. However, we did find a very short palm tree which provided the perfect amount of shade, with an unobstructed view of the water. It was such a great spot that Todd went every morning at 6:45 to reserve our chairs under the palm tree, and it was there that we spent our entire vacation.

Aerobics or yoga on the beach every morning. The coordinator does his best to invite everyone to join, but not so aggressive that he/she is in your face.

Cocktails: We had drinks at the beach bar, snack bar and main lobby. From what I’ve seen, there is only top shelf liquor at the main lobby. I thought the drinks were a little weak at the beach and snack bar, so I asked for doubles. That worked for me.
Lobby bar closes at 11pm, so after that it’s up to the other sections (PuntaCana/Bavaro) if you want cocktails.

The a la cartes at the Ambar were OK. In my opinion, the buffet at the lobby is a better choice. Lots to choose from with different themes each night. Snack bar was good too, but to be honest, you can't go wrong eating at the buffet in the lobby for all of your meals. It was fantastic. Todd used room service every night. Took about 25 mins, which wasn’t bad at all.
The a la cartes at the other sections were booked so I cannot comment on those. If you’re interested in going to them, I suggest contacting Laura at Guest Services before you arrive. I corresponded with her, and made certain requests about a week before, but by that time it was already too late. Checked throughout the week for openings, but nothing came up. .

Overall, it was very relaxing week; everything we hoped it would be and more!