Just returned from the Ambar, was there Feb 2 - 9, 2012 and what a great resort it was. I read the reviews before I went and knew what to expect from the adults only resort. Let me just say you get what you pay for. I personally felt this was a great resort who catered to everyone.

When we arrived at the resort we got a welcome drink and were checked in very fast. We had emailed two weeks prior requesting a specific building and a la cart restaurants. We didn't get the building we wanted but we did get the floor and half of the restaurants we requested, which is pretty good considering the resort was sold out. The Ambar resort is the perfect size so it didn't matter that we didn't get the building we wanted, actually happier we didn't. The buidlings closer to the pool are more noisier so if you want to relax more than try and get in the middle.

The staff are amazing, they are willing to help and make your vacation a dream come true. The grounds of the resort are kept to perfection at all times and security is there to keep you safe. Now the chair game. If you want a lounger by the pool then you will have to be there by 7:30 in the morning at the very latest and you have to stay there till at least 8:05 so security does not take away your belongings. If you want a lounger on the beach I found there were always plenty for you to choose from.

Food was terrific at most of the restaurants. The buffet is one of the best I have had with many types of food to choose from. Many people will complain the food was okay but come on, they have to cook for hundreds of people with different tastes, you can't please everyone. The best a la carte is Don Pedro's, excellent food and service. Book the Japanese a la carte in the Bavaro if you can, the food and service there was excellent also. The Italian restaurant on the Ambar was alright but nothing to write about, pick one on the other resorts if you can.

I would definitely stay at this resort again and would recommend it to anyone. Just remember no vacation is ever perfect and remember to have fun and relax. Your on Vacation!

This was our second stay at the Ambar and we wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone. When we registered, we had a concern regarding our room. We spoke to Cesar at the front desk, he resolved it quickly and we were happy with the results. We found the food to be very good with lots of selection. If you couldn't find anything on the buffet that you liked then you should stay home! Make sure you make a reservation at the Don Pablo restaurant. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
The only thing we felt was different from last year was the service at the buffet at the beach. Either they have less staff or this group aren't as attentive. We also felt their were fewer cocktail waitresses at the lobby bar.
The beach and grounds are very well maintained.
A warning about sunburn. If you are fair skinned make sure you have sunscreen above 50. I burnt the tops of my feet walking the beach for 20 minutes. Another day, I forgot to put sunscreen on my legs and ended up burnt after another short walk on the beach. Buy your sunscreen at home as the stronger stuff was $35. at the gift shop.
Beware of the vendors by the theatre. My wife admired a piece of native rock and the first price $135. By the time we left, he was willing to give it to us for $20!
We would go back another year as it has everything we like in a resort.

We stayed at Gran Bahia Ambar Jan 20-27th, 2012. There were 4 couples and a single in our group. My husband and I had stayed at Bahia Punta Cana six years ago with our kids and this was definitely a step up and well worth paying extra to stay ay Ambar when you are without your kids. If you dont bring your children why would you want to be around other peoples kids?

We travelled with Air Transat thru Air Miles. The location Rep Genvieve was really helpful. Go to the orientation. She has great info, recommendations and warnings that will assist in making your stay more pleasurable.

While I agree that everyone has different experiences and expectations when they travel, the positives here far outweigh the negatives. Remember you are visiting a near third world country, not Saint Tropez.

The rooms. We stayed in Building 67 on the first floor in an awesome king sized bed room. Very convenient to the pool and right on the beach. Our friends all ended up in building 70 which was right beside the main lobby. Very convenient to the main buffet. Because Ambar is only a fraction of the size of either the Bahia Punta Cana or Bavaro you are always only minutes from where you want to be. House keeping was awesome. Use the door hanger to indicate when you either want your room cleaned or don't want to be disturbed. The house keepers work very long hours for very little pay. Our guy took great pride in his work and we rewarded him daily by leaving him $5 on the pillow. We had lots of water, refills in the fridge and towels. On our last day we left him all of our toiletries. Simply list what you have left on a piece of paper with your room number and signature so that security will let them take it home. Remember anything that you leave on your bed they assume is a gift so make sure you only leave what you want them to have. The only 2 negatives in the rooms would be the lighting and air conditioning. It is quite dark in the bathrooms, bedside lamps and vanity. The air seems to be on a timer and shuts off around 2 AM. you will know this because the room becomes so stifling that it will wake you up.

The food. Let me start by saying that no one should go to the DR for a great culinary experience. Go to Paris if that is what is important to you. We prebooked our a la cartes via email prior to leaving Toronto. Highly recommended as they only accept so many reservations per restaurant per time slot. It is not due to lack of tables but rather lack of staff to service the tables. The restaurants were never full but the staff who are there work their butts off. They present the food with great flourish and pagentry and go out of their way to ensure that you enjoy your evening. We ate at the Don Pablo twice, very nice...avoid the soups. The Japanese at the Bavaro...it was entertaining but I would not go back. Definetly not Beni Hana. We also ate at the Steak house at Esmerelda. The food was good but the service was not. The head waiter was very indignant when we told him that every one of our orders were wrong. once that was sorted out the food was probably the best meal that we had. The biggest negative here was the couple with the 3 year old who screamed and ran around the restaurant through out the entire service and his parents who did nothing to control him. The buffet breakfast is awesome and Thursday nights they have a seafood gala. This was definely a highlight.

The beach and pool. Be prepared to play the towel game. This is a fact of life for any all inclusive and cruise that I have ever been to.Lucky for our group I get up by 6 daily and would go down to the beach to stake out our chairs and umbrella. dont expect to sleep until 10 and then be able to find a pool or beach chair. they are all taken by 8 am. Even with the towel game there are a few etiquette rules. Dont throw your towels and books on a chair at 8 then go out on an excursion and not return until 2. I faithfully stayed with our chairs until the rest of the crew arrived. Also if someone did take the trouble to get up early and put there towels on a chair do not remove their stuff. The pool area and beach were always pristine. Constant staff cleaning and picking up cups, seaweed etc. The beach bar is very convenient. one tip...the drink cups are very small. by the time you get a drink and walk to the beach your glass will either be empty , warm or have sand in it due to the constant strong ocean breeze. Go to Canadian Tire and purchase a "Bubba Mug". It will keep your drink cold, plentiful and free of sand. People will constantly be offering you excursions on the beach but a polite no thanks will send them away. The big negative on the beach is that the 50 feet closest to the beach is open to the other Bahia guests and their children. I am not sure why they do not restrict this for the Ambar Adults only that we paid for.

The washrooms in the main lobby and restaurants have a nauseating incense. They could certainly do away with this. The drinks are plentiful and strong. The main lobby has a good selection of premium liquors and we did not pay any extra. My only negative would be the wines but we knew this from our last visit. The solution is simple. we brought our own from Canada. The LCBO has a good selection now available in Tetra packs. we kept them in our room fridge and brought one with us to dinner nightly. People have complained about the lobby bar closing at 11 but our group was often there past 12:30.

The 5 guys in our group went deep sea fishing. If you want to do this, you are better to bargain with the guy at the pool rather than booking it thru Transat. You will end up with the same excursion but over $200 cheeper. I assume that Transat is taking a cut. Do go to "Nicoles Place" if you want to buy jewelery, vanilla (I bought 7 bottles at $3 each) rum or cigars.

Overall we had a great time. The staff were friendly, the entire property is clean, the food was good and the grounds are beautiful.

We just returned home from the Ambar. There were 4 of us and we met another couple there. We had a great time.

Arrival was crazy at the airport because at least 3 planes had arrived at the same time but once we got through and retrieved our luggage the rest went smoothly. We took the bus instead of a cab as it was included in our package. Check in was a breeze.

We had requested rooms close together in the suggested buildings of 60, 64 or 67 as they were closer to the pool and beach. We didn't get them, we were in 69 but we did get the top floor. Our friends were just down hall from us but their room faced the other side of the building and they had no view whatsoever. They went down the next morning to request a change, the staff were very accommodating and moved them to building 61 in a corner room. A lot of reviews suggest buildings 60, 64 or 67 but we found that it doesn't really matter as the walk to the pool or the beach is not far from any building.

The rooms are very spacious and were kept very clean. Our patio door didn't lock but I saw one of the workman the first day and mentioned it to him and he came right in and fixed it. Until he did that, we just put the umbrella on the floor at the patio door to keep anyone from being able to open it. Also, being on the 3rd floor we were not too concerned. We found the bed quite comfortable, they are a little firm but not enough to cause any discomfort. I took the advice from other reviews and did make use of the pillow service. Loved the camomille pillows, I swear they were the reason for such good sleep. The mini bar is well stocked and they have no problem adding more of what you like. I called once to ask for some more pepsi and they brought me 5 bottles, after that they kept pepsi and water well stocked.

The pool area got quite crowded but we spent most of our time on the beach and had no problem getting chairs in a spot we wanted. They don't have a very big drink menu but if you have a favourite and you know what is in it they will make it. There was some seaweed but the water was rough a few days so that is to be expected. I loved that we could walk down the beach either way for what seemed like miles.

There are no complaints about the food. We ate at 2 a la cartes, the Maiko which was very good and Don Pablo which was excellent. The buffets were also good, enough of a variety the you could always find something you liked. Some people say they are all the same but hey, it's a buffet. The only complaint I would have is that it was difficult to make up a salad and there weren't always salad dressings.

It is true, night life at the Ambar does end early. We were okay with that as we are basically morning people. We did enjoy sitting at the lobby bar in the evening and closing it up. It was nice and relaxing, chatting with friends and enjoying the evening. The staff were fun and getting drinks was no problem.

The one negative is the trolley system. Even if the trolley is full, they still sit there and wait. If you are going to use the trolley around 5:00 to go up to the Bavaro you are best to get on it while it is empty going towards the beach and turns around because if you wait for it to come back it will be full.

All and all we had a great time in a great place and would not hesitate to return.