Bahia Principe Luxury Ambar — Hotel in Higüey

★ Unbeatable Value, Luke Warm Hospitality, and One Very Important Tip About the Sea ★ As a well-traveled couple from Manhattan, New York, who have visited 19 countries, my partner and I decided on a last-minute weekend getaway to the Dominican Republic, booking a four-day, three-night stay at the Bahia Principe Luxury Ambar from August 29, 2025, in room 66203. From the moment we arrived, we were enveloped in the resort's lush, immaculately kept grounds, even making friends with a few friendly cats. The upkeep and cleanliness were immediately apparent, while not flawless, have us already dreaming of a return.

★ Our room was modern, spacious, and kept spotless every day by the housekeeping team. The minibar was restocked daily, and the staff left bottled water to use when brushing teeth. While we didn’t use it, 24-hour room service was available – a nice option if you get hungry late at night.

★ The food was a highlight, particularly the early morning buffet (7:00–10:30 AM) with tailor-made omelettes, fresh tropical juices, beautifully decorated desserts, and even whole fish and roast pig carving stations. There’s also a poolside buffet for lunch (12:00–3:00 PM) where you can grab a plate and eat by the pool. While we found the à la carte restaurants mediocre at best, the creative and refreshing signature cocktails were a consistent standout.

★ And staying at Luxury Ambar comes with a great perk: it’s part of a huge Bahia Principe complex with 7 neighboring resorts, and as Ambar guests, we had access to all of them. You can walk everywhere in 3 hours (maps are posted around) or hop on the golf-cart shuttles that run continuously to the beach, nearby restaurants, and other resort lobbies.

★ The relentless entertainment team created a balance of party and relaxation, with daily aerobic pool exercises, foam parties, mixology classes, Catamaran sailing on the beach, and nightly music featuring a DJ playing a mix of hip-hop, bachata, and merengue.

★ For quieter moments, the breathtaking beachfront—despite a seaweed issue—provided a lovely breeze and stunning 7am sunrises. Our tip: read the Daytime Entertainment and Evening Program posted by the pool so you know when the louder events are happening, and plan your quiet time accordingly.

★ It’s crucial for guests to know that during the hot summer months of May through August, the entire Caribbean, including this coastline, experiences the "Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt," leading to piles of rotting seaweed and disruptive cleanup tractors; it’s not the resort’s fault, but it is a reality for which you must be prepared. If a swimmable beach is a top priority, consider timing your visit outside of the seaweed season.

★ Now, our only two real complaints: firstly, the pushy sales pitch from some staff/vendors. Throughout our stay, we were frequently approached to buy extras – spa treatments, excursions, special packages, etc. Upon checking in, Miguel from the concierge desk offered us spa coupons and talked us into scheduling a 20-minute presentation at the Aquamarine the next morning. He was initially welcoming, and surprisingly called our room early to remind us (waking us up). We canceled, and once we declined the spa package, his mood shifted – no more chummy hellos when we walked by.

★ Secondly, service in the restaurants was a hit or miss: most hosts and servers were cordial but not as attentive, and we did encounter employees who were blatantly rude. We noticed that inconsistency in a few other places too (one front desk agent and three golf cart drivers were notably unfriendly). Hopefully, management can address those few cases because overall, the staff are fully engaged in their work.

★ Despite these minor issues, we had a fantastic stay and highly recommend Luxury Ambar – especially for the value. We would not hesitate to return ourselves, with the sage advice to research seaweed season, gracefully decline unwanted sales offers, and most importantly, tip the many hardworking staff generously—they are the heart of this fabulous place and...

I have had to edit my review 3 times now, because our experience just kept getting worse. I'm at a loss for words about this resort. Problems started occurring before we even got there due to unanswered emails regarding the vow renewal we were doing there. Dozens of emails went unanswered. Our group of 7 ended up doing everything ourselves on the beach. This place advertises that you can eat at all the restaurants on the Bahia principe property. There are ALOT. However, they prioritize ppl staying at that Bahia resort. It's literally impossible to eat anywhere else but the 3 restaurants at the ambar. 5 of us were able to get in at the Mediterranean restaurant at the Aquamarine property. 2 people from our group left the limbo restaurant before finishing their meal because they were throwing up in the bathroom. Our entire group got diarrhea at the meat restaurant. We all were only able to eat dinner together twice in our 7 day stay, even after having to go to the front desk to make reservations for dinner the remainder of our vacation because the app doesnt work AT ALL. I arrived there with a terrible chest cold. Being sick, I did not indulge in sun or drinking for several days, so the resort cannot blame the vomiting or diarrhea on that, as they have done in other reviews. We were warned not to even brush our teeth with the tap water - no big deal, this is pretty standard. However, I asked for TWO DAYS for more water and Pepsi. The maid, the butler that's in every building, called the concierge twice, then i had enough and walked down to the front desk in my pajamas at 1230am to personally request water and soda. I waited up until 130am, no water or soda. As a last ditch effort, I did a Google review that was responded to almost immediately. That morning, I left a note in Spanish and left $10. That's what it took to be able to hydrate and brush our teeth. The beds are rock hard and you can feel springs in them, all of us were the walking dead on our last day. The beach and pool are beautiful, however, 80% of the people who were staying there are elderly, wake up at 5am, and reserve all the shaded spots and all the lounge chairs with umbrellas.There is ZERO cold water in your room in the morning. Burning hot and scalding hot is what you get until after 10a, they said they "rejuvenate the pools" in the morning. 2 ppl in our group couldnt even flush their toilet. Dont worry, in the afternoon you can shower, along with everyone else at the resort, and have just a trickle of water come out of the shower head. Our group pooled our money together to have a private transfer to the resort and back to the airport at the end of our stay. I walked my carry on bag and checked bag to the transfer myself, and gave it to the hotel staff that was loading our stuff. It's a 45min drive to the airport from the resort, so we got there 1.5hrs before the plane started boarding. As we were unloading our luggage, our carry on was missing. The driver called the resort, and they told my husband that we'd have to PAY to get our carry on back. He would've had to go with the transfer back to the resort, miss our flight, and pay for his way back as well. There was no way our luggage was forgotten, as i literally handed it to the employee, and we were on a private transfer. This resort stole our carry on. LUCKILY, I was so tired when packing, I packed all my jewelry and meds in my checked bag. I was absolutely devastated and a crying mess at the airport thinking all my jewelry and husband's wedding ring was gone. I have sent 3 emails about this in the past 4 days, no response. I did take a survey, they said they'll forward my issues to the proper departments.... I'm not expecting anything to come out of this at this point, so we've spent $654 so far replacing ALMOST everything. If you enjoy one long continuous rolling nightmare, this is the place for you!!! They even have biting midges that no amount of bug spray will repel!!! 42 total bites on my legs, our other friend with us was far worse and went to the doctor when...

I arrive June 8 to June 15 I requested swim out corner room by the pool. There was several rooms available, but the Customer Service his name is Jose told me there was no room available which it was but he said those rooms for others the corner swimming pool is filthy. Lot of debris Hair in the water. I’m not gonna complain. The young ladies at the pool are very rude. I asked for a drink several times she walked past me, said something to me in Spanish I said back to you so I went and bought me some beer alcohol so I’m in my private pool, which is dirty water stand away from everybody else. Customer Service is terrible, but I must say the staff cleaning the rooms point no Face towels you have to ask them yes good staff members here, but it also is so bad here but they don’t realize we don’t have tourist. You don’t have no job. I want that tequila restaurant food was not hot. I went to the steakhouse. Awesome. Customer service was great. I am very upset. Monday was my birthday. They promised me a gift. I did not receive it but a banner on the door, but it’s OK. Also, the water pressure in the shower is terrible. They fixed the air conditioner. The first day got the air condition was not working so they fixed it. for six days, I was swimming in debris. I don’t know what was in the water, but I requested them to come clean the pool. They came on the last day when I was about to leave. It’s not worth it. The money. The customer service is terrible for African-Americans. I’m just gonna be honest with you The entertainment by the pool terrible the entertainment at night terrible everybody in the lobby plan Uno or spades cards this is one of the three resorts that I stayed in. It’s terrible. Also the mosquitoes are bad very bad. I feel like I wasted money and time coming to that resort in the lobby. They have a group that’s called the privilege club I came with my fiancé she lives there. The manager told me we have to be a couple. This is my fiancé, but I see him walking single man around the resort, trying to get them to join the privilege club so I said it to him. He’s by himself he just looked at me the guy from the From the Privilege club just looked at me and he knew I was right and I told him how do you expect people to join the privilege club when you don’t have good customer service i never seen a resort after dinner. Everybody's in the front lobby, play an Uno cards and spades. I thought I was in a senior citizen resort i booked my trip with booking.com they have been trying to contact the resort to see about reimbursing me some of my money, i will say this do not waste your money at this resort.You will stay at your own risk and the mosquitoes, are bad. They do not give you no face towels I had to cut up a big towel to make some face towels, I spent $3366. It's not worth it. I am very p* because i've worked very hard to make that money for my birthday and I was let down, I got robbed and for the person who sent me this message from the resort reimburse me some money, please. Reimbursed me some money i've been robbed and another thing, when I checked in theirs is section in lobby a group called the privilege club members. So call staff members say how are you doing, sir, I'm fine. I would like to give you a free gift. I said, okay, we came back, he talked to his manager. He told me that his manager said we have to be a couple.I said this is my fiancé, he says, sorry, we walked away 30 minutes later. I seen him walking with a white man. By himself, give him a tour. I said to him REALLY I thought 💭 it was couple only do not believe whoever sending messages saying they are doing their best. They are not once they get your money that’s it. Stay at your own RISK ⛔️ There was a cat drinking the water from my private pool that cat could have germs and I’m swimming in the water. This was the worst birthday trip I ever had in Dominican Republic. I have been to Dominican Republic 30 times and I normally stay at the Royalton chic Customer Service is terrible especially for...