I just returned from Gran Bahia Principe in Punta Cana (literally yesturday). Before I went on this trip with my boyfriend I, like i'm sure many of you read the reviews posted (especially the bad ones) and to be honest after reading them I did not want to go. HOWEVER I AM SO GLAD I DID. We booked the trip for Gran Bahia Principe Punta Cana. Upon arriving we were automatically upgraded to Gran Bahia Principe Ambar (which is within the Punta Cana resort) but it is the highest level of luxury. We were allowed to eat at all the restaurants and buffets and everything was included. Our room was literally just feet from the pool and beach. It was absolutely amazing! Contrary to the others that have reviewed there were only a handful of things that were negative (but nothing serious!) Almost all the members of the staff there were extremely friendly and eager to help. Over our 6 day stay there were only 3 staff members that were rude ( a waitress, a hostess, and a cashier at the lobby giftshop) Other than that the staff acted as if they wanted to become your best friend. The only other thing that were negative was El Olivio (the Mediterranean Rest.- only about 5 things offered on the menu and none of them tasty). The grounds, pool, beach, and rooms of the resort are absolutely gorgeous (and believe me I am VERY picky) and contrary to what others say it would be a mistake to go to Punta Cana and stay anywhere else. I cannot wait to go back.

P.S. I highly recommend the Buffets, all of them had a huge selection for both breakfast and dinner and it was all tasty.

We had a wonderful vacation. We had some glitches (travel agency related, not resort related), but the front desk staff was great at helping us work through them.

The grounds were beautiful. Check in was painless. We booked two rooms for our family, but soon discovered that although they were technically on the same floor ( rooms 11106 and 11108), they were not connected by a hallway. You had to walk around the entire building to get to the other room. This was not an ideal situation for a family. We requested a room change, and it was granted the next morning. We had hoped for side by side, but at least we did end up on the same floor.

Rooms were large and well kept. We had king beds in each. Be careful when taking a shower. It was very easy to flood the floor In fact, the hotel was so low on towels on Monday (due to people using them to mop up the flooded floor) that we were only given one towel for four people.

Food was very good, but I would suggest bringing some Tums for stomach upset. They have to plan menus for international vacationers, and I think that they did this quite admirably. Gourmet restaurants we patronized were: Japanese (least favorite for taste, and felt rushed to get out); bar-b-que buffett (very good and large variety) and Garden Grille (our family's favorite). Book your restaurants as soon as you check in. The latest we had for seating was 7:45. .We really didn't have problems as others have reported.

Pools were large and did not feel crowded. We never had difficulty getting a chair. The main pool was very hot (over 100 degrees). Not the best swimming environment. The smaller pools were better The aerobic instructor was a lot of fun.

Beaches were clean. Again, no problem getting chairs. The boats were noisy, and often the gas smell was a bit overwhelming. I would suggest moving farther down the beach towards the Bavaro side to escape fumes.

There weren't too many American's the week we went down, but we didn't mind. It was a a great experience to be surrounded by so many nationalities. It was a wonderful cultural trip for out entire family. Any language barriers were easily overcome.

We did an off site excursion with Bavarro Runner tours. I would highly recommend this. They really packed the day with exciting and educational activities. The guide was highly informative and very entertaining. They negotiated a better price than any of their competitors.

This by far was our best family vacation. There were some things that weren't 100%, but I believe that you would be hard pressed to go on any vacation where everything was perfect.

Would consider going again in a hearbeat.

We arrived in at Higuey airport on a direct flight from Baltimore, USA3000. I was surprised how quickly the plane emptied out upon arrival. We were welcomed with smiling greeters and musicians as we walked to the luggage carousel. My husband no sooner grabbed our bags off the conveyor before someone approached us to assist with luggage. He escorted us over the Orbitz counter to inquire about our shuttle service we reserved online. The man carted our stuff directly to the shuttle, and off we were to our resort. The ride was about 30 minutes from the airport, not bad at all.

I originally booked our reservation for a room at Gran Bahia Principe Punta Cana. We went to the check-in desk and they upgraded us to Ambar, adults-only. Since it was only around 12:30, he handed us a map and asked to come back at 3 to get into our room. We walked around a bit, grabbed some lunch at the main buffet, and tried to learn the layout of the various resorts within one (Bavaro, Punta Cana, Golden Club, Ambar, etc.). We went back at 3 for our room, but it still was not quite ready. We had a cocktail at the lobby bar and checked back closer to 4. We were escorted over to Ambar with our luggage.

Service- Overall, I found service to be good. I thought everyone was very friendly and helpful. The only exception would be the one server at El Pesador. He seemed like we were keeping him from something better. The rest of the staff from check-in, bell hops, house keeping, room service, front desk, bartenders, and servers (especially Juan and Nelson in Ambar’s buffet… excellent) all were great to us.

Beach- The beach was spectacular. Beautiful water and sand, palm tree mangroves, and shade huts decorated the shore. There were plenty of lounge chairs… never a problem finding one regardless what time of day. If you want a front row hut, I would suggest getting out early. Otherwise, don’t bother setting an alarm. There was plenty of space on the beach.

Pool- The pool was clean. This is where I really appreciated being in the Ambar resort. This pool always had chair available, regardless the time of day. Shade huts filled quickly at the pool too, but there were plenty of chairs if you don’t mind the sun. There are no kids screaming and splashing around here, and it was not overcrowded. We went over to the other pool (Punta Cana/Bavaro) several times for lunch and it was a mad house. It was extremely crowded and people were piled everywhere. It looked like a nightmare at a public swimming pool.

Room- Our room was nice. It had a king size bed and ample storage space for our clothes. Our housekeeper, Bernebella, was excellent. Each day I put some money aside for the housekeeper and some money in the refrigerator for the mini bar and we were set. I will say that towels were a bit of a problem, especially on Mondays. They seemed to run short. We arrived on a Monday and did not have any towels in our room. I was so hot from traveling and wandering around the resort that I just hopped in the shower before I realized we did not have towels. My husband went out for towels. They handed him one, and said they would bring more when they were finished drying. About 45 minutes later, we had a stacked of warm towels straight out of the dryer delivered. On Wednesday, we received our first set of wash clothes. Bring your own washcloth or shower scrub.

Temperature- Every place was very hot! Our room was not comfortable. It was probably about 78-80 degrees the entire trip. We asked about it once, but it did not change. From feeling the AC in some of the restaurants, I just don’t think they have AC like we have AC at home. I keep my thermostat on 70. We like it cool indoors. Some of the restaurants were warm too. The pool was like standing in a large tub of bath water. The ocean was refreshing! In addition, the refrigerator was only slightly cooler than room temperature. They have ice machines on each floor. We packed a small collapsible cooler, which worked well. Other people said their room was cool, so maybe it was just our room... 61101.

Bugs- My biggest fear from reading info online was mosquitoes and the possibility of malaria. We went and got our malaria pills and heavy duty Deet, but I don’t think it was necessary. I get lit up by those crazy things, and did not get one bite the whole time. I saw them spraying the grounds several times while we were there for bugs. One night they were wearing some serious respirators while spraying. I even saw a dragon fly fall to the floor in mid flight. Not much could survive there. HOWEVER… be cautious of the crazy American Cockroaches (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_cockroach) that we found in our room! They are the size of small mice and have a crunchy coating making them tough to kill. We saw four in our room over a 10-day period, at separate times. They definitely freaked me out. From talking to others, we were not the only one to encounter these critters.

Food- The buffet was good. On our first Monday (Spain night), they had endless lobster tails grilled to order. Apparently they switch up on lobster night, because they did not do this the following Monday. Each night is a different theme, so there are always new dished to try. They have staples, like a pasta bar with pizza, salad bar, cold cuts, tons of baked goods, etc. As far as the restaurants, I found them disappointing. They were not the typical a la carte restaurants at other all-inclusives. We went to El Charro, El Pesador, and the French place in Ambar. The French restaurant was the only place that was truly a la carte. The other places had similar buffets to the main buffet for your appetizers, salad, and desserts. You only order the main entrée a la carte. The food was good at all of the places, just not the dining experience I was expecting.

My three negatives would be the cockroaches, lack of proper air conditioning, and nightly shows were very smoky. I could not believe the amount of smokers, and their lack of consideration for others. There are tables that wrap around the perimeter of the theater designed for smoking. I thought it was inappropriate for people to smoke in the middle of the theater rows and drop their butts right on the floor. Perhaps I have been spoiled living in a smoke-free county.

Overall, our trip was great. The beach is gorgeous, grounds were well manicured, and the staff was friendly. Definitely spring for Ambar if you are not taking kids.

My family, including 2 teenagers, just returned from the Bahia Principe last week. Here are my thoughts.

Hotel Grounds - 5 Star! Beautifully landscaped and impecably maintained.

Ocean - 5 Star! The water was really warm and a beautiful light blue. My only complaint would be that the snorkeling is very poor in front of the resort. Decent snorkeling can be found within a 15 minute walk north of the resort.

Staff - 5 Star! Very friendly and always available. It was occasionally difficult not knowing Spanish but we got around ok. Most of the visitors are Canadian or European. I liked that as I was looking for a international location, not Hawaii.

Rooms - 5 Star! Very nicely appointed rooms that were always clean and are very roomy. Satellite TV was nice. We found at least 8 channels in English.

Location - 5 Star! Great place to get away from it all. Don't expect any easy access to outside places as this hotel is on its own. We liked that part of it. I do think the snorkeling would be better in the hotels south of the eastern tip. They would also be closer to the airport. It took an hour taxi from the airport to the Bahia.

Activities - The activities at the resort are good. They always have things going on by the pools and have activity service right on the beach. They will literally pick you up off of the sand for scuba, parasailing, snorkeling, etc.

The Bahia is very nice and met all of our expectations. Our kids had a lot of fun because there is a lot of teenagers and night things for them to do. The only turn off was the market in front of the hotel. The people are EXTREMELY pushy and annoying when trying to sell junk. They were very expensive. A typical $3 bracelet in the states would cost $10 in the market. My wife and I went once and never went back!