TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We stayed here the first week of may 2026. There were 7 adults in our group. We flew out of Toronto late afternoon which meant we arrived at the hotel around 930pm all restaurants and buffet were closed. Snack bar was open so we were able to get a bowl of soup and a sandwich. Check in was relatively quick . Unfortunately when we entered our room it had not been completely cleaned. So back to the lobby we went. The clerk at the desk was unable to give us another room and we were told to come back in the morning to speak to the day manager. He not only gave us a different room he also upgraded us . ?? We stayed in room 4110 room was clean and everything worked as it should. They also put a blanket on our bed as requested. The food was by far the best I’ve had so far in the Dominican. The drinks from the lobby bar were the best in our opinion. The whiskey sour and Mai tai were the favourites for the week. The Mexican a’lacarte was delicious but I definitely recommend going early as it fills up quickly. The pool was well kept and clean although getting a chair with any kind of shade was tough some days . People put towels out first thing in the morning but never used them all day. The resort did posts signs saying it wasn’t allowed but someone took them down by the next morning. Seats at the beach were equally hard to get but because there was so much seaweed during our stay we only went a couple times. Overall we enjoyed our stay and will likely return in September.

Go in with the right expectations and you can have an alright time. For reference, I stayed five nights in the beginning of May. You genuinely get what you pay for but see below for an honest review by category. FOOD (2/5 Stars) Very few choices for breakfast or lunch - more continental at an okay hotel. Dinner was hit or miss. I had a couple dishes that were decent but I found that they were not available most nights so I had to settle for something else. Restaurants were also closing early or not opening at all due to low occupancy. ROOMS (2/5 Stars) I had to request a change initially because the latch lock was broken off of the door and the shower was not clean. The new room was an improvement but still had maintenance issues such as lack of warm water, broken furniture, and Motel 6 level renovations. POOLS (3/5 Stars) Note that the swim up bar is only available in the upgraded section of the resort. The two other pools were nice and well maintained but easily became overcrowded by noon, even under 'low occupancy.' ACTIVITIES (2/5 Stars) The resort lists Kayaking at no charge but this is not the case; there is kayaking but it's offered through a third party and cost approx $30 USD per hour. I did witness a small yoga / stretching course near the pool in the morning but it did not look very appealing as they were trying to stretch on the pavement with only towels. There are a couple of pool tables but both are missing balls, there's no chalk, and the cue sticks are broken and actually giving splinters. STAFF (2/5 Stars) During five nights, I saw one and only one person outside of the concierge smile or make the slightest effort at customer service. His name is Weegie (sp?) and he worked the small bar for one night. Most others rolled their eyes or actively tried to avoid assisting guests. The front desk staff, however, was nice enough and accommodating when needed though there was always a decent wait to speak with them. BEACH (3/5 Stars) They actually kept up with the seaweed pretty well for such a small resort - that was impressive. The size of the beach is smaller, however, and like most other reviews mention, you won't likely find a seat after 9:00a. There is no drink service on the beach. GYM (1/5 Stars) All equipment is old, unsafe looking, and there's a stark odor that you can smell as you approach the doors. CASINO (1/5 Stars) I think I counted four, maybe five machines in total. One table. Brightly lit Casino. Awkward. OVERALL If you're just going to sit on the beach and you don't care about luxury, nice drinks, or fine dining, this could work for you. I will say that even in early May, there were a lot of children running around. The resort is desperately needing an overhaul and you will absolutely feel like you're in a motel on the beach. But it's a nice beach and if you know what you're getting into, you can enjoy it. Good luck!!

The pros about this resort are: - Food - Cleaniless - Pool and beach The cons are: - Entertainment: the choice of music for dance needs to be more diversified to satisfy an international crowd. Just very limited to Latin music will not attract international crowd. - the sports facilities and equipment are very poor to the point where it may cause injuries. Please spend some money there before someone gets injured. - The advertised entertainment are often it accurate. For example, the 70 and 80 disco night ended up being Latin music again !!!! Please diversify the music. International crowd cannot listen to Latin music every day!!!!

Been here three days and no hot water for showers. Have complained multiple times and nothing has been done. Keep being told someone will come and look and no one shows up.

Extremely disappointed with our experience at VIK Arena Blanca Resort. The resort advertised online and the reality of what you arrive to are two completely different things. The photos online are incredibly misleading and do not accurately reflect the condition of the resort at all. What has made this experience even worse, however, has been the absolutely unacceptable level of customer service. We have now gone THREE DAYS with no hot water in our room. Three days without being able to properly shower on what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation. We have made multiple complaints to the front desk, returned several times to follow up, and repeatedly asked for help. Not once has anyone come to properly inspect the issue, offer a solution, move us rooms, or show any urgency whatsoever. Every complaint has been brushed off with empty promises and no follow-through. At this point, it’s not even just about the lack of hot water — it’s the complete disregard for guest concerns and the poor service that has been the most shocking. For the amount of money people spend to vacation here, basic necessities and customer care should not be optional. I rarely leave negative reviews, but I genuinely feel people deserve to know the reality before booking. This has been one of the most frustrating and disappointing resort experiences we’ve had.