TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

I'm one of those people who read reviews but take them with a grain of salt. I rarely write reviews, but after reading all the reviews on this hotel, I decided it is time for a 100% honest review based on my history of going to this hotel. I have been going to this hotel for about 20 years. In fact, so long that it used to be called the LTI. I've been going because it is clean, in a good location with excellent staff. I was taught years ago that you can give a child a cardboard box to play with and they'll love it as long as it is presented in the correct fashion. Well, this hotel was that cardboard box. Here is what is going on today (September 2026). The grounds are clean, very clean. The pool is beautiful and well maintained. The staff is still excellent, but that is where it stops. People say that you get what you pay for, don't go with high expectations. It's not true. There are 10-15 other hotels in the same price range as the Arena Blanca and several of them are far superior and offer a lot more, including the Ocean Blue and Sand right next door. People complain about the beach. It's the same beach as the other hotels. They all suffer from sargassum (seaweed) and every hotel tries to keep it clean. They all have the same issue with people saving beach chairs at 6:00AM. It is no different here. What is different is how this hotel has continued to decline in quality due to little or no maintenance and/or updates. So much could be done with limited amount of money such as paint. Everything needs paint, walkways, buildings, walls, etc. The furniture in the hotel lobby has never been changed in the last 20 years and it's older than that. The chairs in the bar area are falling apart. The tables and chairs in the buffet restaurant are antique and in need of replacement. We were upgraded to a suite in what we were told was the best room available because we were repeat customers. While the room was clean, the night table was missing the drawer, the handle was falling off the bathroom door and the recently painted bathroom needed to be gutted. They painted over dark wood with one coat of white paint and it looks terrible. The food? While some hotels have 5,6 or even 10 specialty restaurants this hotel has 2. The buffet was good some nights, but others very poor. We also noticed that the 'better' items at the buffet do not get refilled too often forcing you to eat what is left. Nightly entertainment did not exist some nights and others was nothing more than a projector screen showing videos. Wifi is not existent once you wander too far from the lobby. I can go on and on with every little detail, but I've already wasted enough time writing this review. No, I did not expect a $600.00 /night hotel. Like I said I've been here 20 times, but you can definitely get more for your money somewhere else. So, in summary, it's a smaller hotel in a good location. Clean, nice staff, but in serious need of some updating. Until that happens I for one will not be going back.

This hotel is advertised as a 4 star hotel on Expedia, Westjet and others with expansive beaches. This resort is barely a 2 star at best. The beach scenes shown on their advertisements are misleading and false advertising. The beach was destroyed and eroded 4 years ago and yet they still advertise the previous beaches that are no longer there. The rooms are in poor shape and we have been shuffled between several rooms and in each one the air conditioning barely or does not work. The room we were moved to, the air conditioning did not work and the door to the room did not close and latch. For three day we notified the front desk and escalated to Vik Group Management and nobody did anything. So we were left with a room that did not close, leaving our belongings open to theft and our personal safety at risk. We were constantly lied to be front desk staff that people were on their way to fix it and they never did. Now the water does not work in our room, which was only a small downgrade given that hot water was very rare. So do not believe the pictures as they are all false. The staff are not overly friendly and management have no concern for their guests. The General Manager, Mr. Santos even told me "What do you want, it is a cheap hotel." We met another guest who was moved out of room due to the air conditioning not working and we were moved right in after. Avoid this hotel at all cost.

We purchased a vacation package at this property based on the 4 star rating. When we arrived, it was more like a 2 star property. The room they gave us was damp and musty. The washroom floor was wet from condensation. The air conditioner did not work and the only relief was from the ceiling fan. The furniture in the room was old and mismatched. It looked like they got from a garage sale. The sliding terrace door did not lock. The safe in the closet had no lock on it. The bathroom had old fixtures and chalking everywhere to hold it together. The shower was from the 70’s. The towels were old and worn. The bath towel was the size of a hand towel. The food and drink at the pool bar was sad and the furniture was rundown. Not what they show in their photo gallery. We had dinner at the only restaurant, with no table clothes and the food was average at best. All the photos in their gallery show a much nicer place. The drinks at the lobby and sports bar were pathetic. Guests smoking everywhere was not good for my wife’s lung illness. The lobby furniture was old and worn, not like the hotel photo gallery. We did not get much sleep as the bed with a single sheet and lack of proper pillows did no make for a comfortable night. The morning buffet breakfast was average but with no servers, you have to help yourself to everything (beverages) included. All the staff do not smile or act friendly. They behave like they are serving prison time. We wanted to have a memorable time so we checked out of the property and moved to a better resort. We can’t believe this property can advertise this place as a 4 star hotel and all the photos are not accurate and must have been staged. We not not recommend this place. Much nicer properties nearby.

This was our second time at the Vik Aréna Blanca. Our first visit was quite a while ago and things have changed dramatically since then. We were looking forward to long walks on the beach but the beach is absolutely filled with seaweed, it makes it impossible to even step foot in the ocean. That is beyond their control obviously so my review has nothing to do with that but if you are looking to go swimming in the ocean, this is most definitely not the place for you. We asked for a change when given our first room hoping for something closer to the one we had the first time. Ouff, the rooms are in dire need of a refresh. The crack in the door is so big that lizards and bugs very easily make their way inside. We had to put a towel under the door to prevent them from coming in. We were on the 3rd floor, block 3 and wanted to take a shower before going to dinner. Absolutely no water pressure and no hot water. If you want to take a shower with some water pressure (very little even then) you have to take it at noon or so. The staff…. That is a mix but most of the staff here are not very friendly. The staff at the lobby were borderline rude and really looked like they did not want to be there and clearly were not keen on answering any questions when asked. Most bar staff were also not very friendly even if we tipped every single time we got anything. The food was good but the only friendly service we had was when we went to the à la carte restaurants where you could purchase wine or lobster and actual money was involved. The constant harassment from vendors of excursions, pictures, jewelry and trinkets are such a nuisance. I had forgotten how persistent and annoying that was until we got here. The good points, there were a lot of empty chairs on the beach because no one was going to swim in the ocean. We found a spot at the pool every day. There was always plenty of food and it was mostly good. Drinks are serve yourself type fountain drinks which was also fine. The vegetation is very beautiful with large mature trees. This was our second but last time at this hotel. The unfriendly service of most of the staff here and quality of the rooms is truly disappointing.

VIK Arean Blanca, Cold Shower Only, no hot water for the Week, building #3. (rm: 3206) and no water in sink neither. Room fridge, Water bottles Safe lock box style, Lock and Key (cost is $14.US for a week) should be upgraded to an electronic lock box. Beach is narrow, and most chairs on the beach are old and broken and they don't take them out of service. The seaweed was horrendous. Mother nature, not their fault but be aware. Beach cleanup crew try's their best, to clean up the sand. Resort is nice and small, the grounds and rooms were clean, quick to get around to restaurants and bars. Food was good, Buffet was good for breakfast, lunch and dinner, they had a nice section at dinner time to order a simple stir fry noodles with chicken/beef and vegetables, which I enjoyed. VIK- Needs to make some Reno/Rooms/Main Lobby/ tables+chairs restaurants. Most staff members are friendly and greet you with a smile. Just smile Tony, (at reception) .