VIK Arena Blanca & Cayena Beach Club - All Inclusive

Customer ratings & reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

4317 reviews

• 

  Trying to be understanding due to the price but…..

  After reading the reviews after I booked I was very hesitant. We were a group of 11 with specifically 5 of us in a room. My partner, myself and our three children. It is true most of the front desk staff weren’t very kind nor welcoming except for the one lady who worked during the day. She was pleasant. Bartenders were also hit or miss with kindness or rudeness. The negative: Our first night in our room we were so unhappy. We booked a superior family sweet. The pull out couch was so disgustingly rusted shut that it took two of us to pull the bed out. After pulling out the bed the mattress was browned from the rust which was gross! Upon further inspecting the room I went to the front desk to ask to switch rooms. They told me I’d have to wait a night. My son then had to sleep on the tiny couch with no pillow or blanket provided. Of course we gave him our bedding. The next day before we moved into another room my daughter took a shower. This flooded the whole bathroom and seeped into the room. We then moved into a different room which was much nicer! I have no idea why they put us in that terrible room the first night when the other room was soooooo much nicer! The second last day of our week long stay was when someone finally helped us with a tv remote. We asked repeatedly for help to get a remote so that we could at least watch tv. Nothing until the day before checkout. During our trip there were multiple instances without power during random times. The one day we were out of power for nearly 10 hours! I cried because this was a terrible nightmarish experience. We spent our time in the room. We had to order Uber Eats. I believe the power came back on close to midnight from around 1 pm in the afternoon. I hope they’ll be compensating the families for this!!! Yes there was power everywhere else at the other resorts on each side of us. For some reason we didn’t have power. We felt cheated out of a day during our vacation. The positive: pool and beach were great. Little to no seaweed. Always found chairs. Drinks were good. Grounds were clean. Buffet was actually pretty decent. No complaints about the food. Rooms were cleaned daily as well. Would I stay here again? No.

  Jan 09, 2026
• 

  Strong value for reasonable expectations

  Many of the reviews of this hotel were so negative that our family & friends trip (group of around 10) considered upgrading to a different hotel at considerable cost, but decided on sticking it out. Arriving with low expectations, we were delighted to have most of these exceeded. The atmosphere was chill and friendly with both the travellers and employees we met. The place is small, i.e., probably 1-2 minutes walk to wherever from wherever. Rooms were very basic, and water was the only included item in the mini fridge, but the space was clean and well maintained, with *very* strong AC, a working fan, no smell of must, and firm mattresses (which might not be to everyone's taste). The pool was immaculate, but we spent more of our time at the beach; it's on the small side, and there is seaweed, but nothing at all like the freak blooms that hit the whole Caribbean this summer. There were an appropriate number of loungers, but people reserving seats before around 9:00 had first dibs on the prime, shady spots. There are a lot of vendors, but generally very friendly, and none were persistent after offering a "no - gracias." The food and drinks were reliably good -- no more, and no less. Some people here were put off by buffets being 100% self serve, but we enjoyed being able to get refills on any drink by walking 10 m to the station. We tipped for good or frequent service (at bars, etc.) and these were received well, and never demanded or expected, in great contrast to the experience outside the resort. Overall, we were very pleased with this choice. It was a 3-star properly done, and at half the price of supposedly better-reviewed options available for departure in our region.

  Jan 04, 2026
• 

  Great resort for families

  We spent at week at this resort, from December 25 - January 2. Pros: - lovely beach and pools - lots of planned activities + equipment you could borrow (volleyball, tennis equipment, kayaks, etc) - games area with pool tables, ping pong, foosball, and tables to play cards - nightly entertainment - small ish resort so easy to get around - lots of beach chairs/loungers - there was always food available, at either the restaurants, or the snack bars - food was good - always lots of selection. Some of the meat was overcooked but I always found lots of food I wanted to eat. - 3 restaurants - the buffet, a place that alternates between seafood and Italian and a Mexican restaurant. Cons - there was a general lack of communication + willingness to help by the staff. No one seemed to know what was happening or where to go (ex like what days certain restaurants were open). - it was “seaweed” season, so there was seaweed in the water and on the beach. It didn’t really bother me, but it’s worth knowing - our room was a bit outdated, but still clean and well kept.

  Jan 03, 2026
• 

  Worst resort experience ever!

  I don't normally leave negative reviews and because of all the negative reviews I read before going, I was eager to leave a glowing review upon my return. HOWEVER, this is by far the worst all inclusive I have ever been to. I'll start at the beginning. Upon arrival, no welcoming to the resort of any kind. Because we had travelled all day, we were starving. There was no food available - everything was closed. The rooms were ok to start with, they're old so, it shows but, that's not a big deal and doesn't take away from the vacation at all. HOWEVER, I lost count over the week of how many times I had to trek to the lobby to have my card rekeyed so I could get into my room. On night 3 of my stay, the whole room lost power. After sending 3 "repair" men to fix it, they simply said, it's broken, go to lobby now and get new room. Which I did, no offer to help move us, no offer of a flashlight so we could pack, nothing. We had a VERY hard time getting water to drink at this resort. The housekeeping personnel didn't restock our fridge with water even ONE time during our 1 week stay and when we asked for it to be restocked, they would say "ok, in five minutes" and then never show up. They did have water refill stations at the lobby and all the restaurants but, not throughout the night, even the lobby one was emptied and covered up. One of our family members was sick and we needed water on hand so I ended up buying 4 bottles and 2 gatorades in their mini market for around $70 CAD so be aware and stock up when you can! They advertise 3 a la cartes here but, there are only 2 and they alternate the menus so you don't know what a la carte is happening when, they don't advertise anywhere about it, with the exception of friday nights, which is a paid a la carte of steak and lobster (not included in your stay) and is advertised everywhere. The buffet for lunch and dinner is almost identical and included a lot of beef and chicken (which I was nervous to eat). Mostly I ate cucumbers with dressing & rice for the week from the buffet. The staff were not friendly, with the exception of the concierge at the lobby (both that we met were very friendly). The entertainment was very lackluster compared to any other I've seen at resorts. Laughable at best. The snack bar by the pool had pizza and fries, which we loved and tried to fill up on during the day. The good parts, the beach was beautiful! The pool was beautiful! Again, the rooms were not anything to write home about but, they were def comfortable (when we had hydro). Yes, it's a BUDGET vacation, we paid $1350 CAD but, for even this budget, you can do much better. I was nervous about going here when I started reading the reviews but, chalked it up to most people don't write reviews unless they had a negative experience but, these negative reviews are worth listening to. Would I go back to this particular resort? Sadly, a resounding NO. Spend more, do better.

  Jan 01, 2026
• 

  Worst "resort" ever

  One of the WORST places I have ever stayed. Too many issues to list. If you can't go somewhere else, DON'T stay here. Room had no lighting in sitting area, there is only a small fixture next to the bed. Pillows awful, shower runs hot and cold, hard to get shampooed and rinsed. Everything worn and keeps lots of upkeep.

  Dec 29, 2025