VIK Hotel Cayena Beach — Hotel in Higüey

The pictures and reviews are very misleading.. this is not the resort that was presented to me upon arrival. The resort is very old and outdated and needs major upgrades. The food was disgusting. Customer service was lackluster. I checked in a little earlier than check in time so I was told to go to the buffet. The food was very disappointing and barely edible and was already a bad first impression to me. I went back around check in time and the representative simply walked over to me to hand me my keys and told me to go tell the bell boy my room number instead of doing it himself. I wasn’t given any information regarding the restaurants, activities, nothing. Just handed my key card and he walked off. The print out of the map was so low quality that it was hard to read it or understand it, the font is blurred. My room wasn’t cleaned enough to my standards. There were hairs in the bathroom and on the bed. The pillows were all stained. And the rust and paint job in the room looked old and unpleasant to look at. The fridge or “cooler” that they like to call it, was not cold enough in the room. The water/plumbing had a weird smell to it, the sink the toilet and even the shower, the pipes are definitely old .The beach had a lot of seaweed and no one maintaining it. The alcohol was watered down or non existent. None of the employees seemed happy to be there, no smiles, no extra help, they were just standing there . The WIFI doesn’t work inside the rooms, only in the lobby which is weird. I seen a lot of mixed reviews on this resort and wanted to give it a chance but ultimately all of the negative reviews are correct and I checked out literally the next day. Even the front desk didn’t care enough to ask why I checked out early from my original 4 day stay, terrible...

On paper this is a good choice of resorts in the area. We stayed in the "VIP" section dubbed Cayena. The only VIP thing I can distinguish is the "private" pool and bar/restaurant that the regular side of the resort cannot access. Our ocean view room provided us just a sliver of a view to the water, the included wifi in our room was not operable, and any other benefits or upgrades were imperceptible. The view really surprises me since capacity is far less than half and I'd think you would put your guests in the best rooms!?

Check in was smooth, size of resort was easy to traverse, beach is really close, drinks were good. Unfortunately, the beach has eroded away so much, there wasn't any were to sit on the beach right in front, but the neighbor resorts have beach areas and ours has lounges up on small cliff. Food has been mediocre at best. Usually the ala carte restaurant has better food than the buffet, but we found the most acceptable food to be anywhere it is freshly prepared while you wait. Egg stations at breakfast and pasta station for dinner were standouts in a weak field.

The attached dive shop (reviewed separately) has its own issues and the equipment is quite dated. Biggest issue we had was the weather, wind specifically, which can't be controlled by the resort. Going into the ocean wasn't really a consideration for most. But it's important for those of us who scuba or snorkle. The staff seem to be used to this, so maybe this just isn't the best location to choose if that will be a concern for you.

Would I return? Nope. If pay more to go to a different...

Holidays in Holtu VIK are the best holidays of our lives. This hotel is a VIP zone for another hotel, whose infrastructure can also be used. The service at the hotel is fantastic, especially the reception staff. Barbara and Melany are extremely competent, patient, helpful people, they are ready to solve any problems and answer all customer questions. We Think that they have big experience in their position. The cleaning is carried out very thoroughly, the rooms are very clean and smell beautiful after cleaning. Specil thanks to Fideliwa who took perfect care of our room. When our faucet broke, the technician came very quickly. We has an apartment with a sea view which was amazing!!! Food is very good and varied. Hotel have private beach with beautiful views and always free sun loungers. In short, we cannot imagine a better hotel choice in the Dominican Republic. Thank you and I recommend...