Sun Viking Lodge — Hotel in Daytona Beach Shores

This review is from 3/5/ 2024, we originally booked this hotel whilst traveling on a family vacation. We were super excited initially to stay at Viking lodge resort hotel based on the photos and the pricing versus others in the area.

When we first checked in the receptionist at the front desk was very friendly and provided us with cool bands that doubled as room keys but, to our dismay the excitement plummeted once we entered our room…

Within minutes of putting our bags down we were greeted by hotel maintenance informing us they had to spray our room for bugs (WHILE OUR BAGS AND FAMILY WAS STILL IN THE ROOM). My whole family had to breath in those chemicals with no concern given. Red flag one.

After that our excitement only drained more once we realized the photos were not the same as the room we were checked into (No plants, outdated bathrooms, mismatched paint, no decorative pillows on beds, room arrangements were no where close). Red flag 2.

I will say this hotel did have a very convenient beach access (which we utilized while looking for other sleeping arrangements).

Overall we could have looked past the photos not matching the results but it was the cleanliness that really did it in for us to make us look for another replacement reservation… To start there was dead bugs in the bath tub and in drawers, hair all over the bathroom, the bathroom smelled like urine, there was a collection of dust on the thermostat, there was toilet paper beside the bed on the floor, dirty walls and old food on the floors just to name a few. Red flag 3.

Ultimately very disappointed in this location based on our expectations from the prior reviews and photos uploaded by the company. The staff was somewhat understanding as they refunded the resort charge (how can it be a resort when the hot tub was down, the pool that was working needed upkeep and one outdoor pool wasn’t even filled for use due to recent hurricanes).

I would not recommend this to friends or family though I wanted to share to save future travelers the hassle of not being provided a refund of the vast difference of...

Desiree at the front desk was awesome. She advised me of all the available activities. She explained how the room keys worked ( wristband ). I especially like that there's no hotel room key or card to carry and lose. The wristband stays on your arm and makes it easy to go swimming and come back to your room without having to fumble in your pockets for the key. Desiree answered all my questions, seemed to instinctively know what I was going to ask, and was friendly to boot. I stayed in the old motor Lodge portion of the resort. While the outside is a bit dated the rooms were painted and clean. Our room did have a little musty smell at first like it had been closed up but quickly aired out once we opened the door and and turned on the air conditioning. Everything worked fine we had no issues during our stay. The heated indoor pool next door was wonderful. The pool was clean even the tiles on at the top where immaculate. That's not true of other pools in the area which typically have scum on the tiles around the top of the pools where the drains are ( Best Western , Perry's, etc). It has a waterfall pouring into the pool. There's also a small hot tub outside. Plenty of lovely views indoors and out. Lots of vegetation around the pool area and outside on the sun deck. The outdoor pool was still closed due to prior storm damage. I look forward to see what they do when they fix and renovate it. Easy beach access but be advised that you have to use stairs to access the beach, but that's true of most hotels in the area. You have the option to drive and park on the beach during the day. I had a pleasant stay and would stay here again. I used to stay at Perry's Oceanside, but no more... this is my new favorite place. I highly recommend it especially if you're a nostalgia buff who's been coming to Daytona for decades. It's been updated some but there's still touches of the past that can be seen. My only regret is that I could only...

(long review, but honest and worth reading)

I cannot say enough good things about the Sun Viking Lodge - IT IS A FAMILY RESORT .....ON PURPOSE.

They really cater to families and take it seriously. Your family will be very comfortable and entertained here. We love the Daytona area for a lot of reasons, have been coming here as a family for more than 20 years, and have stayed at many hotels here... and we will never stay anywhere else.

I was blown away by how friendly they were when I called to make my reservation, I was blown away by the price, and then I was completely blown away by the facility.

This is not a Marriott, but it sure does feel like home. It also feels like 'Old Daytona" when it was all mom and pop hotels and places.

We had a suite on the 4th floor, ocean view. It was incredible.

The rooms are clean, some things show a little age, but nothing that is prohibitive or even inconvenient.

The indoor pool was great, it has lots of open air feel to it, and gives a break from the sun. The outdoor pool is still out of commission like every other outdoor pool along the beach from the hurricane . The beach access is restored and incredible as well.

The beach side VIKING KAFE is GREAT VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY. Big potions, great food, and VERY FRIENDLY staff. (pics attached)

Our kids just played on the beach, in the pool and chased lizards for several days while we all relaxed. It was a great time, I have zero complaints. My son Billy can't wait to get back to his 'beach house/ pool house' as he calls it.

THE STAFF was incredible all the way around. Our of their way friendly, the Cafe staff was really great, the grounds guys and everyone were all VERY FRIENDLY and willing to help anyway they can. It's rare to find good customer service these days, but this was a cut about, it was GREAT customer service.

I took some pics, current as of March 2023 -- should be attached.

Thank...