So, let's start with the initial horror. . . The rooms have not been updated for a long time. Repair and furniture "tired". The room is CLEAN, but the feeling that the terms of the dirt. Plus, there is always a smell of either dampness or fungus. Attributed to the humidity of the climate. Beach towels are hard to come by. We were able to take them only on the third day of our stay at the hotel. Therefore, they were changed once in 10 days of rest. Too lazy to constantly look for the guy who is responsible for issuing them. Always queues for the snack bar and 2 beach bars. But it didn't bother us too much.
The beach is comfortable, but swimming is not always pleasant: a lot of algae. The best time for swimming is morning or evening. Then there are fewer of them. The sand is cleaned every morning from those algae that washed ashore. There is an alternative to the ocean - this is a pool - with the same salt water, but without waves and algae. Clean. And the water is warmer.
In fact, for us, all the inconvenience rested only in the room, everything else was very pleasant. The territory of the hotel is well-groomed, surrounded by greenery. It's nice to the eye) The food is EXCELLENT! Which was very surprising in the background of the room. Everything is tasty and varied (10 points). The service is also good. The staff is friendly and accommodating.
I would like to write separately on the flight. Fly 12 hours. They feed 2 times, but, as it turned out, not always. On the way back, the food turned sour, so they fed only 1 time. So take food with you on the plane just in case, otherwise you can arrive not only tired, but also hungry. I read reviews of other tourists that a cramped plane is hard and tiring. According to my feelings, the plane is like an airplane, and the flight is like any long trip. If you are tired, you can walk around the salon, watch a movie, etc. I had no time to be bored with a baby and think about what is hard and tiring. I was glad that at least with one child, and not with three) The older ones remained at home.
In general, the rest was very satisfied.
Would we return to this hotel again? Yes. Great budget option for the money we paid for the tour.
Having taken us to the Vik Arena hotel, the guide was a little surprised by the completely empty reception at 14:00. The driver helped us unload our suitcases, we sat down in soft chairs, and none of the hotel staff showed up in the huge hall. The whole situation was a bit like a reality show about the last surviving heroes - there is a paradise picture around, and no one from people.
Our guide tried to call someone and it was successful - after 5 minutes of such a strange prostration, a porter came to us and loaded our suitcases, indicating to follow him. Waving paved paths among palm trees, flowering bushes and trees, we came to another small reception.
It turned out that this hotel consists of 5 main buildings with 1000 rooms and a separate Cayenna Beach Club. Since the flow of tourists has decreased significantly due to the pandemic, the main buildings are frozen and arriving tourists are accommodated in a 5-star beach club. At the time of our stay at the end of January 2021, the hotel with a capacity of 2000+ people was occupied by about 40-50. We were only happy about this, because we watched video reviews about the infrastructure of this hotel in advance and understood, having settled in Cayenna Beach Club, we would have an ocean view, free Internet not in the lobby, but in the room, a free safe and 10 meters from the room to the beach .
Doubly pleasant, given the fact that we paid for a standard room with a garden view.
The pleasures didn't end there. Since the main buildings are mothballed, the buffet restaurant is also closed. Accordingly, we were invited to eat at the a la carte restaurant every day. While we were checking in, lunch time was just over, but the receptionist took care of us and called the restaurant, warning about new arrivals, hungry tourists after a 14-hour journey. At the entrance to the restaurant there is a guard who measures the temperature of everyone and writes it down in the checklists. The temperature should not be higher than 37.0 and not lower than 35.0 (on one of the days, other tourists with a low temperature were not allowed into the restaurant). Next, we sit down at a table, under the glass of which lies a QR code - you scan, you get an online menu. Convenient, safe and environmentally friendly.
Compared with the experience of Turkey, where they left the buffet, but put staff on the distribution, which caused wild queues, and of course our people cannot stand in line and at the same time keep their distance, we really liked the a la carte option. Whoever comes first is lucky enough to take a table by the window overlooking the ocean.
Those who say that in a la carte there is less choice and every day the same thing, I will object with reason. Firstly, the menu has 4-6 options for both starters and main courses and 2-3 dessert choices. Namely, different desserts - fruit, ice cream, pie or cake - and not the same biscuit with icing, painted in different colors, laid out on the whole table on 5 trays, as you know where. At lunchtime and at snack time (14:30-18:30) dishes specially for children are offered (pasta, pizza, ravioli, hot dogs, burgers). The soup of the day is different every day, one option for lunch, the other for dinner.
In addition, there is a lunch grill menu, if you are tired of the main chef's dishes (although salmon and squid are damn good! ), you can order your own option - grilled fish with sauteed vegetables, or grilled chicken with rice, or pork with mashed potatoes. Same story with eggs for breakfast - there's Croque Madame, Benedict, Florentine style, egg fajitas or your choice (tell the waiter what you want and the chef will try to replicate). There were no pancakes on the menu, we asked for them and they prepared them for us every day. Secondly, I don’t know about anyone else, but when we arrive at a hotel with a buffet, we usually try for the first couple of days what our eyes fell on, and then we eat the same thing all the days. Here we are conservatives in the choice of food. Therefore, here we are again grateful to the pandemic for the restriction, which ultimately turned out to be a plus for us.
Arena Beach is wide.
The hotel has an area with sun loungers, umbrellas and beach beds, with a shower and a pool for hotel guests (all free of charge) and a sandy strip by the water, which is by law a public one. Every morning, the hotel staff carefully cleans it from algae and natural debris, which washed up in waves during the night. In fact, no stranger sits on the sand, mostly people walk along the ocean and rare merchants of tired souvenirs invite to see their goods. There is a hotel security guard near the area with sun loungers and barkers are not allowed to enter this area. So, if you decide to take a nap on the beach, do it on a sun lounger and don't worry - your sleep is securely guarded.
But if I were you, I wouldn’t doze off on the beach, but peer into the water distance. One day, sunbathing on the beach of the hotel, we saw 2 whales in the ocean, which waved their pectoral fins. They are very visible even at a great distance.
The fountain, which the whale releases through the blowhole, can reach 3 meters. Even a child saw it, not to mention the tail spanking.
By the way, about the guards - they are all over the hotel, often occupy their post unnoticed. According to our guide, during the lockdown period in the Dominican Republic, crime has increased dramatically, so even tightly closed hotel property also needs to be guarded. These courageous guys in uniform in +30-degree heat turned out to be very friendly, one even treated us with coconuts and showed us how to properly split and drink coconut water. And it's free too. And the guards of the neighboring five tried to sell us found coconuts for $5. Therefore, be friendly and welcoming to the staff who serve you, and they will reciprocate.
Another nice cleaning innovation - the maids do not have the right to enter your room without permission.
Room cleaning must be ordered at the reception, only after that the maid will visit your room.
There is no animation in the hotel now. Therefore, how to entertain a child if he is hyperactive with you, think about it yourself. In addition to swimming in the ocean and the pool (without slides), our child learned lessons (took notebooks), practiced English, searched for coconuts under palm trees in an abandoned area, made friends with a hotel parrot and taught him to speak. Ara - parrots are not local, they are not found in the Dominican Republic. They say they are smuggled in from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras. They are also worn along the beach for a photo (near the hotel $ 10, on the beach of Bacardi Island $ 5). They are very bright and beautiful, bite and sometimes poop on lovers of photo shoots. They also wear monkeys, they are small and green. Also "come in large numbers".
Every evening the hotel invites musicians, sometimes singers. The best in our race were the saxophonist and double bass player.
And in the full moon, under the sound of the surf, live music was incredibly magical.
I liked the rest very much. 14 days seemed not enough. Next time we will fly for a month.
We flew from Kyiv by carrier Azur Air from AnexTour. From Kyiv to La Romana, the flight takes 12 hours, back 10 hours 40 minutes. Plane - boing 767, very cramped. They feed on board 2 times and quite well.
We arrived at the hotel at 5:35, asked for an early check-in and went straight to the room for $15.
Number:
We lived in the first building in room 1216. This is the farthest building from the beach. The rooms are not new, but clean, comfortable and everything works. I must say right away that the safe here is for a fee and costs $ 2 per day. As for the sockets, they are American-style and need an adapter. We saw them in the store on site, you can take them from home. The voltage in the sockets is 110 volts, so if your hair dryer or other device does not work, do not be upset that it has broken, it simply does not have enough voltage.
Territory:
When you look at photos on the Internet, the territory seems much larger than it actually is. But everything is compact, green and very beautiful!! ! Open lobby with free wi-fi, to the right of the building, to the left: 2 shops, a bar, a theater, a sports bar with 2 billiard tables, 2 table tennis tables and 2 table hockey tables; next to the main restaurant. There is also a swimming pool nearby, and on both sides of it there are a la carte restaurants, and of course the beach.
Beach:
Amazing turquoise ocean! The beach line is not wide, but there are never any problems with sunbeds. As for the algae, they are cleaned every morning, so there are no seaweeds on the beach.
Nutrition:
Despite the fact that the state is located on the ocean and the Caribbean Sea, Dominicans prefer meat. We did not go to a la carte restaurants, although there are 3 of them on the territory (Italian, fish and meat) and you can visit them unlimitedly for free and without prior appointment. We ate at the main restaurant. Yes, the choice is less than in Turkey or Egypt, but everything is very tasty. There are always several types of meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, ice cream, seafood, desserts. If you don’t want to go to a common restaurant for lunch, you can have a bite of pizza or burgers near the pool.
Animation:
In this hotel, to put it mildly, she is not very intrusive! It can't be said that it doesn't exist at all, but. . . Although we must pay tribute, evening programs take place every evening, but these are programs, not shows. The mini-disco is quite dull. And again, there is a moment that between dinner and the mini-disco there is a big gap of time, people do not know what to do (especially those who come without children toil).
Excursions:
Oh, that's a separate issue. There is certainly something to see here! Only here at tour operators they are well, very expensive !! ! Eugene walks on the beach, he is much cheaper. Well, if you are a really good driver, do not listen to the guides and rent a car. Our guide scared us with traffic, and that we would not get where we want... The only thing where he told the truth is that the Dominicans only know Spanish and even English they they just don’t understand (we understood this when we rode around the country on our own). We rented a car in a Russian-speaking office for $45 per day (and $200 deposit) for 2 days and traveled half the country. I must say right away that there are toll roads, costing 60, but mostly 100 pesos (but they are worth it). The locals drive very brazenly, especially mopeds and motorcycles. So, if you are confident in yourself as a driver, take the car and go ahead, save a lot.
Outcome:
Another country in the piggy bank. I really liked the hotel! We will be happy to return again.
P. S. The sun is very evil, even in the shade. You need at least 50 defense.
We arrived at La Romana airport and drove to the hotel for an hour and a half. It was 5 o'clock in the morning, check-in, according to the rules of the hotel at 15:00, had to be given $ 25 and we were immediately settled in the second building and put on bracelets. Check-out at 12:00 to extend the room take $ 10 per hour, we did not extend, I do not remove the bracelets until you leave the hotel.
Now about the hotel. The room was so-so, the closet is small, but everything worked in the room, the view was on the garden, we didn’t see living creatures in the room, if you open the door to the balcony in the evening, mosquitoes will definitely fly in. The air conditioner is generic and a little noisy, cleaning is normal regardless of the tip, there are two free bottles of water in the fridge, the bathroom has shampoo, soap, shower gel, body lotion, hair conditioner, hair dryer. American type sockets, only in the bathroom there is a European one. The hotel area is not very big, but everything is compact, very clean, well thought out. Internet, except reception, paid $10 for 7 days. Everywhere there is security, surveillance cameras, there is also billiards, big and table tennis, table football. There are also shops where you can buy everything you need, but the prices are not cheap. SPA, first-aid post, small volleyball field, photo studio and photographer. Sports bar.
Food. We really liked it, there was always something to choose from and most importantly delicious. In addition to the main restaurant, which is divided into sections for smokers and those who do not smoke, there are still three alacartas that do not need to be booked in advance, just come and sit at the table, choose from the menu and eat. Shorts are not allowed in alacarte restaurants. Alcoholic drinks We didn’t really like the local production, especially the beer, it was sour, every other day. When asked why, they answered that they didn’t know. And they showed that the barrel was sealed.
Beach. Not as big as in the photo, it looks like they took a photo when the tide was out. There were always enough sunbeds at this time of rest, there is also a beach bar. Algae and waves, of course, were but not as scary as described in the reviews. Swimming was not interfered with. Twice there were not big morning rains. Animation is not very intrusive. family people with children, elderly grandparents, young couples. I didn’t hear any drunken brawls or songs until the morning. After the evening show, everyone goes to sleep or sits near the reception, on the Internet, where there is also a bar and coffee machines.
You can not change dollars for pesos, prices are in dollars everywhere. To the right, along the beach, 250-300 meters, a shop with fixed prices, if you go further, after 30 minutes there will already be several shops, where the choice is larger and, as it seemed to us, the prices are slightly higher. To the left, the local bazaar, and if you like to haggle, then you are here. Upon departure, in dutifree, the prices are quite reasonable, if someone forgot to buy something. As a result: for those who are for the first time, I can recommend this hotel. If you have any questions, write. Thank you for your attention and have a good rest. With respect to everyone.
Checked in 1.5 hours before check-in time.
The room was new and refurbished. Safe. Conder, new TV.
Everything worked.
There were no mosquitoes, bedbugs or other living creatures.
There are no problems on the beach with sunbeds either.
The food is excellent. Lobsters only for 1200 rubles. : )
The food is delicious and varied, every day something new!
wonderful people, the best experience!
I'm glad I got to be there : )
The food is excellent.
The bar is wonderful.
The beach is excellent.
The staff is wonderful.