Hotel Review: The Cheapest All-Inclusive Resort in Punta Cana, VIK Hotel Arena Blanca

I had five days off in a row after finishing my first year of law school, and to celebrate, I wanted to take a proper getaway. I didn’t want an adventure, I simply wanted a vacation. With limited time, and the desire to do nothing other than lay by a pool with a cocktail in hand, I knew heading to the Caribbean and staying at an all-inclusive was likely my best bet. I searched on JetBlue, and was torn between going to Barbados or Dominican Republic. The ultimate decision-making factor would be based on hotel cost.

I searched on Booking.com for both Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and Bridgetown, Barbados, and quickly learned that Barbados is not exactly an affordable destination. However, I was able to find an all-inclusive for 3 nights in Punta Cana for $75/night at VIK hotel Arena Blanca. This was the cheapest all-inclusive hotel I found not only in Punta Cana, but ever in my life.

The determining factor of the affordable hotel was that I’d be going to the Dominican Republic. Here’s what staying at the cheapest all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana was like.

Arriving At Punta Cana Airport

$75/night for an all-inclusive is essentially a steal, so it was expected that not much would be included in the price other than what it said (all food, drink, pool and beach access, and of course, my room). This meant I needed to hire a private taxi from the airport to get to the resort. Luckily, it’s only a 30-minute ride. I was able to find a private driver on Booking.com for only $11.70 to pick me up at the airport and bring me to the hotel. I was able to find this deal because I booked several days in advanced, however, my return ride was almost triple the price because I booked it last minute.

The driver was there waiting for me when I landed, and brought me directly to the hotel as promised. He gave me his personal contact information in case I decided to use him for any tours, or needed any assistance in getting around Punta Cana.

The Room

I arrived at VIK Hotel Arena Playa Blanca, and was pretty amazed. I was not expecting much, and though, sure, the lobby left much to be desired, the resort was huge. Palm trees lined the property in exactly what I imagined when thinking of my “vacation.” There’s one large pool, several bars, and beach access to Bávaro Beach.

Check-in was a breeze, and then it was time to get to my room. The property is large, so it took at least ten minutes to walk to my room from the lobby. There are several buildings labeled alphabetically. I finally got to my room, and was, once again, pleasantly surprised. The room was large with tile floors, a queen-size bed, air conditioning, and more. The bathroom had a large mirror, and for such a cheap rate, the room was larger than my New York City apartment. While, yes, decor-wise, it was a little outdated, I wasn’t upset by it based on what I paid for.

The Amenities

As mentioned above, the resort had a pool, several bars, and one sit-down restaurant on site. There was also a buffet open during breakfast and lunch. During the daytime, there was a grill by the pool serving up burgers, fries, hotdogs, and more.

In the lobby, there was an espresso and coffee machine, along with another bar.

The hotel also offered taxis to be ordered, but the prices were slightly inflated. There was also the option to book tours directly with the front desk, but I recommend booking this Catamaran tour or this popular buggies and polaris tour. There was a gym on-site as well, and best of all, a place that did Covid-19 testing. This was crucial when I traveled there since a negative test was still required to enter the US (though, that restriction has since been lifted at the time of writing this article).

The Beach & Pool

The pool at VIK hotel Arena Blanca was great! My only downfall with it is that it closed at 7PM each night, which felt a little early. I still thoroughly enjoyed my time swimming during the day, with a cocktail in hand, of course.

The beach, however, was not the best beach I’ve been to by any means. The sargassum seaweed was out of this world during my time there (May 2022), and the entire beach was completely lined with it. There were people cleaning the beach, but it was pretty out of control and therefore, unmanageable.

To get a proper beach, I headed up to Playa Macau one day, about a fifteen-minute drive from the resort. Though it obviously was not included in the price of the resort, it was well worth it to finally get to a proper white-sand, blue-water Dominican beach.

The Food & Drinks

Like everything else, I was pleasantly surprised by the food. It was definitely not the best food I’ve eaten abroad, and it was far from authentic Dominican food, but the one sit-down restaurant on site offered a rotating menu each night. The menu was always based off of another country, and I was there during “Mexican,” “Italian,” and “Thai” night. The Mexican night was by far the best, where I had chicken enchiladas. The worst by a long shot was Italian night, where the food was somewhat inedible. I ordered a “prosciutto” appetizer and was given very small bits of what looked like deli-meat ham.

The breakfast and lunch buffets were also fine. They weren’t outstanding, they weren’t terrible, they were just fine. There was a wide array of fruits, vegetables, cured meats, cheeses, pastries, and an omelette station. I primarily ate cheese and meat sandwiches with some fresh fruit. You can’t go wrong with fruit in the Caribbean.

As for drinks, there were several bars on site. However, in typical all-inclusive fashion, the drinks were all coyingly sweet. The wine was pretty awful, so I mainly kept it to tequila with sodas and a splash of lime juice.

Overall

Overall, was it worth it to spend only $75/night, knowing I’d get far from luxury but still get a proper beach vacation? Absolutely, 1000x yes! I would stay here again, in fact. I have always been an avid believer that you don’t need tons of money to travel. Sure, staying in a luxury resort such as Eden Rop Cap Cana or Tortuga Bay Hotel is certainly aspirational. However, for those who need a quick jaunt away to escape reality, but don’t have a large budget, VIK Hotel Arena Blanca is a pretty great option.

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