I was on a road trip around Florida with my son. We deliberately didn't book any accommodation in advance, waiting to see where we would end up, and subsequently booking overnight stays at the last minute via hotels.com.

Once we realised we were going to be in Daytona we surfed all the late deals we could get. There were all manner of deals available, with all the usual Marriott's etc making good offers, but the high regard in which the Sun Viking Lodge is held on Tripadvisor led me to book this independent accommodation. Hotels.com managed to fleece me by allowing me to book an upgraded "Ocean View" room, but they failed to arrange this with the hotel, who resolutely put us into a room with a view of the car park. Now I quite accept that the error here is hotels.com, not Sun Viking Lodge. However I was hugely disappointed that the desk staff, even when I showed my booking confirmation email with evidence of my having booked an Ocean View room, refused to rearrange my room. While they were brilliant at getting hold of numbers with which to try to contact hotels.com customer service, the repeated insistence that the mistake was nothing to do with them actually became insulting and irritating. You'd have almost believed that they weren't getting any money from my booking, which of course is just not the case. Having spent ages trying (and failing) to get hold of hotels.com, and having been abandoned at the desk by the check-in staff, I decided that life was too short and that I just wanted to get into my room, any room. So I gave in.

When I read of other guests having problems and being helped so genuinely, I do feel aggrieved that I was effectively abandoned by the staff. I try to be fair and measured in my reviews, and I certainly don't hold Sun Viking Lodge responsible for the error in my booking. But I do feel their customer service in failing to help me out when I was clearly upset fell below what I would expect, especially from an establishment with a Tripadvisor award The room was clean, smelling strongly of disinfectant, with a large bedroom area, a rather dated, non flat screen TV, a dated kitchen aea and old school tiny bathroom. It was a motel room, not a hotel room, and as such was fine. But as one of seven comparably priced rooms I booked back to back over as many days it was the least impressive by some distance. I write this review in a Radisson in Orlando which cost almost to the dollar the same as the Sun Viking last night, but feels in a different league in terms of quality.

So how does this hotel get such great reviews. Or alternatively, why is my review so crabby compared to so many others? The answer must lie in expectations, I suppose. This is a resort motel, with loads going on, many things for which you'd be paying extra to keep the kids entertained. As such it represents excellent value, and the staff are a credit to the owner. So my message is to take my review with a pinch of salt if the myriad extras are important to you. But if you're looking for a quality roof over your head for a night or two, you might feel, as I do, that your money is better spent elsewhere.

My wife and I stayed at the Sun Viking Lodge while I was in Daytona attending to family business and for a small vacation. We stayed Fri-Thur

I first stayed at the Sun Viking when I was a wee lad about 18 years ago and multiple times over the past decade and it still has the same amazing atmosphere. The staff is wonderful and work to make sure your staff is amazing. (huge shout out to Greg). The hotel is extremely clean and kept up (Efficiency stove shows it's age, but a minor thing). Beds are comfy too!

The Kafe is a great value with good food so you don't have to leave to get lunch or breakfast if you don't want to.

As most will say, weekends are usually full with lots of families, but it settled down over the weekdays.

Can't say enough about the hotel.

Another great vacation for the family ! This is our third year straight to stay in Daytona at Sun Viking. We love it. The atmosphere is so relaxing and my grandaughters feel so at home here. We know we dont have to worry about them and they have made some great friends that return each year also. The upgrades are awesome and love the new colors and carpeting. The staff are absolutely the best! They truly make you feel at home!
Thanks so much for the great service and hospitality!

Another great vacation spent at the Sun Viking Lodge. As the kids get older and can roam about by themselves to the activities, it is even better. The place is safe and the people are great. Pool and waterslide never get old. There is always a staff member close by to help with what ever is needed. We stay Sun-Fri to avoid the weekends which seem to be a little more crowded. The beach was perfect this year. The water was surprisingly very chilly, but refreshing and crystal clear. There are so many places on Daytona beach and they all look great from the outside, but really we have no reason to book anywhere else and take a risk at having a bad experience.
The new beds and linens and carpeting in the rooms was a nice welcoming addition as we walked in. One negative was the kitchen in our ocean front efficiency. The stove was very old and needs to be replaced. We actually had the same room this year as last year and remembered that problem. We grill most of the dinners, but the few times we used the stove was a challenge, but we made do.
Can't wait until next year.