i guess we just have different opinions here.
I liked the puzzle for the reasons that you mentioned you didn't like tehm for.
Its nice that you have to remember how certain ways go (maybe even write them down) in order to finally get to your location. An extra twist is also that you can't always go in the direction you like, but have to find your way around it.
I think that simply making it shorther might help a lot. Instead of crossing 10 rooms, I make the player cross ~5 rooms?
In that case I could put a bonus in a room somewhere else in the cave system, adding a reward for further exploration.
I have a few options too:
Going north adds 1 to X
Going south subtracts 1 from X
Going east adds 1 to Y
Going west subtracts 1 from Y
This makes full sense with a coordinate system, and instead I'll add more obstacles so that you have too find your way around them, so that you just can't go straight.
Another option could be that you have to go in the directions in a certain order. If you go the wrong direction, you encounter enemies, or something else. You have to move through 8 rooms by choosing the right way in order to get through.
This is not as much thinking as it is guessing though.
I wanna stick with the first shotening I explained though. What do you think?
That's a shame, hope you fix your net.