Amazing no longer!

Given the state of maintenance from a phone which did not work and could not be repaired, to not having consistent hot water, I would not give it more than 3.5 - 4 stars. It was my second visit, and I would not go back.

Worth to the price

The tastes from all restaurants are good, but the texture of chicken and pork a bit rough. Seafoods are great but not the crabs, it was dead and the meat is poisoning. I found Beachside Bar has the best taste of all restaurant. Room is old but very clean. Overall very good

Great resort

This had changed our mindset on Cuba. Tge resort was great. People very friendly and helpful to make sure you are having a great vacation. I highly recommend this resort. Diamond club crew were amazing and helpful.

Just OK

PROS: Beach- Awesome white sand clean beach, water clear Staff- Most are pleasant and helpful Food- Diamond side beach bbq - Excellent, Cuban night - Excellent, Buffet - Good Cafe Latte & Cappucino - Great Grounds: Well looked after and lush CONS: Beach: Beach is nice. Always lots of chairs available. Diamond upgrade side there is no bathroom so if you need to go you either pee in the ocean or walk down to the Beach Grill restaurant on the regular side- which is an issue for those [... read more] with mobility issues - Shouldn't Diamond side have a bathroom since you are paying for an upgrade? The facility is actually there but boarded up and from what we understand has been for quite a long time Drinks: Beer & wine is good and maybe Pina Coladas (depending on who is making it). The rest of the drinks were not good at all. Ordered 2 margaritas and one glass came half full and both were sour and awful. We realize that there is a shortage of some things but honestly we know better drinks could be made if the effort were put in Coffee: Regular coffee in the buffet was the worst we have ever drank. Imagine pouring water through the same grinds 5 times - that is what every cup tasted like, weak as dishwater. Guaranteed there was only 1/4 of the grinds that should have went in to make a pot of coffee. Cappuccinos and Cafe Lattes were really good, thank goodness Food: The food served at the Diamond side noon bbq was excellent. Buffet is good IF you get things cooked directly in front of you. Like chicken & pork ... all good. The items in the serving trays were often terrible. Meatballs that were so overcooked they were hard and dry. Alot of what we didn't like was the fact that it was cooked badly (way overcooked), not what was served. The a la cartes: the only one we enjoyed where the food was good was the Tex Mex. The others were awful. Special mention to The Pearl where we were told when we sat down they had no chicken (but the buffet had all kinds) so we had fish or beef to choose from. We ordered the beef stroganoff. It was the worst meal we have ever had. It was beef grizzle chunks in beef packet gravy. Neither one of us could even chew it because it was literally all grizzle. Dessert was good though lol The special Christmas Eve dinner was interesting. The A/C was so cold in there everyone was using their napkins as shawls lol. We were served a scallop in a shell that was so overcooked it was hard as a rock. But we got a piece of beef at the next course that was excellent. Out of 5 courses 2 were good - the beef and the soup. One evening they did an open air Cuban night. Now that was excellent! They had pork and chicken, shrimp etc and all cooked beautifully so I am sorry but there is no excuse for some of the terrible food served at the Pearl and Grazie. We are very understanding of shortages, but not understanding of being served something that not even a dog could eat. Consistency would make a huge difference. Front desk staff: When we first arrived they were pleasant but when we tried to get information when we were about to leave about what time the bus would arrive to take us back to the airport they looked at us like we were bothering them. Room: We had a superior room and everything was fine with it except for no hot water for a few hours one day but that was remedied quickly. The housekeeping staff were excellent. Overall, we enjoyed our time away and the beach bbq and Cuban night saved the day as it made this trip nice. Would we go back? No. For the price we paid we expected more. Yes, yes, this is Cuba and expectations have to be kept lower... however, some things were just too ridiculous. There are alot more places to discover and this was just so-so.

Very Nice

Resort shows some wear, but for Cuba it's in great shape. Beach is amazing and staff are very friendly and helpful. Food was always plentiful. Resort shows some wear, but for Cuba it's in great shape. Beach is amazing and staff are very friendly and helpful. Food was always plentiful.

Very Nice

Staff and facilities were excellent. Room clean and well equipped. All resort staff went out of their way to be friendly. Beach is beautiful. Food was OK. Unfortunately, I got diarrhea late in week and we only ate at resort. Wife was fine.

Loved this resort

Even though the resort is dated and in need of some renovation, the employees make it up for it. Wonderful service, friendly and respectful people. Food was always available and good for Cuban resorts. We loved every minute of it, and the beach is our favourite place. I’m sure we’ll go back to the hotel in the future.

Nice resort on a great beach

A quick summary : We booked the Diamond club superior room. Resort is very nice, Room was fantastic, beach is amazing and the food is Cuban quality. I will also say that bug spray is a must if you want to spend time outside in the evenings the mosquitoes were an issue for us.

Would not return

I didn’t enjoy this hotel at all for the following reasons: - I found it dirty and not spik and span. Floors were grimy, doors were worn out and grimy which could be fixed with a fresh coat of paint - the pools had a film and debris in them. I don’t see anyone cleaning them the entire time I was there - the food was horrible, even for Cuba. - the washrooms lacked hand soap and paper towels. I’ve stayed at other Royalton properties in the Caribbean and this one was by far the worst on [... read more]e. Will. It be returning and don’t recommend.

Nice resort

The hotel is nice but too much mosquito. The food is correct in anyway it’s Cuba. The beach is wonderful and the service is perfect. We have a nice week of vacation. I will return to this resort for the next vacation.

Very nice overall

Staff are amazing. Very friendly and helpful. Food was quite good in the a la carte's and the buffet. Beach is beautiful and clean. Pool was clean and warm. Mosquitoes were really bad, likely the worse we have ever experienced in the Caribbean. Be sure to bring insect repellent. No air conditioning in the buffet which is disappointing. Our room never got below 22 degrees but the ceiling fans work well to keep you cool. This was our 2nd time at Royalton Hicacos.

Royalton Hicacos

Most beautiful resort in Varadero, came here for second time, last time was in August 2024, very nice staff , nice upgraded rooms close to the beach,delicious food and drinks.My favorite is bistro Cafe as it's opened 24 hours serving tasty coffee or cappuccino with options for sandwiches and delicious pastries

Complete disappoint, AVOID

I've been to Cuba 15 times,this was my 16th trip. Complete disaster I paid same amounts for other hotels but gigantic difference between this and the others bad room service dirty rooms which were not cleaned every day cockroaches in room as for the food it was a complete disaster restaurants same problem breakfast was okay but the rest were terrible ,unfortunately I ruined my well-deserved trip by going to this hotel . To top it all I had to pay almost $110 baggage fee back and forth . Please b [... read more]e aware of going to this hotel or reserving with WestJet because there're hidden fees . Unfortunately in the reviews you have to put one to five stars if there was negative star I would put it.

Highly Recommended, Beautiful Resort and even more Beautiful People!

Great rooms, excellent food, amazing service. Beautiful beach with lots of available cabanas and chairs. Sand is immaculate, service is truly spectacular. Would definitely recommend to anyone wanting a romantic getaway as this is an adults only resort.

Great resort!

I really don't have a high expectations when it comes to the resort. The room is up to my likings, it was clean and nicely done. The washroom is clean, which is so important. There are couple of observations in this resort that I believe needed attention and improvement: A) There was a foul smell by the pool. At one point we thought it was the sewers. B) Too many birds by the dining area.These birds would fly, land on to the food and feed on the foods, which is unsanitary. The staff should pay a [... read more]ttention and be vigilant on keeping the area/food clean at all times. C) The tour to Havana was too pricey, not worth the trip. The lunch provided was not appetizing. The tour should have included the visit to the local vendors, where tourist could bargain some Cuban souvenirs like arts etc.

Nice resort

Overall, I enjoyed my stay at the Royal Hikakus Hotel. Of course, it’s a bit different from Blau Varadero. Blau Varadero has more activities and a tall central building where you can see everyone, which gives it a more social and lively atmosphere. At Royal Hikakus, the layout is different—the cottages are spread out across the property, so there’s a bit more walking involved. The food was excellent, and I really appreciated the 24/7 coffee service—that was a great touch. At first, we were [... read more] given a room that we didn’t like. It was quite dirty, with stains all over the walls, and the TV wasn’t working, so they had to replace it. Eventually, they moved us to a better room with a nice view of the pool, which we liked much more. The shows at the hotel were okay, but they were mostly the same each night and focused mainly on singing. It would have been nice to see more variety in the entertainment. As for the services, compared to Blau Varadero, Royal Hikakus doesn’t have a sauna, and the massage services are paid, which was a bit disappointing. But overall, it was a good stay, and we appreciated the improvements after the room change.

Quick getaway

Booked a last minute trip to escape our weather at home. Blessed with great weather, friendly people and surprisingly good food and drinks , the beach was amazing. Hoping to return in the near future

Amazing Beach!

Beach was great. Staff was very helpful. Somewhat of a maze of buildings but eventually figured out how to get around. Food was as good or better than other 4- and 5-star resorts in Mexico or the Dominican, etc. Caribe and the Pearl where the best food of all. I was able to get in to them without being a Diamond Club member. Had to wait 1/2 hour or 45 minutes but went early enough to get my reservation in and then go for some drinks. I would definitely return

Just ok

Ok for Cuba. Royalton has a good reputation and we have been in a few of their different locations. So generally when we choose our destination, Royalton is the first one we consider. We love Cuba, the people and Varadero beach is one of a kind. Positive for Hotel, really liked the service offered by Rene and Roberto to be the point of contact. The information they offered were extremely helpful. Kudos to whoever came up with that idea Main areas of the hotel kept clean, and maintained. The  [... read more]stair cases and hallways of the building we stayed wasn’t clean. Staff were friendly and accommodating if they were given tips except the bartenders and servers at the main bar. They were not happy even with the tip. Not approachable. Not friendly. Lots of attitude It seemed they really didn’t want to be there except only one short hair blond lady server a bit older. She was smiling and super nice. It seemed the young dark hair server and the bar tenders needed a bit of a pick me up drinks or we didn’t tip enough - not sure what the issue was !! Negative : supplies - No one goes to Cuba for food and this is not our first time going to Cuba either and we are fully aware of the economic hardship over there but if you are running a resort in Cuba you have to at least have some fruits. The fruits being sold by the farmers in town were great and it seemed they had plenty. Not sure how the Royalton can’t afford a ripe Papaya, and watermelon or enough supplies of mangos. Overall the hotel was good unfortunately won’t go back to Cuba for various reasons but if we did, we probably choose Royalty again. Also our arrival time was late , past midnight, the service could have been a bit better. We had to carry our own luggages to our building which was far. A buggy ride would have been useful

Royalton Hicacos

13th time in Cuba, 1st time to this hotel and an adults only in years. Pros: - beach down this end of the peninsula is beautiful - probably 3 km long, 200' wide and pristine sand - very spacious room and most comfortable bed we've ever had in Cuba - grounds are gorgeous and very nicely kept, lots of trees for shade and ambiance - immaculate tennis and pickle ball courts - no shortage food staples with eggs, meat, fish, fruits, fresh breads available every day - staff are very attentive, [... read more] polite and friendly - Diamond Club - for us, worth the value - access to Italian restaurant for breakfast & lunch breaks up the monotony of 7 days of a buffet, exclusive access to 4 a la cartes, conceirge and lounge were great if you decide to use the services, free boat excursion (which we skipped) CONs: - very minor but short on some basic supplies in some places (e.g. napkins and ice cream spoons) - a la cartes pretty generic but again, break up the monotony of the buffet If you've been to Cuba and understand it's limitations as well as it's redeeming qualities, I would recommend this resort