Our Favourite Resort in Cuba,thus Far!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everything..pools,gardens,beach,rooms,food,sports activities was FABULOUS!!! Staff were EXCELLENT Older resort,but upgraded to Very Modern level! No complaints whatsoever. We've been to Cuba many tmes before

Great resort

Great beach, enjoyed snorkelling trip from beach house. Room/bathroom a perfect 10 out of 10. Butlers are handy. Staff were mostly all friendly. Lots of variety of food. Bread was wonderful. I wish they had real juice rather then tang like juice.

Not Disappointed

We had visited this resort two years ago when it was a Sandals. Since the take over by Royalton you can see changes and upgrades that have been made and those that will be done in the future. If all the changes happen, the resort will be beautiful. The food was great, staff were polite and eager to please. The beach was beautiful and from walking on the beach, the Royalton section of beach was the best by far. We would not hesitate to recommend this resort to anyone and will definitely visit aga [... read more]in.

Great butler service and very good food

Our butler was excellent, and most of the staff were really attentive. There were a few exceptions, hence the "good" category - I will be letting the management know about the exceptions. The resort is very attractive, and well-maintained, and the housekeeping was excellent. A lovely beach with powdery white sand. We went with the Diamond Club, and were very pleased with what we got for our money. Note to travelers - we chose this because it was supposed to be peaceful, so please don't bring you [... read more]r "tunes" to the beach - if you want to listen to music, put in ear-buds, as a consideration to your fellow guests, who want to hear the surf and the breeze, not your music. The food in the buffet is very good, and there is a wide variety, so you may not need to go to the "a la carte" restaurants. The seafood and Caribe restaurants were very good, and the beach restaurant was great on the day we went there, as they had grilled lobster - but they don't always have this. They do always have a terrific sunset, though.

Fabulous Resort

This was our 8th time to this particular resort. Excellent food, superb nightly entertainment, very clean and staff were very friendly and helpful. Resort grounds and foliage were very well kept. Will definitely be back for our 9th vacation!!!

Allmost perfect

We went there in the beginning of March with another couple (friends), and we had a fantastic time. This hotel is beautiful, right on the beach, the setting is idyllic, small 3 story buildings with lots of vegetation and flowers that gives you a little village feeling and not of a hotel. For our taste, the food was very good and diverse, and the rum is exceptional (specially the old one, over 12 years!). The rooms and service were good, it could be improved - but in all fairness, once we called  [... read more]to ask for something to be repaired or rectified, it was actioned immediately. The staff is extremely friendly and they have a great sense of humor - and it is not necessarily because of the tips (their survival is dependent on these tips, so we did tip generously). One comment around their managers (hotel and/or restaurants) is that they were not visible nor were they interacting with guests, like in other resorts. There are lots of activities and shows included as well that are not offered in other resorts - the small catamaran trip as an example. We will certainly go back in the future. (The first review below applies only to the beach - the pools looked good, however, we cannot comment because it is not our thing - we went there for the beach and the see).

Great Resort

This was our first time visiting Cuba and had a fabulous time. The resort is nicely laid out and the beach is fantastic. We had no problems finding chairs/shade or drinks on the beach. Our room was nice and spacious. Thanks to Rosie for keeping it clean and doing the towel artwork. We had no problem finding a variety of food at the buffet and the cheese station was great! Will miss Leonardo's smile and welcome no matter what the time of day was. My only complaint was that the butlers seldom make [... read more] the restaurant reservations you requested - you are better to go to the reservation desk and make them yourselves. We went on the double decker to Varadero and the market is a great place to pick up souvenirs. Also did the 1 day trip to Havana which was also good, but not much time to shop. This is a beautiful and clean resort with friendly staff. Will definitely return!

Fantastic Vacation

Our vacation was amazing and worry-free and started with the service we received at the Tripcentral desk. Based on the Tripcentral agent's extensive knowledge of vacation spots, she matched us up with care-free travel arrangements, and the ideal location to enjoy a week of beautiful sun, top level surroundings and accommodations at a resort that truly is famous for its service. The caring staff at the Royalton Hicacos were attentive to our needs, making us feel most welcome with their individual [... read more] attention. The sandy beach was kept clean of any debris throughout the days, the a la cartes were high-level dining events, and the buffet offered foods for every possible food preference. The rooms were always clean. The nightly entertainment was truly enjoyable with staff engaging all patrons to join in dance, surprise contests and other activities at the resort. We definitely recommend a trip to Cuba's Royalton Hicacos Resort & Spa and most definitely recommend consulting with the knowledgeable staff at Tripcentral to ensure good value on your vacation dollars. Thank you Tripcentral! Viva Royalton Hicacos! Viva Cuba!

Cuba is great and also very different

Spent 2 weeks here. The Cuban experience is different from other hot weather destinations. The staff are excellent and well educated. Entertainment was first class, all trained musicians. Location, beaches, shopping, golf, Havana are all close. The only real drawback was that the food was not as good as other resorts I have been to. The flights down and back took a lot out of us - arrived at 5AM and left Cuba at 5AM. Make sure you eat in old Havana if you go there, not in the TAXI recommended pl [... read more]ace. Go in a 1950's automobile. Bring your golf clubs if you can as the club rentals are not so good. All in all a good vacation.

Breath taking!!!

My husband and I loved this resort and had a blast. Amazing staff greeted us daily at the beach, found us beach chairs and even cleaned our swinging bed for us! Food was awesome and the drinks rocked! We are lost for words when attempting to describe the beach.............We walked for hours and NO OTHER resorts came close to the beauty of our beach! We are a couple in our early 40's from the east coast (N.B.) and would definitely return! Thank-you Carol Webber for all your help prior to our tri [... read more]p; looking forward to booking with you again next March!!!

Awesome Resort

Very clean. Lots of activities offered. Fun place to be. Although this 5 star resort could use a little basic upkeep around the grounds as well as offer room service. I felt it should be rated as a 4 star for those reasons. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. It was an overall very satisfying and relaxing 14 day vacation.

Value did not meet expectations

As this resort changed hands in Jan. 2015 to a Royalton Resort it is perhaps too early to pass judgement. However, that being said I do not feel we received the value for the amount of money we paid for our 2 week stay. The pool and jacuzzi water felt like taking a cold water polar dip! The beach grill was often out of several menu items even though the same items were available at the main buffet or pool side. As well several cats at the grill were very annoying and unhealthy for anyone with al [... read more]lergies. The rooms did not have a coffee maker which normally comes even at a 3 star resort. Some rooms had upgraded thermostats but many were not changed and did not work properly. I will say the entertainment was excellent and the staff we encountered was always friendly.

AAA resorts and the people working there

The resorts is very well maintained ,the food is very acceptable , the personnel very accommodating ,just positive comments .in the room they refurbish the drinks..normally plenty of chairs and bally beds around the pools and the beach

Nice Place, terrible service

over-promised and under-delivered. reception was unhelpful, not very informative, and rude at times...we called from our room once for help and were told they were too busy and to call back later. "butler service" is not actually a thing. aside from booking a la carte restaurants, without asking us - you make changes to the days and times chosen for you, leaving a cocktail party invitation in our room when we weren't there and shaking our hands when we ran into him, there was really no extra ser [... read more]vice there. impossible to get a hold of and when you do need something for you room, it may or may not show up the next day. "diamond deluxe club" is not a thing either. there are very well marked out areas for club members, but anyone can go anywhere, there is no differentiating between guests. don't pay extra for this. lobby bar is beautiful and made great drinks, there are a wide variety of daily activities to be involved in during the day and the servers at the buffet are wonderful - friendly and welcoming every time you enter the room. nice beach bar/restaurant that is more formal, and then a casual beach grill and bar on the beach. it is a nice resort, but the illusion that they have cultivated online is misleading and had we known, we wouldn't have decided to "spoil" ourselves at a "high end" resort. Cuba is a wonderful country, Varadero is nice beach and we recommend making the trip to Havana, but we don't want anyone to pay more for luxury services that don't exist

Awesome resort

The staff are the best. Food is better than any other resort in Cuba. The grounds are very pretty . the rooms need up dating. And bathrooms in plubic areas need up dating as well. We have been to this resort 5 times and in Cuba about 20 times. And we will go back to this resort when we save enough money to do so. Had a great time and looking forward to our next trip.:-) hope to see you soon.

Great place to visit

Great food, rooms, grounds, entertainment, beach. We had a very enjoyable week at the Royalton Hibacos and were pleased with the resort. The facilities are great and the beach is one of the best in the world. The staff was very helpful and the seafood restaurant was excellent.

Good Resort

Good resort, rated #1 in Varadero. The hotel grounds are nice, the beach is gorgeous. The rooms are a little outdated but very clean and had everything we needed, ie. safe, fridge, ironing board, blow dryer and a really nice tub in the bathroom! The food is what you would expect in Cuba, not great but lots of options! The a la carte restaurants were ok but buffet was better. There is a 24 hour snack bar and a beach restaurant as well. Room service is also great but needs ordering in advance. It' [... read more]s an adults only resort and the crowd is mostly 50+ and even though we are in our 30s we had a great time as we were not looking to party. The main lobby bar has live music every night. The service was slow in every restaurant and bar except for the Diamond Club beach bar. We had the Diamond Club package and it was worth every extra penny! Our butlers were amazing, could ask them for anything and they would make it happen. We also didnt have to wait for our room to be ready like the rest of the visitors that came on the same bus. I would definitely recommend the Diamond Club package! We also had a nice quiet little pool outside of our room to hang out at when it was too windy at the beach.

Absolutely Amazing

Received excellent service from staff. Loved the layout of the resort and beach area. Room was impeccable, no issues whatsoever, wish we could have stayed longer than the week. A very memorable experience.

Everything you need

This resort has a huge beautiful beach and swimming area! Great food and delicious a la carts. Wonderful Maid and Butler service to help with anything you need. We traveled Jan 24-Feb 1. It was a little cool with high winds. There was entertainment every night for everyone.

Wonderful getaway

Hotel was well appointed; staff were warm and friendly. It's a smaller resort which is wonderful; the beach and all amenities are close to the rooms. No need to take golf carts to get around. Would have liked a heated pool or jacuzzi.