Top Notch!

Beautiful, large resort with unique boardwalk throughout the grounds. Very spacious and clean rooms with large balcony and separate bathroom so others may still be getting ready at the sink or shower. Friendly helpful staff, especially Bryan, our butler (customer service rep). We enjoyed yoga, pool fitness, volleyball, dance lessons and lots of walks on the beach. Tex mex was the favourite restaurant. Don't worry about upgrading to 'diamond club'. We were able to get into any restaurant by just  [... read more]lining up 15 min early. No problem when you have a pina colada in your hand and you're meeting new people. Many shade structures available. No shortages on food. Bring tissue to the beach or pool washrooms. Toilet paper does not get replenished there as often. Maids do a great job in the rooms though. Lots of entertainment in the main bar and restaurants. High class resort. Well maintained and attention to detail.

Exceptional service

The trip we took in April of 2024 was amazing at this resort. Thankfully the mosquitos did not bother me but my friend did get bit, I maybe got 3 but that has nothing to do with the resort. The beachfront and beach bar/restaurant are both beautiful. We booked the Junior Superior room which is one of the newly renovated rooms and it was amazing. The only hitch is the butler didn't show us how to work the lights etc. so it was by trial and error. We also didn't get a proper tour of the resort. We  [... read more]were told our orientation by Sunwing was in the lobby the next day only to find out it was at the sunwing office located on the resort after waiting 15 mins in the lobby so we missed that as well. I will never fly Sunwing again, 2 hour delay departing and absolutely no entertainment on the plane, not even music. The buffet and food was always plentiful, room was made up everyday, staff are so helpful. Shout out to Marion who went above and beyond to arrange a reservation for lunch in Varadero. One other perk was our room was decorated when we arrived for my friend's 50th birthday. Well done!!! I most likely will go back but typically I don't like to go to the same resort all the time.

Amazing beach and nice resort BUT

As the title says the beach is amazing and the resort is very nice but at dusk the mosquitos are awful!! The room and its service was very good. But I go south to enjoy seafood not chicken, beef and pork. The seafood selection was minimal. Breakfasts were good! They have no real "coke" so unless you want the coke they make at the resort ?? which tastes flat and awful - a rum and coke is out of the question. Even the rum and fruit drinks weren't good. The beer was fine! I don't understand wi [... read more]th a huge % of Canadians there at the resort they couldn't have at least one Canadian channel on the TV. (ie for news)

Amazing Resort

We just came back from visiting the Royalton Hicacos for 7 days (Mar. 3 to 10). This is a Large Resort. There was nothing missing .... Plenty to eat and Drink... Plenty of Chairs, Polapas, Umbrellas and room for all on the Beach... The Staff were Incredable and Kind as usual.... the a la Cartes were Great, Amazing Delicious Food. The Butlers met us daily to see if they could help us in any way ... I would go back ....Cheers to All the Staff ...!!!

OK stay - first and last visit

Positives - the people. DC Butlers like Omar, Leo, and Laura will do their best to care for you, but some things are just out of their control. Omar & Betty were always available, asking if we needed anything. Their efforts were appreciated. They looked after all the al a carte bookings (we ate al a carte almost every night, for 2 weeks), and helped us book excursions (golf & Havana) Raul at the buffet (outside on the patio) is friendly & polite. Jessica, the maid, was attentive and kind. The ro [... read more]om was fine. Some things broken or very tired. The room had a decent shower (hot water & pressure) and a reasonable bed. It was all we needed in a room. The unfortunate thing about our room was that we were in a building with mostly smokers, who would sit on their patios and light up. Meaning we were driven inside, which was too bad. It would be great if non-smoking buildings were an option. The best highlight (other than the staff) was the beach. The water is warm and clean. Beware of glass as you walk the beach…we picked up a fair amount of it. Now the disappointments, there are several, and some are beyond the control of the staff. Buffets and A la carte restaurants would run out of food menu items or drinks. One night whiskey sours were not available, next night no white wine. One morning there was no bread. The Italian restaurant has 5 options for main courses, one night we were there 2 of them weren’t available. You have to just roll with it, and make the best of the situation. We never went hungry. We needed water one evening and all the bar could offer was two small glasses (maybe 8 ounces total). My wife was sick in bed….that wasn’t going to cut it. A visit to the diamond club lounge and Omar saved the day. It took some effort but he came through with 2 precious bottles of water. We were grateful. There is no milk…just powdered milk. Coffee therefore is awful. Bar service is generally very slow, including the beach bar. We did venture into Varadero and Havana. Note to anyone who plans to do so….bring lots of US or CDN cash. 3 times we dealt with vendors who basically did not accept their own pesos as currency. We had lunch in Havana and the bill came to $85USD. They did not accept credit cards, and if we were to pay in (the current) Cuban pesos they were going to charge us 3 times the price, so an equivalent to $240usd. That’s Nuts! Our worst ‘hangover’ is the bugs. We’ve been back now for a few days and we’re still scratching! We were eaten alive by something. Mosquitoes were ever present, but I’ve also read some reviews that mentioned sand fleas. Not sure what got us, but we are covered in bites! There’s more I can say, but you get the idea. The pandemic, US embargo, and current economic issues have significantly and negatively impacted Cuba, on and off the resort. You feel for the Cuban people!

Royalton

In bad need of upgrade.diamond club a complete rip off. BUTLERS do nothing for you. Food terrible. Staff not as friendly as I have experienced elsewhere in Cuba. Access to restaurants not easy and the same awful food everywhere

Quality Resort

Our room was very comfortable, quiet and clean. The grounds were immaculately maintained and the staff were, warm, friendly and energetic. The nine thirty show was consistently entertaining. The resort is a great place for couples to relax and have fun but it is a civilized place, not a crazy party place.

Will not return to this resort

This is a tired, poorly maintained resort. The staff is great and the beach is excellent, although over crowded. The food for Lunch & Dinner is not good. Meat is over cooked. Lacks flavour. not enjoyable. Breakfast is OK except when the eggs were substituted for powdered eggs The water pressure on most days was poor (trickle of water). The water temperature was cold in the shower on 10 out of 14 days. drinks were limited to rum punch, beer and wine. White wine was not always available. Vo [... read more]dka was nor available. Overall, well below expectations

Amazing Return Visit

This was a thirteen day visit. We were at the same resort one year ago. We have absolutely no complaints. We will come back in 2025. From our maid room service to the buffet staff, everyone was so helpful and pleasant. Sonavid, our server during the day is an amazing person. She goes above and beyond to meet the needs of the patrons…absolutely fantastic. Annia, in the lobby bar is also outstanding. No complaints about the food…we certainly did not go hungry. The beach Resturant  [... read more]was also great. Amazing staff. We enjoyed the beach and the pool… The lobby staff was always courteous and helpful.

Honeymoon Vacation

Was very pleased on the entire trip. The grounds were absolutely stunning, the staff was friendly and the room was very clean. What attention to detail! The food and drinks were great, will be back for sure!

Will come again soon !

Royalton has the nicest beaches, incredibly friendly staff, rooms are wonderful, good value for your dollar. First time in Cuba and will definitely come again soon. This is undoubtedly the best accommodation in the area.

Royalton Hicacos

Overall I would say the Royalton is a good resort, it does look a little dated, the beds are very firm and the tub/shower is a little awkward, but we did have warm water every day. If people have mobility issues, the shower could be an issue for them, as well as the elevator that does not work, so they would have to get up to the buffet and a few restaurants by using the stairs. We had no complaints about the food and were pleasantly surprised by the options available. They have a crepe sta [... read more]tion in the mornings, eggs being made to order, as well as many other options. They don't have the typical juice options like apple, orange, etc., but they blend fresh juice every morning with what they have, often watermelon, pineapple, guava, etc. We were able to get into all of the al le carte restaurants for dinner and only ate at the buffet twice for dinner, but again lots of options. They had salad options everyday, and they even had leaf lettuce. They had decent wine, red, white, rose and most places had sparking wine as well. A lot of reviews I read said that Diamond club was a must, we did not get diamond club and am glad that we didn't pay the extra. They had a person on our side of the beach that would come and take drink orders for us, and then deliver our drinks. Like I said, we were able to get into all the restaurants without having to make a reservation. I don't know that there is a big difference in rooms for diamond club vs regular? A few people that we spoke to that had diamond club said they didn't get any different booze options. We also have access to butlers, they are there to answer any questions, help with excursion bookings, etc. They were able to book us into a restaurant for our anniversary. We went to Havana for a day trip and booked with Explore Cuba with Lucy. We had a classic car for the day with a driver and Lauren was our guide and she spoke excellent english. It was a full day trip, but she gave us lots of info and showed us all around. Overall it was a good trip, we enjoyed our time away.

Great place to go !

First trip to Cuba and won’t be the last to this resort ! I found the Cuban people amazing , so nice ! People working at the resort tray one another like Faniky and also treated us like family. They appreciate visitors and try their best to make you ahve a great time! I felt the all who work Here take great pride in their work! From our butler David, Barbara on the lobby bar, Javier from grounds maintence and Marcelo who is their to greet you and bring your bags to your room all Amazing peo [... read more]ple. I didn’t find any shortages and enjoyed many good meals. The resort is beautiful the grounds are impeccable! I am So Glad our agent recommended this resort ! Rooms are very clean.

Royalton Hocicos Varadero

Hotel setting was great , beach was fabulous ,soft sand , clear water , very few sea weeds. no big waves services was great but the choice of meals was OK and needs improvement in that the stations at the buffet were the same each day both for lunch and dinner. The restaurants were not outstanding but provided a change. We were told that you did not need reservations for the restaurants, it was first come basis ,but the Diamond club membe [... read more]rs could walk in at anytime and this was not fair especially if you have been waiting for 1/2 hour to get in and then refused entry. They should make the reservations ahead so that we know if there is a possibility of getting a table. Wifi was very difficult and we had to go the front reception area to get connected. The elevator was out of order and that made it very difficult for people who had physical problems and were using walkers. The buffet , and 3 other restaurants were all located on the second floor. We enjoyed our stay . We would give this place 4 stars

Nice Resort

The resort very clean, staff wonderful. There was no shortage of beach loungers either at the beach or pool. Food was good, had a variety at the buffet. The food was tasty and the restaurants were lovely and food was good.

Wonderful Resort

This was our second trip to the Royalton Hicacos in the last two months. We returned so quickly because we enjoyed ourselves immensely! Our review in short order: best strip of beach in Cuba, amazing and attentive staff all around - butlers, servers, cleaning staff, management, cooks, and so on, and remarkably well resourced restaurants with little evidence of any shortages. Rooms are clean and well maintained. The upgrade to a Superior room is well worth it - buildings 1-4 are renovated [... read more] with all the modern conveniences and styling. The resort has special perks for returning guests, and treated us superbly. Special mentions to JB and Tatiana in the Pearl Restaurant, Annia at the Lobby bar, all the staff at the Pool Bar, as well as butlers Betty, Laura, Leo and Omar, and Naylet.

Great resort

The Royalton is an exceptional and quality resort that stands out in Cuba. For those of you who know Cuba well, this resort has all the boxes ticked. Great service. Great beach. OK food. No complaints here. This place is a keeper. We will return !!! Diamond Club is fabulous.

Amazing Cuba and Royalton Hicacos

We had a very nice and memorable week with direct flights between London, Ontario and Varadero, Cuba. Hotel facilities were excellent, beautiful smooth sand and clean beach and ocean water.. Excellent friendly staff. Food and drinks quality and availability was a bit disappointing, but we did not starve and we did not expect the best cosine, so in all we would go back

Great Property

We were very happy with the resort. The best thing about the resort is the staff,very friendly and willing to assist the guests. We have stayed at other resorts in Cuba and Mexico which we enjoyed but your staff surpasses all others.

Nice resort with some cautionary on currency

Overall it was a nice resort. I'll outline the good and the negative sides: Intro to all guests with a glass of sangria The jr. Suite, very nice size, no need for diamond club...but i needed a additional plug attachment for my flat iron which maid gave me for the week Grounds very well kept, very nice staff, all workers were friendly and helpful, Raul at the buffet was awesome amazing work ethic, Beach was beautiful but 2 days were overcast and rough water waves. But 3 1/2 days were  [... read more]amazing sunny 29 degree beach weather. Buffet very good for Cuba Had crepes, papaya, guava lots of salad and good seafood. Pasta i did not like. No lemons, no oatmeal or fibre cereals, or fibre breads, and no heinz ketchup. The Peso and currency issue They try to sell you peso on the bus to hotel, which is not a deal All i can say is buy peso small amount at a time at resort ... use it for tips at buffet, restaurants, maid and beach staff ...most important deal in your own currency Canadian. Every place like the market hotel restauants all have varied rates on peso ...no consistency with the .peso ..as the peso is worth nothing outside of cuba, so only use it for tipping. Also butler service ...was not good ,(did not bother tipping him as he basically did nothing over and above his job ...only thing he did was book us in 2 alacarts...and gave my partner wrong advise that the restaurant outside resort would accept creditcard....and they did not So had to pay in combo of US cdn and peso ..(was not prepared) .because if you give 100 canadian they will change you back in peso ...so bring multiple denominations of 5' 10 and 20 in canadian ...or go to establishments that accept credit cards or pay in your own currency ..canadian only (no need for US) Also at airport coming back they dont accept peso just creditcard or cdn or US currency Overall i would rate the whole experience 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.