Royalton Bavaro Resort and Spa: Great Resort

the hotel is large so if you don't like walking than I wouldn't recommend it to you. The grounds were always clean, the staff were super nice, the food was good and the beach was always clean of any seedweed. I stayed in the junior deluxe room and it was amazing. The shows were good also. My only complaint is that there was suppose to be no reservations for the steak house Hunters but you have to line up. We were there approx. 40 mins before it open and was 5th in line so we thought for sure we  [... read more]would get in on the first sitting, than a bunch of people came in and said they have reservations and they were all let in and we couldn''t get in, I heard if you pay the run up front you will for sure to get in....I don't like that but I know it goes on. The Italian restaurant was my favorite, and the buffet was my 2nd as they had a different theme dinner everyday plus your basics, pastas, etc. the food truck had great sandwichs we had lunch there everyday as it was a different sandwich each day, they serve hamburgers, hotdogs and chickenburgers everyday also in case you dont like a sandwich, plus they had great fries. They have plenty for little kids to do, they had there own pool, play area plus there was a lazy river which everyone could use. Overall I would give this resort an 8 out of 10 and planning to go back to it next year.

Royalton Hideaway Blue Waters: I would not recommend Royalton White Sands

This resort has been a complete disappointment 🙁 Shower door would not close Bath tub plug missing and water pressure so low I couldn’t run a bath. Sewage smell in the room at all times Patio door very hard to open/close Beach towels always out so spent most of the days without. Butler service doesn’t answer messages Waiter service disappointing, never cutlery or glasses for water, servers don’t check check on you. When tip is given, receive no thank you or smile. Alway [... read more]s the first to say thank you or good morning. Toilets don’t flush proper, low pressure Toilet plugged all day without assistance

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Many returning guest hotel

My husband and I recently stayed at the Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa for 10 days and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We were given a newly renovated suite style room in block 200 which was quite nice and a short walk to the Diamond Club private beach. We did spend a little more money for the Diamond Club treatment and it was worth it. We always got loungers at the private beach, had our own butler, received a free catamaran excursion, all our à la carte reservations were given to us on our fi [... read more]rst day. Many perks!!! We always had an abundance of food and a good variety at the main buffet. The staff was always very friendly and helpful. The beach was amazing, blue, turquoise water and many miles could be walked on that beach. We enjoyed the ice cream bar and the 24hrs snack bar. There was always live music at the bars and buffet. The nightly entertainment was good. The dancers were very talented but would have been nice if there had been more variety; not only dancing every night.

Royalton Hideaway Blue Waters: Great Resort

Pros: great service (Kesrene at the beach, Kelan at the Italian restaurant), beautiful weather, we had no troubles getting a chair at the beach or pool, the ocean was great for swimming, the food at the buffet was amazing, we had no troubles getting seated at the buffet, the late night entertainment was great, the resort grounds were clean and beautiful, housekeeping kept the rooms looking great Cons: need more umbrellas, AC didn't work in our room, the pool bar service was bad (they would lo [... read more]ok at you and walk away in favour of a larger group), our room was very small (we joked it was a broom closet that they turned into a room), the bathroom door didn't close, the shower leaked water everywhere, the bathroom had mold in a few places (no working fan/didn't work well), Overall: the pros outweigh the cons and I would go back to this resort in a heartbeat. I've heard through resort staff that the resort is getting gutted and renovated and I look forward to going back once it's completed. I paid 2500$ to fly out of Edmonton whereas my friends flying out of Ontario paid $2000. This resort is closer in value to $2000/trip.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Royalton Hicacos continues to shine

The Royalton has experienced 4 difficult years since our last visit. Years in which COVID reduced tourism to a trickle and Cuba's income was hard hit. Nonetheless the Royalton came through it well and we were delighted to find the Resort little changed. The Grounds were in great shape, the Staff as willing to help as always, our Room the same as ever and the Restaurants well stocked. Some shortages sure but that was to be expected. In short - the Royalton lived up to it's diamond rating. We woul [... read more]d definitely recommend it to our friends and relations.

Royalton Hideaway Riviera Cancun: Fun trip!

I read a lot of mixed reviews and overall the resort is really nice. I found our room spacious and clean, but we did pay extra for a better view. Our friends view over the ravine was not as great. The staff was great, I didn’t experience anyone who wasn’t pleasant and friendly. They we’re all amazing This resort is not a true “adults only” there is one portion of the result (the hideaway) that is adults only and it only has only one restaurant there. You have to venture to  [... read more]the other areas to eat at the buffet and the other restaurants which are all kid/tween shared areas. The food overall was really tasty though! The beach the week we went was not as bad as I have read it can be. But if you are a beach person it may not be the best choice as it is not a guarantee. You can see the seaweed coming in and see on parts of the beach how bad it can get, which is unfortunate. The main pools were always busy and lively which is great if you are looking for a party and if you are not there are other pool areas that are less busy. With multiple bars available and staff who walk around taking drink orders.

Royalton Hideaway Negril: Solid 4 Star Resort

We returned to the Hideaway at the Royalton Negril for the second time (March 25-April 1, 2023), our first being literally at the beginning of the pandemic, (March 16-20, 2020) and since we didn't get many of the services they provide, they offered us a voucher for a free upgrade so we came back. Originally, our room was a Presidential One bedroom suite with a private terrace with large private plunge pool. To use our voucher, we had to book the lowest category room available, (we booked th [... read more]rough Trip central and flew Sunwing) and they would upgrade us to the Presidential Suite with Diamond Club when we arrived. I was very worried they wouldn't honour the upgrade as email communication between the reservations department was a bit hit and miss but they did honour it and we were relieved and happy. Here's a list of the Pro's and Con's. Pro's: -Diamond Club is well worth the extra price. Your butlers will make a reservation for you at the restaurant of your choice and you won't have to wait in line to get in. This equates to more beach/pool/napping/doing whatever you want instead of having to go to a restaurant and wait an hour or more. We did see groups of ppl waiting over 1 1/2 hours to get seated when we walked up at our timeslot and were taken right in. Something missing from or broken in your room? Tell your butler and they will get it sorted. Need wine, beer, bottled water? Tell your butler. We had 2 wonderful butlers. PATRICE was by far, EXEMPLARY! Our a/c in the bedroom wasn't working properly and the jacuzzi was not cleaned when we arrived due to rain and the next day we wanted to use it. We messaged her and she followed up and messaged us back when it was ready to be used. She had maintenance come and fix the a/c and then checked up to see if it was still working. Every morning, she would message us on WhatsApp so see what we needed for the day and get it done, almost immediately, and then message us when it was in our room. I've never had a butler like her before and I wish we could have afforded to tip her more. Butlers do work in pairs and they split their tips. With Diamond club you also get premium alcohol in the Diamond club Hideaway lounge so if you like your top shelf spirits, that's a plus. -I think every room has at least a partial ocean view. -several al la carte dining options for breakfast and dinner although not every restaurant was open every day (the Ocean Point restaurant is outdoors and faces the sunset which is amazing!) -somewhat cater to ppl with food intolerances/allergies. I say somewhat bc I have a specialized diet to help treat autoimmune symptoms and this is one of the reasons we chose a high end, 5 star resort. Despite prior communication, not every chef at every restaurant was pleased to help make me a meal. I do realize they are very busy, and the al la carte menu options are preset. But, with the help of our butlers, my needs were communicated in advance and I was still met with a less than happy chefs, at times. I can say that chef William at Ocean Point went out of his way to make me something special, working with what he had and double checking that I could eat it and I really appreciated his efforts and his courtesy! There was also a chef at Dorado (I'm sorry I forget his name) that was very accommodating to my needs and went to get me something from maybe the main buffet that hadn't been seasoned yet and the meal was delicious! We did eat at the buffet most breakfasts and lunches because of the variety and the cook to order food. I ate freshly cooked fish or chicken daily. The service at the buffet was also exemplary. A huge shout out to Rachelle, Georgia, and Allison! They always remembered I love my tea to steep in a pot of hot water and the wine I loved to have with my lunch! Thank you for your hard work, ladies! -if you're in to it, there is entertainment every night and the few shows we saw were great! I especially loved the Bob Marley tribute. Cons and the reasons I rated this a 4 star: -we could definitely see wear and tear in certain areas compared to when we were there 3 years ago. This is supposed to be luxury accommodations and a 5 star rating -In our room (8312), the hand held shower head hose in the main bath leaked so badly we couldn't use it. The lighted mirror in the main washroom was missing the mirror and light. The jacuzzi was permanently stained yellow around the water line so it looked dirty, (if it wasn't for Jazzy T. coming in every few days to clean it, we probably wouldn't have deemed it healthy to use - thanks Jazzy!), we also had to have someone come in the room to turn the heat on in the jacuzzi - you used to be able to do this yourselves. The outside furniture on our terrace had cushions that were way too small for the seats and soaked up any rain so they weren't usable. We propped them up on their sides so the water could drain out and sheltered them when we arrived and they remained rain soaked up to the day we left. One of the lounge chair cushions was so moldy, we didn't want to use it. (we didn't complain to our butlers about these things as we didn't want to have to worry about ppl coming in and out of our room during the day, or having to wait for these things to be brought to the room. We like our privacy and don't want to have to worry about putting things away when on vacation. We used the do no disturb sign daily and gave verbal permission for our butlers and pool guy to come in when we weren't there) -Many beach loungers and cushions should be replaced, they are moldy or lumpy -the main staircases and elevators weren't cleaned once the entire time we were there and were filthy from ppl spilling drinks/food, but everywhere else seemed well taken care of! -hard to find a quiet area to relax for the day. If you want piece and quiet, this may not be the resort for you. Every morning at 10 am the hideaway pool had very loud water aerobics complete with ear piercing techno music, and every afternoon around 2 was something else like trivia where the entertainment staff used a loud microphone for what seemed like hours. There is a beach between the Hideaway beach and the main large beach on the Royalton side that is a bit more quiet but we found it difficult to find loungers. We did venture onto the family side only to find it very busy and very loud at every pool. Most of the rooms on the adult side face or are close to the Hideaway pool and there is occasionally entertainment there until 11 pm. For us folks in our late 40's, sometimes after a day of sunning, and having a few drinks, we want quiet at that time so we can get up early and enjoy the day in the sun. Not a complaint, just a preference. -Food at the buffet was sometimes not labelled gluten free/vegan so at times we would have to ask what the ingredients were and sometimes the staff did not know. They could use more gluten free and vegan options as well like pastas and breads. Something as simple as replacing butter with olive oil when dressing vegetables, rice or yams/sweet potatoes would work to help make things vegan/dairy free. -we stayed on the adult side, but have access to the family side and this is where all but 2 of the restaurants are so if you truly want an adult only experience, you will need to dine at Dorado or Ocean Point.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Hotel where you need to relax

this is a hotel that is not boring, with good staff and buildings, with a good selection of food and alcoholic drinks, the beach & ocean - amazing. The territory of the hotel is very green with water canals throughout the territory. Every evening there is entertainment and music events.

Royalton CHIC Cancun: Did not meet expectations

This hotel was totally geared to the party drinking crowd. The pool entertainers catered to the drinking pool people and there was nothing to include the beach lounger guests. It was quite a boring place with not much to do. They have2 pool tables in the sports bar that are less than good, the balls are not even the correct size and the tables are tilted..but the workers at the sports bar were great and a nice alternative to get a quick meal..Grounds were too small to allow movement. Beach was n [... read more]ice but waves were large. Most days were red flag days..water pull was strong and took your feet out from under you a lot. Buffet was good at breakfast but food at other times was cold. Fries were always soggy and hamburgers were only offered on a couple days. The steak house was good and had the best desserts of cheesecake and crème Brule the mini onion appetizer buns served asa appetizer were very good and warm. Our server Isaac was very good .,highly recommend him. Wehad a few room issues,though the view was great on room 10612, one day we returned and the mini bar person had left our room door unlocked …our bar fridge leaked water all weekend ever got fixed…one day our room did not get serviced by the maids claiming we had a do not disturb on our door,and we did not even have one of those door cards in our room..when you used the toilet, upon rising the seat cover would slam you in the back..all issues were reported to guest services. Entertainment at night was repetitive with same dancers in different outfits. The Michael Jackson show was a good one though and worthwhile attending. We have always Been frequent Royalton fans, but this resort falls short of our former expectations. The Sunwing reps here were unfriendly and useless..they showed no help answering questions and left you with a shrug of the shoulders and a we are busy answers. These people need to be replaced. Make sure you take your phone as you have to scan code to get info in pick up times. Too bad for the non tech types… One night,I think Mexican theme, they had local vendors on the premises selling their wares,. this was nice and a time killer after supper…., We did the massage at the spa…it was good.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Returning guest - for the last time

We've been to this resort 4 times previously. The returning guest program has really declined and not very organized. We requested ground floor due to medical conditions and were given 2nd floor upon arrival. Rooms not ready until after 4:00. No bacon, french fries, oranges -orange juice, bananas the whole week. Money is confusing and leaves you distrustful. Shops in resort will only take American or credit card - and charged us almost 50% on Canadian dollars. A lot of "side" business goin [... read more]g on - and after every performance - including the nightly entertainment, the hat was put out for "tips". Rooms are getting very very outdated and housekeeping does a bare minimum - have to "ask" butler for everything. We talked up this resort to our friends who were hesitant to retry Cuba. They came with us this trip and they had a dehumidifier in their room that THEY had to empty 4 times a day. We were quite embarassed at the "downfall" of the resort - not Royalton standards. Although I must say, you can see they are trying to get the resort back up to par - just not fast enough. Their wooden walkways are a hazard with missing, cracked boards. Blood stains dripping on back of stairs leading up to buffet. The beach and buffet waiters were great - the lobby bar and lobby staff and store employees can learn a lot from them - tourists seem to be a "bother" to them - and talk down to them. Not the Cuban people I remember - and definitely not the resort I remember.

Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa: Large property but lots of wear and tear, and not so great service.

Ok, I'm just going to be honest. There were a few positive things, but mostly negatives. As other reviews have pointed out, it's just "meh". The pictures you see on their website are NOT what the reality is so just keep that in mind. Those pictures are from when the resort first opened and it's not like that anymore. Property/Room: To start, the resort is large, and the initial impression of the look and feel is beautiful! Huge and airy lobby, with a wonderful breeze. And despite it's size, m [... read more]ost of the attractions are located in the central building so you always know where to go. The rest of the resort is all rooms with a few pools dotted around the outskirts of the property. It's nice to walk along the different places but there's also construction going on in certain parts. They had to move all the entertainment to the lobby because the stage was being repaired, which was fine because the lobby was huge anyways. When you get over the initial glamour though and start to pay attention, you'll notice signs of wear and tear EVERYWHERE and it starts to take away from the whole "5-star" claim. Uneven tables/chairs at the restaurants, chipped plates, plaster flaking off the walls, the room phone and tv's don't work, the fixtures are loose, AC isn't cold, faucets are clogged, light bulbs need to be replaced, lamps just plain don't work, toilets are slow, sinks are chipped, showers have stains and gunk all around the corners, and that's honestly just a start! Everywhere you look you can tell that this property is in dire need of some TLC all around, and there's no way it can claim to be a luxury 5-star property any more. Room: we went with the Diamond Club Presidential Suite. It was alright. Despite being in the Diamond Club part of the resort, we still had the same issues as noted above. Our view was not great at all. Even though we paid for ocean view we got the mangrove view instead, which is just a bunch of trees and overlooks the staff entrance, so you can smell cigarette smoke and hear the loud food carts and chatter at all times of day and night. Food: Mediocre, as other reviews have pointed out. There were cockroaches in one of the buffet stations and that put a downer on the rest of the food safety for me. Buffet was sub par as most buffets are so that's not a knock against the resort, but the a la carte restaurants were just not great. The exception Agave and Hunter. Huge line ups for the a la carte as well, unless you were Diamond Club and made reservations in advance via your butler. Diamond Club: Honestly, the only part of this that was worth it was the fact that your butler could make reservations at the restaurants and therefore you didn't have to wait 30-60 mins at dinner time. Otherwise, there's nothing else that was special. There is a Diamond Club lounge, but it's just guest-services and a few snacks/drinks. That's it. You get two butlers that do morning and evening shifts, but they don't talk to each other, so you have to repeat yourself twice to get what you need. There was no diamond club agent when we got to the resort so we had to wait about 1.5 hours to check in. We went to celebrate an anniversary and I spoke to the butler before hand, but nothing was done until the last day after I reminded them again. Beach: No. Just no. Good soft sand and plenty of chairs, but the seaweed covers the entire beach and water. The workers did a good job of cleaning it, but man it came back every time with a vengeance! We went in late Feb, which is still "winter" in Mexico, so there shouldn't have been that much seaweed, but it was a warm winter all season so there was a lot. I didn't see a single person in the ocean for the entire week I was there. Pools: Good pools. As you'd expect from a 5-star resort. The kids pool was super fun! Service: Here was the biggest issue for me. I've been to 3-4 star resorts where the staff bent over backwards to make sure you were enjoying your stay. At this resort, the staff just didn't care. All my vacations for the last 10 years have been all-inclusive so I know what to expect, but the staff here were just uninterested in providing a level of care and attention to detail that's consistent with a 5-star resort. There were a few gems, but other than that, most staff couldn't be bothered. The overall attitude was poor. Despite getting my room mixed up, they were unwilling to help at all. And this is "Diamond Club". I heard from other travelers that their experience was even worse. Overall, you're paying a 5-star price, for a 4-star (at best) resort. We made the most of our trip and it was memorable for other reasons, but I generally try to find positives in everything. If you can get a cheap deal on this resort, then maybe you should think about it carefully. But there ARE actual 5-star resorts in the Riviera Maya that you should be looking at way more carefully if that's what you want for your vacation.

Mystique Habana by Royalton: Brand new renovation of a classic 1943 building - Wonderful place to stay!

Ten out of Ten ! The Mystique Regis hotel provided us with a marvelous place to stay while we explored the heart of old Havana. Our room on the second floor was gorgeous and had 16 foot tall ceilings! Bed was comfy, all furniture and fixtures were brand new, lots of room, good A/C. Breakfast on the 7th floor was great (eggs how you like them with a large selection of meats, cheeses and fruits) and the staff were always friendly and efficient. We never got tired of the panoramic view from th [... read more]e patio up there since the hotel is right on the Prado = Paseo de Marti = a gorgeous pedestrian mall that quickly leads you "downtown" to the Parque Central and so many intriguingly explorable streets. As long as you don't need a swimming pool this place is PERFECT ! Special thanks to Marta and Isobel on the front desk !

Royalton Bavaro Resort and Spa: Great Resort

The hotel is big but well laid out. We booked a swim out room which was a wonderful experience. The food was excellent and the staff amazing. All spaces, both ours and public areas, was clean. We really enjoyed the Rio restaurant which we went to for a special occasion that we had travelled to celebrate. And the rock band that played were fantastic. We did have a couple of issues. The resort advertises that they have a no reservation system, which is true; however, what it means is that you c [... read more]an only put your name on a waitlist after they open and you could wait for hours before you can get a table. We would have preferred to book a time a day or two before so that we could better plan our day and not end up sitting around waiting to eat. They have smart TVs in the room. Booking a table through that would have been much better. Our second issue was not with the resort but with Air Canada. We went to our assigned meeting with Caroline, the AC rep, and we were the only two people at that meeting. She advised us to be checked out and at the front of the resort by 10:55. We were there in plenty of time (and I was able to prove it because when you check out they write the exact time on your departure ticket), but the transport left without us. We waited for almost an hour before being directed by the resort staff to speak again to the AC rep. When I did so she denied that she had told us 10:55 and also said the transport left at 11:15. She said that the bus would wait no more than 15 minutes but Caroline never mentioned that to us either. She got very annoyed at me and said we would have to catch a taxi at our expense. We did do that, and although rushed we were able to make our flight on time. Caroline’s attitude was appalling and she also made claims that were untrue with respect to what she told us. The resort staff called a taxi for us straight away and were very helpful but we were left soured by Air Canada.

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: Good place to stay

The resort was clean and the people were warm and friendly. I had read that you needed to bring your own salt and pepper, but you didn't need to. The food was surprisingly good and nothing like what I had read from other comments. The resort does need upgrading; it is dated. But, considering they were shut-down for 2 years, it was kept clean and they did their best. Our housekeeper was the best - Alina. She went above and beyond for us. It is a quiet adult resort and it was actually what I was l [... read more]ooking for. If you want to party - this is not the place for you. But, if you want good food, wonderful staff, clean rooms, and peace and quiet (in the evenings), this is the place for you.

Royalton Splash Riviera Cancun: Wonderful resort

My family was there from March 18-25. Resort: it's beautiful. Hotel was great. Service was great. They supplied your small fridge everyday with pop, beer and water. Bottled water was always available around the resort. Staff was there to serve you when needed. Staff puts out towels on the chairs for you. The Vibe team were amazing with daily activities. The kids club was good ( ages 4-12) and accommodating at times. Staff cleaning was good. They did use precautions in dealing with serving food  [... read more]both in buffet and A la Carte restaurants. Pools: were amazing. Activities during the day for kids and adults. Only if you were DC then you had your own pool area. We did an excursion to Isle Mujeres on a luxury boat. Great trip for the day. Negative: the traffic from airport to resorts are dreadful. They are making the roads bigger but except longer delays to get anywhere. It's a good family resort. It's clean . Staff is friendly Negative: the beach on that whole coastline- not good. Seaweed is bad. The workers are there everyday trying their best to clean and rake up the seaweed that finds its way to the shoreline. People have not been swimming in the ocean which is to bad. I would recommend this resort to families with kids. My kids were 12 and 15. They enjoyed themselves especially water volleyball

Royalton Punta Cana Resort: Lovely resort

To be very honest I thought the resort itself was a little tired and in need of some freshening up. Some of the seat covers in the buffet restaurant were worn and the bathrooms needed a bit of care. We were a group of 14 and we wanted to eat together at dinner time and we had a great deal of difficulty making that happen even though we upgraded to the Diamond Club. It was upsetting to me because the trip was to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary with our children and grandchildren and w [... read more]e had hoped to have dinner together every night. Despite having room available at the various restaurants, they would not move tables to accommodate us, without pressure on our part, which was upsetting to me. The Theatre where the night time shows were held had many broken seats which made it necessary for many people to stand. The Kids Club was not what we expected, it was just a very small area and there was no supervision. The family (ages 4 to 48) had a wonderful time at the Waterpark at the adjoining Royalton Splash resort. We would definitely recommend that for families. The beach was beautiful but always very wavy. There were some very strong waves and significant undertow which were easily handled once you grew accustomed to it but close adult supervision was needed for children or anyone who couldn't swim. Unfortunately, a man drowned in the ocean on the Saturday of our vacation and two more would have drowned if my son and his partner hadn't been swimming nearby and heard them call for help. After getting the two safely to shore my son swam back out for the third man but he could not find him in the large waves. It took much too long for the life guards to get to the scene and they were not properly equipped to save anyone. They did not have a boat which they had to go back down the beach to get in order to find the man. It took over half an hour from the time the life guards were first called till they had the boat and were able to find the victim. It was very upsetting to everyone present and I think people should be warned to swim at their own risk. Despite all of this I would recommend this resort to friends as we had a great time until Saturday.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Great resort

This is a great resort, the staff are very accommodating and really aim to please. The resort is clean and the beach is beautiful white sand the alacarte restaurants are good and the seafood is very good. Drinks are amazing lots of rum and local beer even some import beer and whiskeys. We will return.

Royalton Saint Lucia Resort and Spa: Nice resort but not quiet

Resort beach, pools and grounds are lovely. View from rooms is spectacular at sunset. Food is overall good but not great, generally preferred the buffet over restaurants. Had to wait a few times for the buffet but line moved quickly. Wait for restaurants was long a few times (over an hour), but sometimes no wait. Service in the steakhouse was excellent and teppanyaki with Dion was very fun. Mixed drinks are inconsistently made, but Andrea made great drinks at the swim up. Some of the staff [... read more] were wonderful but many very grumpy, overall service was generally responsive. It is a long ride from the airport, traffic always seems to be terrible as there is only 1 main road, but our drivers were great and tried to make the best of it. Rooms were clean but a bit tired and run down. Bathtub and curtain set up is kind of weird for a family of 4 with teenagers. Beds were comfy. Biggest downfall was the evening entertainment - it is blasted from the central courtyard and there is no escaping it from 9pm to 11pm or later, it reverberates across the resort and into rooms even with the doors closed. We are night hawks and love music and a good time but I really would have preferred listening to the roar of the ocean from the balcony rather than being subject to bad karaoke and Michael Jackson covers. The local bands were pretty good - the resort should really consider sticking with them and having quiet lounge music on alternating nights so there is some respite (or at least turn the volume down). Overall we enjoyed our stay, but we wouldn’t go back to the Royalton.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Great time had at The Royalton Hicacos

Great destination for Montrealers who are looking for a quick flight to a tropical destination and an outstanding beach experience. Staff are professional, helpful and courteous. Food is very good. Grounds are immaculately kept. The only thing I missed was a good red wine. Turned to white which fared better. Came back feeling rested and relaxed. Mission accomplished. Thank you Sun Wing. Customer service was excellent.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Severe issues and not at all acceptable

I wrote a severe critique of this hotel/resort that can be found at Tripadvisor. The link is included. I have also provided the full text below for anyone not wanting to click the link. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g147275-d270082-Reviews-Royalton_Hicacos_Varadero_Resort_Spa-Varadero_Matanzas_Province_Cuba.html It's my opinion that Tripcentral did an inadequate assessment regarding the flights both too and from the resort. The rep, Louise Endean should have realized and communi [... read more]cated the fact that check-in and check-out times were way out of sync with the flight times and thus 2 of the 14 days were partially wasted and caused needless difficulties. Clients should not arrive exhausted and then be made to wait in tropical heat for most of the day before their room is ready for occupation. (see Issue #4 below) It's also apparent that she had limited knowledge of the actual resort and should have counselled me to stay somewhere more restful as per my needs for a quiet and relaxing vacation. Because of Ms. Endean's apparent inexperience with Royalton Hicacos, I can assure the readers of this review that I will not use Tripcentral 'experts' again to book future vacations. The full text of my review follows: EXHAUSTING ORDEAL NEVER TO BE REPEATED “I spent 2 very expensive weeks at this hotel. By the 11th day of 14, I couldn't wait to leave. Four major issues, any one of which is a deal-breaker. 1) Noisy beyond belief. From the rumble of huge laundry carts past your door at 6:30 AM, you'd think there's either an earthquake happening or a huge thunderstorm setting in. The tiled floors and pebbled concrete echo the noise all along the structure. The housekeeping staff, gardeners and repair staff yell to one another from one end of the bungalows to the other. There is no decorum or consideration for guests still sleeping. (It's like living in a barrio bajos (slums)) The doors on the bungalows do not close quietly. They must be SLAMMED to get them to close and lock. Planning a siesta for the afternoon? Forget it! The noise goes on all day to well after midnight when drunken, noisy guests return to their rooms or new guests are being brought to their rooms. At best, you might get 5 hours sleep. Walls are paper thin, you can hear your neighbors scrape their chairs across the floor or open and shut the dresser drawers, drapes. The sliding doors rumble like thunder. When I think of high-end hotels, I think of blissful quiet excapes. This hotel doesn't even come close. It's a cacophony non-stop. This is not a hotel to go to for a rest. The only way to get some rest is to bring sleeping pills, a set of earplugs and/or drink yourself into a stupor so you can pass out. 2) Unsanitary conditions. I brought a hand-held UV light with me, like the type housekeeping services uses in my country to check on cleanliness. I wish I hadn't. Bright glowing stains from bodily fluids were everywhere, Walls of the bathroom, on the toilets, waste buckets and worst of all, on the pillows and beds. Though the pillow cases are changed daily, the bed sheets and mattress protectors are not. Lift the mattress protector and shine your UV light on the bed and prepare to vomit. Human stains, old and new, are what you're going to sleep on. The down pillows themselves are covered with fresh pillow cases but the stench of the mold and mustiness seeps through easily. So do the bedrolls/bolsters. Again, you're sharing your pillow with hundreds of guests who were there before you. Serious advice, use a towel over your pillow to avoid waking up smelling rancid and foul. Wear pyjamas and socks. Check the fresh towels every day that get delivered to your room. On at least 2 occasions, I got manchas de mierde (check google translate for that one) on my towels, sometimes lipstick and often rust. Not sure you'd want to wipe your face on some of those stains. I had to call to reception to get mine replaced. Took them over an hour to get that done. I never once heard or saw a vacuum cleaner anywhere at this resort. Do not walk barefoot in your room or anywhere else at this resort other than the beach. Further unsanitary observations: birds fly freely inside the buffet area, crapping into the light fixtures, alighting onto the buffet areas and pecking at some of the food. Flies are settling onto food everywhere. The cushions in the reception area are never cleaned. Chairs around the bars are seldom wiped down. 3) An abominable lack of fresh fruit. During the two weeks I was there, I never saw: lemons, oranges, grapefruit, bananas (this is the only Caribbean island I've ever been to with no bananas), no coconut, no plantain, no limes, no nuts. What is available is raw, unripened pineapple, so tough you can barely cut it with the dull knives they give you, unripened tomatoes, unripened watermelon, unripened starfruit, fruit juices so watery that they're more akin to ther runoff from slicing them open. They have no flavor. Other foods fare no better. Baked beans are done in catsup, not tomato sauce. The tilapia fish taste like mud, the pork is so tough that when you chew it, it chews back. There is no bacon anywhere. Having complained to Jose Martin, the hotel manager, his reply was "I haven't seen an orange in 7 years. I'm from Spain". That was the extent of help I received from him. Excuses he has, solutions he has none. 4) One last caveat about travelling to this hotel. Check your flight times and compare it to the check-in/check-out times for the hotel. I got delivered here by SUNWING at 10:00AM but wasn't allowed to check-in until 4:00 PM. If you're not ready for it, that's 6 hours without air-con, suntan lotion or lighter clothing. You are walked around the sweltering complex and then left to your own devices until your room is ready, if you can find it. Front lobby staff are surly and command you to sit down and wait. After 6 hours of profuse sweating, I felt like I was born in my shirt. It's the same on exit. Check-out is at Noon and if your bus arrives at 7:00 PM, be prepared to sit around while front desk staff do nothing for you. For all the attention you got when arriving, you can expect to be disdainfully ignored when you leave. Whatever her name, whether Luzia, Luzora or Lucifer, the older woman at the front desk was particularly rude and dismissive. If Hicacos is the best that Varadero Cuba can offer, then you can be assured it was the last trip I will ever take, not only to Hicacos but to Cuba. I heartily recommend avoiding this island altogether. p.s. I never heard a single cricket ot tree-frog in the evening. Again, the only Caribbean island where I've never experienced this. Something really wrong with that.”