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The ultra, all-inclusive adults-only Royalton Hicacos Varadero Resort & Spa is located on the white sandy beaches of Varadero, situated on the eponymous Hicacos Peninsula. Its rich history, and vibrant tourist ambiance makes Varadero the perfect background for a tropical adventure where you can explore natural attractions.
Royalton Hicacos Varadero Resort & Spa
Las Morlas Street, Km 15
Varadero, Cuba
42200
Nearest Airport: VRA
What a wonderful trip! I highly recommend Royalton Hicacos Varadero to everyone that wants amazing beach ang amazing service. All employees we interacted with during our 10 days stay, were kind and helpful. Rooms- little bit outdated yet very important to me, clen. Thanks to our housekeeping lady Dayanira, we always had clean towels, enough bathroom necessities and excellent made up room. A note...our room didn't have correct wall plug for charging our phones, luckily we had wireless charger with USB plug in the washroom( need to bring Euro wall plug standard adapter). Our kind butler Dio, showed us the new renovated rooms called superior and we were seriously impressed. Our next visit in Royalton will be in one of those rooms that come with additional charge. In my opinion it is worth it because they are brand new and electronically equipped. Food- NO shortages whatsoever, plenty of tropical fruits and well cooked dishes. Again we were impressed by quantity and the quality. Compliments to all chefs for the amazing food. Lastly- THE BEACH no words to describe it! Absolutely gorgeous and well maintained. To mention... if all palapas are taken they are ready to provide you with regular umbrellas for shade, no need to stress. Servers... Hermes(always siting near the window )who knew our drink preferences, Alex, Carlos, Lobby Bar and all the other servers, thank you :) Gardeners, beautiful ground, entertainment great...5 star Cuban Resort We will be back, keep up the great work.
Isidora B - Mississauga, Canada
We just came back from an unforgettable trip, and I can honestly say it exceeded every expectation. What made it truly special was Liesdiel (Casa 29), our amazing mayordomo. From the moment we arrived, he was attentive, kind, and always ready to help with anything we needed. For my mom’s milestone birthday, he went out of his way to organize a beautiful dinner and surprised us with the most thoughtful room decoration. He was always available to answer any questions or help with anything we needed, and he did it all with kindness and professionalism. His warmth and care made us feel like family. The resort was absolutely stunning—the beach was spotless and serene, with soft white sand and crystal-clear water. Our room was huge, clean, and so comfortable—it truly felt like a home away from home. We’re still talking about the crepes and beef stew—absolutely mouthwatering! What really stood out to us was how genuinely friendly and welcoming the Cuban people were. Every interaction was filled with smiles, laughter, and warmth. It made our experience feel even more special and connected. Thank you, Liesdiel, and thank you to everyone who made this trip one we’ll never forget. We’re already planning our return!
Sophia S
We just returned from an incredible stay at the Royalton Varadero and couldn’t be happier with the experience. We normally travel to luxury five-star resorts in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica—both for couples’ weekends and family vacations—so this was our first time giving Cuba a try. We weren’t sure what to expect, but we’re so glad we took the chance, because it truly exceeded our expectations. From the moment we arrived, the staff made all the difference. Our butler Laura was absolutely amazing—she spoke perfect English, was attentive, kind, and always greeted us with a warm, genuine smile. She truly went above and beyond. We also want to highlight Pedro at the Diamond Club beach bar, who consistently delivered exceptional service with a friendly and welcoming attitude. The beach is absolutely stunning—powdery white sand, crystal-clear turquoise water, and peaceful, postcard-worthy views. It’s easily one of the nicest beaches we’ve seen in all our travels. The grounds are beautiful, lush and well maintained. We brought some small gifts to share, including toiletries, coloring books, snacks, and candies, and gave them out to various staff members throughout our stay. Everyone we gave them to, including our housekeeper, was so appreciative and genuinely grateful. It was a heartwarming experience that added even more meaning to our visit. Like many parts of Cuba, there are some small inconveniences to be aware of. The room temperature only cooled to about 24°C, some of the decorative water features were empty, and we experienced a few brief outages of power and water. While these are not ideal, the incredible friendliness and sincerity of the staff more than made up for it. The team here goes out of their way to make you feel welcome and cared for, and that’s something you don’t always find, even at the most luxurious resorts. A special thank you to General Manager Jaime, who personally stopped by several times during our stay and surprised us by arranging a private dinner for two in the resort’s wine Cellar. When we returned to our room afterward, it had been beautifully decorated with a chilled bottle of champagne—a thoughtful and romantic gesture we’ll never forget. We’re already looking forward to coming back. The stunning beach, genuine hospitality, and unforgettable experience made this trip one to remember. Thank you, Royalton Varadero, for showing us a side of Cuba we’ll be recommending to friends and family for years to come.
Tom M
Royalton Hicacos Resort – Cuba: June 2025, Diamond Club We feel this resort is quaint but clearly dated, with serious and alarming hygiene and health issues. Based on our experience in numerous Caribbean resorts over the past 15 years (Barbados, Bahamas, St. Lucia, Jamaica, Dominican Republic), we are mystified at how this resort could merit even 3.5 stars. We rate it 2 stars. Read on for a litany of hygiene and safety issues (summarized at the end of this review). The resort has an old-style feel and is generally very pretty. Trees and flowers were in bloom. True, the beach in Varadero is amazing, but the resort pools were lackluster, even unsanitary. The rooms are dated but functional, although the air conditioning is poor. Some rooms will never get down to 23 degrees. They promised to send a “technician” to fix ours but later admitted that none of the rooms’ units can be adjusted for cooler temps. Their promise to increase the ceiling fan speed was also a fail, as these cannot be adjusted either. The entire resort is on one centralized air system, which broke later in the week – no air conditioning for anyone, even in the restaurants and offices. Yes, it was June and we expected the heat, but still… The staff weren’t able to give us a timeline for repairs. Overall, the resort offers mediocre service. The daily maid service was fair but a “stocked fridge” means a meager two bottles of water, one–two cans of pop and one–two beer plus a bottle of wine. No cork screw was provided. The bed sheets were never changed the entire week. No extra towels are provided, ever. Plus, there is a strictly regulated one-beach-towel-per-guest policy; if a guest simply drops their towel without recording their room number, they will be charged for the missing towel. The resort washing machine broke, which turned out to be a real problem as there were no clean towels on the entire resort for 1.5 days so we had to keep reusing our wet beach and room towels. Gross. The service was hit or miss. Staff said all the right things but often did not deliver. They seem to be trying to imitate a 5-star resort but simply don’t know how to do it. We found this apparent in many areas. The drinks for example: No two Pina Coladas were ever the same, even from the same bar. Other typical vacation drinks were unremarkable. They ran out of them (and ginger ale) mid-week, too. None to be had on the entire resort. As for food, we knew this was Cuba, but the fool was terrible. Horrid at times, simply unsafe at others. There were no condiments (ketchup, mustard, mayo) and no butter at the buffet all week. Sandwiches (basically a slice of meat in a bun, no mayo or other spread) were left out all day. Surprisingly, the breads and croissants were amazing, so at least one cook knows their stuff. The other cooks simply do not know how to prepare food. Bacon was always served undercooked or even raw, but the meats (chicken, pork, fish, etc.) were overcooked, such that we could barely cut them with a steak knife. The chicken was so tough it was inedible. Finding a clean plate at the buffet could be a challenge, too. Consistently dirty plates were stacked for guests’ use, day after day. Buffet tongs used by guests were never changed or sanitized, which might explain the Norwalk-like virus symptoms we experienced half-way through our week on the resort. Some food was simply unidentifiable (“Lobster bisquet” was not a dinner roll but a misspelling of “lobster bisque”. Be prepared for repugnant soup. The “croquettes” contained a mystery paste). Much of the seafood stank, served after growing cold, or was generally over-cooked. Tough fish was the norm and we found sand in two entire plates of shrimp, despite not dining at the beach grill at the time. We walked away from more than one dinner, leaving it all on the plate, as did other guests in several of the à la carte restaurants. We had one lone well-prepared entrée (the beef at the Tex-Mex restaurant) the entire week, although the appetizers were repulsive that meal. Sadly, there are no other words to describe foul food. Overall, the resort and our experience there were NOT what we expected nor what one would expect from reading other reviews. This was NOT a 4.5-star week. Beware. Resort Hygiene: 1. The smaller eastern pool had no running filters and no operating surface skimmers all week. Leaf litter and debris were not removed daily. The same bird droppings were noticeable in the water for several days, the water was cloudy, and dozens of small tiles were broken or had fallen off. The small western pool was little different. 2. No pool towels or guest room towels were available at all for 1.5 days. The staff informed us that the washing machine had broken. 3. Additionally, the resort only allows one pool towel per guest; this must be exchanged at the Towel Hut near the pool on a one-in, one-out basis. Simply dropping off a wet/dirty towel would result in a fee billed to your room, as you would no longer have that towel at checkout. 4. Guest room bed sheets were not changed even once during the entire week (7 nights). 5. There were ants and cockroaches in our guest room, which we dispatched ourselves. Food Safety: 1. Various buffet grill station staff regularly used the same tongs to pick up raw food (chicken/pork/fish) and serve the grilled food to guests. 2. A server poured milk into a cup of tea for us and a dead beetle floated out of the pitcher into the tea. The server simply spooned out the dead bug and left. 3. Stacked “clean” buffet plates were routinely dirty. It was not uncommon for us to have to go through four or five plates to find a clean one. Obvious food contaminants on the plates included rice, centimetre-long vegetables, large grease smears, etc. 4. Buffet (indoors) and event (outdoors) food trays were not kept hot, resulting in cold food. Various prepared foods were plated, left out, then served to us cold: fish, chicken, etc. 5. Various plated seafood dishes emitted foul smells and it was obvious that the food was well past its best-before date. Once, shrimp was served with sand grit on most pieces. 6. Cooking staff did not know how to safely cook some foods. For example, we asked for bacon and eggs at a grill station at the buffet. The cook put the raw bacon and eggs on the grill at the same time, apparently expecting the bacon to be cooked as soon as the eggs were done. The bacon was very clearly not cooked. We repeatedly asked for the bacon to be cooked for longer. (I was served nearly-raw bacon at the Diamond Club breakfast restaurant as well.)
Vacation_Couple89 - Halifax, Canada
We spent a week at Royalton Hicacos and had a fantastic time. The resort is beautiful, with a stunning beach and plenty of space to just unwind. The adults-only vibe made everything feel extra calm and relaxing. We chose the Diamond Club option and honestly, it was worth it. Having access to a private beach area was amazing. No stress finding a spot, and the beach service was great. The butler service was helpful without being over the top. They took care of reservations and made sure we had everything we needed. The staff throughout the resort were friendly and welcoming, and the à la carte restaurants were a big step up from typical all-inclusive food. The drinks were also really good. Our room was spacious, comfortable, and always spotless. The evening entertainment was fun but never too loud, which suited us perfectly. Overall, it was a peaceful, easy-going holiday with just the right amount of luxury. We’d definitely go back.
Niseaz - Portugal
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