Royalton Hicacos Varadero Resort & Spa

Just returned from a wonderful two weeks at the Royalton Hicacos. We have been to Cuba 26 times, we would have to rate this one at the top of our list. Next would be Melia Las Americas. We booked a diamond club junior suite. Rooms were a little dated but the beds and pillows were very comfortable! The perks of Diamond Club were totally worth it, especially the caribe restaurant for breakfast and lunch. Breakfast was great, eggs cooked perfectly no matter which way they were prepared. Lunch was the real treat. We didn't realize until a week in that they change the menu for lunch everyday. One day Cuban, next day Tex Mex, Italian, Asian, international. Got to experience most before going home. I believe it was the same chef for breakfast and lunch and have to say, he knows what he is doing! Everything was prepared beautifully and had flavor and good spice! our favorite two meals of the day! We also tried the Pearl, Tex Mex and beach Grill for dinner. All were very good. Tried Italian as well, didn't care for that one to much, plus that restaurant was too bright. Beach is probably on the best strip of beach in varadero. We NEVER worried about finding a lounger or shade on the beach or by the pool at any time of day. This is a big plus for us! The entertainment was also great. Stuff happening everywhere! The live bands, duets, etc. all great. Even dinners outside in the royal garden on different nights. Always something to do! The layout of the resort is lovely, quite mature. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed! Only one thing to be careful with, nothing to do with the resort but the airport in Varadero. This is the first time we have experienced theft in our luggage. I pack everything carefully in packing cubes and bags. Two of our suitcases were a total mess when we opened them this morning. I had a little lug jewelry pouch with several pockets that held quite a big of jewelry, mostly costume but a couple of swarowski pieces. Unfortunately, the whole pouch was empty, everything taken out of it, one earring left in the bottom of my suitcase. Learned my lesson, it will go in my carry on from now on. Please be careful with what you pack!

We had an amazing stay at the Royalton! The hotel was clean, comfortable, and the service was exceptional. A special thanks to Bryan, who helped us a lot throughout our trip and made sure we had everything we needed. He was friendly, attentive, and truly made our experience better. Highly recommended.

My girlfriend and I spent the week of November 21-28 at the beautiful Royalton Hicacos Spa and Resort in Varadero. We had a wonderful time. Clean, beautiful resort and always got a friendly Hola and Buen Dia from all staff members. The beach was stunning, sand white and soft no seaweed and rocks. The food was good, lots of choices. We especially enjoyed the Carib and the Pear al a carte restaurants. Breakfast and lunch buffets were our favourites. Special thanks to Hermes and Tania at the buffets for their friendly and smiling faces. And for always having our favourite table ready for us every day. The Lobby Bar was awesome, great entertainment, wonderful cappuccinos in the morning and my favourite Havana Club and pineapple juice. We both my girlfriend ( Christine and I) enjoyed our room on the 3rd floor room number 3016. Clean Room, 2 big bottles of water in the mini fridge every day and great view from our balcony. Special thanks also to Nellie for her assistance and my Italian speaking Amigo Alex at the front desk. We will definitely return to the Royalton Hicacos resort, but this time for at least 10 days. Mucho Gracias! Bravo! Tony G

Royalton Hicacos was a wonderful experience. I arrived with a group of friends in different rooms. Our butler service was exceptional. I've stayed at many resorts with butler's that you never seem to meet or struggle to communicate with. Our butler's Bryan and Brenda went out of their way to connect with us daily, make sure we had everything we needed and quickly rectified any situation that arose. Our server's in the buffet were kind and efficient making our stay personable and enjoyable. I would 100% return to this location. Entertainment was daily every evening and fantastic with a local location making it easy to attend. The beach is beautiful, well maintained and staffed including a fabulous beach bar and restaurant. The only thing I struggled with on this trip was deciding where I was going to eat. So many great options with 2 dining times. I'm sure there's something you'll find for everyone.

Overall it was a good trip, been to different hotels in Varadero but Royalton Hicacos is hands down the best. It was a Sandals resort 10 years ago, so the buildings and grounds are nicely done but they still need upgrades by now. We paid extra for the diamond club with a butler service, wouldn't recommend upgrading as we didn't get much from the butler other than walk to the room on the first day. Then you won't see them at all. Waste of money. For the room, very nice room but far away from the main lobby, on the 3rd level. Plus you only can book 3 la carte restaurants. For a diamond club you should get at least 5 bookings. Everyday no hot water from 4:30pm to 6pm. We guess that all guests were showering before dinner at the same time? We didn't like the buffet for dinner as it was poorly made and very salty. All the la carte restaurants were good, order 2 of everything as the portions are very small. The beach is nice but the storms throughout the years have washed away the main beach, now very small and crowded. If you did the diamond club, go to the diamond club side and get a spot in the smoking side as the beach is huge and we didn't have many smokers. The "lifeguards" are to busy trying to sell you cigars than watch the swimmers! FYI the cigars on the beach are crap! Opened boxes and no deals. Go into the resort smoke shop or varadero for better prices. Or when you land in Varadero you can buy them at the duty free before you go get your bags! Or of course when you leave. We didn't need bug spray but never hurts to bring it. The staff or the Cuban people are in need of flashlights, bug spray, any type of reading glasses, sun glasses. Remember that this is Cuba, they can't get a lot of things. It's a cheap vacation for a reason.