Royalton Hicacos Varadero Resort & Spa

My 3rd day on the resort so far. Pros: -Beach is gorgeous - Pool and cabanas are nice - Food is decent for Cuba (no bacon) Cons: - The rooms are awful (my 9th time to cuba) - Wifi does not work in rooms and barely in the lobby - No room service - No working hair blowdryer - No iron - No American outlets or power convertors to rent or purchase - No outlet in the bathroom for shavers or hair styling tools - No coffee maker or kettle - No screen doors on balcony to keep bugs out - No phone in room to call the lobby - No clock in room to tell the time or set an alarm - No pop in mini fridge or liqour - Mold all over mirror and bathroom - AC did not work in my first room and I had to wait 2 hours for the "technician to come" which he never did so they switched my room to one without basic necessities. I would rate the room a 0 star. I would rate the beach a 5 star. Staff: Restaurant and Entertainment staff are wonderful. The bellboys are wonderful. The front desk/reception staff are useless and do not help at all.

Just got back after 12 days.Resort is beautiful! Service was excellent everywhere on the resort! Special mention to all the staff at Diamond Club Beach bar Juan Carlos,Yadir,Guillermo,Yuniel and Joel who were excellent. Looking forward to returning to this beautiful place next year!!!

We just came back from our 1 week stay at this resort and while we don't have any major complaints, we do have some tips for folks that have never been to this resort. Overall, the beach was the best we have ever been, our DC room was beautiful and the food was excellent. The people make this resort special and a big thank you to our butler Nelly for making our stay and extra special one! Here are some points from our visit that we hope might help future visitors: - Food is excellent everywhere but dinner at Grazie was disappointing. Breakfast however was very good. Buffet was great anytime. - DC perks were nice but we would not say it's a must like others. If you want to save a couple bucks and don't care for a boat ride, swim with the dolphins and a nicer room, you will be fine. -Toilet paper in the public washrooms was hit and miss...check before you commit or bring a small roll with you just in case. - Private car or bus to and from the airport. From the airport to the resort was fine on the bus because we had the time, but we would recommend a private ride on the way back. The bus makes multiple stops and unloads all at once which increases wait times at the check-in counter since they are all managed by agents (no bag drops here) - Trip to Havana - We did the private car. You pay more but you tell the driver what you want to see or not to see...on the bus you wait the standard time for them to get you all the scheduled sites - Noise - the resort itself is very quiet in the evening and most of the night but the birds can be noisy and depending on where your room is, might wake you at dawn. If you like to sleep in, I would ask for a room that is a little farther out...which might be a longer walk to the main resort but that's up to you. Overall, we are very happy with our stay. As several locals put it, The Royalton is the most "complete" resort in Varadero!

Just returned from a fabulous stay at the Royalton Hicacos. We travelled with my brother and sister-in-law and our great friends. From the moment we arrived we were treated like royalty, everyone going out of their way to make the vacation a wonderful one. We are all repeat guests and it’s the attention to detail, the fabulous staff and the gorgeous beach that keeps us coming back. Nellie, our butler went above and beyond to organize a special dinner in the wine cellar for my brother’s anniversary. Alex in the diamond club was also eager to help with requests when asked. It was greatly appreciated. Rodney in the jazz bar is fantastic and always serves us with a smile on his face. The lobby bar staff, and Italian restaurant staff are true professionals. Rae and Alayna in the Caribe are wonderful as well as Tatyana and JB at the Pearl. We can’t wait to return.

We spent 6 nights in the Royalton Hicacos in a Junior Suite Superior Diamond Club - well worth the little extra money as this room category has newly renovated bungalows (Numbers 1-7) . Our butlers Nelly and Eileen were superb and always contactable via WhatsApp and they provided room decos, cakes and wine in the room for our birthdays. The beach is amazing - turquoise clear water and powdery white sand. There are 5 a la carte and 1 buffet restaurant. I really enjoyed the low rise buildings (3 floors high). The Diamond Club has a separate section on the beach and regular get togethers over food and drinks. The distance to Varadero Airport was 30 mins by taxi. I highly recommend this all inclusive resort.