TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

If you're looking for the perfect couples resort Royal Hicacos is the place to go. This was our 12th time staying at this lovely hotel which we now think of as our second home. A special thank you to the following people; Marianne, our butler. You made sure we always had everything we needed. Barbara at the Lobby Bar, who greeted us every morning with the best cappuccino and mimosas. You have the best smile and always made is feel so welcomed. Hermes and Tania at the Buffet. They are both so personable and friendly and always gave us first class service at breakfast and lunch. Mr. Nibbles lunch chef. I apologize for not getting your name but you always served up the best burgers and fries. You have a lovely smile. Mel Gibson (Abel) at the front entrance. You always made my husband laugh. You have a great sense of humour and represent the best of the hotel. A big thank you to all the staff. The grounds, the pools, the beach and all the restaurants and first class. This is Cuba's BEST RESORT.

Royalton we already have family, I’m so happy when someone from the staff recognizes me?? We love everything about this place and it is true that every year we find several changes, new people and different circumstances, but this magical place always recharges me with good energy. This time was really special, we were invited to returning guests dinner and it was luxurious, the attention of the staff and the presence of the manager visiting each table ???? ..my butler was also there, watching over us, like every day! We were lucky to have Eileen as our butler on this occasion, very attentive and always concerned about us. Most important for us is the peace and natural beauty of the beautiful Varadero beach and the good vibe that only Cubans have. 4th visit to Royalton can be better ??!

We decided to come back after 8 years and it was only because the hotel would be sold out. We wanted to relax and lay on the beach. We knew this resort wasn’t like some brand new resort but we also knew the service was excellent. We will be back soon!

Just returned from the Royalton Varadero and have to say it was an amazing trip! My friend and I booked the Diamond Club and felt the value for $ was good. We got priority bookings at 3 a la cartes, private beach section with plenty of loungers and the best beach bar service ever! We were in building 2 which we found to be a little far from everything initially but once we got used to the lay of the land it was fine. This is my 4th time to Cuba and, as always, the people are friendly and polite, the weather did not disappoint (7 straight days of Sunshine) and the beach was the best ever. A couple of recommendations…if you use face cloths at home, bring a couple with you; if you like spicy food, bring a small shaker of cayenne pepper or chilies; bring a small travel kettle…our room did not have a coffee maker but did have a carafe that you could arrange to have dropped off full of coffee daily (I’m a herbal tea drinker so the kettle came in handy)… plus the bathroom water wasn’t the hottest so I’d top up the bath water with a couple of kettles full of hot water and it was good to go. The entertainment was awesome! Hands down, the highlight of the trip was the day tour to Havana with our personal tour guide Jose Antonio Cortinas!! His prices seemed to be more reasonably priced than others we saw…it was $80 US versus over $100 by bus or through other companies. From start to finish we were totally impressed…we contacted Jose by instant messenger and he quickly responded with booking availability. He kept in touch leading up to the trip to answer any questions we had. When they arrived, he had our name in a digital sign so we knew it was the right guide. Throughout the day he accommodated us by taking pictures and videos throughout the tour. Most importantly, he listened to what we wanted our experience to be, which was to see a few tourist attractions but to also see the true Cuba we had heard about. The driver Dario was amazing as well! They lef us from 15th century history to current day and gave us factual information about today’s struggles for the locals. We had some things with us to give away such as clothing, medical supplies, powdered milk packages and kids toys. Jose & Dario took us to a farming village where we got to meet a family that was in need of these items. They were so humble and grateful… we were so happy to have been able to do that. We also got to have lunch at the most incredible restaurant…surf & turf which included shrimp, lobster, chicken, pulled pork and fish…with rice, beans and salad for sides. More than enough food for two people and it was only $37 US total. The contact info for this guide is joseantoniocortinas@gmail.com or you can reach him through instant messenger. Bring some small packs of tissues any time you go off resort because a lot of the bathrooms do t have any. I normally try to go to different resorts when I travel but I would definitely give this one a second round. Loved the friendly staff…especially Tania and Hermese in the buffet dining area. The food was great…fresh eggs daily, lots of bread, meats and veggies! And the white wine was freely flowing:) Cuba…we’ll be back!!

We have just returned from the Royalton Hicasos after a two week holiday with our friends and wanted to post an honest review of our experience at this hotel. Firstly it's important to say that, whilst we were aware of "a few things not being available", we weren't made aware of the severity of this and the impact on the quality of the food and drink. TUI informed our friends that there was no cause for concern and it would not impact on our holiday (despite TUI pulling out of Cuba and our flight home was the last one for the foreseeable future). We were told that TUI were "keeping an eye on it" and everything would be fine. It is important to highlight that this was not a cheap holiday and cost over £1700 each and for this money, one would expect a lighter standard. Food and drink The food was basic with many foods unavailable and too many to mention. The salad bar consisted of cucumber, white cabbage and green peppers with the occasional bowls of beetroot and tomato. No dressings or any other salad sources. Butter only available at breakfast or in the speciality restaurants and one spoon of sugar only available when requested for coffees. Freshly made omelette were available at breakfast and are highly recommended the Omelette man was so friendly and great at his job. The Tex Mex specialty restaurant was the best out of the selection available and the Italian restaurant, despite having pizza and lasagne advertised as available, we're not serving these dishes. The hotel Manager confirmed that these dishes were not available due to supply issues. With this in mind. The menu needs to be amended to reflect the reality of the supplies situation. The coke in the bars was watered down and flat and had run out on several occasions. There were no other mixers such as lemonade or Tonic. There were not enough glasses in the bars and beers were regularly served in any glass available included wine glasses. Some guests had their own large plastic flasks that bar staff would fill up for them in the lobby bar and beach bar service, however everyone else had small plastic cups. There was no cocktail menus and the quality of our usual favourite Pina Colada (pre made) depended varied from ok to very poor. The beer was good however and the wine also quite nice. Staff The majority of the staff at this hotel are really lovely... Friendly, kind and helpful. The hotel is lucky to have them. The drinks waiters on the beach were great and work tirelessly providing drinks. On our departure day (and final flight to the UK from Varadero), the hotel TUI reps were no where to be seen. Not sure where they were as there was no further British tourists arriving! Butler service On arrival everyone is assigned a butler whose initial task is a meet and greet and provide a tour of the hotel grounds. Our butler didn't meet us on arrival and we were not shown around the hotel grounds. He popped up to our room for 5 minutes to say hello and that was the only time we saw him. We had no further contact with or from him. We were invited to meet with the hotel Manager to provide feedback for our stay and he agreed that the service we had from our butler was poor and unacceptable. He also acknowledged the hotel supply issues and explained that hotels can only source supplies from Government approved providers. This is not the case in independent bars and restaurants and therefore they may have additional food and drink availability. Hotel Toilets Whilst the toilets were generally clean. They were regularly without loo roll and soap and alot of guests took their own tissues and loo roll when using the toilet. Rooms Whilst our room in block 1 was very clean, it was tired and requires upgrading. The hotel Manager agreed that the majority of rooms were tired and this was as being addressed. A renovation programme had commenced and 2 blocks have recently been refurbished. Pool area and Beach The hotel pools require some maintenance work as the tiling is old and needs replacing. The pools were cleaned each day and we're nice and warm. The each is absolutely beautiful and totally stunning and was the highlight of our holiday. In summary, we feel that we were not informed of the severity of the supply issues prior to our holiday and, had we have been made aware, we would have cancelled and switched to another destination. TUI are no longer flying to Varadero and therefore there will be fewer Brits holidaying in Varadero for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our holiday spending time with our friends and the trips to Havana and the Bay of Pigs were fabulous. Again, the beach and ocean are perfect. A big thank you also to the lovely staff