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Cuba Hotel & Villa Reviews

Sandals Royal Hicacos 06/02/2006
Reviewers Rating: Excellent
First time flying with Air Canada and we were very happy with them. Previously traveled with Transat and Skyservice and the biggest difference was the amount of staff creating a quicker check-in process (especially important in Cuba – Transat check-in line was 10 times what ours was).
Arrival – Very efficient, we were all ushered into Nightclub and given the spiel regarding facilities while drinking some champagne and then given our toiletry package and allowed to go to our room if they were ready – most were available and it was around noon (3 hours before official check-in time).
Room – LOVE the bathroom!! As previously stated by others – hairdryer on wall, magnifying mirror, long full length mirror behind door, HUGE 2 person tub, great shower hot and plenty of water, also had robes for use while there. Other room features – nice sitting area, beds were fine for us, pillows were comfy and huge with 2 extras in the top of the closet. Bed was high enough that after you emptied your clothes into the 8 drawers provided you could put empty suitcases under it so as not to clutter your room. Lots of hangers – probably about 20, iron, board, room safe and umbrella also in closet. Patio was huge with 2 large chairs and a table, towel bars were outside for hanging wet suits to dry.
Beach – Magnificent! I am NOT an ocean kind of girl. I am scared of everything – even seaweed!! BUT, I LOVED it. I have been to the Mayan Riviera in Mexico twice and never thought I would find a nicer beach – I was so wrong! I became so brave in that water that before the week was over I even went on a snorkeling trip! That’s a HUGE step for me but the water is incredibly clean and clear. The sand was wonderful too, and the great thing about SRH is that you can walk out forever before it gets deep. Plenty of Palapas (we never arrived on the beach until 10/11 and always got one) and the guys will walk you down to one, pull out your chairs and drape your towel on them. We always tipped these guys and they loved it when we would bring them a beer, it’s so hot, they were so appreciative.
Pools – We saw the small pools but liked to spend our afternoon, after 3ish at the pool bar or at the pool. The waterfalls and greenery make everything so pretty. The water was perfect temperature, it was clean and the floating loungers are great! We hung out with friends at the pool a bit and our husbands never had a problem finding shade for them and sun for us. My favorite part of the pool – POOL BAR!!! My buddy, Rangel was a doll and is the best bartender there. I like sweet girly drinks and I tried out all the bars, he would “Surprise Me” and make the best drinks ever. My favorite is called “Sex Machine” and is his specialty and it is amazing. A lot of us were hooked once we tried them. So much so that they ran out of Blue Curacao while we were there – you have to remember to ask for this one.
Other Bars – Loved to hang out at the lobby bar, very comfy seats, great coffees and excellent service. The piano bar was smoky but the pianist is wonderful. The nightclub is dead but fast to get a drink due to the lack of people. Also, I was planning my trip concerned about nightlife as we are young and wanted to party a bit, although the nightclub is dead, the Mambo Club is next door – a 2 minute walk – if you get ambitious. We had great ambitions but days of beach, sun and drinking had us in bed by 11ish. There is a hall of pool tables, ping pong and table hockey for those that are interested.
Buffet – Loved the omelettes for breakfast. Lunch and dinner were o.k. but not exciting, it’s a buffet so I didn’t expect gourmet, just happy to have variety offered. Always a selection of beef/pork/chicken/fish as well as vegetable/pasta/potato/rice on the main table. Other tables included cold cuts, fruit, salad and soup, and dessert. LOVED the crepes after dinner in the buffet. Service was good for us every time
Restaurants – The Caribe was our favorite, the traditional Cuban soup is fabulous. All of the meals we ate at the a-la-cartes were top notch as far as quality, selection and service. We loved the Pizza and the Beach Grill for lunches. The food and drink was so good, that I, a very picky eater, managed to gain 7 pounds while there! They were renovating the Italian restaurant while we were there but they offered the menu at the Caribe and it didn’t inconvenience us at all.
Adults/Couples Only – LOVED this! We love children, and have 3 of our own, but this experience was wonderful. We loved to hold hands and see everyone else holding hands or cuddling. The atmosphere is romantic and we had a fantastic vacation at SRH. We were there to celebrate our anniversary and they did the little things like send champagne to the room and put on satin sheets, that is what made it so special for us.
Tours – We took 2 tours, the Havana Day tour ($67CUC each) which was very educational, we had a great tour guide who used to be a Spanish literature professor who was open to answering all our questions and give us a new perspective on Cuban life. It was a very long day and we were glad we didn’t take the longer tours; our legs were killing us the next day. And we took the snorkeling tour ($20 CUC each) which was beautiful, we saw hundreds of fish and we were so glad we did that one, it’s only an hour.
Golf – Hubby broke 100 for the first time at the Varadero Beach Golf Club. He said it was long, open and had a stunning view of the beach as it runs along it and that the scenery was fabulous. It catches a nice breeze and he had a great time. He went with a guy he met on our plane and another he met at our resort, they were great guys and he had a blast!
We wanted a vacation where we could relax and enjoy in a casual atmosphere with fabulous service and we got just that. We had a fabulous time and met so many wonderful, fun new friends that helped make our trip even better. We loved Sandals Royal Hicacos and hope to return again!
~ Other notes: Bring your insulated mugs for certain as they are enviromentally friendly and efficient ~ Also, everyone I spoke with said that toothpaste, soap,etc. are appreciated but not as needed as they used to be. They would prefer clothes (lightly used), shoes and sports magazines for the guys, toys are great for the kids and house linens were requested too. ~

PM3

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