Another great trip to Cuba, this was our annual girls trip. The resort is smaller than some we have been too and we enjoy that. The rooms were very clean and the staff were amazing. It was too bad we only got in the ocean one day as Hurricane Noel was threatening us... The disco had lots of good dancing English Music. We took a tour in to Havana and we did it with the cab service instead of the tour and it was great. Thanks for a great vacation and looking to return in January with my husband.

Thanks to all of you for writing reviews and answering my emails before booking Jibicoa! With your asistance there were no surprises and we had and excellent holiday!

All of the reviews are correct. Jibacoa is a wonderful place even though we had tropical storm Noel visit during our stay. The best testimonial to the quality of Jibicoa is the fact so many people are repeat guests. Very large numbers of tourists return multiple times. It is not unusual to see incoming guests and staff embrace in a welcome back hug. The staff, though keeping their distance, can quickly become friends and not just to obtain monetary gain. It is a truly unique environment.

I could go on forever about the positives but forgive me for not doing so. I will just echo all those reviews before mine and I will probably be a returnee too.

A few slight negatives; the food in the main restaurant is marginal and even though Jibicoa is the closest hotel to Havana it is still a $Cdn 65 - 100+/couple return ride. Still very manageable for such poor country and such a tremendous city to visit. Truly an historic time capsule. Late evenings in Havana are quite "dark" as electricity is conserved. It's safe to wander but a little disconcerting.

Hope this helps
Glad to answer any specific questions

Just returned from Breezes Jibacoa - stayed for a week starting Oct 27, 2007. Resort is located just in the middle between Havana and Varadero, next to small town called Santa-Cruz.

1. Building
Property was built in 1999 by Jamaican-Cuban joint venture company. The building condition is very good, but the furniture in the lobby, pool theatre and bars needs some restoration,

2. Rooms
Very spacious, absolutely clean. Any trouble is taken care of immediately. We had dead TV in our room - was replaced next morning. Bathrooms are big, clean and have portable bidet. Water pressure is excellent. Air conditioning - every building has it's own independent unit that is separated from the rooms, so it works very effectively and also very quiet. No need for the hydro card, so AC is on at all times.
There are three types of rooms avaiable, while websites mention only two - oceanview and gardenview. Actually gardenview rooms are situated around the pool area and also around weddings gazebo. Last set of rooms is obviously much more quiet, so keep that in mind. All buildings are two-storey, so
if you prefer lower or upper level, let the reception know while checking in. Please do not leave any items at the terrace of ground floor rooms - they will be immediately stolen, as the resort area is not 100% guarded.

3. Food
Many people mentioned that the food was not good. Can't totally agree with that. Buffet food is not 5* and not gourmet, but clean and fresh. Italian ala-carte is absolutely delicios.

4. Beach
Good beach, be aware though that the bottom is somewhat rocky.

5. Bars
There are 5 bars in the resort - all regular staff, mojitas and cuba libre is a must! Piano bar is very good, though the guy plays only Monday-Thursday.

6. Tips
We tipped waiters in the buffet after each meal, but I noticed that there's no significant difference in the service level if you tip or not. We just did it because this people and their families really depend on it. Bring some dollar store items with you - soaps, notebooks, pencils, pantyhose, gum and toothpaste - all this will be gladly accepted.

7. Trips
We took a trip called Havana Colonial - highly recommended and the cost is only $51 per person including lunch in a decent restaurant at the catherdral square. Also please take a hike up the hill that surrounds the resort, the view from there is stunning and also you'll meet some locals (bring some stuff for them with you and wear sport shoes as the trail is very steep).

Overall - resort is very friendly, warm, just right size, everything is close, adult only (14+), quiet and relaxing. Many quests are returning customers. Note that you get a week FREE after 5 visits.

Highly recommended. Please feel free to contact if you have any questions.

Cuba, Breezes Jibacoa Varadaro
Nov. 5th, 2007
Peterborough, Ont. Canada.

We just returned from one week in Jibacoa on Nov. 2nd, our 2nd visit, and found it to be just as good as it was four years ago. The rooms are good and very clean. Check in was a little slow but the employees are great...friendly and willing to help in any way they can. Food was very good, plenty of selection and theme nights. Specialty restaurants....Italian the best, especially if you want a good steak. Bars are good and plentiful, you will never go thirsty! We did have a brush with Tropical Storm Noel which gave us a few days of windy weather and rough seas but hey, we can't control the weather and this in no way reflects on the resort. The beach is kept clean daily and is good for walking and swimming but with the weather, we could only do that for a couple of days but the pool is lovely with daily activities and plenty of loungers.
All in all, we had a good time and would certainly go back, in fact, this was our 6th time to Cuba and we found the food here the best of all.
We see by the write ups that some experienced unpleasant nausia and Montazuma's ravenge, we did not have this problem and there were six of us.
Go, you will enjoy it!