My spouse, myself, and a friend visited this resort from October 23-30, 2004. This was the second visit for us as a couple and the first visit for our friend. We decided to come back to this resort because we had such a good experience the first time, and we were hoping for a similar experience the second time. We were not disapointed. This is one of the best managed resorts we have ever been to, and it would be a smart move for managers of other resorts to stay there for a week to learn something from the experience. First of all, the check in was quick, efficient and painless. The rooms were clean and well maintained. The food was good, actually very good. This is a cuban resort and they are not know for the best quality food. The food in this resort was good, by any standard, not just Cuban. The buffet had a good selection and was very tasty. The Italian restaurant had very good food and service. The Cuban restaurant was really buffet food served to you by a waiter. Go to the buffet instead, you can load your plate up more. The bars had good service, but they did not have the big international brands. They did have a good selection and could mix you up pretty much anything you want. If you want fancy drinks done right go to the piano bar, but Italian vodka does not make for a great martini. This is a 4 star, so you do not expect Absolut or Kahlua, and I'm certainly not going to complain about something so trivial. The beach is very nice, cleaned daily, with plenty of lounge chairs. The entire grounds are very well maintained and even the grounds keepers were friendly and helpful. The reef 50 metres off shore is great for snorkeling. The staff are friendly and helpful and good service does not seem to be dependent on an american greenback. If you do tip, it is clearly appreciated. The evening entertainment was amateurish, but we don't expect vegas in cuba. The only disappointment was that the beach bar and grill was closed due to renovations. This was a great place for lunch and drinks during our first stay. They did have a bar and steam table set up near the dive shop for food and drink, but it wasn't as good as the beach grill. Overall, this resort deserves a rating of excellent for a 4 star hotel. It does not have the amenities of a 5 star, but they do a great job with what they have. If you are looking for a relaxing vacation, in a small friendly resort, Jibacoa is a good choice.

We stayed at Breezes Jibacoa from Oct 17 to Oct 24, 2004. Everthing was great (i.e. the room, food, staff, beach, weather and the entertainment). The rooms, beach and the resort itself are well maintained and clean. The resort is only about 5 1/2 years old.

There is a games room on site with one ping pong table, two billiard tables and one soccer table available. There is a small boutique, cigar shop, disco and piano bar on site. Guests are given one voucher to eat at an Italian and Cuban restaurant on site (a la carte - instead of eating at the buffet restaurant - one voucher for each restaurant per week). The food, service and atmosphere at the Italian and Cuban restaurants are good.

The resort lends out (free) snorkeling equipment which should be taken advantage of since there is a small reef which runs along the beach at Breezes Jibacoa that is worth exploring. You can book someone to take you out on a small catamaran sail for about 1/2 hour for free (which is booked at the beach). There is a boat that takes divers out to scuba dive for a fee (sorry, I don't know how much). I believe the resort lends out paddle boats for free as well as kayaks (I saw people using paddle boats and kayaks and I was told by another guest that these are lent out at no charge).

Breezes Jibacoa is isolated as there is only one other resort next door, which happened to be closed during our visit because it is only open during the high season travel period in Cuba. However, there are trips/excursions to Havana, ect. at varying prices (starting from about $50 US per person +). Personally, we liked the fact that the resort is isolated since it better ensures for peace and quiet (which is exactly what we experienced).

If you are looking for a peaceful and relaxing vacation, Breezes Jibacoa is the place for you. We plan on returning to Breezes Jibacoa again in March of 2005.

P.S: The resort does not accept youth under 14 or 16 years of age (not exactly sure which one).

My wife and along with another couple spent 8 days at the resort and were very pleased with the accomodation (pool view#1193) and food. The Italian Restaurant was great - we managed to get there twice but generally you are only given 1 voucher per couple. Did not use the Cuban restaurant mainly because of time constraits and the better reviews of the Italian facility. Some guests there spoke well of it also. Staff were all very friendly and obliging. We went on the day trip($119US/p) to Havana including the show at the Tropicana. We would recommend this trip if you want to see the "otherside" of Cuba. We went on a 1 hr scouter ride into the country which was ok for the price $9. The beach was not as good as some of the others in the country( pebbly in places) but was still satisfactory. Overall we were very satisfied with the trip.

Breezes Jibacoa was the little piece of heaven we needed to find.
The room:
Our room was pool side, but technically gardenview and was #1187. We loved being able to stroll out the sliding doors and be at the pool in seconds. Many of the reviews comment on cleanliness and we thought it was good, but not great. The sheets aren't changed every night (but they're happy to change them if you ask) and some of the towels were clean, but showed signs of their age. Overall, the room itself was cool, quiet, and in a great location so we were pleased.
Overall Resort:
Well laid out, maintained and clean. The beach bar and grill was closed for repairs, but we tended to stay closer to the pool so that wasn't an issue.
Restaurants:
The buffet was good, but not great. We both found things we liked the first day and tended not to stray far from them. Martino's was incredible!!! Guys... if you're thinking of propsoing at this resort, do it on your night at Martino's. We had an 8:30 reservation and felt like royalty in the most romantic of settings. They also have the best wine offered at the resort.
Tours:
DO THE HAVANA DAY TOUR if you've never been to Cuba before. We made the bus depart late from a couple of stop as we were so wrapped up in the sight seeing. We've already decided we'll be doing the over night tour on our next visit. :)
Our only caution: Don't get sick!
Bring every over the counter drug you can think of. We were fine until the last day of the trip. My hubby took VERY ill the last day and I thanked my lucky stars I'd taken advice from the web for once. I was prepared with Pepto, Immodium, Tylenol, and Gravol and he needed them all! Unfortunately with it being our last day, we had to be out of our room at noon (the late check out option is a joke. The hotel will avoid it at every cost.) It took almost 2 hours and my husband almost tossing his cookies on the front desk before they'd give us a room to use until our bus left. They forced me to have the resort Dr visit him to ensure we weren't just trying to extend our room time (even though I'd offered to pay whatever it took.) It cost us $25 for the guy to say take all of the above, and offer to give him and injection if he couldn't keep the medicine down. When asked, he wouldn't tell us how much the injection would cost. I can only imagine...
Overall, we had the time of our lives and I would highly recommend this resort to anyone looking for a relaxing, quiet getaway.
One note for the cigar smokers... try the hand rolled cigars!!!! When you walk into the cigar shop, they'll be immediately on your right wrapped up in a ribbon. They're cheaper than anything else they have but are wonderful! We brought 23 of them back with us as I dsicovered I enjoyed them as well. :)