I will not go over what has already been put about Jibacoa, just add that everyone is right. The people, the place, the country are simply wonderfull. We did get evacuated to havana due to hurricane dennis and as others have said Gloria was first class. Allthough we did get sent to the wrong hotel at first, when we did get to the right hotel Gloria could not appologise enough. It wasn't even her fault. There were a few complaining, but we took the attitude, just get on with it. It was all part of the holiday for us. One thing i will say is that the Cubans have will look after you so well, if this happens to you. If that happened in England, it would take weeks to get the roads open. What amazed us was the hotel made it look as though nothing had happened, as much as they could. when you think some of the staff i spoke too had had loads of damage to their own homes, yet the staff were still there for us "tourists". If you are thinking of going to Cuba, go to Jibacoa. If you are going from England don't go with Airtours, they are rubbish. There are plenty of other companies to go with. If you would like more info please contact me.

I bought this vaction for my husband for his birthday. I surprised him at the airport and the vacation started off GREAT! We got to Cuba and we we travelled by bus to the resort. The resort was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. The mountain behind the hotel and the beach made for a very tropical secluded setting. Pure relaxation!

This was a our first time to Cuba, being to other places like Mexico and Domincan before, and I found the Cubans very beautiful people, both inside and out. The drinks were great...you have to try the mojitos with the real mint in them! The pina coladas and martinis are good too!

The food was okay. Better than the Dominican, but I was expecting this since Cuba is not really known for it's food. I had all the fish and seafood and my husband ate the pork, beef and chicken. We didn't get sick at all and actually quite enjoyed our meals.

I do advise you to bring snorkels because if you choose this hotel you HAV TO go snorkelling! The coral reef is awesome and you will see so many fish, it's like paradise out in there.

Even though we were evacuated from our Hotel on Friday and shipped off to Havana for the night we still had fun. The hurricane just made our stay a little more adventurous. The lady who handled us while we were being evacuated was named Gloria, and she was rude and condescending. We complained about her to the hotel managementr. She called everyone at the hotel in Havana babies if we would dare complain about the hurricane. She then proceeded to tell us that her family is at home without her and we had no right to complain because we paid to be in this situation. BAD MOVE! Anyways that was only one person at the hotel and I'm sure she got her payment for that day.

Nonetheless...a great hotel, great staff and good food. Eat the fish as it is so fresh that it melts in your mouth! DELICIOUS! For the money we paid for the vacation is is definitely worth it. It's not a 5 star but it meets the 4 star standards, even for Cuba.

GO HERE YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!

We were at the Jibacoa from July 3rd to 10th, travelling from Toronto to Varadero. Flight was great and both directions were ontime. Skyservice did much better than the guests who flew Air Canada. Air Canada has been good to us in the past though.

After reading all of the reviews I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. I had requested a 2nd floor room, king size bed and they not only honoured the request but gave us Ocean View which was nice. Room was great except for the fact that it didn't have a fridge and normally doesn't have bottled water, they say the water is safe from the tap (more on this). The bed/pillows were great. It was nice that the room safe is included. It was also nice that the air conditioning worked without having to use room keys etc. It would have been nice if there was a dresser in the room, they provide some drawers in the closet which doesn't provide enough storage for two people.

I didn't watch all the shows but what I saw was very good. I have seen a lot of these shows and they were quite good.

The Piano bar was definitely the place to be post shows, get in there early if you want seats as it is not big and fills up. If Yuset is on the bar all is well, on his day off it was a disaster because not even two people could match his bartending skills. Make sure to work your way through all four sides of the cocktail list on the bar. Yuset has a few that aren't on the card that are good as well. The Mojito and Caipirinha are my favs.

The beach is nice, I actually preferred the sand to Varadero as you could easily get it off your body, it wasn't that fine powder. Swimming was not the best but snorkeling was. The reefs off of the resort are the best I have experienced without going by boat. Locals use the beach and are more than happy to guide you out and look after you for a few pesos. The most distant reefs can be dangerous when the wind picks up and I recommend it if you are not experienced. And watch out for the fire coral !

The pool is very nice, could be nicer with a swim up bar. I wouldn't mind it a bit deeper as it is about 4' at the deepest. The loungers around the pool are very nice and there were a lot of them so you didn't need to get up at 7 AM to find a chair.

As others mentioned you must do the hike up the hill once, I suggest the morning walk. The locals are very nice and we went back later and gave there children a ton of stuff. One family was so appreciative they came out with two hats for us. We weren't expecting to get gifts from them!

We also went on a scooter tour. What a blast! I hadn't driven one before and was able to do it with my wife on the back. They have tours all the time and they are very good. You are fully insured on the scooter tours but I am told if you rent the scooter on your own you are not so I recommend the tours. It is also much better to have someone with you that can fix them if they break down, which did happen to a couple of people on the tour.

The food was quite good. They definitely served more seafood that the other resorts we have been to. Presentation could be a bit better but the food was tasty. The pasta chef was good as was the Nelson in the morning making the eggs. My biggest complaint about the entire resort was that the waiting staff was not great. They were very attentive, their English was the worst of all workers, and they lacked personality. In the past the waiting staff were excellant at other resorts.

We only went to the Cuban restaurant and it wasn't as bad as everyone had said. Unfortunately that night many people got food poisoning, both at the restaurant and the buffet. Some were quite ill and required the doctor's attention. Coincidently bottled water appeared that day in our room and at the buffet. Perhaps they had a water issue. Perhaps it was the food. If you aren't aware rice is a big culprit of food poisoning ... search it out on the net .... it is called Bacillius cereus. Here is one link: --- . Whatever the case we heard of many people suffering stomach ailments. I realize that this happens at many places and although unfortunate I expect it to happen. It is the first time in Cuba we have had problems.

The end of our trip was not that pleasant. Hurricane Dennis came and we were evacuated to Havana. We were put up in the Melia Cohiba which is very nice but unfortunatley we were not able to stay in our rooms and have to meet with all guests on the first two floors. When a window blew out on the second floor we eventually ended up in the lobby. We did return to the rooms at 5 AM and by 1 PM were back on our way to the Jibacoa. The resort did not sustain much damage and they were busy cleaning it up when we arrived. A/C and hot water was out but I am sure they have fixed that by now.

We did have a great time despite everything and would probably return. I doubt it will be soon though as we are still exploring new places.

Mark


Hello to our friends Nick and Sam, Carlos and Paula and Vicky, Jason and Jo, Sandra, Rich.

We first went to this hotel in Sept 2001 - our 25th Anniversary was Sept 11 2001 and we decided to return since we enjoyed it so much the first time.

We got a very good sell-off on this trip approx $800 CAD each including tax - left Toronto Sat June 3 at 6.30 - flight on time - arrived at the hotel at around 11.30 a.m. - staff at Airport pushy as usual - we didn't have the right currency for tips as we decided to wait to exchange cash at the hotel - lineup at Bank at the Airport too long and we didn't want to keep the bus waiting as there were only about 10 people going to this Breezes Jibacoa. Had to give $5 CAD for a tip even though we insisted we could carry our own cases!

Check-in was fast as hotel was not busy - we had requested a second floor room through our Travel Agent - the Reception desk gave us a ground floor room - on our first visit flooding was a major problem as it rained a lot in Sept and we didn't want to deal with cleaning up again - staff don't do this for you.

We requested a second floor room and were told the hotel was too full. We persisted and told them it was a return visit and eventually were given a second floor room.

A friendly porter who we remembered from our first visit took our luggage and we were in our room before 12 - it turned out to be an ocean view beautiful room so we were very happy - king-size bed and everything was very clean. Sheets, towels changed daily - extra pillows etc. in closet.
The only addition we would have liked was a fridge so you don't have to bring your drinks back from the bar when you want to relax on the balcony at night. Every other 4 star hotel we stayed at in Cuba had a fridge.

The resort is as good as we remembered - just the right size if you don't want a party atmosphere and the Adults Only concept is perfect for us since our kids are now grown-up. Mostly couples and a few singles - half the guests were probably mid-twenties and the remainder 40's, 50's and upwards. There were people from UK, Ireland, Germany, South America and of course Canada. Since the hotel was half full we got to know more people than we normally would and all were very friendly and interesting to talk to. The evening shows were mudane but we didn't expect anything else - this is our fourth trip to Cuba and we usually don't go to the shows. One show was very entertaining - they mimed Celine Dion, Shania Twain etc. and that was very funny - the staff are wonderful and do their best to make everyone happy.

Went on the walk one morning - it's a very uphill climb - don't forget runners or walking shoes. Takes about two hours - you visit a farm and a couple of houses - at one house you can have lunch if you book in advance - Lobster etc. The people at the farm are very poor and appreciate any clothes etc. you can bring. Tony was our guide for this walk and he is very friendly and outgoing. He is also part of the evening Entertainment.

My husband played tennis and we used the outdoor Jacuzzi every day. The beach was perfect - lots of sun loungers - for a 4 star hotel it would be a good idea to buy more comfortable loungers with some cushions - we were at Iberostar Daquiri in Cayo Coco last year and their seats etc. are much better. The loungers at the pool are more comfortable with some shaded areas. The beach bar is good - hamburgers, fresh fish etc. and the staff are very attentive and friendly.

The watersports are all in good condition and we used the catamaran a couple of times.

The beach is not as white as Cayco Coco or Holguin - rougher texture but still very nice. The view of the mountains around the hotel is beautiful.

The buffet food was the usual - lots of variety but flies were a problem due to the humidity. the breakfast Omelette Chef - Nelson - is very nice.
Great bread - lots of fresh fruit.

Went to the Italian Restaurant one evening - nice atmosphere. On our previous visit we had a choice of wine at the Italian Restaurant but this time it was the same as the Buffet - in general the wine is not good - beer seems to be the best drink and of course lots of cocktails. the Mojito is our favourite.

The weather was perfect until the last day - Tropical rainstorm which lasted all day. We didn't mind but people who had travelled from the UK were disappointed as it was the start of their holiday and rain was forecast for the following week.

The grounds around the hotel are very well kept and very tropical and mature - some upkeep needs to be done on tiling etc. as the resort is now a few years old.

We used the Internet a couple of times - if you want to use the 'phone in your room you need to make a deposit of 25 Convertible Pesos at Reception.
The Convertible Peso is expensive - about $1.40 CAD for each Peso. The US dollar would have been a better rate at $1.25 - if you use a credit card there is a 10% charge - this was not the case before switching to this currency - bring enough cash with you to exchange to avoid these extra charges.

We had a massage one day - half an hour is 20 Convertible Pesos - it's located in the GYM next to the Watersports area on the beach.

Didn't go to Havana this time since we had been before and just wanted to relax on the beach every day - read three books!

There was a cocktail party one evening in the upstairs piano bar for all return visitors attended by the Hospitality Manager and the very nice Jamaican Head Chef. The Piano bar is the nicest place to spend the evening and there is a beautiful Cuban pianist who plays requests.

We spent about $200 CAD on tips - left something for the maid every morning and also soap, toothpaste etc. when we left.

Overall it was a relaxing holiday which is what we wanted - since there are so many return visitors the hotel has a good reputation - some people on their 3rd and 4th visit - if you go 5 times the 6th visit is free!

The staff are all nice and friendly with the exception of Reception who often ignore people standing waiting for help and give the impression you are interuppting them - maybe this is because they don't receive tips?