Returned from a two week stay at Breezes Jibacoa on the 10 September. Our only concern when booking was the the possibility of bad weather but in the two weeks we were there only had a couple of bad days, in fact the first week was perfect.

Hotel:
Okay so its not really a four star but nor can it be classed as a three star. The public areas eg reception, bars and dining room are clean and welcoming but a bit dated, especially reception. The room (we asked for a quiet room on the second floor and thats exactly what we got) were spacious and clean. Pool we thought was great, large and very clean, it did have some of the mosaic tiles missing but given the choice of tiles being missing or not having a pool as it was being repaired I know what I would choose. Gardens were probably the best kept of any hotel gardens we have stayed in. Location is perfect, away from the tourist areas of Cuba and set in lush green hills. Gym was was well equipped and the tennis courts were carpet type (worth pointing out that I won the tennis tournement!! had to be said).

Beach:
How clear the sea was seemed to depend on the weather but all in all really nice. Warm water and great for snorkelling, coral not as good as others we have seen but a great variety of fish and we did not see any jelly fish in two weeks. There are numerous canoes, boats, windsurfers, etc available but not used by many whilst we were there. Masks and goggles available but we took our own. Only problem was the sunbeds, plastic with no cushions, which were literally a pain in the bum - they need to invest in some decent sunbeds, however, there is no shortage of them and only ever saw a couple of early morning towels left on beds (both Brits which was disappointing!!!).

Food:
As someone who has been sick on holiday for the last three years, food is always an important element of the holiday (as I work in the Catering indusdry food hygiene is also something I tend to notice as well) however, I thought the food was great. Okay a bit boring in the main restuarant but good all the same and thoroughly enjoyed the meals we had in the Italian and Cuban restuarants and the burger bar on the beach is great.

Staff:
Sorry but this is where it starts going downhill. As I said I work in the catering sector and I won't tip anyone unless they deserve it. I expect waiting and bar staff to be curteous, polite and welcoming and whilst I don't expect them to treat me like royalty nor do I expect them to be sullen, rude and less than enthusiastic - in the case of bar staff this seemed to be the norm, in fact I witnessed one female working in the Pool bar serve an English lad without speaking nor smiling then ask the next customer where she came from and when told Germany her attitude and demearer changed instantly. I can understand that in an all inclusive resort Bar and restuarant staff will not get as many tips as say the housekeeping staff but at the same time there is never an excuse for rudeness. However, the majority of staff throughout the resort were cheerful, helpful and a pleasure to be around. The entertainment staff, especially Camillo and Kenia (my tennis coach), were brilliant and despite a less than enthusiastic audience provided a great service. We don't normally do the activity thing but took part in stuff we would normally avoid like the plague.

Trips:
We did the overnight Havana trip - well worth the money, Tropicana show a bit naff but overall worth doing. Also did the Dolphin swim - not good value for money and Discovery Cove it ain't.

Overall had an extremely relaxing, enjoyable break. Cuba is an incredibly beautiful country, the people are friendly and eager for the tourism to take off. Breezes is an ideal resort for anyone looking for a quiet and peaceful break in great surroundings. Highly recommend it.

Just returned from a very relaxing week with my boyfriend at Breezes Jibacoa. I agree with the reviews written here and partly chose Jibacoa because of the great reviews. This was my first time at an all-inclusive so I really have no experience to compare to, but I will give my opinion.

We are Canadians, and booked an Air Canada Vacation package. I must mention that the Air Canada Vacations rep at Jibacoa - Jorge - was fabulous! He was very friendly, gave us tips about many things, put a personal touch into his work.

In General:
This is not a party resort. If you want to party, go to Varadero. This is a place to relax and explore.

Location:
The location is great because it is closer to Havana than Varadero so we saved at least 2 hours of travel time to and from Havana. I like that it is isolated - consider this factor if you would rather be around lots of ppl and other resorts.
It is surrounded by nature. The beach is amazing and reef off the beach has pretty good snorkelling. There is also a short hike in the area organized by the Entertainment crew.

Rooms:
Everything was well-kept and clean.
Bedsheets were very clean - nothing scary like I've heard about other resorts where sheets are stained and spotted. A few towels we got were a bit stained though but not a huge deal I guess. Washroom had all the amenities including hair dryer and toiletries. Other amenities - iron, ironing board, lots of hanger and drawers for clothes, safe, CD player, TV (Discovery Channel and HBO).
Air conditioning worked fine - room was always cool but never super cold.
Our garden-view room looked out into the garden with the gazebo and the koi pond around it, and there was a covered (stay dry in the rain) sitting area outside.
My only complaint is because we were on the ground floor, there were a few bugs and TONS of little ants!!! We probably could have asked to switch rooms but didn't bother.

Service:
From check-in until we left, every staff was always willing to help. None were overly helpful or went out of their way in particular, and none were rude in any way.
The housekeeper who cleaned our room the last few days was fantastic!! She paid attention to every little detail in the room - folded clothes lying around, neatly lined up all the toiletries in the washroom, and was very appreciative of the gifts we left for her.

Food & Water:
Food at the buffet restaurant was edible - that's my word to describe it. Fruits and other cold foods always had flies around or on them. But there was always plenty of selection of appetizers, hot food, and desserts - and ice cream for dessert at lunch.
Beach grill had pretty good food - probably better than the buffet. Delicious grilled chicken and a very moist grilled fish, plus your regular burgers and hot dogs. The only downside was all the ants.
Both a la carte restaurants were good. Some of the dishes were probably the same as ones at the buffet. Service was excellent.
I LOVED that the tap water at the resort was drinkable! Never got sick from anything.

Public Rooms:
Furniture in the public areas (buffet restaurant, lobby, bars, etc.) is getting old and is not very well-kept. My major complaint is that the seats are kinda icky and the fabric cushions are kinda gross.
The gardens and grounds are very clean and neatly trimmed - always looked pleasant.

Pool:
Being such a huge public pool, it's bound to have some floating "dirt", but the water was always crystal clear. Pool chairs all around made it a good alternative for those who don't want to tan on the beach.

Beach:
The beach is kept clean and relatively garbage-free. There were always plenty of beach chairs so there really was no need to to "save" a chair.
The reef right off the beach has good snorkelling and it was one of the deciding factors for me in choosing Jibacoa.
The sand is soft and fine but watch out for the rocks at the tideline when walking into the water.
Watch out for sand fleas? My boyfriend and I both got bites on our arms and legs, which we believe might be sand flea bites.... not 100% sure though except we know that they were not mosquito bites. They did not swell up like mosquito bites and we noticed very few mosquitos.

Activities, Entertainment, Excursions:
I did not participate in any of the daily activities but there were many available. I saw beach volleyball everyday.
I did participate in the hike - up the mountain to a few farms and past some local homes on the way down.
I also watched a few of the nightly shows which were well-organized. These people put a lot of work into keeping us tourists entertained and happy.
The only excursion I did was the Havana day trip with the Tropicana Show. Definitely worth the trip - lots to see in Havana and Tropicana was entertaining with good music and drink & snack included. Buy & bring a bottle of water because drinkable water was scarce during that day trip - lunch included ONE drink (water, pop, alcoholic) and dinner included ONE drink (same).

Note about Gifts:
I brought along some tubes of toothpaste, hand lotion, nail polish, pens and notepads, toys, clothes as gifts. Left most of it as tip for housekeepers and some pens at restaurants for servers. I took a few pens and notepads, toys and clothes on the hike and gave them to one family on the way down from the mountain - this family was our hiking guide's neighbour.
The housekeeper(s) showed her appreciation through notes and towel animals, but I really expected the family to react some more or even smile... in addition to a quiet "thank you". I don't know if it was because they didn't know what to say or if I was doing something wrong?? or if I was just expecting too much. Anyway, that was my observation. Cultural differences.

Sept 2..Thank you Trip Advisors for your reviews of the hotel.Based on your reviews I chose this hotel and loved it. The hotel setting was beautiful. Fabulous beach, great snorkelling and swimming. The grounds were beautiful and well maintained. Staff was very friendly and helpful. The Italian restaurant was excellent. Also enjoyed the beach grill (try the fish and chips) Cuban coffee was superb, be sure to have the cappaccinos (at all the bars). The location of the hotel is excellent being halfway between Havana and Varadero. Day trips to both cities can be arranged with the concierge. We booked a car and driver and toured Havana. Havana was amazing, can't wait to return. This was my first trip to Cuba, my eighth Carribbean country. Cuba totalling exceeded all my expectations and I look forward to many more trips to this beautiful country. Signed A trip advisor member from Toronto

My girlfriend and I seriously took FOREVER to choose a travel destination and resort. After much reading of reviews and talking to agents we finally decided on Breezes Jibacoa. Keeping this as brief as possible I will try to be descript.
The service at this resort was far above average...but, I think that may be due to tipping. If you are going to this resort and plan not to tip at any point, you will probably receive very good service whereas tipping gives you service that I consider far above average. Not that things should work this way...but you have to consider where you are, and the environment the Cubans have to work in. They are worked very hard with little to no appreciation and are poorly compensated financially. They almost literally rely on tips here and there to live and provide for their families. Remember, this is a 3rd world country and they live by those standards. A tip to show your appreciation is very little out of your pocket and means the world to them. On this note, nobody at ANY point seemed to be fishing for a tip...we were just more than happy to do so.
The resort itself is beautiful by standard. We travelled to 4 different towns VIA scooter (highly reccomend doing this) including Varadero and saw the 5 star resorts...all stuffed together, side by side. If this is what you're looking for, great. It was nice however to be directly between Varadero and Havana. From this resort you can drive by personal driver for a nominal fee and have a personal guided tour as well. If you are going, contact me and I can provide details on how to contact this person.
The food was good by standard as well. Ate mostly at the Beach Grill, food was great here! Buffet was good, not amazing. The Italian restaurant was phenominal and the Cuban restaurant was pretty good. There is a way to eat every night at the 'a la carte' restaurants if you like...it requires knowing the right waiter and maybe a bit of a tip, I can provide more info on this if necessary. Consider bringing your own ketchup, peanut butter and jam and salad dressing...they have none of the above, except ketchup which tastes different than ours.
There is too much to write about, but if you are considering going to Breezes Jibacoa, please contact me and I can give you all of the details.
Bring gifts, clothes, school supplies, gum, candy, toys, spices, music (especially dance) and personal care products, including basic medicines (cough supressants, Immodium, Tylenol, etc) and give them to the staff you make friends with, they will be forever grateful.
daveywyman88@hotmail.com for more info