I've just returned from two weeks at CVJ Jibacoa: Apr 02 to Apr 16. This was my third stay in Jibacoa, once before at CVJ (Jan 08, two weeks) and once at Breezes (Oct 07 two weeks). My main reason for choosing this area is the availability of great coral reefs which are a very short swim from the beach. On those previous trips, the beach was red or yellow flagged for most of the time either due to rough seas or Portuguese man of War.
This trip had some of the best weather conditions I have ever experienced in this area. The water was green flagged for almost the entire two weeks. There are lots of interesting things to see out of the reef. This time I managed to see an Octopus, Caribbean Reef Squid, Yellow Sting rays, Flounder, Spotted Scorpionfish, Highhat juveniles and adults, Porcupine fish, Indigo Hamlet, Sharksuckers, etc, etc. There were new fish, corals and sea creatures to be seen all the time.
I did have an interesting experience. One day, while just starting to swim from shore, a Sharksucker (remora) started to follow me and gently turned him self upside down attached himself to my leg. Didn't hurt a bit and it stayed with me for the entire hour I was out. At times he would run up and down my leg and clean off (eat) all my peeling dead skin from a sun burn. On several snorkels out to the reef it would find me and attach itself to my body for the duration of the snorkel.
As usual, the CVJ met all my expectations and more. This place is not for everybody, to be sure, thank goodness. What I appreciate about the Cameleon is that it is quiet, spread out, and some of the nicest staff I have ever met in Cuba or anywhere else for that matter. Rooms are located in one level buildings with no more than 4 or 5 rooms to a building. It has a "cottage" feel to it. Selection of food is sometimes sparse but what they have is well prepared. The beach is quiet, large and plenty of spots to shade your self. Even when the resort is full, it feels relaxed and tranquil.
I'll take this moment to comment on something that occurs way to often. I am referring to people who walk or stand on the corals. This is a no-no for two reasons. Most importantly, it is because they are destroying fragile organisms that took decades to grow. I have seen people standing on the edge of the drop off in front of the Breezes resort kicking corals out of the way so they can get a better footing to stand. In some areas while snorkeling, it is down right depressing to see the amount of broken and smashed corals. It's strange that people go out and admire the reef's corals and fish and then promptly trash it. It would be like going to a botanical garden and walking through the flower beds. For safety's sake, they should at least refrain from this practice for their own well being. There are many stinging corals, stingrays, toxic sea urchins, toxic Scorpion fish, venomous cone shells and other creatures that will pierce any water shoe or bare skin if stepped on. Please be considerate.
Cameleon will be closing down for the summer and reopening in the fall. I will definitely be going again in the April next year.

Flight
Booked with Air Transat /Nolitours- flew WestJet. The extra baggage allowance was great. Left on time and arrived in Varadero a few minutes early.

We exchanged our money at the resort. If you wanted to do it at the airport you had to leave arrivals and go to the departures area of the airport and exchange cash there, not a big deal but we had a few CUC’s from our last visit and were anxious to get to the resort. The front desk staff exchanged our money and always offered a receipt, without asking, and explained the exchange rate. They will be looking for clean, unmarked bills so look your cash over carefully before leaving. We exchanged a bit of money daily so we did not have any CUC’s to exchange back to CAD at the end of the trip (we always take a few CUC’s home with us for our return visits)!

Hotel
We had room #5, which is a lodge style with 5 units attached. This room was close to the beach. It was on the tiny side and there was paint peeling from the walls and a bit of mold in the bathroom but the bed was comfortable and the large patio door was great – there are no screens so we had to keep them closed or else we had a few large flying insects keeping us company.

There was a bit of a gap under the door, so we sprayed a bit of Deep Woods Off at night and kept all snacks in the refrigerator and never experienced a problem, besides a few ants in the bathroom.

A couple of mornings and a couple of afternoons, we had no hot water and once no water at all…but this was during the day while we were at the beach so it was not a problem for us.

Beach
The beach is very long. There is a very sandy part directly in front of the lobby bar. I did not wear water shoes and made out ok but they could be a bonus in other parts of the beach. There is definitely no concern of overcrowding at the beach. At times you get a feeling you have the entire “section” of the beach to yourself. We were fortunate no red flag days and not one jellyfish / MOW the entire week.
The snorkeling was amazing we didn’t go to far from shore
One day of cloud cover in the afternoon but all other days were sunny with cloudy periods and a few days were very hot!

Excursions
This was our fifth trip to Cuba and we made our first trip to Havana. We booked a cab and left the resort in the morning. Havana is beautiful and our cab driver was fantastic! We took a list of things to see but the cab driver acted as our tour guide and we managed to see everything on the list… but this city deserves more time on out next visit.

DH took the hike up the hillside. It was too hot of a day for me – even though it was only 10:00am he did get great photos and enjoyed the hike!

Food
The food was good. The variety was minimal. Breakfast you could always have an egg or omelet, bacon was available only 2 of the 7 days. The breads and soups are the best we have ever had – delicious! Lunch in my opinion was the best, meal always had fries, rice and pasta. We had burgers a few days, fish, pork or chicken. Dinner usually consisted of rice, pasta; sometimes a potato and we had everything from grilled chicken, fish, pork chops & roasted turkey & rabbit (all on different nights). We never did try the snacks of hot dogs / ham sandwiches at the pool.

Drinks
You could get drinks at the lobby bar or pool bar. The drinks were very consistent but we did like those at the pool bar a little better! We found the service equally as good at either bar.

Staff
We have been fortunate enough to have stayed in Varadero, Cayo Coco, Camaguey, Holguin an now Jibacoa without question the staff at the Cameleon are the friendliest staff. From reception, bar to food service all staff were great!

Pool
We did not spend a lot of time at the pool, but they did offer entertainment around the pool in the afternoon.

Overall
We would recommend this resort. It may not appeal to those looking for a 5 star resort.

My husband and I took our first trip to Cuba (or to anywhere for that matter) and stayed at this fantastic resort. We were there from April 9th to the 16th and had fantastic, sunny weather - not a drop of rain! Although I would have preferred it to be a little cooler than 40 degrees c in the sun, we made the most of it and tried to find shade whenever we could.

As mentioned in previous reviews, this is not the place to go if you're looking for a party atmosphere. We were looking for a quiet place to recharge our batteries and to spend some "couple time" away from the kids. This resort is exactly what we had in mind when we were looking for a place to stay. It exceeded our expectations on every level.

The rooms are awesome. I can't imagine spending a cuban trip any other way than in a villa off the beach. Life doesn't get much better than that! They are in need of some cosmetic repair inside, as others have noted, but if you're not picky about the bedding and such, they should be just fine. The resort is closing for renovations for 6 months starting on May 3rd, so hopefully they will address some of these issues. We certainly didn't mind, though. The grounds are spectacular! The staff is definitely proud of their hotel and it shows. It was so nice to be given a freshly picked flower every day! Such a lovely way to start the day.

The food is very good - much better than I expected. People kept telling me that the food in Cuba is very bland, but I didn't find it to be. I have to admit that it did get a little repetitive after a while, so when we go next time, I wouldn't eat at the buffet 3 times a day. I would make sure to grab hot dogs at the pool grill more often - they were excellent!

The drinks were incredible! The bartenders are definitely craftsmen and take pride in their creations. I miss them already! Yum!

Excursions were fantastic! We took the Havana tour (without the Tropicana because we thought it would be a very long day) and were blown away by the architecture of Old Havana. It really is incredible and definitely something that everyone should see. The jeep excursion is also a blast! It is a fun packed day filled with many wonderful surprises and sights to behold! It's a must for sure!

The snorkling is second to none here. My husband went out for the first time ever and is totally hooked now. He spent much of his time swimming around just off the beach and taking in the underwater sights. Simply amazing! Since that's really not my thing, I decided to grab a lounge (which are plentiful) and sit back in the shade and let the world pass me by! What a way to spend the day! The beach is incredible and the colour of the water was indescribable. I sure do miss it!

At the resort, the staff always give 110% to make sure your stay is the best it can be. During our week here, we didn't come across one nasty or ignorant person - only happy, helpful people.

We made some terrific friends here as well. Hey to Janet & Lee, Christine & Graham, Victoria, Jamie & Sandy, Jody, Joan & Danny, David & Jen and Kristen & Reinhold. It was so much fun to spend our holidays with you! Did you find any BIG spiders, Lee?? lol.

All-in-all, we had an absolutely fantastic time at this resort and we plan on going back again next year! Please email me if you have any questions.

I have just found out that CVJ will be closed from May 15 to November 2009. Not earning enough for the Cuban government, off season and with the subsidizing of Cuban guests, apparently...What a bummer, was looking forward to going back in early July. Went last year and loved the place, food, staff, Cuban families. Where else will we find such a picturesque place with that kind of snorkeling?! I don't know where to go. Nolitour really missed the boat on this gem, promoting it as a Varadero package. If they can get people to the Breezes, why not the CVJ? Breezes is not an option for us, we have kids who deserve a vacation too. Help!