I have been watching the reviews for Cameleon Villas Jibacoa for over a year. Last year there was very little known about this resort because it was under renovation until December 2005. Soon after it reopened great reviews started to surface and I must agree with most of them and was not disappointed. We (3 generations of females-my 10 year old, myself and my mother) have stayed at Cameleon Villas in jibacoa Jan.6 to 13. The resort is about 45 min. by bus from Varadero airport. As the bus drops you off, you enter a lobby/reception area that's closest of all the buildings to the beach (I thought someone should have made it into a restaurant instead) so the view is fabulous. The lobby area does have a bar with tables you can sit at just off the beach or in the front. This is also where you find information about the resort entertainment (which unfortunately often is not happening, except the nightly show and there really should be at least one event for children so they could get aquainted), trips you can book with a rep, billiards table and a table tennis. There is also two very small shops and a computer that does not seem to work very well most of the time (I paid 4 CUpesos for half an hour and my card had an hour of time-good thing since it took 10 min. to get into my email). The resort is really spread out and the grounds are very well kept. The rooms are grouped into bungalow like structures in a row or as 2 in the front and 2 in the back. The best location seems to be in rooms with a queen sized bed (#1 to 25), next comes the rooms with 2 twins (#26 to 77) and next are the rooms with 3 beds (#78 to 106). The even numbered rooms are usually facing the ocean while the odd numbered ones face the other way. Since there were 3 of us, our room (#103) was not very well located which meant my mother who has difficulty walking longer distances had a bit of a walk to the buffet restaurant for every meal. At least we brought flashlights to light up the dimly lit winding pathways at night. The buffet was fairly good, best at breakfast with the fresh orange juice, instantly made omelettes, cold cuts, great bread and fresh fruit. The lunches and dinner were similar with choice of 2 soups, a pizza plus good variety of food. The ice cream at lunch was a highlight. If the resort is not busy, lunch can be served at the Mediterrian restaurant by the pool (with no posting ahead of time anywhere) or on the grass as a barbeque (hamburger, hotdogs or fish) but I would pass on that. The restaurant by the pool is also where you can have one meal "a la carte" but only the entre and desert are a choice. We really enjoyed this meal. The pool is nice and clean but cool. There is lots of seating around and a live band entertains guests most afternoons. From there you can also see the beach which is very nice and you can walk along it all the way to the end at the "Breezes hotel" next door. You can't go from the beach to Breezes because their guest don't wear the plastic bracelet like those of Cameleon. There is security guards everywhere at both hotels so you feel safe. Unfortunatelly items like shoes and clothing left outside the rooms can easily get "lost". The best part about Cameleon in my opinion is the coral reef and snorkelling. The shallower part of the reef is in front of the pool and is better for those who don't want to venture too far (like my daugther). The middle of the beach where the peddle boats and kayaks are, leads out to the deeper water which is not advisable for children and non-swimmers. This is where the reef drops about 5 meters and snorkelling gets more interesting. I can't stress enough that if that's what you want to do, use every opportunity because the wind will bring in waves and with them "jellyfish" and undertow so red flag can be posted for days. We had red flag 4 out of 6.5 days we were there and that was very disappointing. Otherwise the only trip we took was Havana Historica without the Tropicana show because we had a child and it was a 8:30am to 5 pm trip. The cost was 51CUpesos for adult and 29CUpesos for my daughter. We all enjoyed it and it's good to see part of real Cuba. Overall I would recommend this hotel to all those who like quiet pleasant surroundings with great possibility for snorkelling. Just in case the wind comes, bring some good books and cards.

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