First thing, remember that it's a 3 star.

Rooms:
- very basic. The bed is pretty hard but liveable.
- safe in the room (you pay extra) and you use your room key to open it. This leads me to believe that staff could theoretically have access to it but we had no issues.
- the maids were very good and cleaned up everything. Leave tips/gifts on the pillows so they know it's for them.
- there is a mini fridge. I suggest putting any food or drink inthere as the ants show up mighty fast if you leave it laying about.

Beach:
- long beach and very private feeling. Tons of space.
- also alot of crab on the beach so watch where you are walking
- jelly fish are common. I recommend bringing a small bottle of vinegar just in case.

People:
- the other guests seemed to be 35+. We are in our twenties so there were very few people our age but it didn't bother us.
- the staff were fine. Not great, not bad, just fine.

Food:
- food in Cuba is bad anywhere you go and this place was no different.
- I highly recommend you bring snacks. (ie granola bars)

Overall when you pay very little for a week long trip this is what you get. So, go in with an open mind, make the best of it and you will enjoy it.

We stayed at this resort Mar 10-17,2007, Ontario’s March break week. We were with a group of 6 adults, all around 50, 5 teens and 1 ten year old child. We flew Air Transat from Toronto. Our request for 5 rooms all together was not met by the front desk. They say they never received the request from the travel agent. We did manage to get them fairly close together though. The rooms are in one story villas spread out over the resort. Some are in groups of 5-6 in a row facing the ocean, while others are in groups of 4, with 2 facing the ocean and 2 facing the mountains. Each room has a patio with a table and chairs. Much more private than a high rise hotel. The grounds are lovely, with lots of trees and flowering bushes. The rooms are very basic. They have a mini fridge and a TV with HBO, one queen bed, two three quarter beds or a three beds.
The beach is gorgeous. Warm clear water with coral reefs close to shore which makes for great snorkeling. We saw amazing tropical fish and coral formations. The sand is not white, but light brown like our Ontario beaches. The beach at Cameleon Villas is much longer than the beach at Breezes next door, but guests at either resort can use the beach anywhere. There are lots of shade trees on the beach, and lots of plastic loungers, although many are cracked.
The week we were there was quite windy, resulting in red or yellow flag days every day but two. This means the dreaded jellyfish are in abundance. I suggest taking a whistle and having a spotter watching for jellyfish while others snorkel. On calm days you don’t see them. There are paddle boats and kayaks available for you to take out. There is also a dive shop. Snorkeling equipment is available, but I suggest bringing your own.
The resort has a large double pool that is situated close to the beach. You can sit by the pool and still enjoy the ocean view. There are activities around the pool you can join if you wish, water polo, exercises, dance lessons etc. A couple of times a week the house band plays by the pool. The pool bar offers a variety of yummy cocktails such as mojitos, pina coladas, cuba libres, rum punches etc etc. Two kinds of beer - Cristal and Buccanneer. The bartenders will make virgin drinks for the kids and non drinkers. We enjoyed delicious Spanish coffees at the lobby bar after dinner. The snack bar has hot dogs and ham and cheese sandwiches only, no other snacks.
Meals are served in the dining hall buffet style. There are lots of things to choose from. Usually pork, chicken or fish with each meal. Two kinds of soup are offered each lunch and dinner. We had one dinner at the a la carte restaurant which was very good. Dessert at the buffet was ice cream, always lots of fresh fruit, and a variety of cakes and cookies. Freshly squeezed orange juice was served every morning but one. Red and white wine are served with dinner.
The staff at this resort are, for the most part, very hard working and friendly. They appreciate any tips or little gifts you can give them. The maids work very hard to keep the rooms spotless. Leave them a little money or some gifts if you can. They share with others.
Don’t go to this resort for the nightlife. Each evening there was a little show in the theatro put on by the animation team. They tried hard, but they were all pretty hoaky. After the show the theatro became the disco, but most nights it was totally empty. People sat around the pool or lobby bars in the evening and went to bed early.
The Nolitours rep is there in the morning to book excursions. They offer a variety of them. We preferred to do our own thing with private taxis. You can also rent a mini-van or bus for a larger group. You will save money doing it this way, and go where you want on your own time.
Overall, we had a great week at this 3 star resort. It is not as well appointed as the 4 star Breezes next door, but is less crowded, has a larger beach, and from what I hear, better drinks! This is not a good choice for anyone who likes to party, or those who prefer upscale furnishings, etc. But, it is a great resort for anyone who just wants to relax in peace and quiet and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

Jake and Julie Feb 15-Mar 2/07
Cameleon Villas Jibacoa
I will try not to repeat the reviews listed. We are in our 70’s and just returned for 2 weeks from Cameleon villas. This is our second trip to Cuba. Last year we stayed at Breezes resort (4 star)-next door to Cameleon (3 star). There are some differences. First the Breezes Jibacoa (250 rooms) has a much better selection when is comes to meals.(including lobster night on Thursdays). Also the beach bar has a better food selection. The rooms are more up to date including a bathtub with the shower. They also have an extra bar during the entertainment evenings. The Breezes and Cameleon share the same beach. You are able to walk from one to another-but that is where the benefits end. There is no limit where you can swim. The service at both is excellent. The friendly staff speaks fairly good English and is always helpful. The cleanliness at both is exceptional. I admire the work ethics of the staff. We would come back from the beach the rooms would be spotless, our clothes would be folded, and our room sprayed for ants -which like to live in the rooms where food is available. (killed a spider-when we returned was covered with ants).This is the tropics.
The meals at Cameleon are mainly limited to pork, chicken, ham, fish (mahi the best) and one-day prawns, roast whole pig, and turkey. The rooms are 6 and 2 type villas. We never had to worry about finding loungers at the beach and the pool.
Rudy and Pedro at the main bar can make some unbelievable drinks. Although the bar close at 11.00pm , they work 24 hours and have the next day off- this is standard. The girls at the desk, (Yara, Maricely, Lili, Marile, Maybet, Madilaine and Lisbel) are unbelievable in the help and friendship they have given us. Bring some goodies (crayons, pencils, scribblers for their children).
The weather during February is there winter month. We had strong wind and cool weather the first four days we arrived. Coming from Winnipeg and -30C and going to 19C we just loved it. Although we are the only people that swam in the pool during this period, we enjoyed every day. The temp then went from 24C to 31C for the next (sunny) ten days. We both came home with great tans.
The main difference between Breezes and Cameleon is that what we paid for one week at the Breezes, we got two weeks at the Cameleon.
I do not believe there is a better place to snorkel. I have included pictures of the snorkeling I did 300 yards from the beach at Cameleon. Would we go back- in a minute.
One warning: Cameleon lets you use their snorkeling equipment for the length of your stay. Day before we left (we left our equipment outside) someone walked away with it. The cost to me $50.00C.
Bring your own and keep it inside the room.

We flew with FirstAir from Ottawa to Varadero and it went well. The only downfall of flying with FirstAir is that there is no TV, so no movies to watch, however the flight went by quickly and went well. Everything was scheduled on time.

The first day we arrived at the Cameleon, the flag was green, the weather was hot and humid. The second day was pretty much the same. The Tuesday was not very nice and the rest of the week the flag was red but we had a few sunny but windy days for the remainder of the week. The resort itself is very clean, quiet and you feel quite welcomed. The Cuban people are very friendly and will accommodate you as best they can. The drinks at the lobby are better than those by the poolside. For those of you who travel there with kids, it's an excellent choice. They are very good with the kids and there is always something going on for the kids. It's a small resort and so by the end of the week, you have gotten to know almost everyone there.

The food is repetitive, always potatos, plain white rice and slightly spiced rice. Different types of noodles in tomato sauce. It's always the same food every day. The service is very good. The red wine is served cold. The orange juice is excellent, so is the strawberry yogurt. There are lots of flies on the food but that's a given.

The pool is very clean, however the chairs are a little run down. There's also sandwiches and hotdogs at the poolside.

The sand on the beach is nice. They generally keep it pretty clean. Keep in mind that it is a public beach. On windy days, there are alot of jellyfish. Although the flag was red, a few people went snorkling but with caution. Some did get stung by jellyfish but were ok. If you did not bring your own snorkling equipment, I suggest you grab your snorkling gear early, because we had to wait a while before we could get a hold of some. They have a few peddleboats, and some fishing lines, for those who want to fish. At the end of the Breezes hotel, there is a guy who will take you horse backriding for 10 pesos.

Internet access is pretty good at the lobby, and you can easily access your e-mails. The pool table is missing the cue ball. There's also a ping poing table. There are also bycicles available at any time if you want to go for a bike ride. If you want to go on a scooter, you can go over to the Breezes hotel and rent one. There is no insurance though!

There's an activity bulletin at the lobby, but some of these activities did not always take place. If you do go for the hike up the mountain, please keep in mind it is steep. You will hike up the mountain and then on the way back you will walk accross a farmer's field and he will serve you sugar cane and fresh coconut.

The entertainement was ok, some of the staff put on a good show. The enternainement is not mentioned anywhere on the resort, so it's a surprise every night. The activities at the pool are fun.

The hotel rooms are spacious enough, and the cleaning staff are excellent. The only downfall I would have to say about our room was the air conditioning was blowing in our faces, it was not located in a good place but it worked very well. You have to pay 14 pesos for the safe for the week. The fridge is not stocked. The TV has lots of movies choices. You can convert your money at the lobby. We had done it at the airport but was told it's probably best at the lobby. The water is ok to drink. In fact Cuba uses a system which was designed by Canada.

We took the Catamaran trip which was ok. The dolphin show was ok as well. I actually felt bad for them, because the water was very dirty. I suggest if you want to swim with Dolphins, go to Mexico.

Would I recommend this place to a friend, yes. If your looking for a quite and clean place to go, this would be it. If you want to know more, you can e-mail me at michellewhalen@videotron.ca