Sol Cayo Guillermo Havana

Nous habitons Toronto et nous venons de rentrer d'un séjour au Cameleon, où nous sommes restés du 29 septembre au 6 octobre. L'hôtel est très propre et le service est excellent. Souvenez-vous que vous êtes vraiment au milieu de nulle part, seulement deux resorts, dont le Cameleon. Il est à mi-chemin entre Varadero et La Havane. L'équipe des animateurs était très bonne. Ils nous faisaient participer et nous avons beaucoup apprécié les jeux et les spectacles qu'ils ont donnés. Un petit bonjour tout spécialement à Santiago, qui était vraiment très gentil. Il a emmené mes garçons pour un tour de vélo de plus de deux heures et aussi pour un tour de pédalo afin de voir les poissons autour du récif de corail. La plongée avec tuba est super par là. J'ai entendu certains clients dire qu'ils avaient vu des pieuvres, des raies et des anguilles. Il fait très chaud dans l'endroit où se trouve le buffet. Je vous conseille plutôt de vous asseoir près des fenêtres. La cuisine était correcte sans plus, mais vous ne mourrez pas de faim. Il y a des chats sur le domaine. Ils sont gentils, alors apportez leur une petite gâterie de temps en temps car ils n'ont pas beaucoup à manger. Il y avait aussi une chienne qui était très mignonne, une chienne blanche avec un museau rose et des taches de rousseur brunes sur ses oreilles. Une chienne vraiment sympathique , alors soyez gentil avec elle. Je dois admettre que je lui ai donné un peu à manger, je voulais l'adopter (lol) ! Le service dans les bars ou le restaurant était super et les serveurs aimaient bien les pourboires. J'ai laissé aux femmes de chambre des petits cadeaux, et elles aiment bien aussi qu'on leur donne les vêtements un peu usés, ou encore les shampoings, déodorants, dentifrice, etc. Le temps était fantastique, la plage était belle, avec quelques algues par-ci par-là, mais belle dans l'ensemble. Je recommande cet hôtel hors saison, si vous voulez vous détendre, car c'est l'endroit parfait pour ça.

Rooms were well equipped, good AC and good bathrooms. Very good shower in our room. On the other hand, our bed was a bit below average.

The beach was great - fantastic corals and the lifeguard Jose was very helpful. He would take us out in the pedalboat and drop us where the snorkelling was most clear on that particular day.

The Nolitours guy was absent from our hotel the entire time - he spent all of his time at the other hotel, which we didn't mind as we didn't want to book anything ( the snorkelling at the hotel beat any excursion you could go on - even the caves, though they are neat...) but he wasn't even there to update our flight information the day we left. (It was 50 minutes earlier than it was supposed to be). The food was very limited - breakfast was the best meal of the day, fresh omelettes and OJ every morning.

The staff was of course very friendly. The grounds were impeccably maintained. The mangrove trees on the beach also provided adequate shade for those that need it. There is no scooter rental at Cameleon - we 'snuck' over to Breezes and rented one there - they are very strict about staying near your own resort, which stinks if you have friends at the other one. We have never had this restriction before, as your wristband usually is a signal that you are not meant to be served, but as there were Cuban's at our hotel, it seemed they did not want more mingling than neccessary, and anyone who tried to go over to our resort - the cheaper of the two, were scolded. In any case, no insurance with scooter rentals - at all! We took digital pictures of our scooter so that any damage they claimed we could see whether it was there beforehand.

It was very easy to find very 'entrepreneurial' cubans around here.

If you are a strong swimmer and good snorkeller, do not bother with the snorkelling in close - head out to the 'wall'. If you are worried about jellyfish, maybe bring gloves to push them out of the way. DH had them, I didn't. Neither of us were stung.

Just got back from the cameleon from toronto, stayed sept.29th till oct.6th. Hotel is very clean and the service was great. Keep in mind really that you are in the middle of no where, just two resorts there including cameleon. It is located half way between varadero and havana. Entertainment staff was great, they kept us involved and really enjoyed the games and shows they put on. A special hi to Santiago, he was really nice and took my boys on a bicycle tour for over two hours, also took them out in a pedal boat to look at fishes in the ocean around the reef, snorkelling is very good there. I heard from some guests seeing octopus, sting rays and eels. Buffet area is hot, try to sit near windows. Food was just ok, you won't go hungry. They have some cats on the resort, they are friendly so bring cat treats as they don't eat that well. Also had one dog there who was so cute, white dog with brown nose and brown freckles on ears. really sweet so be nice to her, hate to admit it but I snuck her some food, wanted to adopt her, lol. Service was great in bars and buffet area, tips are appreciated. Left maids little gifts, and any used clothing is also welcomed. shampoos, deodarant, tooth paste etc. Weather was fantastic, just a bit of rain at night. Pool area was great, beach was good, some sea weed around but overall good. I recommend this hotel, not busy time of the year so if you want to relax perfect place for you.

First, we were 2 couples and spent 4 nights at this resort from dec.30 to jan.3. We spent the next 3 nights in Varadero (Club Puntarena) because we got a free offer to transfert and live two trip in one. But let me say Villas Jibacoa was better. This resort openned dec.23 2005, so there was some little problems, but overall, we felt really good about the place. It will get better and better, believe me.



THE RESORT

There is only 2 resorts in Jibacoa. The Villas and the Breezes. So it seems that we're all alone surrounded by montain in a natural cuba. It's very calm and peaceful. The rooms are in little villas. The room is freshly new with new AC, floor and bathroom. There's only a shower but she's big and nice, you'll see !! The resort is real big, so never to crowdy at the beach and that's really nice !!

THE FOOD

There's is one Buffet only when I was there. The food was ok, plenty of choice. There is a "a la carte" in construction near the pool. A little grill a the pool bar, I mean little but it was doing the job !! The bad thing is the buffet hours... For example, if you wake up after 10, too late.

THE PEOPLE

Really friendly people in Jibacoa. They are from the country. Tony and Rudy was real nice at the pool bar. The animation crew where nice and funny, they'll have a few drink with the clients late at night, just like the pool bartenders !! The cooks had huge smile on their faces !! The negative: maybe a lack of service at the buffet for the drinks and wine, but like I said, it will get better and better.

THE ACTIVITIES

SNORKELLING is unbelievable and all free !! Grab the equipement at the pool, take a life jacket or not, swim near the beach and you'll see beautiful reefs !! You can also grab a kayak or pedal boat anytime you want to take a ride or go snorkelling. You'll see all kinds of fishes(blue, silver, yellow, red, black...) under sea. I'm really not a swimmer, but I still had a blast by staying at the surface. Also, because of the reef, the water is real calm. You can also make some Scuba for 25$ !! My friends went and it was amazing. Free catamarran ride with Alex was very cool too. The beach and the pool(real clean) is really nice. I mean, even if the resort is packed, you will feel alone cause it's so big. You can also have fun with the animation crew.

BARS/entertainment

2 bars only, one in the lobby and one at the pool. The pool bar closed around 2-3 am and the lobby bar around midnight. The entertainment was funny but really ordinary, except for the 31th !! This was quite a night, firts the show and after the band played around the pool. There no real disco, just music in the "show dome" behind the pool until 2AM. If you really want to party, make some friends or come with quite some, but still, we had a great time, every hour !! The resort capacity is like 250 peoples max. so you can understand why the day animation and the partying can suffer.



Finally, this resort is good for everybody !! Except maybe little groups who wants to party all night. If you want to relax alone, with friends and/or famillies at a very good price in a natural cuba paradise, this is the place to go !! I woudn't hesitate to go back. I prefer Jibacoa than Varadero, more peaceful and beautiful.

Hope this review help you in some way, have fun !!

Vince

montreal, qc, ca

We have been at this resort in September of 2006. It has been almost empty. There were some Canadian families, and the rest came from Cuba.

The good:

Snorkeling. The reefs start maybe 50 meters from the seashore. Just take the gear, and swim off. Lots of fishes, beautiful corals. Talk to the guys in the dive centre. They will take you on a pedal boat to the place where you can see old cannons and the anchor from some apparently Spanish ship. Hose is very helpful, be sure to pay him a few pesos and he is going to spend as much time with you as you would like to. There was some jellyfish, small ones are not dangerous but not really pleasant to the touch. Make sure to stay away from bigger ones though.

Bar service: Pina Coladas were great, as well as other cocktails.

There is internet service, just one computer though. 30 minutes cost 4 CUC. I remember that the username and the password for the login screen were both 'cybertropico1'; this may change with time. After you pass the login screen, you get the cybercafe interface where you can enter your username from the internet card, press ENTER, enter password, click accept. The connection is very slow, so try to find an email provider which doesn't show too many ads and pictures to speed up loading.

There is a reliable phone service to Canada. One can buy a 5 CUC or 10 CUC phone card. One minute to Canada cost around 2 CUC. Do not call from rooms or from the front desk - you will never know how much you are going to pay.

The not so good:

The buffet was not air conditioned. It was really hot and uncomfortable inside. There were however A/C units, apparently they didn't want to turn them on since there were just few guests.

The orange juice machine is still broken, so no freshly squeezed orange juice in the morning.

There were no tequilas, vodkas and gin available at the bars. Just rom, white and dark one.

They have just two kinds of beer - Kristal and Bucanero. They would run out of Bucanero frequently.

Maybe these things will improve once the winter season starts.

We travelled to this resort in July 2006 - I realized how isolated it was going to be when a taxi cab drove us from the airport at

Vardero to Jibacoa. All of the other passengers on our flight went elsewhere! However, the scenery is breath taking - as our cab driver drove us through the little roads in the country side, and give as a "tour" of rural Cuba as he drove. This was very interesting.

The resort is quite small, and when we vacationed there, it was not full at all - most other tourists came from the Toronto-Hamilton area, and we met one family from Vancouver. The rest of the guests were from Cuba. These groups did not mingle with each other, nor did any of the Cubans go on any of the trips! The resort was small, many trees, landscaping was fabulous, the service was good. The snorkeling was great, as we could swim out to the coral reef - an amazing sight. The beach was never crowded, but for some reason the security did not like tourists from the Cameleon to head to the beach of the Breezes next door - can't explain that one! as Cuban nationals could be seen walking the beaches from the Breezes to the resorts specifically for Cuban nationals west of the Cameleon. The food at this resort really left something to be desired - the orange juice machine not working, therefore no fresh juice in the morning of any kind, and the famous Cuban ice cream only made an appearance twice. However the person I travelled with found plenty to eat - although one waiter told me that the food served in summer is more "Cuban cuisine" in nature, and the best time for variety was during the winter season. However, this did not deter us - we did enjoy the beach, and although the snorkelling was fantastic, the swimming area had a lot of weeds - non of that famous Varadero sand beach there. There was no trouble finding palm huts to sit under - as the beach was mostly deserted during the day - it seems the Cubans preferred the pool to the beach! We did not attend any of the entertainment, as we travelled outside the resort - to Havana, to Santa Cruz, and also a motor scooter tour to Santa Cruz. We kept ourselves very busy, but there were a number of Canadian tourists there who really disliked the place - however, it is rated as a 3 star resort, so please expect 3 star service, entertainment, and food. We noticed one gentleman in particular, who would sit in the dining room and specifically not eat, all the while complaining loudly about the food - it was quite embarrassing, not only for his wife who tried to keep him quiet, but also for some of us, who made the best of the situation - - there was always something you could eat ---- it was not that bad. I think even the wait staff was embarrassed, as they would eventually ignore this man, and it certainly does not say very much for us Canadians, who are supposed to be tolerant and respectful.

I don't think I would go to this resort again - it is one of those places you go once, and that's it. However, the scenery, the mountains, valleys, the lushness of the vegetation, and the experience of being right in Cuba --- instead of on the Varadero strip, was a real treat. We really got to know a lot about Cuban history, how Cubans live today, we saw cathedrals, grave yards, factories, homes, the old Hershey village near Santa Cruz. The experience of learning, rather than just zooming in for a week to vegetate in the sand, was very worthwhile, and I think that I have a better appreciation for the Cuban people, their history, and their way of life.

i stay at the hotel for a week and i wasn't very happy , although it was ma fith time in cuba this was the worst, the food was bad , the entertainment was okay , the trips were a little expensive and alot fo bug problems. The beach was great the pool was ok but it closes at 11 the bar there is only 1 open untill 12. IF YOU WANT FUN DONT GO TO THIS HOTEL , IF YOU WANT TO RELAX , YOU WILL HAVE A BALL , DONT BRNG CHILDREN VEEERRRY BORING!!!! try going to breezes next door!!!

April 2006

After months of searching for information on this "new to the Canadian market" resort with minimal results, we decided to go ahead and book our two weeks - the price was incredible, and before the web, we booked on less info than we currently had! Then reviews started coming in, all very positive - could hardly wait to actually see it! We weren't disappointed - it exceeded our expectations! I've rated it above average for its classification. It is basic, no bells and whistles, but comfortable, friendly and met our requirement perfectly.

I travelled with three female friends, three of us 60ish in age, one mid-forties.

I've stayed in many all-inclusive resorts throughout the Caribbean in 20+ years of travel, and Cameleon goes on my list of three I wouldn't hesitate to return to. Not that I haven't enjoyed all of them, but Cameleon, Sunscape Casa del Mar in D.R., and Sunset Waters in Curacao are the ones that "felt" extra special to me . They are all somewhat rural, not fancy, small, friendly, good -to -excellent off-beach snorkeling, close enough to attractions for touring.

Now for my input on Cameleon.

ROOMS - I liked the spread-out layout of the villas amongst lawns and royal palms, hibiscus, bouganvilla, plumeria; that they contained only 4 - 6 one level units per villa; beds- singles & low - no major complaint, comfy enough for a two week stay; pillows vey thin, but never thought to ask for more (duh!); AC very efficient; not a lot of drawer space, but we managed; closet very adequate, but you may want to bring hangers if you need more than 10-12; room safe ($2.00 CUC/night); lighting very good, especially in bathroom; loved the large shower - good pressure ane always had hot water. Gaps around door and no screens on windows do allow access to "critters" - we did have tree frogs in our rooms, and saw a few mosquitoes , along with one large, ugly bug - turns out to have been a tailless whip scorpion - harmless, but not something you want to wake up and find beside your bed!

We're not freaked by most of these visitors , but be forewarned if you are. Note: when wet,or if your feet are wet, the patio area & floors can be very slippery - use caution.

FOOD: No complaints. Like all AI's, food can get repetitive in 2 weeks time. Have had better, have had worse, but always left full and enjoyed what I'd had. Fresh squeezed orange juice was to die for! Hot food could have been hotter, cold food was not kept on ice but was replaced within reasonable time. Occasionally food not replenished quickly later in dining hours. Get there early!

The pool snack bar serves only hamburgers , ham & cheese sandwiches, and the last few days we were there, hot dogs. Would have been nice to get fries as an option or addition. Have to say, there were a fair number of flies around the preparation area, which was a bit of a put-off, and tomatoes, onions, etc. on the counter were not covered, but hamburger was kept in the fridge and the pre-made sandwiches were wrapped. Lunch buffets were as good or better than dinner buffets.

BARS: Sometimes had to wait for service, but no more than at other AIs. And whose in a rush, anyway! Not big drinkers, but did imbibe occasionally. I wasn't impressed with the blender drinks (pina colada, bahama mama etc.) - found them watery on occasion and rather bland. Mohitos were good, as were the daquiri and margarita I tried. Tried Havana Club 7 year rum for first time - (good) - you had to ask for it, but it was available. As was imported Scotch, Vodka and Tequila. There were Cuban liquers available as well - pineapple, banana, marachino, coffee, mint. Spanish coffee at the lobby bar was wonderful , and we enjoyed watching the bartenders concoct them.

BEACH, SNORKELING,POOL: Wonderful - never crowded; coarse, light-colored deep sand; turquoise to deep blue waters. Easy entry & exit to water - no huge waves knocking you on your face most days we were there.

No garbage containers in beach area, which would have been nice. Please remove your garbage - containers are nearby in pool area.

Pool area has little shade . Pool is large enough that we didn't feel we were overtaking it when using our floaters. With divided pool areas, allows activities to go on in one and still pool access for others. Loungers in both areas were fairly comfortable without chair pads, and patio chairs and there were a few tables with umbrellas at pool. Beach loungers are low & a bit of a challenge if you have bad knees, as some of us do, but not a major issue. there was security at points along the beach. We left beach bags at palapas daily with no problems - just use common sense about what you leave there.

Towel deposit is 10$ - exchange for new ones whenever you wish - need receipt for refund of deposit. We did have 4 days of red flag during a storm, bit of rain and wind, but still able to enjoy the pool - beach was uncomfortably windy. first day of storm many Portuguese Man o' War washed up on beach, but only saw one at another time. Breakers and sound of the surf were incredible during the storm!

Beach flag should be in a more visilbe location - found it difficult to spot and could change from green to yellow and you could easily miss the change. We thought this was related to changes in the tide when water levels became very shallow and the reef is exposed, which you didn't initially notice. Check the flag before heading out to the reef - we occasionally forgot until we were half way there and found it had changed.

Snorkeling was very good - saw many fish - tangs, scorpion fish, barracuda, surgeon fish, puffers, cow fish, octopus, half beaks, trumpet fish, to name a few. Coral was the most varied and plentiful I've seen. Water is shallow out to the reef, so you're swimming amongst coral and over sea grass beds. Easy swim to the reef, but you have to make your way over it through coral to deeper water and you can then follow outside of reef .Be aware of tides - reef can be exposed and you could be unable to get over it at times. You can always make your way to the channel between Breezes & Cameleon should that happen - don't clamber over the reef!

PLEASE REMEMBER: the reef is a living thing - don't touch: don't stand on it; don't run paddle boats or kayaks into it. We saw all of the above happen. We wnat it to still be there when we return! TAKE ONY PICTURES, LEAVE ONLY BUBBLES!

The resort needs to take more responsibility in educating guests on reef protection, in our opinion, and guests need to be responsible and aware.

STAFF: We found all staff very friendly, helpful and pleasant, even though few them spoke much English. It was fun to try my poor Spanish with them, and actually was understood at times! Our chambermaid left towel sculptures frequently, folded any clothing left lying around, replaced shoes in the closet, carefully lined up bottles left on the desk or in bathroom every day. We left small gifts for her, and the first time I left a note in Spanish, to which she responded with a thank you in English. Respone to any request from all areas was prompt and efficient.

When exchanging money at the front desk an error was made in counting - I received 60.00$ instead of 70.00. This was immediately corrected. We happened to observe this happen to someone else on another occasion. I don't think it was deliberate, but I'd suggest you count your cash before putting it in your wallet.

Exchange rate was close to airport rate and we never had a problem getting CUCs in small denominations (10s).

Note: a fellow ahead of us at airport on departure exchanged CUCs into Canadian at money exchange - rate was $2.30 Can. for 1 $ CUC compared to $1.25 or $1.23 Can. at resort !

TOURS: We had planned on hiring a taxi for a Havana tour, but opted to do the organized one once we were there. Now that we've been to Havana once, I would prefer to do Havana by taxi and take all the time we want to sightsee, or even do an overnight there. We wanted to see Varadero and visit the market there, so also did that tour. In my opinion, the market there far exceeds the one we visited in Havana. Havana market was hot, crowded, uncomfortable, and I felt prices and quality of objects better in Varadero. We were very impressed with the selection and quality of wood carvings available.

The "Choo choo" tram from Cameleon is well worth the 15.00 $ and give you the opportunity to see the countryside at a leisurely pace. visit Hershey and Santa Cruz.

Here is the list of tours and prices available while we were there: (prices in CUC) bookings can be made in lobby with a rep there every day.

Havana Historia - 51$ - 8:30am - 5:00pm - includes lunch

Havana Especial - 119$ - 9:30 am - 1:00am - includes Tropicana show - shared courtesy hotel room in Havana for shower & change of clothes

Tropicana Show - 79$ 8:00 pm - 1:00 am -show only

Pinar del Rio 81$ 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 pm - scenery and landscapes of Vinales valley & cigar factory - (minimum required)

Seafari Cayo Blanco - 75$ - 7:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. - Catamanan cruise, snorkeling, meal and open bar, dophin show

Nature Eco Tour - 69$ - 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. - drive 4 X 4's thro9ugh Cuban countryside - ride on Canimar river, visit Bella caves, snorkeling - includes lunch

Jungle Tour - 65$ - 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. - jet ski over the sea & mangroves, Tour Varadero - includes lunch

Rio Canimar - 53$ - 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 pm - snrkel at Coral Beach, swim at Saturn cave, boat ride Canimar river, includes lunch

Deep sea fishing - 290$ for 4 persons (30$/additional person - Max. 8) - 4 hours - open bar - transportation to Varadero not included.

Varadero - 25$ - 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. - drive the hotel strip, free time for beach, shopping, etc.

Scooter tours are available 15$, and bicycles, as well as kayaks, pedal boats, catamaran rides, no charge. PLEASE remember - you have living coral under you, be careful how you use the water toys and when you're snorkeling and don't damage it!

I did have a massage while there - 15.00 $ for 1/2 hour, 25.00$ for 1 hour. Luis was very professional and I felt it was a great deal!

I liked that wherever you went, other guests would greet you or chit-chat. I believe we spoke with more people here than any other location we've been to. The first week we were there, the majority of guests appeared to be in the over 45 age category, with several children of various ages as well - not a problem and not disruptive in any way. . The second week there were fewer kids and more in the younger age group - 20's +. There was a large presence of French speaking people during our stay, which is understandable as we booked through Nolitours, a French Canadian based tour company. We enjoyed the company of everyone there .

Have to mention - I found the climate particularily enjoyable this time of year. I really feel the heat, and unless I'm in the shade, find I sweat buckets and find anything other than my bathing suit or shorts too warm. Mornings and evenings were very comfortable and refreshingly cool, and some days being in the shade at the beach was a bit too cool! Capris were fine in evenings, and one of our party had to bring a light jacket to be comfortable in evenings.

We did come home with some mosquito and sand fly bites from times we forgot to use bug spray, so wie to take some with you.

I mistakenly filled bottles with body wash instead of shampoo, so had to buy some at the store on the resort property. I paid 2.50$ for 250 ml of very nice Cuban shampoo - I'd expected to pay a lot more! They also had sunscreen and other personal care items available at reasonable prices, but wouldn't depend on buying these items there unless necessary. You can also buy coffee, rum and some grocery, clothing and gift items there.

There is are two shops in the lobby - one selling rum, cigars & coffee & the other has some gift items. A few days a week a market is set up on the beach selling carvings, jewellery, paintings at fair prices & quality.

In summation - Cameleon exceeded our expectations and was a place we loved and would not hesitate to recommend, but this would depend totally on one's personal requirements for a good holiday. If you like the mega resort or party atmosphere, need to be close to major shopping, entertainment or restaurants off- resort, Cameleon isn't for you. If gourmet or high-end food and drink are a necessity, again, this is not the place.

If you like living in a quiet park-like setting with a beautiful sea on the horizon, floating over a reef observing a fabulous display of coral and fishes, lazing or walking on a wonderful beach, meeting friendly staff and other guests, you'd love this destination. It was also fun to meet people from Cuba forums - nice to put faces to names! And thanks you to all who contributed to our search for info prior to booking!

We stayed at this hotel for one week and found it to be very clean. The staff was helpfull, nice and entertaining. It is the kind of place to go to relax and take it easy. The nightlife is minimal and the dancers are there only 3 times a week. The other days, it's comedy night. The entertainement staff try their best to put on a good show.... We had a good laugh with them, they are very nice and like to make you feel comfortable. I do not suggest this resort for people who want to party and go to the disco, unless you know how to have your own party. It's more quiet and there is no music at the pool bar, where most people hang out in the evening.

The beach was superbe! Many corals and a great place for scubba diving and snorkeling. It is always clean and more than enough chairs for everyone. The scubba instructor is very good. It is not too expensive either.

There is a mini-catamaran boat available most of the day and alot of fun to go on when it's windy. There are pedal boats and kyaks as well.

There is a massage service available. The masseuse might come to you and offer a one hour massage for cheap. I personnaly had an ok experience but 2 other female travellers had to make a complaint against him due to unprofessionnalism on his part. If you are a female, I do not suggest you get a massage there.

There is buffet service for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food is well prepared and the variety and taste is average, as for most hotels in Cuba. The A la Carte restaurant is pretty much the same food as the buffet, but prepared differently. You can go once during your stay, and doesn't cost anything.

This hotel is right beside the Breeze and these are the only 2 hotels in this area. It's about 1 hour from Varadero and 1 hour from Havana. There are no discos or markets around, but you can rent a scooter or a car and it's pretty easy to get around withought getting lost.

Overall, I liked this hotel and would recommend it to anyone with a small budget, who wants to get away to relax in a quiet place.

Club Jibacoa is next door to the Breezes Jibacoa... a less expensive alternative most suited to young travellers who enjoy listening to music. The hotel is situated in a remote area about halfway between Varadero and Havana and is accessed through the Varadero airport.

The location is between mountain and sea with lots of coral reefs in swimming-distance from the beach.

Club Jibacoa is new to the Canadian market. It was operated by an Italian/Cuban collaboration for the past 14 years so you may find that the staff are still learning to speak English and French.

The property is quite large so be prepared to walk quite a ways from your room to the beach to the lobby to the restaurant. The walk will be worth it for nature lovers. The property is full of flowering trees and birds. They say that Jibacoa comes from the aboriginal language and has something to do with birds, hence the wing-shaped roofs of the rooms.

The two main reasons I would love to go back include the friendliness of the staff and the location. Although I found the music a bit intrusive, I really enjoyed my stay.

The rooms are clean. They have air conditioning machines that are suprisingly quiet and satellitle television.

The restaurant serves a buffet three times a day. The food was basic but tasty and plentiful. You could always count on a variety of meat and fish dishes and of course the famous Cuban ice cream.

You can make a reservation to be served a meal in the poolside restaurant but go only for the change of scenery and not because you can expect to be served anything that is not already served in the buffet restaurant. The poolside room also serves snacks in the afternoon but they are limited to grilled sandwiches or hamburgers.

I would recommended that you bring a dictionary and get friendly with the staff who are warm-hearted and very dedicated.

If you can, request a room with a number under 30, that will keep you close to the restaurant, gift shop and lobby and also away from the disco. The rooms over 75 are very close to the music and haven't been renovated with new sound-proof patio doors.

The resort definitely earns its 3 star rating and is a highly recomended choice for the budget traveller.