Stay away from this resort!

It's not our first time in Cuba, so we know not to expect amazing food and such. I'll give you a point form... .arrived at 9pm. No one helped with luggage or to show us to our room (in the dark and pouring rain with hungry kids). took us almost an hour to find all 4 rooms. . the buffet closed at 9:30 so we were out of luck to get something to eat. . No toilet paper in the rooms. Had to go to the front desk 3 times to request toilet paper for our room. . Towels were hand size and looked lik [... read more]e something you would use to wash your car. . Rooms were infested with red ants and cockroaches the size of mice. EVEN in the beds. Everyone is covered in bites. . The food was way below even Cuban standards. . There was a huge lack of food. Once a tray was empty, it wasn't replaced or replenished. Just removed. . If you didn't arrive when the buffet opened, you were basically out of luck. . The powder mashed potatoes had to be eaten with a spoon if you were actually brave enough to eat them. There was no fruit. No salad. . The food was not labeled, so it was a guessing game. The hours of the buffet were even terrible. . there was very few snack selections. Same thing everyday. Burger or ham sandwich. The men's bathroom in the lobby didn't have toilet paper. instead there was a magazine that you could tear strips off to use to wipe. (Swear to God!) The staff were grumpy and rude. . All the furniture around the resort was broken. An arm, a leg or both. Carefull sitting down, you might fall through. . We had to climb through a window to access the deck to the beach because the door was broken. The beach was littered with water bottle and plastic cups. You can't swim in the water because of the coral. Great for snorkeling. We demanded to be transferred to a different resort. We had to pay extra to leave. The transat rep, Ronaldo, was amazing!

Love it!

Second time there this year. Love it. Low key, cost effective resort. Food is ok, alcohol is good, staff fantastic. Grounds and beach are stunning. We will be back! If you are looking for a relaxing vacation...this is the spot

Fantastic.....as always....4th time there now and many more to come

This resort is great. I like it a lot as there no huge buildings around....is like being in the country. The little bungalows are spread out.....not crowded all together like many other huge resorts. The staff are great as always. I have never had a bad experience there. I like it as it is not so crowded like the huge resorts. Villas Jipacoa , I find, is perfect. ....great service, friendly staff,.... and excellent beach. I know many of the staff there. They are always welcoming and many have a [... read more] great sense of humour as well....works for me. I also enjoy performing music with many locals there. Music is a big part of Cuban culture. The room was clean, and cleaned every day and air conditioners worked well and the food was good......just a fantastic time. I will be back again this winter. Rick

Great Location for R&R

This resort is awesome as far as beach, snorkelling, drinks and staff go. The only negative would be the food. I would suggest that the hotel at least label the food to advise what exactly they are serving. Bungalow was great.

Won't come back

We went there for 2 weeks in August. We are family of three with 10 year old son. Very nice area , gorgeous beach, manicured garden,dry climate in compare to other parts of Cuba. The bungalow we stayed was clean,spacious and no smell. Cleaned daily, very old towels, so bring your own. Air conditioner was good, hot water and toilet no problem. Beach towels you can get for a 10 pesos refundable deposit. FOOD : Not to much variety but natural and always found what to eat. Drinks are not the  [... read more]best. The buffet restaurant is open 3 times a day and if you prefer to eat at another time than it's open then you have a problem - there is no another option. I have been to Cuba 6 times so far, love Cuban people, but in this resort when there are coming for a weekend it's too much. I felt like a stranger in somebody's party. They don't know the simple polite words like thanks, please and sorry. No manners at all. (Some of them, don't get me wrong ) The staff at the buffet is amazing, especially chefs. They are very appreciate when you recognize the great job. Seems like the local people never tipped them. Entertainment is going on from 11 am till 5 pm in Spanish at the pool ( Cuban party) Nothing to do for kids. I witnessed that Cuban teens getting freely beer at the pool bar and already been drunk, cutting the line (shocked ) We choose this resort because of the best snorkeling and it was really amazing. Anyway we tryed to enjoy our vacation and not allowed someone distroyed it . Just decided more 3 star resort anymore, never! Still will come back to Cuba, but not in this place.

Not worth the time or money

Was here for one week in the late August of 2016. Weather was fine, although very humid and hot. Beach: not very clean, found broken glass several times. Always some sort of garbage like plastic cups, straws, cans. A lot of rocks. Could be so much more pleasant if it was cleaned regularly. Couldn`t really swim due to shallow waters and seaweed near the shore. For some people it might not be an issue I suppose. Room: I lived in a bungalow. It was alright. The air woprked well, and there was h [... read more]ot and cold running water all the time. Ran into a problem of ants and mosquitoes in the room. Furniture is really old and falling apart. But it does it`s job. Food: the only buffet restaurant is a good size, but the food variaty wasn`t at all great. I have been to similar level hotels, and it was better. "Salad bar" was usually a mix of foods from the previous meal. Many times locals would come and stay for the afternoon. That was a disaster. You really need to get the food fast, otherwise you`ll be stuck with bread and cucumbers. There is one a la carte restaurant. Had two bites of the meal and went to the buffet. Seafood plate was simply uneatable. It looked very much like the food from the main buffet, but put on the plate and bbrought out to you. Spent most of the evening and the following morning in the washroom. Drinks were always served in tiny plastic cups, even at the a la carte restaurant. Many times there was no mint for the mojito, that was upsetting. Setrvers are slow and not very friendly with maybe a couple exceptions. Unless you ask for a refill, it won`t happen. Also, whenever the locals came and had lunch, all sevice was focused on them. That was not a pleasant experince. Buffet building is rediculously hot. Even witht he statioanry airconditioners and ceiling fans. Almost like they want you out as soon as possible. Transat agent: someone is here severaltimes per week, but our first meeting he really didn`t tell us much. Also, nobody informed me that the flight got delayed. The book that I was told to check the night before had no changes. Same the morning of the flight. Luckily, I do not travel with little children and can just hang out at the lobby for a few extra hours. Overall experince was alright. It rained on my last day here in the morning as well as a few times during the night in the week of my stay. Best part of the trip was a day in Habana. Really enjoyed it, although it was rediculously hot. I`ll have to come back in April and go back to that city. CONCLUSION: Hotel is OK. Nothing more. Not a place I want to return to. Not the worst place, but I`d suggest maybe even paying a little more to avoid crouds of locals (way too loud and arrogant).

Nice Place Jibacoa.

I have been in Villa Jibacoa (3 stars) at the beginning of July 2016 and it was my 5th visit in this hotel. Snorkeling and diving is amazing at Jibacoa and beach itself very good. Quiet and relaxing atmosphere, Mean time, for those who want to come here: food looks like home style - you will find meat, poultry, fish, fruits and vegetables is poor. For those who likes good restaurants, I would recommend Memories Jibacoa -4+ stars . Villa Jibacoa is attractive for local people, at the  [... read more]weekend a lot of them is coming at this hotel. For me, this place is good relation between price and quality, If you are looking for good place for relax, swimming, snorkeling and not a picky eater - Welcome to Villas Jibacoa.

Great getaway place!

Great villas... Close to beach and pool. Food was better then expected, you will never go hungry! Best Spanish coffee and the hamburgers at pool are great... Secluded spot ( hour from Havana and hour from Varadero ) If your looking for a relaxing week away from everything .... Go here! For a 3 star hotel and price.... You can't beat it

Super relaxing, great for families with young kids

We loved the one level bungalows and the contained size of the grounds. It made getting around very easy especially with young kids. This resort has minimal facilities but we were very content. It was fun that there were Cuban guests as well; added to the flavor and made us feel less removed from the fact that we were in Cuba. The resort is quite small so the staff gets to know you and if you are generous with tips, they find ways to be generous back. The food was decent. As we expected there wa [... read more]sn't a huge selection but everyone always found something satisfying to eat. The best part, hands down, of this resort is the access to the coral reef. Bring your own snorkling gear or rent equipment and a guide to take you scuba diving for a very affordable price to witness the magical sea world of plants, coral, rock formations, sting rays and other sea creatures. Amazing experience!!

Great spot, fantastic people

April 22-29 was the 4th trip her for my husband and I and we loved every minute of it as usual. The location is beautiful and peaceful. The people make you feel right at home and truly become your friends. I think that when you see the same staff year after year and they are happy to be there and happy to see you it says a lot about the location. The food selection may be limited but it is plentiful and tastes good so you wont go hungry. The rooms may be dated and in need of some updating but th [... read more]ey are spacious and clean. Since our last visit there have been upgrades to the common areas which are nice to see. As usual, I cant wait to go back.

Bad

The people that worked there were not very nice or helpful, food was terrible, rooms had no clocks and they limited your toilet paper to one roll per day all the public washrooms did not have any toilet paper , paper towel or soap

Fantastic reef adventures

We went primarily for the snorkeling and diving directly off the resort location. Saw many underwater creatures and fell in love with the underwater world. A quiet resort in a small town with decent rooms (we had a bungalow close to the pool which was nice) and mediocre food. Two nearby restaurants offered alternative dining. Horseback riding up the mountain to the lookout was breathtaking. You can hike it too. Staff were generally friendly but certainly not 5-star service. Perfect weather all w [... read more]eek (mid March). We would return to see the beautiful reefs again!

Have been there15 times at least.love the people,a

Love it,will be going back.needs some more improving on the grounds such as sidewalks and sewers.get rid of the alacart.too long and food is cold.get rid of cats and dogsimprove on the snacks at the pool side

Great place

Hotel was very clean , staff was always cleaning. Very impressed. Staff were very helpful and friendly. Side walks needed some repair but other then that grounds were well kept. Hedges were trimmed and very well maintained.

Cuba Vacation

The hotel was better than expected. Beautiful grounds and friendly people. Food at hotel was repetitive, but we did not starve. Visited Havana and spent whole day there and went to evening show at Tropicana...wonderful history and entertainment. The jeep tour was a full day of activity, from a boat trip, snorkeling, cave swim and farm visit and even horseback riding...jam packed entertaining day! Ate at several restaurants off the resort and enjoyed the food and atmosphere. Booking with trip cen [... read more]tral was easy and problem free. Thanks so much!!!

Not bad

rooms were moldy and smelly, grounds were nice and maintain,the pool is very dirty i never seen them hose down around the pool and it was very dirty considering people were walking bare feet,the garbage can were disgusting.the food is very limited and and not much variety.some staff were friendly and some weren't

Good Value And Interesting Surrounding Countryside

I visited Villas Jibacoa - which is officially called Villas Tropico - from February 22 > March 7, 2016. The 14 day excursion cost $1245, which represents good value overall. I booked through Trip Central, and Air Transat was the provider. Everything went smoothly, flight-wise. I was in bungalow # 50, which faced the pool area, and was an excellent location. The room was spacious and clean, and had splendid water pressure and lots of hot water - the best I've encountered in 12 trips to Cuba!! Th [... read more]e bed was comfortable, and the AC worked very well. There were plenty of good TV channels in English. The grounds were kept immaculate, and the beach was groomed daily. The pool was clean. Overall the staff was friendly and helpful. The surrounding countryside was very interesting and scenic. You could walk a km or two down the road, and see genuine Cuban farms. Small mountains were nearby, and there was a pathway [not overly steep] up one. From there, the view was fabulous!! When it was calm, there was excellent snorkelling, very close to shore. When it was rough, Portuguese Men-of-War were washed in: I have never encountered this in Cuba previously. The drive to the airport was most interesting, as you got to see a lot of the countryside, as well as the city of Matanzas. There was a small, but well furnished gym. I would, however, present two complaints/criticisms: [1]The Lobby Bar closed at 10:30, and the Pool Bar closed at 1:00 AM. [2]The food was generally mediocre. Breakfast was quite good, and the weekly BBQ was very enjoyable. Food offered by the pool was quite reasonable. However, the buffet often lacked quality and variety. The selection of fruit and cheeses was disappointing, and the yoghurt was not as good as I have experienced elsewhere. Overall I would rate the grounds and accommodations as 4 star, with the food 3 star. John Harley Whitlock, Brantford, Ontario

Superb Location with wonderful staff

I was amazed at how well the grounds were maintained, daily clearing of the grounds and beach by caring friendly staff. House keeping services were above expectations. You could choose daily or every other service. Overall the food was enjoyable and one could select from hot and cold items as well as combine to create your own meal e.g. add hot sauce and feta cheese [ from salad bar] to your on the spot hot pasta service. The resort is what you make it!

A Very Peaceful and Relaxing Resort

The grounds were very clean. Sidewalks were in a little need of repair. All of the staff were wonderful and happy and helpful. Beaches were clean except for the jelly fish which no one could help. Food so good and healthy and drinks wonderful and all served with a smile. Rooms were kept very clean and any complaints dealt with on the spot. Great Holdiay

Not Impressed

If it hadn't been for some nice weather this trip would have been a bust. Lousy( and I mean lousy) food.Shabby rooms with non functioning toilets, chipped tiles and tired looking staff. The beach is short so if you like LONG walks on the beach this is not the place for you. There are only 2 hotels in Jibicoa ours and Memories and the difference is day and night.I would also like to note that Memories is more expensive as well. We knew it was a long bus ride from the airport but is was close to a [... read more]n hour and a half. I have been to Cuba on a budget for more than 14 years and this hotel was the worst and we are pretty easy going.