A pleasant resort

The grounds are lovely, with the bungalos spread out over a wide area of palm trees, grass and other shrubbery. My room was large and had a king-sized bed - very good!There is a small playground for children with swings and a slide. The food is a bit boring, although there was rabbit in a nice white sauce one day and delicious beef tongue on another. Salad fixing are inadequate, and the vegetables are too few, but there was always something enjoyable to eat. The al a carte restaurant should be a [... read more]voided - portions are too small and the choices too few. Food at the pool sometimes ran out, and the toilets there sometimes would not flush, but they did get fixed eventually.

Just what the doctor ordered!

First impression was not stellar as we got in pretty late, however, in the morning light, beautiful, serene, peaceful. Ocean views are stunning, beautiful beach. Staff were great, helpful & freindly. Food was good, not huge selection, but what there was, was good. For me its not about the food, Its the sun, the beach and the culture. Only down side for me...leaving :(

Mediocre resort

This was a three star experience. The staff were pleasant but unhelpful upon our arrival at 2300. We were unable to swim in the ocean due to bad weather and poisonous jellyfish. The food was atrocious. I am familiar with Cuban cuisine but this is my worst dining experience. The fish was poor quality, the food was never hot and the ice cream was always melted. The surrounding environment was picturesque but if you enjoy Caribbean sunsets this is not the place for that experience. The sun sets beh [... read more]ind the backdrop of hills. Some of the bungalows looked pleasant but we were on a strip of 5 "bungalows" and awakened frequently during the night by people passing our windows. the configuration of the porches doe not lend itself to privacy.

Ok on a budget if you can tolerate the food

Villas JIbacoa is well located for day trips to Havana. Our weather was very cold so we didn't get to swim or snorkel but the beach is nice. The pool area is old and in need of a good cleaning and update. The grounds are very nice and the bungalows are basic but kept clean. The resort kind if reminds me of a family summer resort we might find here in Canada. Basic but clean, with a friendly laid back vibe. While we were there it was an older crowd 60+ . Facilities are limited so think "mom and p [... read more]op motel" as opposed to Hilton. Lol. Beverage services are uneven depending on who is working the bar. The food is horrible. Worst I've had in 10 trips to Cuba. The buffet is very limited, unappealing and disorganized, with generally poor or indifferent service and questionable food handling practices. If you're looking for a basic resort to use as a base camp for Havana , snorkeling or diving, and exploring the beautiful countrysidethis place might be for you but beware the food. If you can get a booking at a discount for approximately 750 it might be worthwhile, otherwise there are other options in Varadero that may be better.

Nice, quaint resort

Price was right, nice, small resort. You got to know the people really well. Beach was great, snorkeling was fantastic. Food is pretty mundane, but it's to be expected. Resort was clean staff was friendly.

Pleasant and quiet resort

Well treed with a good beach. Staff was accommodating and personnel in the lobby were very helpful. Good location and only 1 hour to Havana. Unfortunately I and a number of others got sick due to either food or water, however, we spoke to several people who have returned to this resort many times and they had never been sick before.

Beautiful Charming and Secluded Resort....

We traveled as a group of 8. I had a room in the new building, it was lovely, bright, clean, and the beds were the most comfortable of Cuba that I experienced. Many many mosquito's...even though you don't notice them...bring bug spray! The pool could have been topped up with water but it was clean and free of algae. The beach superb with the best snorkeling, kayaks, peddle boats available at your leisure. The bartending staff all had their own little characters, some good some not. The same coul [... read more]d be said for the lobby staff. The entertainment fairly local and the night parties low key...so we made our own!!!! Worst food I have ever eaten...food was not chilled or heated properly in schaffing dishes...stuff that could spoil left out for hours. Lack of cleanliness and hygeine observed. Pickles recycled into omelets and fried rice...??? This one change will certainly make a HUGE difference to their success. For those reasons I would not return even though I enjoyed the resort tremendously. Oh...last note: all 8 of us got viral gastroenteritis.

Not bad until people got sick

the resort itself was what we expected, clean rooms secluded etc... until people started to get violently ill! about half way through the trip starting Wednesday night and into Thursday, at least 40 people that we know of, started throwing up and got major diarrhea. The resort tried to pass it off as a possible flu bug, but we all knew differently. Its not likely over 40 people would fall ill like that at the same time period and there were rumors that people were not aloud to get water from the [... read more] pool bar after the incident. Needless to say the doctor at the resort was very busy. Our rep at the hotel had no answers and just took everyone's name down. Was not impressed with how everything was handled by the resort or Transat Rep. We all lost half a week being violently ill. I really hope Transat looks into the issue and makes things right with its customers, unlike sunwing I have never had any issues with Transat and hope that they can rectify the issue.

Disappointed

I have been to Cuba 9 times all over and unfortnuately this resort I would have to say was at the bottom of my list to date. The staff were good in general and the location was perfect for our needs (we were 6 adults two children). Unfortunately the weather was rain and cloud for almost the entire trip (nothing anyone can do anything about). My plan was to do a lot of snorkeling, but the red flag was up everyday. We therefore took advantage to do a lot of day trips (to Varadero- Catamaran, Matan [... read more]zas-Hershey train+ giving away 75 lbs of clothes to locals), and Havana (sightseeing/shopping), horseback riding in local mountains, etc. On the last evening before departure everyone in our group fell sick (both ends). Something we ate/ drank at the buffet was not right (potatoes seemed to be the common ingredient). Was not impressed as this was the first time I had ever been that sick in Cuba - very careful what I touch / eat/ drink. Example of things I noted: cook used same spatula used on for raw meat to serve cooked hamburgers, food not on ice, etc. The positives: great location, grounds well kept and expansive (if you do not mind the extra walking), most personel kind, attentive and compassionate. Entertainment: very little ( main dance hall under renovations) but we made the most of it and the organizors tried real hard to get everyone involved; notwithstanding the weather- hats off to 'Yonder'.

No good

We cannot control the weather, it rained the entire week. Our room leaked from every corner.they offered to change us rooms but We had paid extra for the room we were in because it was our honeymoon. We took the day trip into Havana and that was good up until the shopping bit. We got off the bus in an area where there were lots of tour busses and walked to a restaurant called O'Rillieys that was to be our meeting spot when we were finished shopping. We were given an hour to wander and shop,2:30- [... read more]3:30pm we did not go far from the meeting spot because we were in a neighborhood where I didn't know where I was and there were lots of people trying to ask us for money. So we went back to the meeting spot at 3pm I went to the bathroom we had a coffee and our tour guide knew we were there. 3:20pm we decide to talk to our tour guid he said we are waiting for more people to come back I said ok we are just stepping into this store right across the street for a few min. He said yes ok, so my husband and I , a few minutes later, leave the store and there is no one to be found. We cannot see anyone from our tour, our guid is gone so I start to panic. I have no idea where I am surrounded by people who only wanted our money. 2 boys (21-27) with the bicycle taxi tell us they will help for cheap. I say ok, I say to the boys we are trying to find the buses and they say ok. I get on one bike and my husband gets onto another bike. We were separated and that got my nerves even more high strung. We found the area of the busses and I told my husband to find the bus because time is of the essence right now. The boys say the taxi was 50$ each!!!!! I could not believe what I heard!!! We only have 40$ CUC on us so I gave them that and they wanted more I had 50$ in American 1$bills and they saw that and grabbed it from my hands. I was so angry but nothing was worth more then our safety. This is how people go missing. Careless tour guides. I see my husband and I start running towards him. We try to ask other bus drivers and other tour guides if they were going to our resort and they wouldn't even listen to us, willing to leave us behind. Then we saw some of the other tourists from our bus waving us down. As soon as I saw our bus I started to cry I couldn't believe that we would be ok. I was so angry and so happy. We got back to the bus. 2 men asked us if we were ok, I said no. The tour guide was looking for us and he got back shortly after we did. I said thank you for looking for us- he says "I wasn't looking for you I was having a beer" I thought this sarcasm was very uncalled for. He did not apologize. When we got back to our hotel he asked us to tip the bus driver. I was shocked. I said we don't have any money from the taxi we had to take!!!! I complained to our transat rep and all he said was right down everything that happened. So I did. We paid 50$ each to go on this trip. We got nothing back. I will never go back to Cuba. I have been to that resort and been on that Havana trip 8 years ago with my family and it was completely different. A lot better back then. I'll never waste money on Cuba.

Good resort great reef

Good resort for snorkeling and scuba diving lots of fish and very nice corals the grounds are kept clean. the staff are all very friendly. the issues that people where complaining about was the food I had no problem finding something to eat but for the price you can not complain.

Our Favourite resort, but.......?

After visiting many the Cuban resorts over 15 years we came to love Villas Jibacoa. The beautiful location, the uncrowded layout of the bungalows, the great snorkeling and SCUBA diving right off the beach and, most of all, the warm and friendly staff have brought us back repeatedly. We never visit Jibacoa for the food, but in the past usually we could find something tasty to eat. This visit the food selection has slipped with limited choice and erratic supply. The tired Toaster has under perform [... read more]ed for years but on our last 2 visits the toaster doesn't toast at all, merely warming the bread. For heavens sake, Jibacoa, FIX THE TOASTER!! My wife felt that the bungalow rooms, although spacious with plenty of hot water and good air conditioning, were looking beat up. Some of Goodwill's surplus furniture would improve things. I know, Cuba is not rich like Canada, but it's these small things that reduce the star rating and make it difficult to recommend Villas Jibacoa to others. However, personally, we love Jibacoa and can overlook the deficiencies and will continue to support this Cuban enigma. Post Script : This trip was via Havana rather than the usual Varadero. Big mistake! Air Transat used one bus pickup to service 2 flights, one from Toronto and a second one from Montreal, "scheduled" to land 30 minutes later. Havana is a chaotic airport. Planes land and are parked until a gate is available to deplane passengers. Delays are inevitable. We waited 1 hour for our luggage to arrive at the carousel and than sat on the bus for 3 more hours until the poor Montreal passengers joined us on the bus to Jibacoa No refreshments or explanation were given to us as we waited in the bus without benefit of air conditioning. Total of 4 hours waiting at airport to go to the hotel was completely unacceptable! DO NOT TAKE AN AIR TRANSIT PACKAGE TO JIBACOA WHICH USES HAVANA AIRPORT. They are doomed to delays!! Air Transat bean counters are running an improbable schedule which ignores passenger welfare in an attempt to squeeze a little more profit.

Great time

It was a nice quiet resort , very friendly and welcoming :) it could of used a little more entertainment. Like more music and dancing. I have been to this resort many times and I always have fun but this time one guest complained about the music being to loud and we all suffered .... So we could of used more music for sure :)

Great place for snorkeling

Hotel is very clean, staff is friendly. The beach is amazing! You can go snorkeling, they have boats with vests. Also they have trekking/hiking around the resort. The gym is very close and clean, friendly staff, helping. The entertainment is good, maybe sometimes a little change in the program wouldn't hurt. Various types of coffees and very good, beer was good as well. All cocktails were great. The only downside to it is the food. Not much variety and not too much. Sometimes runs out if you go [... read more] late to breakfast or lunch. They don't have butter, only margarine, the jam was not good. The hot dog also was limited, if you were fast, you got it. It was good though.. I would definitely go back as I enjoyed the time spent there and it is worth the money!

Good time had by all!

The scuba diving (25$) and snorkeling (free) right outside the hotel were the best part of the trip. The staff was very helpful and friendly. Transfer to and from the airport was included in the already excellent price which was a great plus. Cabanas were roomy. Food and drinks were plentiful. Dancing lessons and entertainment available. Outside trips easily arranged. A Transat employee was on site to help with all concerns.

Disappointing!

We just returned from a 13 night stay at Villas Jibacoa. The resort grounds are beautiful and well kept. We stayed in a bungalow facing the ocean and it was lovely. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't very good, as a "cold front" came in just after we arrived. As a result, we weren't able to enjoy the beach and experience the reef, as the water was too rough most of our time there. Our biggest disappointment was the food at the resort. We have been to Cuba many times and our expectations weren't t [... read more]oo high, but the buffet selection was the worst we have ever experienced at a resort in Cuba! Very limited selection of fruit, fresh fish and seafood. Our one trip to the specialty Cuban restaurant also a disappointment, as they were "out of" shrimp cocktail, fresh fish filet, and cheesecake, all of which were our choices from the menu! The main positive of this resort is the staff at the pool and the lobby bar. Unfortunately, we would not return to this resort based on our experience this trip.

Beautiful Grounds

The grounds of Villas Jibacoa are definitely beautiful and very well kept. Though many of the trees are dormant in December, it has a fantastic variety of such. In summer, when the flowers are in bloom, I'm sure it's very beautiful. The equally beautiful beach is really not so great for swimming as there is too much rock and coral, but the snorkeling is fantastic. Just swim out anywhere from the beach and you can't miss the incredible assortment of fish. It was great fun exploring up and down th [... read more]e length of the reef, which was less than 100 yards from the beach. In the lobby, they have a binder with pictures of the sea life to be found. I enjoyed snorkeling and trying to spot them all. The bungalows are quite nice. The one I was in was located across from the pool and had an ocean view. It was clean and in good repair. One of the double beds was too hard. The other, less so. The pillows were skimpy. The water pressure was great. So, no issues really, but some guests thought the rooms in the building were better and switched the second day. This hotel is well located. In addition to hiking opportunities around and up the hill, there are other things to do. There were six of us that took a cab to Bacunayagua bridge, Bellamar caves, Ermita de Monserrate and Park Libertade in Matanzas. So, adventurous opportunities abound as there are great sights nearby. Havana is also just an hour away. Food was just OK and I didn't go hungry. Egg omelette in the morning with pancakes is fine for me. Dinner had a reasonable assortment of rice, pasta, fish and meat. I avoid raw foods in Cuba, but there were salad offerings for those who were interested. I stuck with the cooked stuff like squash. I ate lunch at the pool where they served hamburgers and pizza and fries. Not bad. Coffees and drinks at the lobby or pool bar were great. I would go again.

Wish the food was better

Loved the grounds, beach, reef and staff. Room was ok. Basic but fine Food was awful. We had read reviews that it read not good, but it was worse than we expected. Would love to go back. ..but unless the food improves, we can not.

Great Value

Location was secluded between Havana and Varadero. Beach was nice and they cleaned it every morning but too short for long beach walks. Unfortunately the week I was there it was too windy to snorkel (red flag were out). Food was boring, same thing every day, but edible. You can get wine at the restaurant lunch buffet and dinner buffet but NOT at the pool bar and lobby bar, no fountain beer at lobby bar (only bottles you have to pay for) but lobby bar make great Spanish Coffee. It took all week t [... read more]o figure what you can get where and when. Staff was very friendly, No trouble with language barrier i.e. decent command of English or even French in some cases. Although every other unit had EXTREMELY hot water, mine had NO hot water. The biggest disappointment for me was that I get up very early 5:30 or 6:00 a.m. and breakfast buffet did not open until 7:30 or 7:40 so no coffee or tea until then and they do not serve coffee or tea at the lunch or dinner buffet, so had to settle for wine. :) I found dinner buffet at 7:00 p.m. too late. Despite all the negative above I got a great last minute price with NO single supplement so yes, I would return.

Better than expected!

We went to this hotel for the first time. It was very clean and the food was plentiful and the selection was good. Unfortunately the weather was not the greatest for our last three days. The only comment that I would like to have addressed is the numbering sequence of the bungalows. When we arrived we were assigned our room and were directed to where we should go. No map was provided or assistance. Since it was night it wasn't that easy to locate our room as the numbering of the bungalows made n [... read more]o sense at all. Lower and higher numbers were mixed in together with no rhyme or reason. Eventually obviously we found. The entertainers did their best to keep the quests active and participate in the events they had planned. Good experience overall.