Memories Jibacoa: Great trip

Our 10th visit,it is like coming home.The people at the resort are great,rooms clean,food good,weather was fantastic,drinks were good,we will be going back. Has a great trip to Havana, we enjoy the Ernest Hemingway Hotel.

Breezes Bahamas: Amazing Resort

Had a great time at the resort. The staff were friendly and the food was surprisingly good! The only draw back was the fact that there were hardly any shade to lie under. I would definitely go back to the Breezes again.

Hotel Bella Costa: Had a great time!!

I stayed at this resort with my husband and 2 kids and we really enjoyed it!! The staff was amazing! The resort was very clean!! There was a lot of variety when I tame to food so we always found something to eat! I loved their pizza!! The food is as good as it gets for Cuba. I would definitely recommend it and would probably go back!

Hotel Los Cactus: Fantastic Resotr

The resort was very clean and the grounds were well taken care of.The rooms were very spacious .The staff were very friendly.The beach was gorgeous.The food was pretty good.The italian restaurant was my favourite.

Jewel Runaway Bay Resort: Fabulous First Trip to Jamaica

My husband and I stayed at The Jewel Runaway Bay April 1 - 15 and are pleased to see all the positive reviews (except for ‘Negative LuAnn’ which we can’t agree with at all). This perfect-sized resort is indeed a GEM and reflects the spirit and culture of the Jamaican people. The resort staff made every effort to ensure our comfort and satisfaction. We had no issues with our room...it was bright, clean, recently refurbished, and the tv and a/c worked perfectly. Our amazing maid Khlila took  [... read more]excellent care of us and her shy sense of humour was reflected in her amazing towel-art creations. Our room was always well stocked, including plenty of bottled water, juice, soda, and we never had to ask for anything. The lobby, unpretentious and understated, was a comfortable place to be. We particularly enjoyed the practical layout of the resort...three large pools situated parallel to the beach ensured we always had an ocean view. Very clean beach and sandy ocean floor. Everything within the resort is easily accessible within a short walk. The grounds are lovely and well maintained daily. Very few guests we spoke to who had issues with older non-yet-renovated rooms were relocated to their satisfaction....all one has to do is ask. The resort staff was constantly busy maintaining the grounds (gardeners, pool cleaners, painters, plumbers, groundskeepers). The food was excellent in all the restaurants with authentic Jamaican dishes and fresh locally grown produce. Our greatest enjoyment was dining outdoors (under cover) . Only the Italian Restaurant is indoors near the lobby. After a long brutal Canadian winter, we were ecstatic to be able to enjoy all of our meals outdoors. We only required reservations at the Jade Samurai ... and dined 3 times experiencing 3 different Teppanyaki Chefs. There is also a Sushi Bar within Jade Samurai which does not require reservations. Made-to-order pizza at the Starlight Grill was divine. We loved the spacious Coral Café and never felt like it was ‘buffet’ food. Breakfasts were amazing, at dinner time the ‘theme’ menu varied every night so it’s a good idea to check the posted menu late afternoon or you may miss out on something extraordinary, i.e. the shrimp/steak, the awesome Beef Wellington, or steak fajitas. Every Monday night the feast moves from the Coral Café to the beach with several huge barbeques, manned by the excellent Jamaican chefs preparing their Jamaican specialties at sunset. Every Thursday night, following the weekly Manager’s cocktail garden party, outdoor dining at its finest "Dining Under The Starts" takes place around the middle/largest pool...a full sit-down, 6-course plate-served menu. Afterwards the stage opens out to the pool and live entertainment Cabaret singer is featured. The 3 pools and the beach were well-supervised with lifeguards. We preferred the quieter pool/hot tub furthest distance from the bar, and quickly discovered the wonderful Miguel whom we nicknamed our "rumrunner" as he’d come directly to our chairs at the pool or beach...to take our drink orders and refill our drink mugs...Miguel was always smiling and friendly and obviously took pleasure in his role. Plenty of sports and water sports were available for both adults and children, beach and pool volleyball, aquacise, yoga, archery, kids’ mini-club with nannies, tween/teen club, bingo, scavenger hunt, tennis, ping pong, disco, etc. We particularly enjoyed the ‘daily newsletter’ that came to our door every day listing the day’s events, activities, etc. Loved the "dive-in" movie under the stars...a unique experience. Kudos to all the Jewel staff especially the best room maid Khlila, as well as LaToya, Anne Marie and Kevlin and all the attentive dining room staff, Miguel our attentive smiling rumrunner, Chef Frederick at the all-night Aquamarina Grill, the entertainment "Gems" Ash, Sunshine, Sparkle, Purple, Whoopie, Energy, and oh so many more who always took the time to smile, say hello, chat and see to any requests. We particularly enjoyed the beyond-energetic Silverbirds Steel Band entertainment after dinner on Sundays at the Coral Café. My husband played golf almost daily on the hotel course, saying the course was adequate and he particularly enjoyed his caddy Bill who taught him a few new skills. As stated in previous reviews it really is the staff that makes your stay here a fantastic and memorable experience. Suggestions for Jewel Management: Your website/brochure resort photos do not reflect the current colourful island decor but rather the resort as it once was. We would have liked more thatched-roof-huts on the beach for more shady spots. The rental palapas by the pool seemed pricey and often unused...perhaps rental without the $$$ concierge service??? A little less "rush" through the meals at Jade Samurai would have made for more relaxed dining, though we realize you are trying to fit everyone one into the experience. Resort drinks were excellent, red wine was good, but the white wine really was flavourless/bland. Keep up the good work...your staff is amazing!!!! Room Tip: Our room #3112 was comfortable, bright, clean, refurbished, on the main floor, facing the Jade Samur...

Memories Jibacoa: Great Food...Great Snorkelling...Very relaxing

The grounds were impeccable and the staff were very friendly and always ready to answer any questions. Our room was very clean and we loved our location which was half way between the beach and the pool. This trip was our 20th (yes 20) to Cuba. We have been to various properties and I would say this is one of the best. Now if you are looking for a beach that has a sandy bottom in the water that goes on forever, then this might not be the place for you. It is definitely a beach for snorkeling. Yo [... read more]u can step out into the water and 2 feet in, you are already able to view the coral, rocks and colourful fish. I recommend water shoes if you're just going in for a dip. There's always the pool which has a very relaxing atmosphere and the view of the mountain from poolside is breath taking. The entertainment at night is your typical Cuban flare but the action is up in the lounge with a nightly piano player. Here you can drink in the lounge or take it out on the patio. You can just sit and relax or join in with the other guest and sing along with the piano player. So much fun! The resort is halfway between Havana and Varadero so plan on a one hour ride to and from the airport. We rented a cab and went into visit a personal friend in Havana and the cost was $60 convertible pesos for a return trip. If you're looking for a place to just relax, eat good food, enjoy the company of other like-minded people or just simply spend good quality time with your spouse/partner then this is the place I would recommend. If you looking for a wild and crazy party atmosphere then I don't think you would enjoy this resort. This adults only resort was just what my husband and I were looking for and we would return here in a heart beat.

Memories Jibacoa: Awe inspiring facility

A well oiled machine,this was,everything was done to sched,food wareat as were desserts.The grounds  were prun and spotlessrs Sponotless and the rooms were well looked after.I would recomend this ressort anytime to friends.

Hotel Bella Costa: love the location and the people

We were in a ground villa.Service great how ever the. Villa could have been better. Ac was dripping water. The people were great and always willing to assist o you. Everyone love the beach. I would de2finetly go back

Hotel Los Cactus: Awesome resort

The grounds were just beautiful-nicely kept and the hotel personnel went out of their way to make you very comfortable. Every day was a beautiful experience.We enjoyed the walk to the beach and the walk on the shoreline and the refreshing drinks served us.

Jewel Runaway Bay Resort: Best resort

Very clean with friendly staff hotel. Food is really great. Amazing beach and bars. Variety of restaurant to,satisfy everybody . Nice clean rooms . Will return if we can. Good animation program with different shows every night.

Hotel Bella Costa: One of the best!

Breezes Bella Costa has been one of our most favourites. As we take a lot of get aways in the winter we always seem to fall back to this one. The atmosphere and the staff are the BEST. Food is very good compared to others in Cuba. Have tried a lot of others resorts and seem to come back here. The price is right! It might be older but is clean and that is what matters. Love their special dinner and entertainment night for return guests. The Mosquitos are very few compared to further out the spit  [... read more]where you can get eaten alive. Staying at a smaller resort certainly has it's benefits. The beaches are great.

Memories Jibacoa: Not what we expected

First time in Cuba and not what we are use to when winter vacationing.Traveled to Dominican,Mexico,Jamaica and Cuba ,will not be returning to Cuba for a few reasons.Firstly I had no complaints of the cleanliness of the resort,the staff was very friendly for the most part.My only complaint as far as staff goes was that upon our arrival we were given our room numbers and pointed to the direction of our rooms,older bell hop did not offer to help us with our luggage :{.The manager was very friendly  [... read more]and went out of her way to help us out.The food was the worse I had in my travels,thank god for brussel sprouts lol.The beach was very small and rocky and the begging was relentless.The pool was very shallow and no entertainment,I asked the staff why there was no music or entertainment during the day and they said they keep the music low as the resort was full of elderly people and they did not like the music loud,well it was so low I could not hear it!Took a day trip into the city and ate at I believe it was called La Casa,bland over priced in my opinion.Very dirty and frustrating country,for god sake make sure you take enough money,too long of a tale to tell of our horror story with their version of banking but lets just say getting my money from their scam system of ITMs took 4 hours,be prepared to get taken at the airport as well,told we were over on our luggage when we were leaving even though we flew premium class,was under on our weight departing Toronto,left half of weight there in gifts for the staff,yeah she settled for scaming us for $60.00 Canadian and said she was doing us a favor!If I were not so fed up with entire trip I would of insisted on seeing her supervisor,worth the $60.00 to get out of the country,definately will not be returning!

Memories Jibacoa: Great out of the way get-away

We very much enjoyed our week long stay at Breezes Jibacoa. Our room although not elaborate was very comfortable and quiet and just steps from the beach. The snorkeling was terrific although you might want to bring your own mask. The sailing was included and we really enjoyed our guided sail around the bay. Our Sun Wing guide hooked us up with several great tours of the area and the other side of the island were the snorkeling was even better. We are both Vegans and we found the food to be plent [... read more]iful, varied and excellent for our tastes. The entertainment at dinner was a nice touch. The evening entertainment started at about 10 pm, a bit late for us with our busy schedule. We really had a great time at this hotel and appreciated the fact that is was away from the busyness of Veradero. There was one hotel next to us on the beach. Our beach was kept very clean by the staff. We would certainly love to go to this resort again in the future.

Hotel Los Cactus: Relaxing Resort

Grounds were lush and tropical. Food was ok and drinks were good. Evening entertainment was a bit amateurish but entertaining. Rooms were comfortable and clean. Worth the money. Definitely would return.

Hotel Bella Costa: Simply An Amazing Resort

Hello everyone,we traveled to this hotel in the month of june for a week,it was our first time in Varadero. This hotel is a must visit, from the fast checkin to the end of the trip, the hotel n staff never disappointed Us. The grounds of the resort are very well maintained, n looks beautiful,the convenient size of the hotel makes you close to everything, the rooms are spacious and always well kept. Okay so speaking about the food,honestly I enjoyed every single meal,we actually gained weight. Po [... read more]ols were very nice although we didn't stay much there except the last 2 days. Now comes to the best part,The Beach, wow wow wow best I ever seen in my life,the water was super nice n the sand is completely soft. The resort is very close to all the good places and there is scooter at the resort for rent 25cuc for a day which is very reasonable. For conclusion, hands down the best in varadero,you won't be disappointed.

Jewel Runaway Bay Resort: Great vacation

We visited the Jewel Runaway Bay the last week of February 2014 to run away from the Canadian winter. We had never visited Jamaica before. We were not disappointed. The flight and airport were great. Only guests at the Jewel Runaway Bay were on our bus, so we didn't have to stop along the way during the 60 minute ride to the resort. Check in was smooth and our room was ready for us. We arrived after the restaurants were closed, but the snack bar by the beach was still open so we could grab a bit [... read more] to eat. Our room was clean and bright. The furniture looked new. In fact some of the rooms received new furniture when we were there. Cleaning staff were friendly and thorough. It is a compact resort, with beach, lobby, restaurants close by. Great if you are mobility challenged. The buffet and restaurants were all great. We particularly enjoyed the Italian restaurant. There is no need for reservations at the restaurants except for the Japanese as they have set seating times. The beach was wonderful, clean and quiet. Almost private. You could walk for about 1 kilometre and hardly see anyone. There is a reef just off the beach where you can snorkel. We also did the snorkel trip offered at the hotel. There were always enough beach chairs - no need to get up at 6 AM to reserve a spot. The pools were well maintained. We spent most of our time at the pool over looking the beach. The gym at the resort was nice and well equipped. The windows over looked the mountains. Towels and water were provided. We didn't take advantage of the spa or the golf, but we did a day trip into the Blue Mountains. It was a bike trip. We were driven to the mountains by an entertaining guy who tried to teach us Jamaican phrases. We were driven part of the way up the mountain where we were fed brunch and given our safety gear of helmet and elbow pads. After brunch were driven further up the mountain where we got our bikes for the downhill ride. The bikes only had foot breaks. We had safety guides and a security attachment. We biked back down to the main camp where we had lunch then continued our ride down the mountain to finish at a beautiful water fall. Along the way we stopped to be shown medicinal plants and herbs, plants indigenous to Jamaica and visited a sugar cane field and a orchard. We were then bussed back to our hotel. Entertainment was varied. Every night during dinner at the buffet there was live jazz music and at the lobby, live piano music after dinner. There were a variety of shows nightly. Due to our arrival and departure times, we missed the Steel Drum show both Sunday night. I would have liked to see that. Our departure was seamless and again, we were the only hotel on the bus to the airport. We had pre purchased tickets to use the lounge, which fast tracked us through customs, provided us with food and drink at the lounge. There was even a shower area if you wanted to use it. As our departure was late at night, the airport was not too busy and we probably didn't need the fast track, but I imagine that if it were at a busier time for departures, the $29.00 would be worth it. We had a great time at the Jewel Runaway Bay. My husband was even talking of returning there another year, even before we left!

Sunscape Curacao Resort: excellent resort

Travelled as a couple in April of 2014. Awesome resort, great food, friendly staff. Snorkelling right off the beach. Swim beyond the barrier to see great fire coral. Japanese restaurant very good. Lots of fish and coral to see.

Hotel Los Cactus: Great staff

The staff is just great. You are family here. Love the beach but at night watch out for mosquitoes or sandflies not sure which one . The food well they tried Make sure you tip. Thats what they live on. Great place. The beds are good the room is clean

Memories Jibacoa: Wonderful adults only resort

We really liked Breezes Jibacoa. It is likely the best snorkelling in Cuba from the beach. A large reef is off shore a short distance; it provides snorkellers wonderful marine life without having to take a snorkelling excursion. The staff are excellent at the hotel. we enjoyed the food, especially the Italian a la carte restaurant. Being only 50 minutes from Havana is another real plus. One suggestion we have for the hotel is allowing guests to stay in their room until 3:00 p.m. on check-out day [... read more] when they have an evening flight from Varadero. We had to pay 30 CUC to stay until 3:30 p.m. in our room on our last day. Paying this allowed us to snorkel in the morning and stay in our room until 3:30 p.m.. We would like to see this feature included in the price of the package. This was our second trip to Breezes Jibacoa and we plan to return next year.

Memories Jibacoa: Wonderful Cuban resort

Was very pleasantly surprised by Breezes Jibacoa. Gorgeous beach, lovely grounds, good food, super friendly staff. The rooms were a bit basic, but comfy, reasonably clean and had everything we needed. Excellent facilities and programmes with great music. The sea was a bit too rough while we were there so could not take advantage of all the great watersport equipment there. Close enough to Havana for an easy day trip. Would definitely go again.