Overall a good experience

First off I must say that the staff were great, our Sunwing rep was fantastic and the resort grounds were beautiful. Our room was dated but kept very clean. The beach is nice but has rocks in the water due to the close proximity to the reef. For those looking for a swimming beach, this isn't it. If you are a snorkeler then you will enjoy this beach. This is why I chose this resort. The food in the buffet wasn't good by my standards, but the International and Italian restaurants were good.  [... read more]The Cuban restaurant was pretty much the same as the buffet. I knew going in that food in Cuba is sub standard and it is the beach and the people that make this place memorable. Apparently there are 2 good restaurants on the main highway (can walk to them) where you can eat very well according to people we spoke to at the resort. This resort is small and quaint and very relaxing. Especially good if you are wanting to disconnect from your very busy lives. This resort attracts a lot of older guests but was surprised with the amount of younger people. It was a good mix of different ages. Overall enjoyed my time there. Now if we could only control the weather!

My all-time favourite resort

This resort was a favourite of my late husband’s, and we travelled there together five times. I have since been back twice and was greeted like family. The people there are the kindest, sweetest you will ever meet. The grounds are immaculate, their recovery after the hurricane of 2016 amazing. I hope to return again.

A Great Place!!

The Jibacoa is a great place, a bit tired but small, beautifully located at the base of a green mountain facing the ocean. The sea is very good for snorkeling but with the coral reef in close the swimming is less good. There is a large but not very deep pool. Great dining facilities. We had four special dinners in our week there. The grounds are very tidy, the stray animals not fed at the request of the new manager, the staff as friendly and helpful as possible. We had a wonderful week.

Great Relaxing Resort

Small Resort surrounded by beautiful mountains very picturesque..needs some work especially the showers in the rooms, but I have been told that will be completed in the spring 20!9. Pool was beautiful, Beach was gorgeous! Staff all amazing! Drinks plentiful. Spanish Coffees out of this world. Buffet needs a bit of improvement, but they were working on it. Al la Carte dinners were excellent!...Deserts out of this world. Very clean resort. I was impressed how well they spoke English and fluent G [... read more]erman. Hiking Tour, walking tour through the mountains breathtaking! Trip to Havana well worth it....I must compliment the Managers. They were so involved in all the different activities, halloween, beach party etc...They went to all the A la Carte dinners and asked all the guests if they were satisfied, if anything was lacking...suggestions for improvements etc. They were totally involved 24 hours a day! Kiki and company were awesome. Thank you for taking the time to chat with us and making our stay so comfortable. FYI: Wifi available in room, balcony, pool , lobby and beach area.

Things have changed

Hotel not the same anymore. After travelling almost 10 hours to get there we find our toilet broken which took twelve hours to fix. The Diamond Club is not a necessary addition considering all the things they offered for free over the years is now available for $15 per day per person to get these things. Food was terrible in the buffet but the a la carte restaurants were good. The beach is a disaster both in and out of the water with rocks everywhere making is difficult to navigate. The pool is  [... read more]a mess with many tiles missing leaving it open for cutting your feet. Staff great as always.

Great place to relax

This was not our first time at this resort. We didn't visit the resort in the last 2 years because our son got married and other commitments but we could see the change right away. The food was always OK for us,this time most of the cold food was covered. On the beach now lots of palapas and sun beds, never had to worry that you will not find a place. It was nice to see a lot of ppl on the beach compared to before but a lot of the guests were European ( from England and Germany) so no surprise [... read more] here. We are beach ppl and we like to snorkel. Best snorkeling place so far,we had visited Turks and Caicos last year for a wedding and I can tell you that when comes to snorkeling TCI is not even close. The only issue we had was with the AC in the rooms. When we arrived they assign us a room where the AC was turned off, because of the humidity the moment we open the door to enter the smell of mold fit us in the face. We were given the key of two other rooms, fortunately for us the second had a working AC and no smell.5 days into our trip the AC stop working so we let the receptionist now....nothing was done until the next day when we wen down to reception to complain about it. The person that dealt with our complaint ( we only find out later) was the GM of the resort. We got a room with working AC for the reminder of the trip. Kiki the GM was were pleasant and we like to thank him for what he did for us.We do not care for Ocean view rooms ( as we are on the beach all day) nor for pool view ( something that is considered an "upgrade") as we like to relax in peace. If they are going to fix the AC in all the rooms and put AC in the Dining Room this place will be for sure one of the best in Cuba. As I mentioned the food was Ok , they should invest in stand alone food warmers with lids to cover so the food will stay hot. The tables outside were such a blessing as there is no AC inside. Ppl are nice and they are trying their best to make as feel comfortable and we really appreciated.We will return for sure,just have a nice cold room for us.

Good time in Memorier Jibacoa !!!

I can say with certainty that I am completely satisfied with the fact that I chose the Sunwing > Tripcental.ca with help of David Bell. This is my first visit to Cuba. Many thanks to Arturo Martinez -menager for good done job !!! I will not dwell on the details and assessments of everything that the MJ offers, but if you have the opportunity to use MJ services, it's worth it. A peaceful and blue sky for all my Cuban friends from whom I received an unforgettable and good time spent in paradis [... read more]e!!! - location, location, location !!! Jeanetta room # 2225

Good time in Memorier Jibacoa !!!

I can say with certainty that I am completely satisfied with the fact that I chose the Sunwing > Tripcental.ca with help of David Bell. This is my first visit to Cuba. Unforgettable time in a botanical garden, friendly staff who even greets you by name. Many thanks to Arturo Martinez -menager for good done job !!! I will not dwell on the details and assessments of everything that the MJ offers, but if you have the opportunity to use MJ services, it's worth it. A peaceful and blue sky for all  [... read more]my Cuban friends from whom I received an unforgettable and good time spent in paradise! Miroslaw room # 2225

Jibacoa Cuba Property Pretty

Our first time to this hotel. The grounds at the Jibacoa very pretty, the hills, trees, flowers, beach. Some, maybe many, of the rooms need work done; the bathroom bathtub, mirror, ceiling, the room was fine some of the furniture well used, bed comfortable. Entertainment during dinner and evening shows AWESOME. Staff friendly, maintenance helpful. Our Sunwing Rep Mirlena (I think correct spelling) she was AWESOME; informative, helpful, always a smile, a pleasure to meet her. Food at a la  [... read more]carte restaurant (International) the best. Breakfast & lunch at Italian restaurant good. Buffet was fine. Sand fleas wow, they sure liked me! Pool too warm and shallow, did not use after first day. Beach pretty, Diamond Club service at beach great. Swimming difficult in ocean if water not clear must be careful as coral patches close to shore. Security great. Overall Good in some areas and Fair in others. Thank you.

Very nice place for vacation

On June 26, we first arrived in Memoris. Friends told us about the reef near which the hotel is located. And we got what we wanted - a great place for snorkelling. In addition, this is a very quiet hotel with clean, well-air-conditioned rooms. Evening shows are very pleasant. The hotel staff is friendly and professional. Another advantage of this place - a close location from Havana, and we had the opportunity to visit an interesting excursion. Of the three ala carte restaurants, there are two.  [... read more]They are pretty good, with good service and live music. "Romantic dinner" was very good. Beef and lobster are cooked remarkably. Buffet is common for Cuba. To reliance, the room without air conditioning. Conclusion - we just returned from an interesting vacation. This hotel we are happy to recommend to all lovers of the Cuban holiday.

Such a great holiday, returning soon!

It was our first time at this resort, and my fourth time travelling in Cuba. We went to Memories Jibacoa specifically for snorkelling at the coral reef directly offshore. Our oceanview rooms were perfectly situated at the beach, although one of my family member's rooms had faulty air conditioning which was not resolved during the course of our stay. From reading other reviews, this seems to be an issue at this resort in many rooms and I must admit that I'd be apprehensive about booking there  [... read more]in the future unless air conditioning issues are fixed. Another friend's room in our same building had similar faulty air conditioning, unfortunately. My room was cool, thankfully. My room did leak during a torrential rainstorm one day but, es Cuba... it was ok, no big deal. Having said that, we thoroughly enjoyed the beach and resort amenities. Food in the buffet was fairly decent (especially the desserts!) and we tried things we never would have at home - the standouts were the stewed lamb, steamed clams and cream of pumpkin soup (really!). The best suggestion I have is to ask the staff what their favorites are on the menu, and they'll never steer you wrong. One insider tip is to try the grill near the pool - he cooks over a charcoal bbq and makes incredible shrimp skewers. Speaking of staff, I really have to say that the resort staff is what makes the resort top notch. Every single person we interacted with was amazingly friendly and helpful, and all very efficient and concerned with our needs. Everyone spoke excellent English as well as other languages such as French, German, and more. I will definitely return, hopefully soon, as my passion is for snorkelling the coral reef directly offshore. It's so hard to compare to Varadero resorts, some of which are at a higher star level and as such offer even more amenities, larger food selections, and proximity to off-resort activities in town, etc, but for those who are interested in a quiet resort surrounded by countryside less than 1 hour from Havana, and particularly with diving and snorkelling options on the offshore coral reef which Varadero lacks, I highly recommend this resort.

Nice resort

Our room was very nice. The grounds are kept up. The restaurants were OK. The best food was definitely at the international restaurant. The Diamond club breakfast area was nice & quiet with a wonderful server. Snorkelers loved this beach but for walking or swimming its not so good.

Fabulous resort!

The hotel grounds were beautifully maintained. The rooms were older but definitely clean. Overall I would recommend this resort if your looking to get away somewhere quiet and remote . And the staff was helpful and incredibly friendly

Amazing resort.

This was by far the most beautiful place I have been too. Thank you for all your help DEBBIE for being able to put my sister and I next to each other, our rooms were great. Because my sister Ann had been there many times before we got upgraded to an ocean suite. I have told all (25) family members how wonderfully Kiki (the G.M.) and all his Wonderful staff are WE will probably be phoning or emailing you next year. Thanks again, Sue Dusome. Ontario,Canada.

Very good

Good services and clean very clean rooms. Very beautiful location. The food is ok . I would like to go back . The staff is very good and follow up your request. I have a great time there. I will recommend to my friends.

|Great Reasort better Staff

Just arrived home from a week at MJ, our 9th time there and it gets better with every stay. The weather did not cooperate completely but the facility and staff more than make up for a couple of rainy days. I am not sure why some past reviewers complained about the food. I thought the food selection and quality was the best of my nine stays, both at the buffet and the a la cartes From Kiki and Jose up front to the Roger and Alexei at the beach bar including all the bar staff at the pool, pi [... read more]ano bar and lobby bar, the housekeeping staff and the gardeners to the front desk staff and Sarah and Vivian I saw nothing but smiles all week. I wish all hotels had such staff. Can't wait until we return to MJ for the 10th time.

Love this Place :)

This was our third visit to this resort and out 12th time in Cuba. The resort is small and intimate, snorkeling is amazing and the staff are super friendly. We love the piano bar in the evenings. The hotel itself is getting older. The rooms need renovating but they are clean and comfortable. Water pressure in the shower in lacking in some of the rooms but we always manage. The food is great with enough variety to satisfy but the buffet area is sometimes overrun by birds. The a la cartes are ve [... read more]ry good.

Would go again

Memories Jibacoa My overall impression of our 10 day stay at Memories Jibacoa is very positive despite imperfect weather, (often windy ), and a few minor incidents most of which were immediately responded to. As others have said many of the staff are amazing -special thanks to Vivian at the bar, the helpful front desk staff, Mirena our Sunwing Rep, Elsy who makes the best cold Spanish coffee ever, Mike, and Lionel -lifeguard at the pool and beach and many others who always greeted us with a [... read more] smile. I was under the impression that the quality of training of the staff is very high indeed. The overall design of this hotel is very pleasing with small stucco buildings scattered about, and very pleasant landscaping especially enjoyable from the buffet restaurant balcony. Our room balcony was screened by a beautiful mango tree. Although our suite was close to the stage, thankfully the entertainment always ended early about 10pm if we stayed in. Other activities - though plentiful and fun throughout the day, rarely interrupted if one simply wanted to read in peace. This was a first for me in Cuba after 4 visits to various resorts. We spent quite a bit of time at the pool as the beach was sometimes too windy. You have to “reserve” your tanning bed early as per usual. In this case there simply wasn’t enough shade although gazebos have been erected - they really can only accommodate a couple. We noticed trees have been planted around the pool so this should improve in a year or two. The food is somewhat important to me personally, and we have stayed at all-inclusives in Cuba where the food exceeded expectations. Here on the whole it was pretty good quality (fresh, hot, a point or two above bland), good selection, at any one meal. But it was the same selection every day. The Spanish wine was awful and often watered down. You can buy a bottle of wine on site however and bring your own. We did two a la carte restaurants. At the International Restaurant: the beefsteak was exceptional, cooked to order. The Italian restaurant did not have any pasta except spaghetti although the menu offered other types. My husband was horrified that he received a napkin with lipstick on it there as well. It happens. However, glassware was plentiful everywhere and clean. I wish they would stop using polluting plastic straws however. For me the highlight was the snorkeling. Find Lionel to swim with you to the best places about 300m from shore. It’s not that deep but you shouldn’t count on putting your feet down on sensitive corals or the odd sea urchin lurking there. Please use zinc oxide based sunscreen to wear when swimming as it doesn’t affect the corals while even small amounts of regular sunscreens can kill them. Or use a UV proof T-shirt. If you don’t want to swim far, there are also colourful fish very close to the beach - where you can just float or walk. Hazards do include highly visible Portuguese Man of War which are blown in under certain weather conditions, but asking a beach staff for advice about safety on a given day should be common sense. I brought my own mask, snorkel and borrowed fins from the dive shop. Other activities enjoyed: the hike up the mountain with Mike, warning it IS quite steep, and a taxi tour of Matanzas which has an interesting history and some special architecture. Regularly playing musicians near the lobby - high quality on the whole. While we did not lay out extra for Diamond Club membership we didn’t feel excluded or deprived at all. There is a lot of “opportunity” to tip or pay extra for things so “all inclusive” isn’t quite the case. So skip the Diamond Club and lay out for what you really want is my advice. We had a few minor incidents. At one point we got locked in our room - no idea how this happened. Fortunately we could call the desk (something you shouldn’t always take for granted) and it was addressed very quickly by a technician who got us out. Our TV remote died as well and they replaced the TV and remote within 24 hours. Make the effort to learn some Spanish.. few speak much English at this resort. On the whole I think this is my favourite place in Cuba to date. I’d definitely go again.

Repeat Visit - not a disappointment!

After much anticipation and a bad experience on our November trip in another country, we were very pleased to see all of our friends (aka fabulous staff) at Memories Jibacoa! It is like our second home, as we've lost count of the number of times we've been there. The beach is superb, had some damage from the hurricane....but that means new palapas, which were almost ready by the time we left. Great snorkeling due to many reefs just off the beach. The blocks of rooms were getting a fresh coat [... read more] of paint while we were there. Still needs some updating inside as the rooms are a little tired, but progress is being made. The grounds are looking better than we remember, despite losing a couple of the bigger plants in the hurricane. The food has slipped a bit in our opinion but we never went hungry and we've never come back weighing less than when we got there ;) I'd like to give a shout out to these fabulous people who made our trip (apologies if we didn't get the name quite right): Janet - new General Manager, she was a delight to meet and eager to make everything right for our stay, and for the benefit of future visitors Yeniol - our favourite bar waiter Nelson - the world's best egg and omelette maker Hanoi, Elisa, Joel, Janet, Lester, Noeski and many many more!! - the buffet restaurant wait staff We're already watching the prices for November :)

Great "Memories"

Grounds: The grounds of this resort were beautiful and well kept. The groundskeepers worked very hard and always had a smile on their face. The beach had AMAZING snorkeling right out front with an abundance of live rock and fish. Unfortunately when we were there it was very windy which brought in many Portuguese Man of War jelly fish to the beach by the afternoon so snorkeling was limited to the morning. The beach was cleaned up early each morning. Lots of chairs available on the beach.  [... read more] Rooms: The rooms are dated and could use some updates, however they were very clean and the beds were very comfortable. We had asked for a king size bed but the room we had came with three double beds. We improvised and pushed two of the beds together. Dining: The buffet was not the best. Usually I can find something on the buffet to eat but really struggled at this resort. Lots of amazing fresh fruit though. I was not impressed by the a la cartes either. Features: The staff and animation team were amazing and wanting to please. Most always had a smile on their face. The evening shows that we watched were entertaining and well done.