“Overall good experience, but it's all about your criteria and your expectations!”
Spent one week at Breezes Jibacoa (pronounced “He-ba-koa) vacation with my 17-year old daughter in mid January. We had great weather and above average temps, which I think will always help the bias towards a favorable review. And although it was quite breezy the first 3 days, the beach was only red-flagged for 1.5 days.
As a basis of comparison I have only been to Cuba on one other occasion, and that was at the 5-Star Iberostar resort in Varadero. Breezes Jibacoa does not measure up to that, but does merit the “Cuban” 4-star rating. Everything about the Iberostar, and likely other 5-Star resorts are just that much more refined and done better (entertainment, food, staff). So if you are a 5-Star kind of person, you may be disappointed here.
Breezes Jibacoa is, as others have stated a well-maintained resort, as you can tell from many posted photos. Shoreline is a bit rocky in many places, so beach shoes will come in very handy. Snorkelling was nice and basic equipment is provided. But if you have a decent mask and snorkel, bring it along. No flippers needed in my opinion, but I guess they would help if you have room to pack them.
The rooms are all tiled and clean. Some have flat screen TVs while others have older models. So what! You’re not here to watch much TV, other than catch up on the news or the latest sports score. Our shower pressure was pretty bad but others said their rooms were fine, so I guess it depends where you are. Beds were adequate but not great, and the pillows are of the basic, small cheap variety. In terms of room location, to each his own. We had “pool view” which was fine, and things do quiet down around 10:30PM. Not that it was ever that noisy here. As others have stated, this is NOT a party resort. There are plenty of options for room locations. As long as the resort’s not full, I’m sure you’ll find somewhere you like depending on your tastes and preferences.
As for it not being a party resort, my daughter was struggling to find teenagers to hang out with. At 50, I was still on the younger side of the crowd. I wouldn’t recommend this place to single people under the age of 25 at all, unless they really just want to chill out. There were a lot (mainly European) of people aged 60+, 70+, and even a few 80+. As usual, lots of Canadians and usually in the age 30-50 crowd.
And yes, the pool is cold! How cold? I’m thinking 70F degrees at best. It’s the type of cold that it takes more than “just a few minutes” to get used to. It is true that you won’t find too many people going in unless it’s hot outside. But it IS refreshing on those hot days.
Martino’s, the Italian a-la-carte was fine, but nothing special. Didn’t try the Cuban resto and no one spoke well of it. One could almost always find something to eat at the buffet. Fresh fish, roast turkey, pork, and the weekly lobster night. House wine was also quite satisfactory. But if excellent food is an important criteria then you may be disappointed. If you just want to eat and get on with your day, you’ll be fine. As others have said, the breakfast omelets (or eggs of choice) were always good, and the beach grill served up hot and tasty fish, burgers, chicken.
We also chose to hire a private driver to take us to Havana for the day. Shared the car with a couple we met. Humberto took the four of us all over town (new and old). Highly recommend him. Cost was 70CUC and we gave him 80CUC. That’s 20 CUC per person vs. about 50-60 with the large coach tours. Can’t say enough good things about him. He’s been doing this for 9 years, and his English is very good. He knows where to go, and seems to know half the population of Havana. Just ask the staff at the resort. He’s well known.
The drinks were definitely watered down, and their disposable cups are small!! Again, as others have stated, bring a thermal bottle, mug or whatever. Most people had them.
Bring whatever small gift items you can pack and distribute them throughout the hotel. Small bottles of Advil, Tylenol, other OTC items, toiletries, school supplies, gum, chocolate, make-up. It’s all appreciated. I took some items to Havana and after making one mistake of opening my bag to a crowd of children and their teacher, and getting too much attention, I was told by our guide to hand things out more discreetly, one item at time to a child on their own or with a parent. Good advice!
Tipping is “forbidden” but expected! You will get better service, more smiles dropping a few pesos throughout your stay. 1 CUC at each meal, and for the first and/or second drink of the day.
Internet is slooooow, but it exists if you need your fix. 4 CUC per 30 minutes, most of the time will be spent waiting for pages to load.
With rare exception, front desk reception staff is NOT receptive, nor pleasant! Many of us found them not helpful or interested in our questions/comments. The most glaring example came late one evening when my daughter had her bag stolen in the lower lobby area. Next morning they barely gave her the time of day when she reported it and did not take it seriously. On our last day the on-site Sunwing rep Mildred (a very nice lady) helped us, and the manager gave us a form to complete for the lost item. Where was this official form on day 1? We were never informed, not that it would make any difference.
Unfortunately, and this is a WARNING, most of the travellers I spoke to agreed that there is likely some black market activity going on. My daughter’s bag was stolen late one evening. Another woman put down her camera for a few moments and it was gone. She wrote a long “Lost Item” note only pleading to get the memory card back. No luck. A day later another note goes up in the lobby about “lost” prescription glasses. And we even heard about a couple who turned in some glasses at night, and returned in the morning to inquire if they had been picked up by anyone. The receptionist simply shook her head and said “no, we don’t have any glasses” - only to be told that they were the ones who turned them in. So something is very fishy!! Keep your valuables locked up or near you at all times.
If you’ve read this far, congratulations! Enjoy your trip. Hope I’ve helped with your expectations and planning.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
