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Breezes Jibacoa 12/19/02
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
BREEZES JIBACOA REVIEW We traveled to the Breezes Jibacoa, located halfway between Varadero and Havana, from Vancouver via Air Transat. Vacation date was Dec. 9 to 16, 2002. This was a return visit to our favourite resort for ìthe old folks/” (R+C). Our last visit to Jibacoa was exactly one year ago. We decided to treat our children to an early Christmas present and our travel party totaled six persons. For our son (K) and his girlfriend (D), age 25 +26, this was a second Cuban experience, the previous being at the Barcelo Solymar in Varadero in Jan. 2002. Our daughter (M), age 23 and her female friend and neighbour (J), age 34-also vegetarian, traveled with us. This was the first trip to Cuba for them. Our flight was delayed by well over two hours due to a mechanical problem with the aircraft. We had already begun taxi to the runway, but returned to the terminal and disembarked until the problem was solved. Air Transat staff were professional in their handling of this matter. After an almost 6 hour flight, in what seemed like a sardine can, we arrived at Varadero airport to darkness and rain. Getting through customs was the usual slow but thorough process and lucky us, our suitcases were amongst the last to be unloaded from the plane. All were very relieved when the suitcases finally appeared! The Signature reps. guided us to the waiting bus and off we were- and to my surprise- there were 2 buses going to Jibacoa. Word has gotten out that this is a great resort! The return flight departed early, landing in Vancouver 40 minutes before scheduled arrival. The Resort: The adults only Breezes Jibacoa is a small, remote and compact 250 room resort located between Varadero and Havana. It opened about four years ago and is very well maintained. Layout map of the Jibacoa was submitted and can be found in the resort maps section of debbieís website. This resort is a true lush tropical paradise and a perfect setting for a wedding. Except for the legal costs, weddings are free at this resort and there were three weddings during our stay. Last year, the resort was about at half capacity and dominated by guests from Quebec. This year there were over 400 guests and about 95% were Canadian couples, predominately from western Canada and Ontario. An older clientele is the norm here, and my guess is that 50% of the guests were ìyoung at heart/” couples in their 50s to mid 60ís. Many were multi time returning guests! We heard that the 7th. return visit to this resort is complimentary. There were many younger couples and singles who wanted a relaxing beach vacation with great watersports opportunities which is what the Jibacoa is known for. The Jibacoa is not a party hardy resort! Despite the age differences of the guests, everyone mingled well. The other guests were from Britain, continental Europe and South America. Donít let the ages fool you! This place is a beehive of activity, with something for everyone and I canít imagine anyone being bored here. Our ìyoungsters/” had a great time and are begging to go back. All agreed that Jibacoa is a casual, but classy and very unpretentious place where just about anyone would feel right at home and begin to relax in a matter of hours after arrival. The activities staff is energetic and fun to be with no matter what age you are, but there is never any pressure to participate. Another bonus for Jibacoa is the wheelchair accessibility and there were two guests in wheelchairs at the time of our visit. The resort also offers a well stocked cigar and rum shop, a souvenier shop, a small sundry shop and local artisans come daily to set up hand crafted souvenier items on tables by the games room and on the beach. The VentaClub resort next door allows Jibacoa guests access to their gift shops as well. Prices for some items are a bit lower at VentaClub. The Rooms: The rooms are located in 18, 2 level buildings. Six of the buildings offer oceanview rooms, while the others are garden or poolview. I had emailed the resort requesting the same poolview room we had enjoyed in the past, but we were not allocated this room, nor this building (#13), which was a disappointment. Although we were all in the same building, our rooms were spread between either end. Being familiar with the resort, I would say we were given the least appealing room- so avoid room 1188 in building 12 as it offers a wall of vegetation as the view. We did not request a room change as we feel no one should be entitled to special or extra privileges- returning guest or not. The youngsters had rooms side by side with a much nicer garden view (rooms 1183 & 1184). The rooms are equipped with a clock radio, satellite TV with controller, a coffeemaker with coffee (regular & decaf) & tea, an iron and ironing board, an in-room safe which is in the closet and some rooms also have an electrical converter which you will find in the closet beside the safe, The resort is 220volt but the plugs are flat prong just like in Canada. Donít plug in your equipment without using the converter or you will ìfry/” your curling iron, camcorders, etc. One guest ruined his digital camera the first day by plugging it in for charging without using the converter! The rooms are a generous size and very clean. The beds have firm, but not hard mattresses and the best thing is that they now have new pillows. Hurrah- no more ìflat as pancake/” pillows which were a huge complaint in the past. A small table with two very comfortable chairs, a mirrored dressing table, and a small, cabinet with a door, on which the TV sits, round out the furniture. The closet is plenty big for hanging all your clothes, lots of hangers are provided and there is a small dresser like cabinet inside the closet. The sliding closet doors are large, full-length mirrors. The bathroom is a generous size with a very large mirror and counter area so you can spread out your toiletries. A hair dryer is provided, as are facecloths, a box of Kleenex and small containers of shampoo, conditioner, soaps, and lotion. A thermal type jug for drinking water and glasses are also provided and you can have this filled at any of the bars. Water at this resort is safe to drink, no need to buy bottled water. Water pressure in the shower was not a problem and we always had plenty of hot water for taking showers at all times. Great shower head as well! There is also a wall mounted drying rack. According to our son and based on his experience at the Solymar, the room would have been perfect if a mini-fridge stocked with a couple of cans of cold beer had been available. The maid did a good job cleaning all three rooms and replenishing supplies. No complaints! The Food: This was one of my major concerns because D is a very picky eater and J is vegetarian. I need not have worried! The resort caters primarily to Canadians and so the food is presented and cooked accordingly- nice crisp bacon for breakfast, breakfast sausages, no mushy scrambled eggs, a great custom-made omelet station, lots of fresh fruit, pastries, cereals, French toast, pancakes (no maple syrup), and the best fresh squeezed orange juice you have ever tasted. Since our last visit, they have changed the coffee!!! They used to serve great Cuban coffee, but now it seems they use a very weak American blend. A bit yucky! The cappuccinos are also not as good anymore, but the espresso excellent. A continental breakfast is available for room serve and must be ordered the night before. Forms are available at the front desk. Breakfast service in the buffet ends at 10:30am! For lunch, a snack bar is available at the beach. They open around noon and close at about 5pm, but often they will run out of certain things by late afternoon- especially the pizza. The offerings are limited to hotdogs, hamburgers, fries, chicken and great custom topping pizza. Try the ice cream- itís delicious! The buffet named Los Girasoles is also open for lunch. Again the variety is excellent and there were many, many options to choose from for vegetarians. The salad bar is heavy on cabbage- both red and green, with lettuce being less readily available. Three types of salad dressings were available at all times. The standard Cuban offerings of fish, pork and chicken- all excellent- were the norm. A custom pasta station was very popular with several members of our family and unlike what others have complained about, the pasta was not fried in pools of cooking oil. The buffet opens for dinner at 6:30 and we usually ate shortly thereafter so we never encountered problems with the food not being hot enough. Other reviews have complained about this. Again, there was good variety and we especially enjoyed the vegetables, which were cooked but still crunchy. The offerings varied and included turkey, baron of beef, shrimp, mussels, various types of fish, ragouts, chicken and pork. Thursday evening is lobster night! If you have a sweet tooth, Jibacoa is the resort for you! The cake and pastry available for dessert at both lunch and dinner are worthy of second helpings. Friday night is Gala Night at the buffet and if youíre a chocoholic like I am, youíll go crazy at the dessert bar so leave plenty of space for desserts. No one in our group ever went away from the buffet still hungry and second helpings were the order of the day even for D, our picky eater. Our son, who seems to have a ìhollow leg/” when it comes to food and eats like a lumberjack, did initially complain that the Jibacoa did not offer as much variety at the buffet as he was offered at the Solymar. We needed to remind him that it is not feasible for a smaller resort to offer as extensive a variety of food and that our experience at the Solymar was unusual in that the big bosses from Spain were at the resort while we visited, so they really outdid themselves to impress. Red or white wine is available for both lunch and dinner. The wines are Cuban from the Pinar del Rio area and both were enjoyable. Snacks are available 24 hours from the fridge located next to the lobby bar. We chose to reserve only one a la carte dinner at the Cuban restaurant. The a la carte restaurants offer little, almost nothing for vegetarians-salad, rice and black beans. Calamari appetizers were excellent! The menu has changed little since our last visit but the meal was delicious. A couple from Toronto (she was Italian) did report that Martinoís Italian a la carte exceeded their expectations and it is a wonderful venue for a romantic dinner. This restaurant is very popular so book at the front desk upon arrival. All a la carte restaurants and the inside area of the buffet restaurant are smoke-free environments. Non-smokers may want to sit away from the open windows however as smoking is allowed on the balcony and terrace area of Los Girasoles. On the negative side, we found that this resort is not well geared for groups of six. They discourage pushing tables together so we ended up requiring two tables and ate either as a group of four and two, or in two groups of three. Bars & Drinks: Since our last visit, they have made cards listing the various Cuban cocktails, which helps those visiting Cuba for the first time. There is not a swim-up bar at this resort, but the pool bar is close by. There is also a beach bar, a 24 hour lobby bar and a bar in the disco. Our favourite place in the evening was the piano bar, located above the front desk so look for the staircase to the right. Each bartender has their own style and specialties so you may find some inconsistencies from bar to bar. Mojitos were only available one day due to a shortage of mint. No worries though as I discovered a new cocktail called a ìMulata/” and a lesson for making this drink followed in short order. You must try a Breezes Jibacoa coffee after dinner. It packs a major punch and can only be described as something between a Spanish or Irish coffee. Thermal mugs are welcome at this resort! One frustration we encountered on this trip was the rationing of bottles of premium alcohol. For several days, it was impossible to get any Havana Club 7 year by early evening. We were told that each bar is given only one bottle of this ìliquid gold/” per day and when itís gone, thatís it until the next day. Same thing happened with some of the liqueurs required for the cocktails. Cristal beer is available on tap at all bars and for those wishing something refreshing without alcohol, try one of the fruit slushies. There are many student apprentices presently working at the resort, both in the bars and eateries. In many cases, the students provided better service, were more eager to please and much more grateful for the tips. Activities: Where does one begin? Jibacoa may be remote due to its location, but I canít imagine anyone getting bored here. The offerings are truly overwhelming from the morning hike up the mountain with Eric- donít miss this one, to Spanish language and dance lessons, beach games, pool games, Cuban history lessons, bingo, horseshoe tournaments, a fitness center, yoga, aerobics, and afternoon walk to a local farm. You can literally go from one activity to the other all day long! The games room is open 24 hours as well. Scuba lessons for beginners are offered in the pool on Mon. Wed. & Fri. so sign up quickly for this at the watersports centre. After that, they will take you out for a shallow dive- no extra cost. Certified divers are offered two to three dives per day, weather permitting. Three of us are certified divers (R has 34 years of diving experience) and we opted for a shallow dive at the beginning of the week before the weather broke down and the red flags went up. We were aware that the dive equipment provided is in good condition so we didnít bring our own. Besides, we use dry suits and we would have roasted! In the past, the dive team were permitted to take underwater photos of clients and offer them for sale. Management no longer allows this and we kicked ourselves for not bringing the underwater housing for our digital camera. On a negative note, I was very disappointed and somewhat appalled at the greed of some of the other diving guests. Although diving is free and included in the all-inclusive package, I found it distasteful that they continually tried to ìhog/” every available diving opportunity at the expense of those guests who had not yet had the chance to dive, They were always first to hop into the small diving boat, even though they had just come back from a dive. I must commend the fellows who run the dive centre as they politely requested the ìdiving hogs/” to disembark and give others a chance. Kayaks and snorkeling equipment are available and unlike most resorts, they donít restrict you to only one hour per day. Snorkeling is right off the beach and amazing! Depending on where you enter the water, the reef is as little as 10 feet away from shore. Like swimming in a marine aquarium! Take a small piece of bread from the buffet or bring some fish food pellets from home to feed the fish. Absolutely no signs of the oil spill from three years ago. Windsurfers are available, you can sign up to be taken out on a catamaran, or use the Hobie Cat if you know what youíre doing. Almost new mountain bikes are available at the lobby entrance. These activities are all included in the all-inclusive package. Various tours are available at extra cost. The youngsters all went on the day tour to Havana offered by our Signature rep. and loved it. Havana is an amazing city and they felt the guided tour was worth every penny of the $51.00US per person they paid. I admit to being a bit concerned that our very outgoing, gregarious daughter would possibly get bored at Jibacoa. Not a chance! She had a great time. One highlight for the youngsters was walking along the road off the resort and meeting the locals. We were well equipped to play Santa with our knapsacks loaded with gifts for the Cuban families who came out to greet us. We also walked along the beach, past the resorts to the local Cuban campground. They have an open- air disco here that rocks. The on-site resort disco, which closes at 2 a.m., offered a variety of dance music and was well attended. The swimming pool is also open 24 hours, just try not to be too loud if you plan a 3 a.m. swim. The hot tub is a great place to relax and unwind after a crazy night at the disco. The Entertainment: This would have to be our biggest disappointment. It didnít help that the weather was less than co-operative as the skies opened every evening with a major downpour. Living in Vancouver, we thought we were already experts when it comes to rain, but boy were we surprised at the magnitude of those storms. Donít forget to bring an umbrella!! Usually the evening shows are held on an outdoor stage with the guests sitting on the terrace around the pool. The shows were moved indoors to the disco and this venue was small, so it didnít do the entertainment any justice. The shows were also a repeat from last year. We had been looking forward to hearing the house band again. The lead musician plays a wicked trumpet, but has changed his group of musicians and they now play lounge type music instead of those great Cuban tunes. Bit of a yawner! Happily, Quarteto Akarey, now a quintet, came to play at the resort for three days, both down at the beach and at dinner in the buffet. These guys are amazing and play traditional Cuban tunes. Bet you wonít be able to sit still listening to these guys! They also offer CDís for sale- we now own all three and I highly recommend you buy at least one CD. They are good quality, so no worries. Also available from the DJ or a member of the animation staff is a CD of those catchy tunes they play around the resort all day. This is a ìmust have/” item and worth every penny of the $15.00 they charge. If nothing else, it keeps those wonderful memories alive until your next trip to Cuba. The Ugly: For the first time ever, we experienced a theft while on vacation. Wet bathing trunks, hung over the arm of our patio chair and fastened with clothes pegs so they wouldnít get blown away, were stolen. They took the clothes pegs as well!! It happened sometime between when we left for dinner and the next morning. The dense foliage in front of our patio provided excellent cover for the thief, I should have known better! Thankfully we all travel with several bathing suits. I doubt very much that resort staff were the culprits. I suspect it may well have been another guest who was desperate for some beachwear as we heard that at least eight passengers on a flight from Europe had arrived the previous day, but their suitcases had been lost in transit. We reported the incident to our Signature rep. without making a big deal of it. Summary: We had a great family vacation despite the weather being less than stellar this year. J loved the resort and Cuba in general, and has vowed to go back soon. She said this vacation was much better than her previous experience at Club Med in Cancun. D much preferred the Jibacoa to the Solymar in Varadero. She loved the diving and snorkeling. K liked the Jibacoa for the snorkeling, but longs to go back to the white sand beach of the Varadero peninsula. A two week vacation split between Jibacoa and the Breezes Varadero would be ideal for him. Heís already begun saving up for next year. M had a great time and canít wait to go back to Cuba. Sheíd be happy to go back tomorrow if we paid for the trip and has already signed up for Spanish lessons. As for the ìold folks/”, this continues to be our very favourite resort in Cuba and we will return again soon. You can view some of our holiday photos at http://community.webshots.com/user/yvrcuba Sorry for the lengthy review and thanks for your patience in reading it. I canít imagine that I forgot anything, but if you still have any questions, feel free to get in touch with us. Email is YVRcuba@hotmail.com.
Vancouver Family
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