Surrounded by beautiful tropical forest and breathtaking mountains, the Cameleon Villas Jibacoa is truly a magical place. We were there in January of this year. The weather was amazing, not a drop of rain the whole trip.

Hi , I spent spring break in Cuba with my 16 year old daughter. We left my husband and older two boy's at home. I found the reviews on this sight to be very accurate. Just a few points to add.

The direct flight from Vancouver was just under 6 hours. We flew air transat on an airbus 310-300 and if going to Jibacoa would recommend spending the extra $30 per person to prebook your seats. On the return flight the bus from Jibacoa arrives at the airport last and by the time you are checked- in there were very few seats left together. We prebooked row 29 A and B in a row of 2 seats and these were great. It took the full 3 hours to get checked in, pay the 25 pesos tax and go through customs.

At the resort I didn't find the front desk staff as helpful as some others had mentioned. On arrival we were not given any info such as where the dining hall was, what times were meals, map of the resort etc. We had our intro the next morning but it would have been helpful if there was a print out at the front desk or in the rooms for reference. The room was clean but basic. Take your own face clothes and hair dryer if you need it. The rooms had both 220 and 110 voltage so converters were not necessary. Also take shampoo as its not provided.

We took our own beach towels and left them with the staff when we left. There is a 10 peso deposit for beach towels.

We really liked the location of this resort. 1/2 way between Varadero and Havana. We took a day trip to Varadero which made me appreciate Jibacao area. At Jibacoa you could ride your bike into small towns and though farming communities which were more typical of Cuba than Varadero. We also took a taxi with a guide with 2 other families from the resort to Havana. This worked very well except for where they took us for lunch. The food was worse than at the resort and pricey ( 30 pesos for the two of us)

One thing not mentioned on this forum was that the drinking age in Cuba is 16 years old, but the drinking age at the resorts is 18. We found this out on the second to last day of the trip. My 16 year old had been given a green bracelet(meaning she could access the bars) and I wasn't aware that the resorts had different age limits. Not that she drank much but I did allow her to have the odd pinacolada with "poco" a little rum.

She loved this resort and is begging to return next year. She appreciates what she has in Canada after talking to many Cubans and seeing their living conditions.

Our flight. We flew with Air Transat out of Pearson on March 31 at 6:20 a.m. and arrived in Varadero at about 9:45 a.m.. Our flight was on time and went very smooth. The pilot said that we were two hours and 56 minutes in the air. Not bad. Although the flight was short we found that getting through customs and immigration at Varadero was long. It took about one hour and 20 minutes to get through customs and onto our bus to the Cameleon Villas Jibacoa. Our tour rep on the bus was quite knowledgeable and his command of English was very good indeed. He was a university student at the University of Matanzas which we passed on the way to our hotel. He gave us the history of Matanzas city and province and I came away from our trip to the hotel knowing much more about Matanzas and its place in Cuba. We stopped for a moment to visit and take some photos of the highest bridge in Cuba which was on the way to our hotel. At that point the bus broke down (oh oh I thought I hope this isn't a portent of things to come on this vacation) but fortunately we had only to wait 50 to 60 minutes for a replacement bus out of Varadero. We were lucky that that was the place the bus decided to break down because there was wash rooms facilities and a place to get a cold drink there. And it was also very scenic with lots of opportunities to take photos of the beautiful valley below. And on the bright side it saved us the expense of taking a taxi there later in the week as that is what we had planned LOL.

Check-in. Arriving at the Cameleon at 1 PM we were then promptly and efficiently checked in by the front desk staff. It was a quick check in for us. Now this sure looks like a better start to the vacation than the bus breaking down. We were assigned room number 85 at the very back of the Cameleon property. At the front desk you could exchange your Canadian money for CUC. The rate this week was about 77 CUC's for 100 Canadian dollars. It wasn't any different exchanging at the hotel than it was exchanging at Varadero airport. Actually we got slightly more at the hotel! Go figure!

The Property. On walking through the property we were very impressed by the maturity of the trees and the general layout of the bungalows or cottages whichever you wanted to call them. The landscaping was absolutely beautiful with bougainvillea, oleander, hibiscus, and King Palms and very tall pines throughout the property. The marvelous sound of singing birds and the knocking sound of the redheaded woodpeckers as they searched for lunch rang throughout the property as we walked to our room. It was kind of like a mini Eco-Park at the foot of some lovely not too high mountains. Since it was spring there was several trees in bloom. I'm not sure but I believe they are called Primavera. They looked stunning with fairly large yellow blooms on leafless branches. Our first impressions of the property were so very positive and remained that way throughout the week.

The room. It was a five-minute walk from the lobby. The porter arrived with our baggage within five minutes and we were unpacked in no time. Very nice room, spacious but Spartan in its furnishings. The room was furnished with two double beds and we also had a day bed. We had quite a nice size closet with lots of hangers and a small chest of drawers in the closet also. The safety deposit box is on the wall in the closet and is opened with your room key. The safety deposit box is an extra cost of two CUC per day (well worth it). The bathroom is quite a nice size with a toilet, a good-sized vanity counter with sink and hairdryer. There is also a shower stall. The water was quite hot all week at any time of day. In the main room we also had a television,a writing desk, a fridge at no extra charge (a definite must for keeping your food in as there is an ant problem if you leave food uncovered in your room) . Two bedside tables with lamps. There was both 220 volt receptacles and 110 volt receptacles in both the bathroom and the main room. I did wonder about the day bed as I really didn't know if this is supplied in the rest of the rooms at this resort. The rooms in our block were quite spacious. On generally looking from the exterior at some of the other rooms that were closer to the beach they looked somewhat smaller but still big enough for two people. We were quite happy with our room. Housekeeping was just marvelous all week and we were treated to towel art every day and some fresh flowers (bougainvillea, oleander) almost every day. Housekeeping sure try to look after you very well and in our case succeeded beyond our expectations.

The beach. The beach length in total in front of both hotel properties that you could walk comfortably was approximately 2 km long. 1 km in front of the hotels and another kilometer in front of the Laguna Cuban holiday campsite to the west of the Cameleon property. The Cuban holiday campsite beach was actually very nice indeed with beige-off-white soft powdery sand and good swimming. The beach at waters edge in front of our hotel and the Brisas hotel next door was a little more grainy and coarse. That said the beaches were quite nice and were a light golden color (not quite white). Of course my wife Karen tells me that I am a total beach snob! After having spent so much time in Cayo Largo spoiled brat that I am I unfortunately do comparisons. Sorry I can't help it.

The pools. Two pools side-by-side. Absolutely marvelous. They are in such a wonderful place close by the beach with a fantastic view of an aqua colored ocean to the north and manicured gardens and wooded mountains to the south. This location that the pools are in is the best I've ever seen. The water is freshwater in the pools and it was just a perfect temperature all week long. We swam every day and enjoyed a certain amount of time at the pool every day. On one occasion (the first Sunday we were there) they had a band to entertain us all afternoon. Just beautiful. Mojitos flowing generously at the pool bar, beautiful dancers, Cuban music! What more could you want. It was a pinch me afternoon. There are quite a few lounges so we never did do the towel bit to reserve lounges and and we always managed to get a couple of lounges when we decided to have a swim at differing points in the day.

Dining rooms and food. We never wanted for anything all week. The buffet was where we ate all week.

Breakfast. For breakfast there was freshly squeezed orange juice which was delicious. You had a choice of cold meats, potatoes most mornings with beans or some other vegetable. There was hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, cheeses, pancakes and of course my favorite which is a freshly made omelet with your choice of several fillings. We did have the omelet most mornings. There was lots of cereal, yogurt and quite a lot of fresh fruit and some canned fruit. I thought the choice for breakfast was very good. There was two toasters working every morning. There was other breads and bread rolls available as well.

Lunch. For us lunch was just great. A nice selection of meats. Pork, chicken, fish. Some cold meats. French fries most days and other types of potatoes. Lots of salads and wonderful tomatoes. Pizza was available most days. Soup was available most days (two kinds). Three varieties of ice cream for dessert (which I took full advantage of). For dessert also you could have sliced fruit or different cakes and pastries. Since we were only at the resort for a week we had absolutely no problem with variety of food. Your lunch beverage choice was beer, white or red wine or ice water. Excellent.

Dinner. Dinner was always good. You had the same variety of meats that you had at lunch. The grill was always working with either pork or chicken freshly grilled. You had the same variety of vegetables and pastas that you had at lunch also. Two varieties of soup also. They did have pizza every night. They also had three varieties of ice cream every night and lots of fruit and cake desserts. Both Karen and I wanted for nothing any time we dined at the buffet. Beer and wine were also served at dinner if you so desired. We really liked when they put a large pitcher of iced water with lots of ice on your table. This was just great.

Restaurant staff at the buffet. I can't say enough about this group of people who made every meal a thoroughly enjoyable experience. It just amazes me that a three-star hotel would have such professional, courteous and friendly staff. Most of the staff spoke good enough English to us which we appreciated very much as even our Spanglish is very bad. My attempt at Spanish is more likely to be called manglspanglish. They all went out of their way to make every meal a pleasant experience. The staff were very friendly with the dinner chat and genuinely interested in who you are and what you do and very proud that you picked their restaurant to come and have your lunch or dinner at. They are all extremely proud to be Cuban and both Karen and I were extremely proud to be their guests.

Bars. What can I say. The service was impeccable. There are two bars at this Hotel, the lobby bar and the pool bar. Just watching these guys at both bars handle so many people and do it with a smile, yes always with a smile. They do an amazing amount of labor-intensive cocktails here. They even had martini glasses. When doing Spanish coffees they certainly put on a show for everyone. One bartender told me that he had 21 Spanish coffees on the go at one time sometime last year. Wow! I liked the lobby bar myself and frequented it more so than the pool bar. The pool bar was also very good but we really didn't hang around the pool too much. You could have mixed cocktails at either one. At the pool bar they served snacks from when they opened to when they closed. Their usual fare was ham sandwiches either plain or toasted and also hot dogs. There was no french fries available at any time here. But those snacks were just enough for Karen and I to tide us over between lunch and dinner. The staff were just amazing at both bars and their command of English was excellent. They are the friendliest and most courteous bar staff I've ever met in Cuba and that's saying something.

Tours. There was lots of coach tours available both to Varadero and Havana and other parts of Cuba. There was local scooter tours available as well. There was Rambo four-wheel-drive tours available through the surrounding countryside. We didn't avail ourselves of any of these tours. We decided to take a taxi into Havana and the Tours desk in the lobby arranged for us to get a taxi for six hours at the cost of 90 CUCs. Each additional hour if you go over the six hours is 10 CUCs. A bargain I would say. We had a great driver with a terrific knowledge of the city and a great command of English and we were thoroughly happy with all of his suggestions on places to visit. He went out of these way to show us different things about Havana than the usual. It was a great experience. He was born and raised in Havana so he knew all the ins and outs. Our Tours rep from Nolitours was Marie Claude and she was a very knowledgeable person and gave us the heads up about the pitfalls and of course many joys of visiting Cuba. A very friendly woman always with a smile and a good word.

The Hotel in General.This is a fairly small resort with about 110 lowrise bungalow motel-like rooms spread throughout the grounds. It is quite intimate and you get to know almost all of the guests and staff by the end of the week. It is quite laid-back and very comfortable. The only minor irritation was that hotel sidewalks are a little rough I would say. The walkways are a little rundown and definitely need some work to be done on them over the slow tourist period. Coming home at night after a few Mojitos under your belt could be dangerous as there are quite a few potholes. The grounds at this hotel are absolutely beautiful though. So I guess a few potholes is just small potatoes. We found everything else to be pretty good for a three-star hotel. Absolutely fabulous value for money here really. This holiday would compare more than favorably with any holiday I've ever had in Cuba at four or five-star establishments. Karen and I will definitely be back to this Hotel in the near future. Just another thing about this property is that it is in a most beautiful part of Cuba. There are lots of hikes to do if you strikeout on your own. We did every day. We actually were invited for lunch at a local farmhouse when we asked if we could pass through their property. It was a lovely experience and gave us some new ties to Cuba. I have put a few photographs of the holidays together on the Web and if interested they can be viewed at the link below.

Richmond Hill, Canada This resort chosen because it was small, quiet and has great snorkeling. We are a couple in our early 40’s, avid snorkelers and are beach people. This is our second trip to Cuba; we were in Holguin last year. Overall, we had a fabulous week that was relaxing & quiet. We will definitely be returning.

Flight & transfer
We flew the afternoon flight out of Toronto, on Westjet. It was a great flight…Westjet is on of the best! The seats are comfy and the staff helpful. “Lunch” was a turkey deli sandwich, cheese & crackers and a butter tart. No complaints, except the butter tart was stale.

Arrived at Varadero a few minutes early…no problems at immigration and getting our luggage. Changed $150 CDN to CUC at the airport, again no problems. Hubby bought a couple of beers and pops for $8 CUC, $2 each. Great to have the refreshments for the 50 – 60 min. bus ride to the resort. The transfer bus was good and included a rep from Cubanatours. The rep was informative and tried hard to be entertaining (he was).

Check-in / Front Desk
On arrival, had DH get the luggage and I went to check-in. Staff was friendly and efficient. All the rooms are already assigned, so check-in was quick. Inquired about a safe and was instructed to come back the next day. Bellhop was quick and again informative. When we asked if dinner was still available as it as already 8:45pm, he said he would call ahead to the buffet to keep it open an extra ½ hour to 10pm to feed us newbies. Great service.

Rooms
As noted in other review, the rooms are in groups of 4 or 6, in bungalows. Each room has its own patio with 2 chairs and small side table. This was great for sitting at for reading or just relaxing. We met many people at the resort this way. The rooms themselves are fairly basic but were comfortable and clean. We did not have any ants in our room. Any food we had was put in to the fridge for safekeeping (from ants). There were two bugs over course of the week…but we are in the tropics! Our room had 2 doubles, which we pushed together…felt like a huge king sized bed! If you like your pillow high…bring yourself an extra one. We brought our memory contoured pillows with us…can’t seem to sleep well w/o them! No problemos… our maid, Yanet, was great! Watch out for the floors when wet…they can get pretty slick!

Beach  We spent most of our time here…while the sand is not white…it is just fine. Snorkeling is great…the reef is very close by and the amount of marine life is quite varied. We brought our own snorkel equipment, as did many of the other guests. We tried to snorkel everyday, however there was dependant on the weather and how windy it was…no point going if you can’t see anything!

The hobie cat rides were awesome. We got in some good waves and got really wet…boy it was FUN! Would advise you to stay on the part of the beach closest to the lobby/beach bar. This part is quieter and you don’t hear the noise/music from the pool.

Pool
We did not spend a great deal of time here. A couple of afternoons at most. We did catch one of the afternoon dance shows and the Band. Both were good, but by the end of the week…a little repetitive (they play at the shows and during dinner at the buffet. There were always loungers available, as well as shade if desired.

Food
As they say…you don’t go to Cuba for the food. I am a very picky eater.
Generally Breakfast is good, lunch okay, dinner, not so good. Breakfast always had made to order eggs, a veggie, hotdogs and bacon. There was also an assortment of cold cuts & cheese if you wanted a sandwich. The fruit / cereal bar was always fresh. Lunch always featured a grilled protein, pasta, fish and fries. While the variety was limited, everything appeared fresh and was replenish regularly. On one day, there was fresh shrimp on the grill. Very good, but the heads were still attached (I’m okay with this) and on another there was liver. Needless to say, it was not very popular! There were other meat dishes to choose from on that day though. Dinner, I found it to have slimmer pickings…there was usually a roast of some kind (Turkey (twice that week), pork and grouper), the same pasta, boiled potatoes and veggies. There are a large number of mixed salads (didn’t try any) and a small salad bar (cabbage, some lettuce, cucumbers and carrots) with oil & vinegar for dressing. As I said, I’m picky…I know others enjoyed the food, I just like more taste! Definitely bring your own condiments…ketchup, parm. Cheese (for pasta) and hot sauce. They had Tabasco available if that’s good for you. If you are still hungry after these meals…you could get a grilled hot dog or ham & cheese sandwich from the pool bar. I enjoyed the hot dog, and the ham & cheese were not bad.

Ala Carte – Thought this was excellent. The appetizers were good, included chicken salad, shrimp & crab and green salad. This was already very filling. Entrée, we had the fish, which was Mahi Mahi. Beautifully grilled, with lobster on top and rice with beans. Dessert was a choice of flan or fresh fruit. All was excellent.

Bars
There are two bars at this resort. Would say that the best one is the Lobby/Beach bar. The bartenders were excellent (Alberto is very good) and pour good and yummy drinks. Try the chocolate monkey…it’s like dessert and YUM YUM! The mojitos here were definitely better than the Pool bar. We found the staff at the Pool bar to be a little stand offish and not as friendly as the Lobby bar. Here too, we did not find the drinks poured as good as the Lobby bar.
Service at the Lobby bar was always prompt.

Excursions
We went to Havana for the day…our guide was good and very informative. Would recommend that to anyone that has not been to Havana. This is an amazing city, very old and full of cool places to explore. We did not go on any other excursions, however we spoke to others that did the Catamaran & Matanzas River tours…and they highly recommended this as well.

My boyfriend and I just returned from a week at this resort during the school March break. We are a couple in our early 40’s and went without my children. Both of us work very hard and were looking for a very quiet holiday away from it all. This is definitely what the resort delivered and we found the reviews we’d read mostly very helpful.

Travel to Cuba
We left early in the morning from Toronto, Ontario and, other than being served an absolutely horrible Burger King Breakfast Sandwich, had a great flight. I don’t know how large people fit into those planes (we had an airbus) but we’re both on the short slight side so it wasn’t a problem for us. I recommend taking a cheap pair of headphones rather than pay for a new set on the flight – anything with a mini-jack works.

Upon landing we were ushered through customs easily, picked up our luggage, and then spotted our tour operator name and were directed to the right bus. We were happy to pay $2 for a cold beer and enjoyed the interesting 55 minute trip to the resort. The bus is typical of everything in Cuba and didn’t have toilet paper so I strongly recommend taking some little packets of Kleenex with you.

The resort
At the resort we filled in our room cards and were taken to our room. The resort has lots of little bungalows that, if not fancy, are clean and spacious and air-conditioned. Our key didn’t work so the porter let us in and later we went back and got a replacement. The room came with 3 large towels so we didn’t ‘rent’ beach towels but we did rent a safe for the really valuable things we brought. Request a double bed by the way or you will get to sleep in 2 twins for your trip. Apparently our travel agent didn’t manage to request one large bed but the staff were very happy to push the 2 together and make them up and it was actually very comfortable. The pillows are smallish and there are only 2 so if you really need 2 you’d better think about bringing one. We couldn’t get an extra although we did ask. Our shower also fell off the wall but after some ‘do-it-yourself’ messing about we managed to get it pointing in a reasonable direction. The shower stall itself was large and very nice.

The beach was great and we spend all our time there. You’d never know that the resort was full though because there was always plenty of room, free chairs and shade or sun. We had a problem with Portuguese man-o-war jellyfish the first couple of days and only waded but the winds changed and we got to snorkel and swim lots after that. The sand was clean and white, the grounds are well cared for and the bar is close by. What more could one want?

The snorkel equipment is plentiful and can be picked up anytime from a hut near the pool and returned by 4:30 or kept over night at your room. The coral is great and the reef and pretty fish are found by walking out into the water in front of the resort. Some of the people who went out on the Hoby Catamaran saw sharks but they were further out and were whale sharks not great whites or anything like that.

There were a couple of shows by the pool which were entertaining and if you’re into salsa lessons or Spanish lessons or water volleyball you can take part at various times of the day.

Food
The food was the downside. There was lots of it and breakfast was very good but there was basically the same thing 2 meals a day for 7 days. Fish or chicken fried in oil, overcooked pasta in tomato sauce, really really overcooked veggies. I was dying for a decent salad (they had shredded carrots and cabbage and greenish tomatoes and oil and vinegar) or a sandwich by the time we were done. You can have something grilled by the pool and I heartily recommend that. The ice cream is also excellent.

Trips
We went to Varadaro which was ok but we wouldn’t go again. It was mostly a touristy commercial shopping trip and we aren’t shoppers so we could take it or leave it.

We did the whole day and Tropicana show in Havana and really enjoyed that. Havana is a fascinating city and our guide was excellent. The show was top notch as well and the whole trip was definitely worth the cost.

Things to take:
Carry toilet paper with you – there isn’t any in the bathrooms 90% of the time or they’ll want to sell it to you at the bathroom door.

Travel mugs – we took 2 dollar store travel cups and did all our drinking from them. Besides saving the environment they hold three beer… of margaritas, or martinis, or whatever.

Band-Aids, calamine lotion, sunscreen, sunburn stuff, an antihistamine … you never know and we used them all at one point!

We took stuff for the Cubans - its hard to get toothbrushes and makeup and razors and bicycle patches and stuff like that in Cuba so we took lots of dollar store stuff like that and distributed it to staff members. We are also musicians and took reeds for clarinets and saxophones that the musicians we met were incredibly grateful for. We’re sending them instrument pads and repair stuff as well because they really need them.

My second visit to this resort. I travelled here exactly the same date last year. Quite a different experience this year, due to a "plague" of Portuguese Man O' War that made snorkelling and ocean swimming all but impossible.

Arrival: I can't say enough about the way this resort treats returning guests. My flight got in fairly late in the evening, and when I arrived at my room the lights were on, the air conditioner was running, there was a fruit plate and a sandwich plate in my fridge, and a nice note welcoming me and inviting me to a special dinner for repeat clients. This in addition to Nolitours gift of rum and coffee and a 1.5 liter bottle of water. The porter brought my bags promptly and informed me of the "goodies" in the fridge.

Room: Room #6, exactly where I wanted to be. Close to the beach, nice view, comfortable room in a quiet location. My maid did a wonderful job keeping things clean and tidy, and amused me daily with "towel art". The water here is always hot and plentiful. (solar heater with units on the roof) The A/C had a problem the first night, (noisy & dripping water) but before I could report it the next morning, my maid had noticed and when I returned from breakfast the repairs were just being completed. Excellent service! I find the beds at Cameleon more comfortable than most. They are softer, which might not suit everyone, but I find the beds at most resorts are too firm for me. At Cameleon I got a good night's sleep.

Beach: Of course, this beach is golden, not white, and it's quite short. If you crave more walking, you can continue to the west past the Cuban campgrounds and go for quite a ways (with the occasional inland detour on sandy paths). As you pass the point at the end of the resort beach, you will often encounter Cubans who are looking for handouts of clothing or supplies. While I sympathize with poverty in Cuba, I do find it difficult to feel charitable towards rather pushy individuals who on one memorable occasion were dressed better than I was, and who had obviously been better fed! In the mornings it was interesting to watch a Cuban biology class who came most days to study the marine life. There is lots of shade at the beach, and enough chairs so it is never necessary to play the "towel game" of reserving a shady spot. It was necessary to watch where you walked on the beach this year, because of the washed up Portuguese Man O' War's that littered the beach and continued to wash ashore after the seaweed and debris had been raked in the morning. I did quite a bit of sailing on the Hobie Cat, despite it being out of commission for a day while having the hull repaired. When I saw the boat upside down on the beach I expected the worst, but was delighted to find it back in service (as promised) the following day.

Weather: Windy the first couple of days....which of course was the reason for so many PMOW's later in the week. We had red flags all week, but only the first 2 days because of wind. Jellyfish stings are never pleasant, and those from PMOW's can be dangerous. I did manage to snorkel a few times, but it was nerve wracking and tense, keeping an eye out for the floating monsters! Several people did get stung, although most superficially. One woman was stung while kayaking when she inadvertently hooked the tentacles of a Man O' War with her paddle and suffered a couple of welts on her arm.

Food & Drink: Just as I remembered from last year. Only one a la carte restaurant which I did visit this year and found the food very good. Most days I ate at the buffet for all three meals, although there is snack food available at the pool bar and on one occasion there was a BBQ and buffet served there for lunch. There was also live entertainment....a very good band with singers....one afternoon at the pool. I had no difficulty finding enough tasty food to eat, and the Spanish Coffee is still excellent at the lobby bar.

Activities: There is a full slate of free activities, ranging from physically challenging like the hike up the hill (which is worthwhile for the view) and the bicycle tour to the less strenuous walking tour and the Spanish lessons. I didn't go on any of the off resort excursions, but there are all the usual choices including of course Havana tours.

Pool: I spent more time here than I usually would, because of the beach conditions. There are two pools, and the deeper one is just fine to swim in.

Internet: Although a bit slow, this was quite reliable and I used it for all my communications home. There is only one computer, located at the lobby. It was not in constant use and I seldom had to line up to use it.

Staff: As I remembered from last year, the staff are very pleasant and helpful. It was interesting to note at the special dinner for returning guests that when asked they all cited "staff" as a major reason for their return.

I will try not to repeat the reviews listed. The one I used as a guide, was the review by YVRck, Vancouver Dec 2006 by Debbies. I would like thank them for their professional guide.

We are in our 70’s and just returned for 2 weeks from Cameleon villas this is our second trip to Cuba . Last year we stayed at Breezes resort (4 star)-next door to Cameleon (3 star). There are some differences. First the Breezes Jibacoa (250 rooms) has a much better selection when is comes to meals.(including lobster night on Thursdays). Also the beach bar has a better food selection. The rooms are more up to date including a bathtub with the shower. They also have an extra bar during the entertainment evenings. The Breezes and Cameleon share the same beach. You are able to walk from one to another-but that is where the benefits end. There is no limit where you can swim. The service at both is excellent. The friendly staff speaks fairly good English and is always helpful. The cleanliness at both is exceptional. I admire the work ethics of the staff. We would come back from the beach the rooms would be spotless, our clothes would be folded, and our room sprayed for ants -which like to live in the rooms where food is available. (killed a spider-when we returned was covered with ants).This is the tropics.

The meals at Cameleon are mainly limited to pork, chicken, ham, fish (mahi the best) and one-day prawns, roast whole pig, and turkey. The rooms are 6 and 2 type villas. We never had to worry about finding loungers at the beach and the pool.

Rudy and Pedro at the main bar can make some unbelievable drinks. Although the bar close at 11.00pm , they work 24 hours and have the next day off- this is standard. The girls at the desk, (Yara, Maricely, Lili, Marile, Maybet, Madilaine and Lisbel) are unbelievable in the help and friendship they have given us. Bring some goodies (crayons, pencils, scribblers for their children).

The weather during February is there winter month. We had strong wind and cool weather the first four days we arrived. Coming from Winnipeg and -30C and going to 19C we just loved it. Although we are the only people that swam in the pool during this period, we enjoyed every day. The temp then went from 24C to 31C for the next (sunny) ten days. We both came home with great tans.

The main difference between Breezes and Cameleon is that what we paid for one week at the Breezes, we got two weeks at the Cameleon. I do not believe there is a better place to snorkel. I have included pictures of the snorkeling I did 300 yards from the beach at Cameleon. Would we go back- in a minute.

One warning: Cameleon lets you use their snorkeling equipment for the length of your stay. Day before we left (we left our equipment outside) someone walked away with it. The cost to me $50.00C.