"Great place to relax for couples and singles" Playa Jibacoa by Anabel1

After a long and arduous electoral campaign, I booked a room at Breezes two days before leaving. From the website, it seemed like a nice place to relax for couples and singles. And I was right ! I've never been one to rough it on vacation, so this place was ideal for me.

Although it's true that this resort is somewhat isolated, located between Havana and Matanzas, there are still loads of things to do. Travel to Havana is under an hour and taxis are pretty reasonable. Plus, you can snorkel in front of the hotel (there's a reef), go on scooter tours (which are cheap), hike in the mountains, go biking, etc...

In my experience, the staff was great and helpful, the food was fantastic (but simple) and I managed to make quite a few friends (Cuban and travellers).

As mentioned, I traveled to Jibacoa to relax by myself and was slightly concerned at first that I would be bored. However, with all the scooter tours, organised tours and friendly staff, I quickly made friends.

Although Cubans are not supposed to associate with tourists while working in the resorts, most do. It gave me a great opportunity to practice my Spanish. I'm still very close with one of the friends I have made during this trip and continue to correspond and visit.

However, it is important to realise that many Cubans, but not all, can sometimes be quick to try and get close to tourists since they want money or a relationship to get out of the country. Don't get trapped by this.

If you want to help out, the best thing to do is to leave some old clothes (that's still good), toiletries, school supplies, etc. for the workers in the resorts or the children in the villages. It's always appreciated.

• Pros:Isolated, quiet, coral reef, close to Havana
• Cons:Isolated, quiet, power blackouts
• In a nutshell:Can't wait to go back!