You Can't Go Home Again, or to Jibacoa

As Thomas Wolfe’s protagonist, George Webber, discovered, time passes and things and places change. We had really enjoyed Jibacoa in January despite the early weather problems. We found the people (staff and guests) at Chameleon Villas Jibacoa friendly and interesting. And, once the ocean settled down, the jellyfish disappeared and the weather warmed up, we found the snorkeling among the best we had done in the Caribbean. So, when we had a chance at a last-minute, cheap week in June, we jumped at it. Didn’t quite work out.
The first big change was that we opted for the upscale Breezes Resort rather than a return to CVJ. Breezes was bigger and therein lay some of the problems. The room was larger and better furnished with nicer facilities, the food at the buffet dining room was generally better, the ‘a la carte’ restaurants were definitely better, the pool was better, and the evening entertainment was better (especially the aqua ballet and magic shows). It was nice to be able to brew tea/coffee in our room because, just as at CVJ, they weren’t available at dinner.
What wasn’t better was the overall ambience of our stay. The staff didn’t connect with the guests (except in rare cases) and didn’t seem to find any joy in their jobs. One bartender at the beach bar didn’t crack a smile (that I saw) the whole week. On the other hand, the cook who prepared omelets at breakfast was a delight. As good as the food was, lunch and dinner became nearly indistinguishable as the week went on. Thank the powers that be for the two ‘a la carte’ dinners we were allowed - both were excellent (even if I had to wear long pants at Martino’s).
Because there were so many places to hang out, the guests never seemed to connect with each other either but, instead, kept to their little groups. At CVJ, you saw the same people at meals, at the bar, on the beach, in the lobby - it was like a large, extended family and conversations were the norm. At Breezes, I don’t think we sat next to the same people for two meals the entire week. People we saw in the dining room, we didn’t see on the beach and people we saw on the beach, we didn’t see in the dining room. Or, maybe we did and just didn’t recognize them because they were ‘dressed’ for dinner.
We had really enjoyed the snorkeling in January and were looking forward to the warmer water which would allow us to stay in longer and range farther afield. We had seen lionfish, flounders, a barracuda, an octopus, an eel, several rays, a couple of worms and lots of beautiful corals and colorful fish. About the only thing that lived up to expectations was the warmth of the water - I never once felt chilled. Visibility was another matter. Didn’t see the lionfish, flounders, barracuda, octopus, etc. Of course, most of the time visibility was only three or four feet and, sometimes, much less than that. There was an incredible amount of sediment in the water. Even the fish and corals that you could see looked dull and drab.
For the entire week, I took only 42 pictures, 18 in the water. That’s less than one day’s production on a normal trip. That includes duplicates and before eliminating pictures that didn’t quite work out. I haven’t run them through PSE yet but I don’t think I’ll have enough to bother posting. I was in the water about six or seven times over the span of the week (the beach was red-flagged two days because of high waves and strong currents) and took pictures only twice. The last two days I didn’t even turn on my camera because the visibility was so poor.
Doreen had even worse luck. Our first snorkel on Sunday afternoon she forgot her camera but wasn’t too upset because it wasn’t a great snorkel. Our second snorkel, on Monday morning, had to be cut short so we could attend the orientation meeting with the tour rep. However, we were in the water long enough for Doreen get water in her camera. Bye, bye picture taking. Bye, bye camera. After the orientation meeting, we went for a walk on the beach and Doreen cracked a toe on her left foot when she smacked into a rock under the sand. She hobbled for the next few days, unable to tolerate putting on her fin so no more snorkeling for her.
By Thursday, she was feeling better and ready to give it another go but the red flag was flying. We went to visit with some of the workers at CVJ that we had met in January. Just as we got there, it started to rain and Doreen slipped on the wet tile and wrenched her left foot again. Back to square one. She was still hobbling when we got home and the x-ray confirmed the break.
Now, we’re torn. Would we go back? If we do, it would definitely be CVJ rather than Breezes. Is there a time when we could have the warmth of June with the visibility of January? And, without the jellyfish?