I have stayed at Hotel Cyvadier several times in the last 4 years and I think of the manager/owners as friends. Partly because when things go wrong on trips in Haiti, which they will, the manager finds a way to be helpful and make things work out.

The staff are professional and also helpful. The ambiance is soothing. The wait staff are wonderful - they offer great service, and are always warm and in good humor.

I visit Haiti to learn about the country, and so I don't want to be isolated in my hotel. I like that this hotel is located in a neighborhood - especially around kanaval time so you can hear drums playing.

I was with a group in February and they were very helpful with logistics. For our last dinner, the kitchen produced an incredible meal and we asked if we could thank the cooks (the manager contributes delectable sauces), which the management facilitated, and we gave them a standing ovation! It was an illustration of how we felt at the end of out trip -- so happy to be Haiti and so well taken care of at Hotel Cyvadier.

ps - My family spent new year's eve there, and we saw an awe inspiring fireworks show, and acoustic music that had everyone grooving and swaying. There were many guests who did not know each other, but it felt like a family affair. A great Haitian experience.

Thank you Christophe!!
(and Franz and Monique!)

This was my second, ten-day stay at this hotel and my return was greeted with warmth by the owners, Christophe Lang and his parents. Having had one of their best rooms on my first visit, they put me in the same room this time as well; spacious with private bath, air conditioning, and a large terrace shaded by coconut palms overlooking the gorgeous, Cyvadier cove. Great spot from which to sip cold Bierre Prestige or Barbancourt rhum while watching the sunset.

Christophe Lang is himself a vegetarian and builds his menu around eating well. My room included all meals which are served in an open, outdoor, covered dining room overlooking the cove. Breakfast always includes local, ripe fruits like mango, papaya, banana, and pineapple. The featured juice is grapefruit, chadek in Creole. Note to peanut butter mavens: Hotel Cyvadier Plage peanut butter is phenomenal. Note to coffee mavens: Christophe's coffee is grown, roasted, and ground only a few miles from the hotel.

Lunch and dinner always feature fresh salad and daily varieties of tasty, local produce including plantains, choyote, cabbage, rice with kongo beans, and rice "djon-djon" cooked with black, Haitian mushrooms.

Although chicken and red meat round out the choices, fish, shrimp, and small, Caribbean lobsters are the real stars of Christophe's menu. All are supplied by local fishermen, some whose boat leaves each morning from Cyvadier Cove.

Cyvadier is a fifteen minute drive due east of Jacmel and, because it's not locked within the surrounding mountains and Bay of Jacmel, the hotel derives distinct advantages: the temperature is somewhat cooler, less humid, and often breezy; there are far fewer mosquitos than lurk in the shadows of downtown Jacmel; the ambiance is casual yet energetic.

The only other hotel I ever stayed at in Jacmel is the Jacmelian which I found very disappointing and teeming with bedroom mosquitos. On this last trip, we toured the venerable Hotel Florita, dripping with history but the mosquito netting over the beds give ample warning.

Important note: the staff at Cyvadier Plage has remained virtually unchanged since my first visit in 2005; concierges, chambermaids, and kitchen staff which implies the owners take good care of them.

And speaking of the owners, they've given back to the Cyvadier/Jacmel community by creating and maintaining a wonderful, tuition-free, private school.

Lastly, and this is something I feel very strongly about, Hotel Cyvadier Plage is nestled among the lush, small farms of the Cyvadier community. It welcomes, engages, and invites you to enjoy the warm-hearted people who live there.

When I return to NYC, what I miss most each morning are the people, the hotel's coffee, its peanut butter, and my earful of rooster.

The hotel is on a bluff overlooking a cove on the south coast. A wonderful view and an opportunity to swim at any time.

The food was wonderful and the service courteous and very helpful.

A great place to stay.

BabsMa

We spent a few nights at this Hotel in February. I can't say enough good things about the place. The staff was very accommodating, the rooms were clean and beautiful. The view was amazing. The food was fantastic. I absolutely, can not wait to return in April 2008.