Brisas Guardalavaca Jan 23 to 30, 2013 We had a great time at Brisas. The resort was a nice size and well laid out. It was a short, pretty walk along the beach to the village. Despite a bit of bad weather while we were there we were never bored. The staff members at Brisas were charming and gracious. We did not experience any rudeness or indifference. All were professional and friendly. We tipped for good service and had good service provided. We will return.
Room Number:
456
Arrival:
It takes about 1 1/2 hours to get to the resort from the airport. Grab a beer at the airport and relax and enjoy the trip. The check in was quick.
Rooms:
Room 456 hotel section, had two ¾ beds, 2 chairs, coffee maker, fridge, safe ($2.00 per day), bathroom with tub and shower, like most in Cuba. The room was well cleaned daily; room temperature was great, lots of hot water, lovely large deck with two chairs and table overlooking pool and beach. We thought the room was one of the best we have had, for the most part because of the view. The rooms in the hotel are close to everything so it is easy and quick to get around.
Restaurants and Bars: Food: Brisas outshone so many other resorts with their food. There are plenty of a la carte options. We tried the Cuban, International, Zaguin (sp) and the Italian. They were all good. Some are open for lunch as well. The buffet was also good. The usual omelet station (the chef was amazing to watch flipping them) and pasta as well as carving stations were there. Brisas also had a lady who would make smoothies (beside the omelet station) A few times she made flambéed bananas-yum. There was also stir fries. In the afternoons a lovely lady made donuts, again –yum. I think we both gained weight.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Beach: The beach was quite shallow. There were sandy areas and areas where sea weed was growing. There were always chairs and we didn’t have any problem finding a tree to sit under. I enjoyed swimming and snorkeling at the beach. There were fish, sea urchins and the little spiky things in the water. It was easy to find something to see, especially if you followed the ridge where the sand met the rocky/weedy area. After seeing the spiky things I made sure I didn’t put my feet down unless I was in a sandy area though. There was also a nice gentle current that would carry you from the hotel side of the beach to the villa side of the beach.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Entertainment: There was a great variety of entertainment offered. One afternoon a band played traditional music by the beach bar using a huge old player organ. There were different musicians playing in the lobby bar each evening. The musicians were great, but I wasn’t a fan of the pre-recorded background music. There were wonderful younger bands playing traditional, rock and reggeton. One night magicians and gymnasts performed. An absolutely amazing show featured a young man singing (I didn’t recognize what language) an opera about the sugar cane workers, accompanied by 2 other singers, 3 drummers and dancers. Because of rain, many of the evening performance were held in the disco. This was a shame, since few people were there to see them. Perhaps extra announcements from the lobby bar and beach bar, with more information would have encouraged more people to go and see the shows.