Brisas Sierra Mar: Nice hotel, decent food, friendly service.

All-round it is probably the best hotel in the Santiago area, at least for the price, with buffet meals too. An hour from Santiago on the coastal road but the road is good. The road to the west toward Pilon is rough but that whole route is scenic as hell. We rented a Chinese car though (MG) and it had only about 6 inches of clearance with 3 passengers so not suitable for going west past Chivirico. **Unfortunately Cubana cancelled our flight to Santiago de Cuba and we lost a whole day of ou [... read more]r short 4-day package to Cuba. Yes, after a lot of sitting around and getting no updates on our flight out of Toronto we were informed of the decision to cancel to next day and they put us up in hotels with meals/coupons. The whole process was really tiresome and inefficient though. Worst thing was we lost 25% of our time in Cuba and we are not informed whether we will get a refund of at least 25% of what we paid for the all-inclusive package. I mean we paid for 4 days, not 3...then we had to endure the inconvenience, though not the costs, of putting up in Toronto for a night. I want to hear if/when we are getting a refund, as this will affect my travel decisions in the future. The fault was not Sierra Mar Hotel's but Cubana's, on the other hand it is a package deal. Larry

Brisas Sierra Mar: Very relaxing

First off : the surrounding scenery to brisas is all mountains very remote but tranquil.... the resort was nearly empty but we made the most if it.... food decent...drinks non stop.... swim up bar.... free snorkeling 1 hour trip out on a boat...I bought decent Cohiba from a "guy " ..... there was some prostitution at the resort but not in your face .... very friendly and warm animation people...

Brisas Sierra Mar: Quiet and relaxing

Stayed for 11 days in October. Beautiful resort, nice staff.Peacefull and quiet. Exactly what we needed and looked for. Food was typical for Cuba, a little repetitive but tasty. Nice beach, not crowded because most of the guests opted for pool (for, to me, unknown reasons). Only thing that bothered us was "Viagra tour" that came second week of our stay but we tried not to pay too much attention to old Italian men acting in love with their grandchildren's age guests. That aside, if you are looki [... read more]ng for a quiet place with great view from all the rooms and from anywhere of the hotel grounds I definitely recommend this hotel.

Brisas Guardalavaca: Great holiday

Beautiful beach, nice pool with lots of different entertainment each night! Friendly staff! Food was alright and only one type of beer but overall a fair amount of options. Would recommend for family and couples

Brisas Sierra Mar: Nice Resort

After some earlier reviews and checking pics on line we decided to travel to Santiago De Cuba and stay at the Brisas Sierra Mar. Of course everyone has their own interpretation so here goes ours. Firstly didn't start off all that great as our flight out of Toronto was delayed and we were given no reason as to why. When we finally landed, customs process was fine and the Hola Rep was right where you could see him (Albert) and directed us to the bus. This is the part that really sucked . . [... read more] we waited on the bus with the other passengers for over an hour due to a couple who were bringing down an item that apparently was not exceptable so because of that everyone had to wait for them. Given the delayed flight and then this along with an hour and give or take 15 mins to get to the Brisas we didn't arrive until after 1am!! The desk was pretty good though and getting everyone registered. When we got to our room it was clean, air-conditioning worked good and this may sound strange but the toilet worked great too . . lol. Note: they do have safes but we found out the next morning that you have to pay $2 per day to use it. The pool was clean and was the entire pool area. Have to say the workers there work very hard around the hotel area. What is funny though is that the pool has a sign that it's only open from 10am to 5pm and they actually have a stand up sign indicating not to be used before 10am. Because of the time we went first of Oct this resort was extremely quiet which we weren't complaining at all as we like a quiet place for some R&R. The beach is small and the sand is very dark but the water was amazing!!! For the food well we didn't expect 5star meals. I am sure they did the best they could with what's available to them. If I had to say which meal time was the better of the 3 (breakfast, lunch and dinner), I'd say breakfast. It was hit and miss with the staff at the front desk. When we first arrived the male desk clerk was very efficient but during the day when some of the ladies were on they weren't exactly accommodating and when you asked them a question and we only went to see them about a slight issue we had with TV and to find out when the money was brought in so we could exchange our money, they'd sort of shrug and say "don't know" can you come back? There is nothing and I mean nothing to do at this place if you're looking for action . . lol. You'd have to rely on doing excursions if you want to get away from the resort. We ourselves were fine with staying pool side and soaking up the sun. That was at least my prime objective. Now for any animal lovers - do have to tell you while we were there, there is a feral cat colony that hang out just outside the restaurant. If you are compassionate enough to consider bringing some say cat treats, they would so love it! They are skinny and skittish but throw out some treats and they come a charging. We brought some with us just in case we ran into something like this and I am so glad we did. Our pick up from the resort on departure day was well organized but again our flight was again delayed for an hour. Not sure about Cubana Air. All in all for what we paid we were happy with this resort.

Brisas Guardalavaca: As Expected

The resort is a solid 3 star. Rooms are old and worn. Food is satisfactory. You won’t starve but leave your healthy eating habits at home. They try hard. We arrived shortly after Hurricane Irma. Everything was cleaned up and working.

Brisas Sierra Mar: Amazing views

We enjoyed a quick 4 night stay at Brisas Sierra Mar. The grounds are very lush and the gardeners were hard at work during our stay. Our room was dated but very comfortable. We had the most amazing view of the ocean from our balcony. We enjoyed fresh onelets each morning and lunch st the Rancheron. Special thanks to Leo for preparing fish for me each day for lunch. We especially appreciated Gladys is the buffet and the top notch service she provided to us. My husband went scuba diving w [... read more]ith Edgar from the dive shop and really enjoyed himself. The beach area is smaller but the palapas are a generous size. We brought a hammock with us and we're able to hang it each day in the palapa. The ocean is calm but water shoes are needed as the bottom has some rocks and weeds. For swimming closer to the hotel is less weedy. We didn't use the pool as there were having a problem with algae and working on it. Pool towels you need to ask your maid for them. We look forward to spending a longer trip at Brisas Sierra Mar!

Brisas Sierra Mar: Ok

It was ok. Almost ran out or gas, no pizza which makes me sad . It's my birthday l🌾🌾 sully is little no gunna eat this cheese maybe he might idk if hes gunna eat it Maybe it has candles on it since we lit candles on it

Brisas Sierra Mar: Good resort

Good grounds and beech but couple of local hassles always there near the beech. Food not much choice for thee+ stars. Staff friendly. Reception is not up to date for information. Elevator slow and often not working.

Brisas Sierra Mar: Good resort

I believe you get what you pay for. It was nothing fancy but we enjoyed the simple hospitality in Cuba. We faced many issues that had been reported, food ok, green pool, broken items in room. Overall would go back!

Brisas Santa Lucia: Just "OK"

When they first assigned me to room #916, there was strong odor coming from the bathroom. I had to ask for another room. They moved me to 424. Much better only ants!! Food was awesome but desserts was quite different. I wanted very HOT water but they do not have that available. I would say 70% of hot water and 30% of cold water. I had to shower fast! A/C does not work great like we have here in Canada. Be advised that all bathroom have NO screen to prevent from mosquito coming in. Luckily I boug [... read more]ht screen at Canadian Tire and taped it over window for a peace of mind. 90% of staff were really friendly. Mostly at front desk were not very friendly. If you give a tip to the server, they will immediately treat you like a king/queen. I encourage you to tip them and don't be surprised how they will treat you!! They do have 4 computers but every time one or two out of 4 won't work when doing the internet! It's $1 CUC for one hour. I had to re-connect a million times. I was so frustrated!! Beach was awesome! Only unbearable heat during summer time. I should have gone during winter time. Lesson learned. On the first show, they asked for perfect body guys which turned me off. I do not appreciate them only after "perfect" body. Of course I left the show. On my departure, since my plane does not leave until 9 pm, I had an opportunity to see the city (Camaguey) It really strike my heart. Their apartments were extremely small, standard were not met like we have up here in Canada. I had a hard time finding to buy pizza! Extremely limited choice of restaurants!! In closing, I will never go to Cuba again. I rather go somewhere where it's well developed, modern and more options such as restaurants, shopping malls and etc.

Brisas Santa Lucia: I like hotel Brisas

I was in hotel Brisas before one week I stay one week too. I had good.time, WEATHER was nice.I met many friends. Food. rooms.programs.recreations.are good I was happy and had 7 nice days I want go again Thanks all staf in Brisas St Lucia They are very kind See you again

Brisas Guardalavaca: Was it worth extra dollars

This was my seventh trip to Cuba, the other six times i stayed at Club Amigo Guardalavaca which was okay for a bunch of guys. One time in January 2017 my wife and I stayed at Rio de Oro-Paradiso which was definitely 5 star. Brisas is one step up from Club Amigo. hotel rooms very small, Villas much bigger and nicer - was not advised of this option. A little more variety in food but then Cuba is not known for great food I would probably stay at this hotel if the guys went all together again  [... read more]but would stay in Villa.

Memories Trinidad Del Mar: Just Awful!

Please do not recommend this resort to travelers! The food was inedible, cold and covered with flies. The hygiene practices were disgusting. Most of the staff were rude, not interested in assisting with problems or even to provide guests with service. Hotel ran out of ice and towels regularly. We even had to beg for toilet paper at one point. Barely anyone speaks English or at least they pretended they don't speak so that they don't help you. Water in the room was just a trickle and it wa [... read more]s cold. A/C was hit and miss. Shows were repetitive and boring. The beach was a huge problem as well. Garbage everywhere. Some sort of bug was biting in the water and kids were running out screaming. Good luck getting a sunbed under shade/cabana as busloads of tourists from town were dropped off every morning and since the beach is public, they were taking all the spots in front of the hotel. Hotel staff were charging them 2CUC for a chair so they couldn't ask them to leave. You have to get to the beach at 7am to get a spot and even then we had some tourists try to take our towels off our seats so they can claim them as theirs! This resort has a major mosquito problem as there is standing water in front of the hotel which is a breading ground for them. This review is based on many trips to Cuba. We love the culture and the people but this time around, we couldn't wait to get home!

Brisas Santa Lucia: Incredible Staff - Lovely Resort!

The hotel was very clean and very well maintained. The food was superb - the chefs excellent! The staff was very friendly and helpful. The entertainment was good... The atmosphere was both relaxing and fun! We will definitely travel back!

Memories Trinidad Del Mar: Horrible trip

We arrived on the Cubana flight Montreal-Cienfuegos on Saturday 29 July for a week and in an hour thirty minutes we were in the lobby of the hotel, I was the first to arrive at the reception to check in and quickly everything was done quite fast, but now they tell us that the room will not be ready until 4pm, well it does not matter we are going to eat something and refresh that day the heat and the sun were unbearable, we arrived at the buffet all the tables are dirty and there are not even cle [... read more]an plates we wait for almost 20 min to get clean the dishes and clean table, the food was a disaster and the flies everywhere. At 4:15 PM they gave us the keys to the room, we arrived at block 7000 the first of the first floor corner entered and we noticed that the AC did not work and the whole wall where the AC was had mildew, My spouse said here we are not going stay here please get us another room. The girl at the reception was kind enough to give us another key and we quickly moved, but the AC not working and the door has hole in the bottom corner, the fridge and the bathroom also out of services he floor was dirty you see long black hairs all over the room. So I returned to the reception and spoke to the public relations guy and very attentive he apologize and tells us that this will be resolved quickly, he goes and speaks with apparently the boss at the moment and they give me another key but I said that I'm going to see first the room, that I do not carry any more suitcases. The new room was in the same condition except that the fridges works. I turn to my wife and tell her there is no more they are all the same do yourself the idea that you are camping, and she said THIS IS CUBA. |I go back I return the key and tell the guy that we are keeping the old room and please send me somebody to change the fridge. I return to the room to get changed and before we go to the beach I go to the toilet (# 2) and it does not work I tell my wife I'm going to go to the lobby to book in the restaurant when I was actually going to ask someone to fix the bathroom, I explain And they tell me that there are no problems that someone sent, at 20min they touch the door is the maintenance man who comes to see the problem yay or had managed to discharge the rate with the sandbag of my girl. I was fighting for almost an hour and it leaves working bravo arrives the night and my girl goes to the bathroom and already again it does not work :-( I explain that there are problems with the water that we are going to have to use the cubit  and thus we stayed all week. The food and services were not good, the pool and beach were filthy. But it changes on Wednesday, when suddenly everything improves, in the buffet there is more variety and everything is more cleaning, they open the bar that was closed near the pool. What's the matter I asked around? There is visit coming to inspect the hotel, so now because the inspection things are as they have to be. Well at least we got 2 days of what should have the whole week. I will not recommend the hotel to anyone until the change the way they run the hotel and fix all the issues with the rooms

Memories Trinidad Del Mar: Very disappointing

The grounds were nicely kept,the beach was nice and quiet but the room was discusting!!!The food was bad and the restaurant was very dirty.The staff were unhappy to be there!We all got sick and most of the other guests!!!They should not be allowed to operate this hotel!!Shame on you Brisad del Trinidad😡

Brisas Sierra Mar: Great resort!

The hôtel is very intimate, clean and The staff is warm and welcoming. The rooms offers one of The most amazing views i saw, océan, montains and nothing else. The food at The buffet is so so and repetitive but The staff will do The extra mile to please you. I Will definatively book again soon. It is a little paradise.

Brisas Sierra Mar: Scenery is fantastic

You have to have an open mind, relaxed nature and not very high expectations when you are booking this location. Lets get into the "The Good, The Bad and the The Ugly". The Good. You can't beat the price this resort is usually available at. This is a very beautiful scenic location. The view from most of the rooms and the pool-patio area is fantastic. They are in the process of making improvements. I was fortunate to have been placed in a room that had just been renovated and they were working [... read more] on more rooms on my (4th) floor. More and more rooms will look brand new as time goes on. The pool has a new liner and is perfectly fine. The grounds are kept clean. There is always a bar open. You just have to be aware of when one closes and the other opens. Overall, staff is very friendly and they respond to you much like a mirror. If you are grouchy they tend to not smile and laugh with you as much as they would if you are friendly with them. You can find lots of peace and quiet at this resort If that is what you are looking for. Great place to just relax. You can always find "something" to eat if you are not picky. The food at the restaurant was surprisingly good. You can mingle with guests that are Cuban. Most are extremely friendly and great to talk to. One of the great things about this resort are the many guests here keep returning year after year. They are very helpful with letting you know information that will help make your stay more enjoyable. Mangoes were in season. You can pick them fresh from the many trees on site. The Bad. The food is ok. I was there In low season so there wasn't much of a selection at the buffet. As mentioned by many other reviews, the food was repetitive from lunch to dinner and from day to day. The snack bar wasn't always open and it only had hot dogs, hamburgers and French fries when it was open. Salad selection was almost non-existent. We had a snorkel excursion with our package. The boat had been damaged by a recent storm. The staff at the front desk is not very informative with the knowledge of whether or not the outing would take place on any given day. Each day the people the nautical center would say "Tomorrow the boat will be fixed". It was finally fixed on the last day we were there There is no currency exchange at the resort which had a few guests annoyed. I had a massage included in my package but I could never find the person who does the massages. Locals do come to this resort for their vacation and as I mentioned above most of them are very friendly and polite but there are some that don't seem to understand the concept of a line when they are at the bar or in the buffet. Bring insect repellant ward off the sand ticks on the beach. Yes there does appear to be the occasional "older guest" with a "younger Cuban girl" strolling around but they are mostly fairly discrete. The Ugly. Most of the hotel staff is very helpful and friendly. There are a few that will constantly try to hustle you into going to "their house" or restaurant off site for a "Cuban meal". There are also a few male members of the hotel staff that appear to be predators waiting to take advantage of a female guest that has had too much too drink. Overall, you get what you pay for.

Brisas Sierra Mar: Terrible

Honestly the view was beautiful and the hotel had maybe 50 guests, most of which were local Cubans. We were told it's due to the time of year most Canadians think it's too hot, we found it to be the same as Ontario but with more humidity. The locals were treated like VIP (served first at bar ECT.) the hotel front desk staff were extremely unhelpful and quite rude, they lied about "no resturants outside of resort were open" which they were. A staff member drive us to Oceana where we read was a ni [... read more]ce place to eat off the resort..... Well he charged us 5pesos for a 2 minute drive and sped off after being paid.... Knowing the Oceana was closed, so we had to walk back 10 minutes to the resort, asked a server in the buffet and she called us a taxi and sent us to the three rocks about a 15 minute drive away and we were only charged 10 pesos. The restaurant there was amazing. That meal was the highlight of our trip. The resort itself only ever had 1 bar open, either the pool bar or lobby bar. Only 1 a la carte resturant was "working" and was always fully reserved(by cubans) the buffet had gross repetitive food with very little options. Basically lived off rice and bread and mangos. But the buffet was only open 3 times a day and when they were closed nothing else was open to get food. The cafeteria was only open at night for a couple hours then again, nothing available to eat. The "shop" had very limited food options. And when the sign said open, half the time no one was there. The games room was a joke, never open, not even the bar. Basically you could drink 24/7 but could only eat in limited time frames with very little options. Bugs in our room and a barely working AC. The pillows were flat as paper and the tv only worked half the time, with the only available English channels being CNN and ctv(which almost never worked) the maid was great although she never left more than a single roll of toilet paper... When we had to call for another roll one night it took nearly an hour for them to bring it. Hallways were filled with puddles from a leaking roof and cat feces. The pool also was usually closed by 7pm. Pros: awesome serving staff, ocean and mountain view, not many people so always pool loungers available. Cons: front desk staff, rooms, lack of food, lack of available open bars/ shop / games room, lack of activities and under staffed, terrible service, bad upkeep, and having to check out at 12 when our bus doesn't leave for the airport until 3. I highly do NOT recommend this resort.