Brisas for the breezes of a Caribbean beach

I liked the hot showers in the morning that I wasn't used to in similar Cuban hotels. I wasn't fond of COVID adaptations at the buffets, lineups for usual Cuban food that really isn't worth standing in line to have scooped on your plate. I liked the reservation system for specialty restaurants that actually worked. I didn't like the tv and the magnetic keycard that didn't work. I really liked the beach and the palm trees, and the tennis courts were newly surfaced. I didn't like tourists compla [... read more]ining of Cuban families having fun at the resort. I really liked the capuccinos but they were not very milky, they had lots of Cristall, but no Bucanero, no mint, no mojitos. Staff were friendly, the front desk was not overworked and effective ( except they couldn't get the TV to work, nor their magnetic keycards). Add it all up and it equals a good Cuban beach resort in March.

Cuba is Amazing

My husband and I booked the Villa VIP at Brisas Guardalavaca through TripCentral (SunWing). We arrived extremely late due to a traveler checking in 3 bags and then not showing up for his/her flight. This required us to wait a long time while they tried to locate this person at the airport - then, after no response, Sunwing spent a bunch of time locating the 3 bags to remove them from the plane. Needless to say, we arrived very late and very tired. Although we purchased VIP, most of these "ex [... read more]tras" were not there on our arrival. We made complaints to our Sunwing Rep the following day at around 2:30 pm, then, when we arrived back to our room to get ready for dinner, we found some of the things we paid extra for but not all of them - very disappointing. We did not receive everything advertised by Sunwing that we paid extra for. Never-the-less... we met some great people, staff and tourists, and had a great week in Cuba. The beach and pools were great, staff were great, but, if you are a wine drinker don't go to Cuba because they only had a little red wine at the Italian restaurant and ran out of white wine every day at multiple bars. I found out some people pre-book many bottles of red wine with the hotel directly and I assume this is why they run out of red wine for the rest of us. Food is ok at best but we knew this before booking our trip. With VIP we could book 5 ala carts where the cooks took the exact same food and made it better. Vegetables were mixed peas-potatoes-carrots and were very mushy (from a can we suspect) and potatoes from flakes... by mid-week I ordered my meals with rice and asked "please do not give me potatoes, and, please add hot-red-peppers" (from jars or cans) to the canned vegetables to make them more palatable. Salads were the same everywhere and at every meal... sliced cucumbers, pickled sliced beets, shredded cabbage, and the dreaded canned mixed vegetables. The beef and chicken breasts were mostly great. We ordered omelettes (with the works) and ham at the open air restaurant beside the pool/snack bar every day which was delicious. Breakfast fruit was all pretty under-ripe and tough so we ordered grapefruit only. Staff were always really nice. We tipped $1 to $2 US dollars usually at most meals. With the VIP we had lobster, but you could order lobster at 2 other restaurants without VIP, what the heck. What was extra special was that we ordered it at the Cuban ala carte restaurant and were served a bottle of champagne, we had a candle, and white tablecloth. Unfortunately, our friends were seated at a different table even though they loudly requested to share with us. Then, their table was pooped on by multiple birds (it was an outdoor restaurant) and so they were moved to a "clean" table. I scooped some bird poop onto the floor from our table... most people realise if you sit outdoors you're going to have birds, flies, geckos, crabs, lizards, butterflies, bees, dogs, and cats, etc., hanging about... we were totally ok with that...really enjoyed it actually. I know this all sounds bad but for the little money we paid (compared to DR and Mexico) we received a fabulous deal. The market had some great deals even though I didn't haggle... I bought 2 gorgeous oil paintings ($60 cdn.) by H. Hayain (I think that's how it's spelled). Amazing artist... I bought 2 bird paintings - one was a humming bird and one was a local colourful bird (Cuban Tody). I'm just looking into getting them framed. I also bought a beautiful pink/coral crocheted top - it is crocheted from a cotton type of yarn and stretches to whatever size you are... absolutely gorgeous and only $15 cdn (I didn't try to get a lesser price as I crochet and I know the time that goes into creating it). Regarding Covid... all staff wore masks all the time, most tourists did too but of course you always get the odd 1 or 2 who don't always follow the rules... seeing this I would ask our guides to remind them... I always felt pretty safe, especially when I looked at my phone app, Worldometer, that indicates Cuba has only had one wave of high Covid numbers and are now down way below Canada's numbers. I was told Cuba has over 82% of their population 3-dose vaccinated... way better than Canada and most countries. Getting tested was pretty easy (and we went to the market afterwards which was right beside the clinic). Internet is not always reliable in Cuba so we went to the International Clinic, a 3-minute walk from our resort, on Tuesday to pay for the test ($30 US). Confirm they write down your correct passport number as they wrote down mine wrong, then we had our test on Wednesday (again, check that they write down your correct passport number on your test tube). The doctor came to our resort's lobby at approx 4:00 pm on Thursday and wrote out our negative test result forms. Then we completed our ArriveCan app (that we had downloaded before we left Canada). Brisas gave us each 10 hours of free internet access at the main pool area, lobby area, and villa pool area. After 3 days we found out that we could get internet access at our villa on our balcony and in our bedroom... nice. All-in-all, we loved our trip. Would we go back to Brisas? Maybe... but even though we talked to many people who consider Brisas their "cottage" as they go there about 3 times per year, my husband and I like to travel all over the world so, although we will definitely go back to Cuba, we will likely try another resort (only because we love variety). P.S. since it's been so long since we've been to Cuba, although we spent a lot of tip money (Cdn & US), we didn't bring stuff that they really really need/want... children's/adults' pain medication, school supplies, foot ware, clothes, chocolate/candy, etc., etc., etc. Next time we'll do better.

Amaizing resort:place next to ocean

We stayed at Brisas Guardalavaca from October 8 to October 15. The weather was great. The hotel staff worked very well: all issues were resolved instantly. 3 days before departure, they took a test for a covid, but the result was given only on the day of departure, washing the nerves of the vacationers. The food was bad: there were no fruits and vegetables, it surprised. You only had to pay with a visa. The money that they brought with them was taken back, they could not stay in Cuba and work fo [... read more]r its strange economic position of the Cuban government. It is unprofitable for vacationers to pay with a visa, because prices are in American dollars, but dollars do not go in Cuba, the Canadian bank changes to Canadian dollars, we lose money. My husband and I have been to Cuba 22 times, but I think this is our last trip

Nice resort. I've been there before. My last vacation was almost perfect. Thanks to tripcentral!!!!

I will go back to this resort again for sure! Nice people, good service. Nice people good service 👍,.,...,..................,.....,....,....,..................why I have to write more than I want?????to continue???

True Posted Reports

Friendliest, accommodating staff ever. A la cartes were enjoyed thoroughly. Buffet and snack areas probably one of the best, too, we have experienced in Cuba. Chairs were set out, not waiting for a staff member, for the ocean experience and first time for us that the ocean was more popular than the pool! Hot water can be an issue in room, but used to this in Cuba and it will come sooner, or later. Not an issue in villas so we heard. Walked the whole area outside and completely safe. Majori [... read more]ty of guests were Canadians who really appreciated the service. No wonder so many returning guests we talked to.....2-20 times!!

Beautiful spot

Just back from a lovely vacation at Brisas! If you’re looking for an entertaining staff, beautiful gardens and true Cuban culture this will be the place for you. We had a great week here!! The resort however is 25 years old!

Great as always

Seventh time back to Brisas. The grounds are kept clean and the selection of restaurants and bars is more than you ask for. The staff is polite and will make sure they make your stay very pleasant. The beach is clean with lots of shade if you don't want to be burned all the time. There are places to snorkel and locals to facilitate that for a small fee. Horseback riding just outside of the hotel if you wish to go for a ride along the beach. The market is just walks away if you want to buy some l [... read more]ocal souvenirs. All in all fantastic place. Will recommend and will return next year.

Great Place

Was our second trip to this resort. It has a lot to offer in terms of restaurants and venues. Met lots of older people our age who come regularly for three weeks or more. Resort is great value for your money. A la cartes are good and there are many bars. I think this will be our Cuba hotel

Nice resort needs to be upgraded. Rooms are getting pretty run down.

Grounds were beautiful Rooms need to be upgraded Broken faucet No hot water TV blurry Air conditioning not working Italian restaurant - needs to cook Italian food - or change the restaurant Seafood restaurant overcooks the lobster tails

Awesome resort. Some changes to beware of.

The resort itself is awesome with a great view of the ocean. This is my 8th times being there, with changes happening all the time. One I wasn't impressed with was the snack bar. It can be hard at times to get a table in there when it's busy, now they want you to sit at a table and order your food instead of ordering at the counter for pizza , fries etc. Kind of hard when there isn't a seat to be found. When you sit at a table outside the snack bar the server says he can't serve you or your not [... read more] allowed to have food out there.. very frustrating. Not an improvement in my opinion. Villa reception closed definately not a great decision and hopefully they will reopen soon. If you stay on the villa and have to check in at the hotel or have issue you have to go all the way to the hotel reception. Pulling you luggage to and from the hotel is a challenge and not a plus. The staff is amazing and I would like to say thank you to them for their hard work and friendliness. Raquel in housekeeping on the villa side you are awesome always a smile and a good morning, Danni in the bar always a great conversation, Jesus in the hotel swim up bar the best, Daniel now in sales always a pleasure, Luis mario & Mario in the hotel buffet are great with a hug and a smile. Omar hotel security what a great conversationalist, Arasay the waitress at the bar by the hotel buffet always made us laugh and great service. Booked with trip central through Hola sun flew Air transat. Ease of booking with trip central was great. Hola sun Rep at hotel leaves something to be desired, not there 2 days out of the week and difficult to book excursion,. Air transat service needs some attention and not very friendly. Flight back to toronto was brutally hot and the smell of exhaust was unbearable. Will definitely booked with sunwing again next year

Consistent Hotel

Been to this resort several times, villas are getting a little tired but more than sufficient, grounds are kept in good condition. Food sometimes seemed to be in short supply for ie. only one day in 7 were there any type of potato at snack bar which is to bad as there were quite a few children and looking for snack food, no condiments for several days also ran out toppings for pizza! Beach is great, lots of sun and shade! Would definitely go back... but feel that they are struggling.

I love this resort

We boarded on time from our POD, Toronto, but due to snowstorm conditions and a passenger with inadequate papers our departure was delayed (onboard) more than 2 hours. We arrived very late at Brisas Guardalavaca. The check-in process would be so much more efficient if it’s done on the 1-hour bus ride from the airport (as in some other resorts). The grounds are as well kept as I remember from previous vacations at this hotel; the gardeners do such a great job! Unfortunately we had 2 days of h [... read more]igh winds, rain & extreme cold which churned up the ocean & littered the beachfront with a lot of weeds (I don’t remember so many weeds & rocks from previous stays there). As the hotel was ‘overbooked’, we were offered a ‘free’ excursion for one night to Gibara; the catch was that we were required to check out (and check back in the next day into a different room). We declined. *The Russians: although I’ve experienced their presence in Varadero, this was the first time I’ve seen so many in Holguin. Generally speaking they are loud, obnoxious rude & drunk from breakfast until night, when we could see the occasional Russian passed out at a table or along a pathway. Disgusting! Their presence here will deter me from returning unless some changes are made (ie; no longer permitted at this hotel). They are disliked not only by the other clients, but also the wonderful staff, who have to put up with such rude behaviour. The food at this hotel is very good & it’s always great to reconnect with longstanding chefs there, such as Miguel, Roberto & Enrique. A culinary highlight for me was fresh calamari one night at dinner (DELICIOUS!). I took a couple of pieces to taste, liked it, went back up to the buffet to help myself to a few more but the once very full serving dish was empty with no more available. As I went back to our table I witnessed a few ‘Russian tables’ with a mountain of calamari heaped on plates, then left behind as waste. It’s inconsiderate from my perspective but imagine how the Cubans would see this.... living in a country where occasional shortages and rationing may prevent them from always having enough... despicable!!! My room was clean and well cared for by my chambermaid. The shower head didn’t work very well though and the toilet was not solidly connected on its base to the floor. A leak appeared in the bathroom (from the ceiling) and the plumber & chambermaid came immediately to resolve it.... turned out to be condensation from the AC unit I had turned off when the weather turned cold; I was instructed AC must always be left on. Aging equipment is showing signs of wear. The staff works hard here... taking care of communal bathrooms, restocking toilet paper, cheerful & enthusiastic animation, pleasant entertainment, neat gardens. Overall, it was a nice restful vacation.

Nice resort

nice resort great workers and maids thought the fridge should have been stocked the other 7 places I stayed at was and had patios but this only had a foot patio but room was clean workers good lol and all other room safes you never had to pay $14 for a key to lock it like this one so some things good but the resort its self could use some work like safe and things nothing major

Love this little resort

We stayed in the villa section, love this little resort . Staff is over the top friendly and go above and beyond to help you . Food was great I think the food was better on this trip compared to last year which must be hard with the embargo the country is dealing with . Great al the cartes Nice beach staff work hard to keep it clean 2 nice pools .main pool is active and villa pool is quiet Would return again. Great resort for a good cost

Brisas

What an amazing hotel. Despite the weather not being the best in early Jsnuary hotel staff did their best to ensure a good time was had by all. Lots of entertainment, plenty of options and well run establishment. Just remember to bring adapter for the rooms as they are all 220v.

Amazing vacation!

Just returned from this hotel and had a fabulous time! Our rooms were awesome, the food was good and plentiful, and the staff very friend! Although we did get rain 3-4 days on and off we made the most of our vacation at this lovely resort! Thank you Brisas Guardavalaca!

Great Resort !!

It is a huge place and there are restaurants and bars all over. Was surprise to see tennis grounds as well as you will not find at some other resorts. Very friendly staff, wish all other hospitality industries could take a few lessons here. one of my best moments was horseback riding outside the resort through the villages and having a beer at one of the locals. Mojito bar located on the 4th floor is a gem. Oscar is a great bartender.

Amazing resort

WE had a wonderful time, we did enjoy until not stop 🍾🥂🎀🙏🍹🍷🎄🎆💃💃🍸 We want to travel again... Tripcentral have the best price and accomodation for a great vacation 😍 Thank you so much 😍 WE want to travel again in the future.

Our Experience at Brisas

Not impressed with the level of service at reception. Seem to go about their business and don’t look up to greet you and you wait for 10 minutes while they chat with one another. Our room was not ready upon our arrival. Took over an hour and a half before we finally got it. Wow, paid for VIP too! So they knew we were coming. When booking a la Carts...the guy is sneaky. Originally he told us we were to get two dinners. I booked two. He said only 8:30 pm available! Next day receiv [... read more]ed a lobster 🦞 invite dinner invitation, booked for 6:30 pm. In speaking with others who had the VIP and same wrist band we should have received 3 plus the lobster dinner. We found out at the end of our trip but in enough time to capitalize on the third dinner. Went back to book and he said sorry nothing available. Funny, you get manager involved and suddenly his tone changed and we had choices of four different times! The service at the beach restaurant is amazing! Thank you Yasmin for making our week a special one. Beach was awesome and weather was hot and sunny all week! The only real thing I noticed was the Cubans that come and stay on the resort certainly got better food given to them and full service versus someone who paid VIP. Lastly, don’t expect your fridge stocked after initial day...everything is about the almighty dollar. Not keen on the resort. Playa Pesquero it is for us if we return to Cuba.

Excellent resort for retirees

An average Cuban hotel, lots of things need attention (maintenance wise). Amazing people are working there, exceptional service. Resort recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, many people coming back every year. Recommended for retired people, very nice and quiet place. Amazing ocean and beach.