Brisas Sierra Mar: Great Resort

Rooms were clean, staff friendly, food was definitely better than on our previous visits. Eco ala cart restaurant was excellent as usual. There is something magical about eating outdoors, in a lovely garden, with excellent and personal service by wait staff and chef, with only 4 tables. NOT TO BE MISSED, if you have the chance.

Brisas Sierra Mar: As good as always

We were in Brisas Sierra Mar February 5 to 12. Resort was as good as always (it was our 5th vacation here). First 3 days there were waves, preventing us from snorkeling, so we played volleyball in the pool 10-12 and 3-5 pm. It was fun. The last 3 days water was clear and we were snorkeling for hours each day. Food was good - lot of salmon, shrimps, calamari. Pork and chicken were very good, as always. No fruit due to problems with had in Cuba, but we traded our old clothes with fruit with loca [... read more]l guys. Walk to the waterfall was great, we came there twice. Staff was very helpful. Ana from beach restaurant El Yarey makes best Spanish coffee. We enjoyed our vacation.

Brisas Sierra Mar: Amazing scenery, friendly staff,

A great place with spectacular scenery. The staff is trying very hard to keep everything working properly. With no help from the Government, who runs the place, it is almost impossible. It needs work everywhere. Do not expect to get 5 stars for a 3 star price. You get what you pay for. The people that work there are all outstanding. The music around the pool area could be a little less loud, but they listen and turn it down when told. On weekends they have some Cuban Familie [... read more]s as guests. Sometimes that is a disaster. They are throwing their garbage, empty plastic cups etc. everywhere. They are very loud and it's understandable since it probably doesn't happen often in their lives that they can stay a day with free drinks and food. Sadly, there are no salt and pepper shakers left after their visits and forks and knifes also disappear. One of the bartenders went all over the place to find 2 glasses because he is responsible for them. If missing, he has to pay for them. There are shortages everywhere, but that is Cuba. The people working at Brisas go out of their way to please the guests. We missed the fresh fruit that we had in the past. It's almost gone. Even Bananas and oranges are in short supply lately. Fish very rare. Papayas we had on only three days in four weeks. The wine and beer is good.

Brisas Sierra Mar: Lovely location!

The Brisas Sierra Mar is in a lovely location and the weather is warmer at this time of year than the more northern resorts in Cuba which we have also visited. The people are friendly and as resourceful as they can be. The embargoes placed on them by the US have created shortages. The food is average and adequate but we return there because of the weather and feeling safe even outside the resort. There was a problem with people reserving beach chairs- even the evening before. The music was gre [... read more]at and there were lots of activities if one wished to participate. We went to salsa dance on the wrong day and one of the animators found someone who gave us a shortened lesson simply as a goodwill measure. We had many wonderful hikes through the countryside. There were seven of us and we were well looked after by the staff so we had a lovely time at the resort.

Brisas Sierra Mar: GREAT TIME !!!

The hotel is dated but very relaxing. Great showers, clean towels every day, good variety of food at buffet, great beach nd good snorkling. Second time there and will be returning again because of the weather. Nice guests from all different places. Staff friendly and great music. Sunwing reps need to be more informative at info sessions concerning things-ex: can you drink the water? , excursions, money exchange. etc. Will be returning next year !!!

Brisas Guardalavaca: 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

Brisas Sierra Mar: Good Value for the $$

The hotel itself is situated I'm a very nice piece of property overlooking the ocean the beach was good some weedy spots but you and navigate around them. When area of improvement will certainly be the beach chairs there was never enough of them and they look like the original chairs from when the resort was built in 1991! The food was good and overall the service was also good. I would come back here

Brisas Sierra Mar: Tired but beautiful geography!

The grounds and surrounding area were beautiful! The hotel was very dated and beds and pillows not the best. Live music was frequent and excellent! There was a shortage of beach chairs which was the cause of some fighting among guests. Overall, the place would benefit from better management to ease tensions among guests. The beach was very nice and the staff were excellent. I would give the resort a 3 star rating.

Brisas Guardalavaca: 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.

Brisas Guardalavaca: 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.

Brisas Sierra Mar: Lovely Scenery

Our 3rd visit to this resort. We were pleased with almost everything - food and drinks were good, friendly personnel as usual. However, we have one huge complaint about the beach chairs (so did many of the other guests). Firstly, there are not enough chairs for the guests, and the chairs that they do have, half of them are broken or at the point of being unusable. It is very disappointing that nothing has changed with the awful chair situation since our first visit to this resort three years a [... read more]go. If we would recommend this hotel to anyone, it would have to be with a warning about the lack of chairs on the beach.

Brisas Sierra Mar: Short of beach chairs

This was my 5th time at this resort. As opposed to my past visits, this resort has slid a little downhill, figuratively speaking. There were nowhere near enough beach lounge chairs on the beach causing people to come down just after sunrise to put their possessions on chairs to reserve them. This did not always work. There was no orange juice, often no mango juice, no lettuce, often no cucumbers. However, there was a good variety of meats, root vegetables, and breads. One major change that  [... read more]affects smokers is the sudden change from allowing smoking almost everywhere to forbidding smoking in all rooms and at the main lounge. I understand that there are many people who do not smoke and who have difficulty with the contaminated air. However, they could have gone half way with smoking and non-smoking rooms and public areas.

Brisas Guardalavaca: 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

Brisas Guardalavaca: 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 Guardalavaca: 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.

Brisas Guardalavaca: 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!

Brisas Guardalavaca: 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.

Brisas Sierra Mar: Amazing nature ,that’s we like to come back

The place didn’t improve much since our last visit. We had some repairs done ( fallen head board, broken light switches) turning the light on head board fell down bruising my right hand. It took couple days to have it fixed. The last night we had rain water leaking on the hallway floor. BUT, nothing can beat the weather ! Very nice nightly entertainment. Very loud music by the pool .

Brisas Sierra Mar: Worst Trip Ever

First the airline. Sunwing plays with Canadian luggage. Our flight they lost nine bags the longest mine six days with no bathing suit only one pair of shorts one t shirt and no sandals. Oh compensation they give you a Visa card with money on it but only at store in hotel and in town but since your name was not on it could not use. I am 6 ft 7 in 285 lbs,they had nothing I could buy and card expired in 8 days,and elite ,you paid extra for this and luggage was to be first off. I had so much stress [... read more] from all of this I had a heart attack. Next the resort needs lots of work to be done but they do not do it. When Cubans came on weekend they stole cutlery,salt and pepper shakers plates glasses it was endless. They would even pick up food out of buffet then put it back. The weekends suck there was slime on top of water in pool. So bad would not go in pool. Will NEVER fly sunwing again,very disappointed. Good deal not to good hotel.

Brisas Santa Lucia: Fantastic beach beautiful people...fantastic weight loss plan!

Over the New Year period, the hotel evening entertainment was amazing! The rooms are simple and clean. The staff fantastic, friendly and welcoming. The beach is EVERYTHING 😍. We spend all day soaking in the sun and salt loving the vibes....HUNGRYY! The food is unrecognizable, undercooked, under seasoned...basically inedible.