|
Brisas Guardalavaca 12/09/2003
Reviewers Rating:  Good
Travel Oct 19th-26th
Flight - Skyservice flight was delayed over an hour. Cold sandwich and $1 sodas. Cleared customs in Cuba quickly as most of the passengers were continuing to Cayo Coco. Quick bus ride to the hotel. No welcome drinks. Fast check in as there were only about 15 of us.
Rooms - As it was my parents' second trip they were giving a large room with a living area, I was next door in a tiny room. The A/C was powerful so I turned it off most nights. Our balconies faced the gardens, with the town further out and the mountain at the back. It was beautiful to look out at that landscape every morning. I would not have change it for an ocean view as I spent my days in and around water. Both our bathtubs were clogged and the hotel had it fixed in a day. The beds were made every day but the sheets were not changed. Couple of channels on the t.v. but it did not matter as it was not a priority. They did have Disney channel which the kids appreciated.
Grounds - Very beautiful and lush properties. I wore a different coloured flower in my hair every night!. Very clean. Couple of mosquito bites, no need to spray yourself.
Buffet - Some of the worst food I've ever had. No flavor, no seasoning, no herbs, very blah, thank goodness my mom brought some pepper sauce. Omlette bar seemed nice but I'm not much for eggs, did not like the bacon or bread (hard). The evening pasta bar seemed okay, kids loved it, but I'm not much for pasta either. Rice was bland and hard. All meats were over cooked and tough. As there were only butter knives on the table, I found myself sawing away at the meat endlessly. Veggies seemed of a frozen or canned origin. Limited and unappealing desserts. Nice selection fruit although the pineapple was never ripe and that is my favorite. Noticed alot of flies on the salad bar and deli meats. We usually had the same waitress all week, she was a little cold at first but by the third day she had become very friendly.
Italian a la carte - Okay, had the beef, again tough, kids had the spagetti, loved it. As it was my sons birthday that night, Pilar in guest relations had our table decorated with ballons and the staff sang Happy B-Day and presented a cake. Very nice touch. The restaurant was cozy with candle light, no a/c. Excellent and attentive staff.
Seafood a la carte - nice location by the beach. Food awful, had the shrimp. They were small had heads and were a murky brown colour. When I tried to take the shells off they fell apart in powdery pieces. Kids had the chicken which was pretty good. Again execllent staff.
Pool Grill - "ham" burgers for the first half of the week and under cooked "beef" burgers for the second half, both cooked on an over greased griddle not grill. Hotdogs fries and tuna salad sandwiches were also available. Fresh baked pizzas were made with ham topping and veggies. They were good but thick and but of course I like thin crust.
Not my week when it came to food, but I did enjoy the bbq lunch held outdoors mid week, lots of different bbq meats and fish. The kids and I also enjoyed the eatery down by the public beach "La Vicara" fried chicken and fries for $1.60 US. We also visited a fishing village outside of Banes where we had an excellent lobster dinner. The lobster was sauteed with some seasonings and left in a little broth. The dinner was $12US for a 7" tail, rice, plantian chips, and cucumber.
Drinks - Thank goodness I brought a few bottles of coke as Cuba's "Tucola" was awful. The lemon lime and orange soda was good, as well as the slushies at the pool bar. Found Heineken for $1 near the market. My parents had a hard time getting their favorite drink, the pina coloda, it was only availabe during out last few days, only at one bar, and poured over ice, not blended. The pool bar had one staff member that served drinks around the pool wearing roller blades. Allowing quick service.
Pools - My kids loved the pool it was calm unlike the beach allowing them the ability to play endlessly. I also enjoyed the pool, the temperature was comfortable, but as the week went by I started to question how people can sit at the swim up bar drinking alcohol for such long periods of time without having to go the bathroom. It quickly turned me off of the pool. Lots of loungers available, but if you like prime tanning locations you must go early. All the sun spots seemed to be taken earlier than 7:30am. Lots of topless Europeans. I had some expaining to do with my kids as this is not the norm for them. I dont think there was any long term psychological damage from being exposed to what my son called "boobies"!
Beach - Loved it! For those who like powdery sand this was more rough and grainy (no matter to me). The water was calm for the first 5 days. We spent one full day at the public beach, propably my favorite day on this trip. With googles I was able to find beautiful little shells under the water. Loungers can be rented for $1 and cold drinks are every where. The only issue I had with the beach is that the water drops to a 3' depth within 8' which was dangerous with my 4 year old. When he was in the water my focus had to be on him at all times as he can not swim. On our next trip I would like to find a location that has a shallow beach for some distance.
Sightseeing - We did the horseback riding (our first time). It was an hour long. We visited the town of Holguin. Very active lots of people. We went up to a look out with 360 degree view, beautiful. Lots of aggressive people begging up there, beware! We did the horse carriage ride through town and the fishing village. We had small gifts and candy to give to everyone we passed. Dont make the mistake we did and put off water activities. We left the paddle boats and glass bottem boat cruise for the last two days which ended up being windy and all the water activities were cancelled
Market - 10 minutes walk away is a small craft market. Everything from carvings to jewelery, crochet clothing etc. Excellent prices, dont forget to bargain and the end of day is when you will get the best deals.
Gifts - We brought candy, chocolate, cookies, gum, toy cars, pencils, pens, hair accesories. I also brought all of the clothes and shoes my children had used this summer and I know would not fit them the next, usually I donate to GoodWill, but this year we brought it to Cuba. On our last night we walked east along the beach to the fishing village. We stopped at each home giving away the last of candy and clothes as well as the water guns, sandbuckets, shovels, and water floats my kids had used during our trip. One family must have been having a get together as they were all out in the yard cooking lobster drinking rum and singing. They invited us to partake in their food and drink. We declined but we did stay to hear them sing. One gentleman was playing the guitar while a few others sang "Guntanamera". With the sun setting and the ocean washing up behind us, I must say it was one of those perfect moments in life that you wish would never end. (Thankfully I got it all on video tape!)
From my experience the people of Cuba are beautiful inside and out and the love of their children seems to be of most importance to them. This trip prompted me to re evaluate my life of me me me and want want want.
Brisas Guardalava is a good destination for travellers on a budget. The food leaves alot to be desired but there is much that makes up for it.
ash
|
