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Las Brisas 07/31/02
Reviewers Rating:  Great
My girlfriend and I stayed on the villa side of the Las Brisas resort in Guardalavaca and, for the most part, were satisfied. However, we did not feel that the resort rated as high as many people suggestó although this is always a matter of individual taste. And since we spent most of our time off the resort, I suppose the rating didnít matter so much. The villa side of the resort is certainly well maintained and the grounds are quite breathtaking. We stayed in the Sancti Spiritus Villa on the second floor with an amazing ocean view. Here is a daily breakdown of our weeklong trip: DAY 1 (Friday) The Air Transat flight from Montreal was on time and uneventful. It was a clear morning and arrival over the lush fields of Cuba was impressive. We were first off the plane and got through customs in no time, which gave us plenty of time on the other side to set up the tripod and take some great shots before the rest of our plane finally passed through about 40 minutes later. The bus ride from Frank Pais International to the resort is again, breathtaking. Royal palm trees and banana plantations as far as the eye could see! Our Caribe-Sol guide was friendly and informative, pointing out the various landmarks along the route. Before arriving at Las Brisas we dropped guests at Breezes Costa Verde, Rio de Mares and Rio de Oro. Check-in was fast. Since it was low season, there were only a handful of us from Montreal. We were taken across the grounds to our room in the villa, which in accordance to what has been written by others, is a little musty when first entered and the air conditioner is off. We asked for a second key immediately and were able to keep the room cool at all times. By now we were quite hungry so we headed off to the restaurant on the hotel side (the villa side was usually closed at lunch). Found the main restaurant on the hotel side to be too large and rather impersonal, much like a large cafeteria. In our opinions, this could be said for much of the hotel sideó oversized, a bit on the dark side and quite impersonal. We arrived just in time for leftovers, but it was enough to keep us going. After a quick meal and equally quick welcome from our tour operator, we headed for the beach. I had previously visited Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo and was a bit disappointed with the main beach. Yes, it has sharp rocks in places, as well as seaweed and sea urchins. We had both brought along our kayak shoes ($10 at Wal-Mart) and had no problems. If youíre planning on spending a lot of time in the water, I strongly recommend doing the same. Other than that, the beach is greatÖ itís just not comparable to the white powder sand that we saw at the Rio de Mares on Day 6. It had been a long day (7 am departure), so we were in bed by 8:30 after a quick meal on the villa side. DAY 2 (Saturday) We were up early and had decided that it would be a beach day. Low season meant that there was no need to worry about beach chair availability (see my beach chair RSVP thread in the archives). We spent a lot of time in the water. At times, we felt as though the beach was ours completely. It was very quiet for the first two days and most of Saturday was spent in the water, recuperating. During our entire stay at the resort, I was only approached once for cigarsÖ it was a young man on a kayak who paddled up to me quietly while I was out near the reef. A polite ìno graciasî and he was on his way. The day in the water wiped us out and we were in bed by about 9. DAY 3 (Sunday) Woke up at about 5:20 am and grabbed the tripod and camera and headed over to the dock on the hotel side to catch the sunrise. It was amazing! As a bonus, a local fisherman was knee-deep in the water hand-casting a net. He would then take the fish onto the dock and let them dry before carrying them off with two of the cutest dogs following close behind. Also got some great shots of the hotel building at sunrise. On the other side of the dock, just off of the resort grounds, there are several boats lined up in a tiny inlet. If youíre an avid photographer, itís an outstanding photo opportunity. My girlfriend took a picture of the Glass Bottom Boat at sunrise that is right out of the pages of National Geographic! On our way back, we discovered a family of cats (kittens, too) living on the grounds. They are the cutest. They survive well enough on their own but remember that theyíre not domesticated and can be quite aggressive when presented with food. With no food in the picture, theyíll happily jump up into your lap for some TLC. After breakfast on the Villa side, we walked along the path past the new villas at the Amigos and then the Club Atlantico towards the public beach and market. Since it was Sunday (and peak holiday season for most Cubans) it was really busy. If you want to mingle with the locals, this is the place to do it. Occasionally, you might meet someone whoíll simply want to practise English or offer to be your guide or even take you into Holguin for the day (this happened to us on Day 4). Remember that this is Cuba and there is a harsh reality for the locals. If you venture to this area on busy weekends, chances are you will be asked for money from time to time. Donít be naÔve. Once youíre off the resort, youíre opening yourself up to this type of contact. However, it is extremely safe and my girlfriend and I never felt threatened in any way. The people who approach you are discreet and polite. It might not happen to everyone, but try to remember that there is a Cuban reality just a few steps from the resort. Quite simply, if youíre apprehensive, then venturing off might not be for you. The public beach is stunning. It beats the hotel beach hands down. The ambiance created by the locals was so refreshing. A must see. The market was small but offered some really nice arts and crafts. In particular, the paintings are amazing. My girlfriend had an in-depth conversation with one of the artists and learned about the tedious process that goes into creating his artwork. We bought several of his paintings for a really good price and he was over the moon! We then walked back along the road, which passes in front of the small commercial centre and back toward the resort. The rest of the day was spent taking pictures of the resort and in the water! I canít describe how HOT it was. But at times, the ocean and pool just didnít do the job at keeping us cool. They both felt like a whirlpool! I never got around to checking the temperature, but it was certainly the hottest day of our trip. We went to bed late ó 9:30 pm to be exact! DAY 4 (Monday) At 8:30 we were in our Suzuki jeep and off to visit the countryside. We drove out to a remote doctorís office that was quite busy for that time of the morning. Then we were off to a farmhouse and a quick stop at a local schoolÖ summer holidays there too! Now if you can imagine drinking fresh coconut milk while chewing on sugar cane and mango, then youíll have a pretty good idea of our breakfast that morning. Our next stop was right out of an Ernest Hemingway novel and the highlight of my entire week ó we drove through several fishing villages before arriving at Puerto Rico beach. I havenít seen every beach in Cuba, but this must rank among one of the best beaches on the island. If you like waves, this is the beach for you. There were some locals enjoying the waves and we just jumped in and splashed around. The waves carry you close to the shore, the water was so refreshing and the scenery was akin to the fishing village in the Old Man and the Sea (although the real Villa Cojimar is near the tip of Cayo Guillermo). This is definitely a must-do for anyone who appreciates the authentic Cuba. I canít remember exactly where we stopped for lunch but it was on top of a hill overlooking the greenest valley you could imagineÖ complete with musical accompaniment. We continued through the most amazing back roads until reaching a lighthouse where people still work and live. Although it was fully functional, the guard refused to let me climb the steps to the top and I couldnít get the photographs I had wanted. From here, we drove down to a large bay where we parked the jeep, hopped into some zodiac boats and steered towards a private inlet for a little rest and relaxation. While we were resting on the beach a local cowboy appeared out of the woods with some pretty exhausted looking mountain horses. We decided to take a ride, but regretfully, I donít think it was too good on the poor horses. I was glad when it was overÖ I felt as though each step the horse took was a step closer to falling over. No sooner had we dismounted the horses that we were out on the lake, jumping the waves on a banana boat! I canít remember the name of the bay, but if you have a chance to drive there, we highly recommend it! On the way back to the resort we drove through Banes, a quaint little town thatís famous for ìPanchitaî, the oldest train in Cuba, I believe? Itís a really interesting place that has a large Jamaican population dating back quite some years, or so we were told. Unless you know people here, thereís not a heck of a lot to do but explore and people-watchÖ youíd be surprised at what you can find. The road back to the resort takes you through some of the most breathtaking scenery you could imagine. You would never guess, or believe what awaits just a few twists and turns from the resort. When we arrived back at the resort, we just jumped into the pool before it closed. The sign says 6:30 is closing time but we were there until 7:45 that evening. They donít seem to be too strict about it. Before heading back to our room, we walked down to the beach and waited for the sunset. INCREDIBLE. DAY 5 (Tuesday) 6 am wake-up call for our trip to Santiago de Cuba. We reached the villa restaurant at 6:45 and our friend Yudy let us in before the crowd so we could prepare a bag of snacks for the 3 1/2 hour bus ride. We travelled on a bus with 12 Germans and ourselves, which meant that we had our own private tour guide for the entire dayÖ which also meant being able to break the rules a little bit ;) The bus ride is quite enjoyable and once again we were able to see some of the great Cuban countryside. Occasionally, the bus would stop and allow us to stretch our legs and take some wonderful photographs. Iíve always been fascinated by the style of billboards that adorn the highway with slogans like ìHasta la Victoria SiempreîÖ etc. Arrival in Santiago was equally fascinating: the city just pops up from behind the lush green fields that mark its perimeter. We headed straight for Plaza de la Revolution with its big iron structure, and then to the MÈlia Santiago de Cuba for a ìbathroomî break. TIP #1: whenever and wherever you choose to travel in Cuba, always remember to bring your own toilet paper. Never assume that the bigger hotel chains are properly stocked. We left the MÈlia and headed up to the fortress El Morro. Itís fairly similar to the one in Havana, although the view is of mountains and the Caribbean as opposed to the Malecon and the Atlantic. There is the standard fare of arts and crafts, but we found the prices a lot more expensive than at the public market in Guardalavaca. From here, we drove down into the old gangster neighbourhood of the city, where the houses are decisively luxuriousóall once owned by the rich American gambling and gangster community of Cubaís early years. We stopped at a very fancy restaurant for lunchÖ and we had musical accompaniment from Las Bayamos, two incredibly talented ladies with the most beautiful voices you have ever heard. We liked them so much, we bought their CD and posed for a photograph! Needless to say, they were overwhelmed with happiness. With lunch over, we headed into the city centre to visit Hotel Casa Granda. The streets around this part of the city are more ìlivelyî than other neighbourhoods, so if you venture around this area alone, donít forget your street smarts. We headed up to the roof of the hotel for a very strong mojito and to take in the magnificent view of the city. Since we had an hour to kill, we decided to ditch the rest of the group and our guide managed to convince our bus driver to deviate from the planned route. He was nice enough to drive both of my girlfriend and I half an hour outside of the city to the Santuario de la Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre. Our guide was not allowed to travel out of the city, so we had the entire bus to ourselves! This little detour was absolutely amazing and we generously tipped the driver $25 US for his effort. After all, we had monopolized his break time. He was ecstatic to say the least, and we managed to make it back to the city centre exactly one hour later. As I mentioned earlier, the beauty of travelling at low season is that unexpected things like this are possible. Had there been more people with us, we would not have been able to venture off to del Cobre. TIP #2: ALWAYS tip the bus driver. And if you stop for a can of soda, remember the person sitting behind the wheel would probably appreciate a drink, too. The bus drivers in Cuba go out of their way for touristsÖ they get your there quickly and safely. Sometimes itís nice to show your appreciation. The ride home was equally as enjoyable as the ride down. There was the most incredible thunderstorm we had ever seen which seemed to cover the entire mainland. At one time, the visibility on the road was down to nothing. This lasted for about an hour and really gave the thirsty landscape an entirely new appearance. When we reached the province of Holguin, the bus driver pulled over at a sugar cane stand, where the whole bus got to sample freshly pressed sugar cane juice. There are also people selling mangos and cheese at the side of the road, but not everyone on the bus seemed as interested as we were to stop and sample. We finally reached the resort at about 8 pm and headed straight to the restaurant. It was Carnival night and the entire staff was dressed in colourful costumes. Unfortunately, we were quite tired after our day so we headed back to our room and sat on the balcony while listening to the waves crash against the shore. From our balcony, we could see and hear the small bats that fill the grounds late in the eveningsÖ they are absolutely no bother, though. DAY 6 (Wednesday) We had been looking forward to swimming with the Dolphins for so long. It was one of the main reasons that we chose to go to Guardalavaca. Weíd heard so much about this little excursion that we just had to try it for ourselves. To be honest, it was a bit of a let downÖ itís just that it gets real busy real fast and the whole thing turns into one big fiasco. The swim with the dolphins is a great experience, although far from naturalÖ the dolphins go through a well-rehearsed routine that is exactly the same for everyone. You can almost hear the dolphins saying ìnextî! Itís all very Pavlovian with the trainers blowing whistles and the dolphins swimming around in order to earn a few pieces of fish. To be quite honest, we both had the same narcissistic fantasy that the dolphins were going to swim with us, look deep into our eyes and make some sort of magical connection. If you have the same fantasy, then this is the perfect place to burst that bubble. Weíre not saying that itís not a great experience, but it might be necessary to lower the expectations somewhat. Nonetheless, we did have a magical experience of sorts. We ventured off around the aquarium while everyone else was enjoying the local band (Septeto Raices Cubanas) and we discovered three other dolphins in an enclosure by themselves. As luck would have it, their trainer was walking by and saw how desperately we were trying to ìconnectî. So he lifted the gate and invited us into the special platform area for a private showÖ now that was magical. Although the dolphins were still performing for fish, my girlfriend kneeled down, tapped one of the dolphins on the nose and was rewarded with a genuine kiss. The trainer spent a good ten minutes with us and when it was over we felt as though we just had to offer some money. To make the moment even more magical, the trainer politely refused the money and simply said ìI do this for therapyî. The actual dolphin show is 15 minutes of spins, jumping through hoops and other tricks and stunts. We were back at the resort by 1:30 pm. After a quick lunch at the Turquesa restaurant, we walked over to the hotel side and rented a scooter for the afternoon. TIP #3: When you rent a scooter, make sure there is enough gas in the tank. And if not, kindly ask them to fill it according to how far you think youíll be going. I was told that a full tank was good for about 120 kilometres. Just open the gas valve and shake the scooter a little. If you can see that the gas level is near the top, then youíre fine. If not, a little tip and a smile should get you a full tank. We started off by driving on the road that takes you to Banes. When starting off, there is a small airfield with a 20-year old Antonov-2 airplane. Iím a bit of an aviation enthusiast so we drove down right up to the fence so I could take a few pictures. A couple of guards came out to see what we were up to, but didnít really seem to mind. We were lucky enough to meet the pilot but our Spanish isnít very good, and his English wasnít quite up to par. Weíre not exactly sure what the status of the Aerotaxi excursions is, but we seemed to get the impression that tourists are no longer allowed up since the crash in Santa Clara province last year. Unofficially, however, is a different story. $45 US seemed to be enough for a fly-over of the hotel and beach. But since we didnít want to get anyone in trouble, we didnít ask if we could go up. Maybe someone could clarify this point? We were a little weary about our gas situation so we decided to turn around on the road to Banes and head over to visit the Rio de Mares which we had wanted to see. We had no problem getting past any of the security guards and we politely asked the guard at the front of the resort if we could take a walk around the hotel. There was absolutely no problem whatsoever. We even ordered some water at the bar and werenít asked about our wrists bands. We went down to the beach and just loved it. Since we didnít stay at this resort, I wonít venture to comment on itÖ that wouldnít be fair. But was it nice? Oh yeah! Just south of the Rio de Mares is a helicopter pad for the Aerogaviota chopper that flies some of the excursions to Santiago de Cuba and Cayo Saetia. Let me just say that this machine is pretty impressive. We almost regretted not having taken the helicopter to Santiago instead of the busÖ but each offers a unique experience. TIP #4: When taking pictures in Cuba keep in mind the following. Cuba has a strong military history that is still considered sensitive. In general, you cannot take pictures of military installations. Your camera and film can be confiscated at any time, for a number of reasons. Obviously, common sense applies. Note that some of the airfields that you might stumble across may still be considered sensitive. When we stopped to take pictures of the helicopter, guards suddenly seemed to pop out of nowhere. At one time, we were being watched from the complete opposite side of the airfield. Although theyíre used to tourists clicking photographs here and there, the sight of a powerful zoom lens still raises an eyebrow or two. DAY 7 (Thursday) Happy Birthday to me! DAY 8 (Friday) All good things must come to an end! We arrived back in Montreal at about 4 pm and breezed through customs and out into a typical 31-degree summer day. That was a nice welcome home. May all your travels be safe :) Simply Curious.
Simply Curious
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