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Las Brisas Guardalavaca 12/26/02
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
December 2002 We visited Las Brisas Guardalavaca in July 2002 and boy was it hot! The hotel was wonderful and the staff was great. They were very attentive and eager to make our stay as comfortable and unforgettable as possible. We stayed in the hotel part of the resort. We do not travel much and were unsure of what to expect from the villas so we opted to stay in the hotel. Check in went very smoothly and our room overlooked the pools and the ocean. It was a beautiful view. We got some great pictures. We spent most of the day sunbathing on the beach. The sand was beautiful. We managed to find the very much needed shade for the beach under a small tree that we claimed as our own. Even though the resort was not full, I strongly recommend going down to the beach or the pool and getting a chair in the shade, early in the morning. The best spots fill up quickly. Watch out for crabs though, they tend to come out in the early morning or the late afternoon. They really don't bother you unless you bother them. I really did not like the crabs-they scared me. I know they are small but still..... We asked one of the maintenance men to cut us down a coconut, which he gladly did, and we had daiquiris in them. That was great. We had many people asking us where we got the coconuts. The next day, the gardener had a whole basket full of coconuts and even came to ask us if we wanted another one. It was nice that he remembered us. The food was good. However, we found that nothing was either hot or cold. Most of the time the ice cream and puddings were puddles. There was allot of fresh fruit. This resort offers a chance to dine at two a la carte restaurants- Italian and Seafood. They were both good but I prefer Italian food so I found that restaurant a little better. The portions are not large but there were several courses to each meal. We did not eat much from the snack bar near the pool. There was always a line up so we opted to eat in the dining room. It was much cooler in there anyways. The choices of food was pretty much the same for each meal everyday. That got a little boring but at least if you liked something chances were good that it would be there the next day as well. We did not have any trouble with the food or the water. Our room was very clean and tidy. I was told that if you tipped the cleaning staff they would make shapes out of your towels and display them on the bed. One day we forgot to tip and the maid still made the towel display. I was advised to tip the maid everyday because sometimes they change maids during your stay, so don't wait until the last day to give the maid a tip. We gave soaps, shampoo, magazines, toothpaste etc. The only complaint I had with the room was the musty smell. When we first opened the door the smell was very overwhelming and it never really did go away. Since I don't travel much I don't know if this is something all rooms have because of the humidity. We ended up leaving a room key in the slot that turns on the electricity to the room so the air conditioner ( never did really cold in the room although I had it turned up to the coldest setting possible) ran all day and night to help get rid of the musty smell. We met some very nice people and of course the hotel staff was very friendly and courteous. We went on on excursion-swimming with the dolphins. This was great fun and well worth the money. We also rode some horses into the nearby fishing village where we got a glimpse into the living conditions of the native Cubans. It's a far cry from what we see at home. However, despite their meager living conditions, the people seem very happy. We were not bothered to buy anything from the vendors in the nearby market. They sat peacefully behind their tables and just let us look. Overall, our stay at the Las Brisas Guardalavaca was a memorable one. The weather was great and we were treated like royalty. I highly recommend this resort to anyone looking for a quiet place to vacation.
Kelly and Ken
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