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Las Brisas Guardalvaca-Villas 07/24/2003
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
Hola Amigos!
Just back from our second 2 week stay at the wonderful Las Brisas Guardalavaca.
We are a family of 4 , my husband and I are in our early 40's and our children are 9 and 13. We are frequent visitors to Cuba having been 9 times previous in just the last 3 years alone!
Let me begin with our flight. It was Skyservice. The flight was on time and we had no problem getting our requested vegetarian and childrenís meals and special seating. Skyservice now serves a cold boxed lunch - it's like being in grade 4 again!!!
The airport in Holguin was the usual snailpaced scene of baggage shuffling and paperwork. Cubans don't get a raise if they work faster, so things went much quicker once all the bags came out and everyone got through immigration and past the over eager bag carriers.
Cold $1 Cristal which we purchased at the airport and then drank on the bus was well appreciated!
Ernesto the tour rep gave us our hotel briefing and list of excursions on the bus, which I think was a stroke of genius!
Check-in at the hotel was a little slow but smooth and our bags were delivered by golfcart to our villa.
We had requested a "Villa Suite" next to the beach, from guest relations, and we got just that - we had a beautiful view of the boardwalk and the ocean, absolutely perfect!!! We had a queen sized bed, a pull-out bed and a single bed in our room, a fridge and safe, plus 2 bathrobes and a bottle of rum - thanks again to guest relations!
Once we were settled we began our routine of shows, dinners , beach and poolsÖ.
It is recommended that you book your alacartes on your first day. You have 2 to choose from, an Italian and a seafood restaurant. You get one of each for each week, or you can have 2 the same.
The seafood restaurant now has half a lobster tail or grilled shrimps on the all inclusive menu which is a real treat. We also found the fish soup to be wonderful. I noticed that lamb or chicken is also offered in the seafood restaurant, as well as the other fish items. All of the staff do a quiet little tableside show featuring magic tricks, juggling and singing. A very nice evening to spend by the ocean.
The Italian restaurant offers tasty Italian dishes with a homemade feel. Skeets loved the soup and the lasagna, the kids loved the margarita pizza and gelato style ice cream, and I loved the cheese and spinach cannelloni - the first timeÖthe second time it had ham in it! I donít eat pork, chicken or beef, only seafood and dairy products. I cut into my spinach cannelloni only to find an unfamiliar substance lurking inside-when I asked the waiter what was in the supposedly vegetarian dish, he replied "Pork! Everyone in Cuba eats Pork!" Apparently they sometimes throw a little pork into things from time to time! Öjust for flavor. Eewwww! Watch out for the PORK- ITS EVERYWHERE!!!! After this meal I spoke with guest relations and they actually went into the kitchen and opened several of the cannelloniís to see how may contained pork. Some did, some didnít.
They called me "THE VEGETARIAN" after that! Hahaha!
The snack bar by the hotel pool now offers pizza made to order from noon until 5p.m and sandwiches, hot-dogs and burgers all night long. A big hit with the kiddiesÖ
You can have lunch and breakfast at the seafood restaurant after 10a.m., as well as being able to have breakfast daily (from 8a.m.)and lunch, from the hotel and villa buffets on alternating days. The buffet food is fresh and plentiful but is still food prepared for the masses. Donít expect a lot of spices as a result. You will have different theme nights with menus to match at the Villa and Hotel buffets.
Mojitos are available at the piano bar , and most of the bars have slushy machines for frosty Pina Coladas or other tropical frozen delights.
On the bus with Ernesto we were given a list of excursions, they included trips to Havana, Santiago, Bayamo, and Holguin. They also have adventure, jungle and challenge tours which contain a variety of exciting activities like mini speedboats, horseback riding and snorkeling. Deep sea fishing is also available as is skydiving and para sailing. And of course the swim with the dolphins is a popular choice for many people and it goes daily at 9a.m.
Hobie Cat rides , paddle boats and Kayaks are available on the beach. (Banana boat and Jetski for a fee)
We went on the trip to the Indian Village. We traveled in a little train past some beautiful mountain villages and farms. The Indian village has several buildings made of palms and wood, a very amusing and historical show, and a good authentic Cuban meal served with beer. The finale of the evening is a big dance around a fire with lots of grimacing and shouting. The outfits on the dancers are basically paint and partial loin clothes so be prepared for giggling from the children. *The show is in the evening so don't forget the insect repellent!
There is no charge for this trip, only a small fee for additional drinks. Book early with guest relations to ensure space.
We also went on the glass bottom boat tour. For 25 dollars per adult and half price for kids we went out on the ocean in the boat for 2 hours. You get a divers perspective of the beautiful coral reefs and the inhabitants of the coral. The men on the boat put on a feeding show with hundreds of tropical fish, black groupers, barracuda and moray eels- quite entertaining. Drinks are included and we all felt that it was a good value.
Horseback riding is available right in front of the hotel, you can also get a horse and buggy there and go on a little tour or just to the craft market. The craft market has different artists daily, if you see something you like you should buy it that day or you may not get another chance. Most things cost between 1 and 15 dollars. They will bargain with you if you like to do that. At the foot of the craft market is the public beach. You should try to go on Saturday or Sunday to spend time with Cubans on their day off. Itís a blast. You can also arrange diving here at the Eagle Ray dive center.
The evenings entertainment is a variety of audience participation nights, dance evenings and comedy shows.
We enjoy both the music and comedy particularly and you can see my photos at : http://groups.msn.com/HolguinClub. The funny shows are the Aladdin show, Christopher Columbus and Romeo and Juliet. These really appeal to the kiddies.
Brisas has added a great new Afro Cuban show to their line up. It is called Oricha. It has the history of Santeria along with music and dancing. The featured band on this night is the same one which performs on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday nights on the Public Beach. Magical!
The Public beach has a series of Cuban cafes and the Bucaneero tent which has a fantastic beach party starting at about 11p.m. 3 nights a week. Lots of dancing and fun. Pop and beer is a dollar and a bottle of rum is between 4 and 9 dollars depending on the age and brand. * don't forget the bug spray!
LaRoca is the disco on Guardalvaca Public Beach. It is very popular with Cubans and tourists and charges $5 entry but you get a couple of drinks included. Friday and Saturday nights are big.
Caf頃ontante next to Brisas has live music and beer for 85 cents if you want a change of pace. You can hear some very talented performers and dance if youíd like. After the band finishes it turns into a disco.
There is a PizzaNova and a seafood restaurant called the Anchora on Guardalavaca beach, you can ask for coupons at the desk in the hotel.
Next to Las Brisas they now have bumper cars and bumper boats for $1. -warning-do not do this with a bad sunburn!!!! They seemed to be safe and there are seatbelts. I would suggest that smaller children double up.
Snorkeling is still my personal preference and I saw puffer fish and barracuda this time. The best spot Iíve found is off the end of the pier where the glass bottom boat parks and then swim out about 15 meters and to the right about another 15. You will see gorgeous coral and a massive amount of spectacular fish . If the glass bottom boat has just come in you may see the barracudaís that they handfeed. It seems that they follow the boat . I was really surprised by how quickly I could swim. YIKES! (photos coming soon)
The disco is as popular as ever. The animacion staff attend on certain nights and really get things hopping! Thanks Yassir, Alex, Martika, Yordania, and Yuneisy! People were calling the disco the kindergarten this time because there were so many young teens visiting it all week. Parents should be aware that there is the possibility for children to get alcohol when at the disco, so please have a good talk with your kids if you plan to allow them to go alone. The younger kids clear out by midnight and it becomes more like a regular disco, with the drinks at no extra charge. Many people go back to the snackbar after the disco for a bite
before bed.
The pools were the daytime meeting place for families and singles alike. One week we had a very loud group who were more than just a little boisterous! Thankfully you have the choice of 2 huge pools and the ocean so it was no problem really. There were aerobics, dance classes and pool volleyball daily at the hotel pool. The kids club also visited the pool, ocean and bumper cars daily. Iím sure the kids who were in the club had a fantastic time with Jordania, Alex and Baby.
I would like to mention that once again I noticed many unattended children in the pool, some of who behaved very badly. Apparently their parents had left them to go to the beach. I observed many dangerous things like diving off a bridge into very shallow water, and running up and down staircases dripping with water, not to mention a good deal of swearing , ice cube throwing etc.ÖPlease donít make your childrenís safety everyone elseís problem. I was very relieved that no one was seriously hurt.
There are many games and sports for your kids to do at Brisas. They have a Club room with ping pong, pool tables and board games. There is tennis, basketball and even the internet.
Bocci ball and a giant chess board are located right next to the tennis courts.
Daily they have beach volleyball and various competitions organized by the animacion staff. My daughter always learns the club dance so she can teach her friends when she gets home.
Try not to miss the John Lennon tribute in the Aviary , you get to release a dove! The band plays and they talk about the importance of John Lennonís music to the Cuban people.
The music of Cuba was what brought us there and itís what keeps us coming back. We were thrilled to make friends with Cuarteto Cubamar on this trip. Skeets and Andrew joined in frequently, singing and playing along with the rhythm. There are so many really talented musicians at the Brisas. Luis, Jesus, Julio, Roberto, Pedro, Daniello, to name just a fewÖ
They all came to the bus to say Adios, and we know that weíll be back.
Myla Mesquita
You can see my photos of Las Brisas at : http://groups.msn.com/HolguinClub/themesquitasinguardalavaca.msnw
and:
http://groups.msn.com/HolguinClub/mesquitas2003.msnw
P.S.
We did not have to check out until 4p.m. so we paid an extra 20 dollars to keep our room-fantastic idea!! And our plane got us home an hour early-AMAZING!
Thanks again to guest relations for all of their kind attention and hard work.
Myla Mesquita
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