Description: With a comprehensive array of all inclusive facilities at a very reasonable price, this resort makes an ideal base from which to explore the area or to simply relax and enjoy its many comforts.
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This place was truly heaven for my familt and me the people are amazing that was most important. As well i found that the people visiting this resort were amazing i look forward to seeing my friends there again soon VIVA Cuba lol
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Wonderful vaction,with great people at Brisas Guardalava
This was to be our 5th time here at Brisas Guardalavaca
We were booked in Sept this trip because it was for one month. As most canadians know most of the west had to travel via Toronto. We are from Winnipeg.Most charters only hold so many seats for 3 and 4 week travels.Also Westjet was the only carrier to Holguin Cuba.
Was very happy with the service I might add. Great luggage allowance.1 hundred pounds each plus 2 carry ons each at 10kg.Had it packed to the max
Your Arrival
On time and good ckeck in.We stayed in the villas as much more room and in most places quite.Our room building 6000 you walk right out to thebeach. Awsome
coffee maker and small fridge with water everyday. Maid service has always been good.
Restaurants and Bars
Two buffets to eat at. You can have your choice in the morning for fresh made eggs however you like them.Lots of fruits and veggies and more. There are 2 alacarts Italian in the hotel and Seafood down by the villas.Have yourself a drink at the cappachino bar next to Italian before dinner . Nice place for a coffee afterwards. Great service.Seafood, they sometimes have the servers entertaining you with sing or guitar. Very good.
You can also get breakfast served to you at 1o till ii.30 at the seafood if you miss buffet which closes at 10.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Love the beach. Just pristine. My hubby loves to snorkel and has gone fishing way out front of resort and caught alot of fish on occasion.
Pool at hotel is more lively as they have a grill bar there. Great pizzas and hotdogs and the like.Villa is nice for small kids. Little bar close by.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Always something to do/ The animation team really try to get you involved with volleyball, dancing games in the games room. They have archery with pelet gun ,Bachi ball and more.
The evening entertainment good. Modeling show my favorite :)Aquadic show, Christopher Columbus show Really funny :) and more.
Other Comments
We rented a car for 5 days and toured around. Town of Banes to see friends. Holguin to visit and stay with friends.
Seaside town called Gibara. 2 hours from Guardalavaca. Really nice drive. Stopped at a home that served lobster there.Couldn;t have had a grander day. Stopped and played ball with some kids that were playing.My friend and I gave away alot of shoes and clothes on this journey.Fantastic
My husband and I wish to go back and do it all over again
Get out and meet Cuba
Bettyboop
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My daughter and I travelled to Brisas Guardalavaca for her university reading week, Feb 14-21. We wanted a week in the sun at a decent price, and our expectations were low. It was my 2nd trip to Cuba, the first time was a trip to Varadero and I had not had a good experience. So many people rave about Cuba, I gave it a second chance and I'm glad I did. I liked this area much more than Varadero. It is not as built up and seemed much less tourist-y and maybe because of this, I didn't see the hustlers, etc that I'd noticed in Varadero. I was pleasantly surprised with the hotel, which is rated 3+ some places and a 4* others. I'd read that the villas were considered the 4*; however, staying in either side (hotel or villas) you have access to the entire property. We stayed in the hotel and it was a little noisy because it was reading week, so we had a lot of 20 yr olds on our floor. I always pack earplugs, but this trip I forgot. Big mistake and it won't happen again. The hotel was decent, nothing fancy but really clean and everything in our room was functional. We ate in only one buffet (there are 2) and the food was good. We really enjoyed the a la cartes, and they do have a wine list ($) if you are a wine drinker. The beach is long and there is a boardwalk so you can walk safely past the next resort and to a flea market area and public beach. It's a nice, laid back atmosphere. We loved the staff and made friends that we did not want to leave. We also met a ton of Canadians and a few Brits and enjoyed sitting in the large lobby bar after supper for drinks. I really liked the atmosphere of this resort and would (will) return.
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Beach - AWESOME
Brisas Guardalavaca
User Rating:
Alex from Mississauga, Ontario >
1 contribution(s) Canada
May, 2009
5 people found this review helpful
Arrival: May 30th to June 6th
Check-in was seamless - We were at our room in no time.
Rooms:
Rooms looked clean. Shower trickles water. took forever to wash. A/C unit doesn't drain - Leaks into bathroom ceiling instead. Room was VERY humid by end of week. Dehumidifier in A/C didn't work - We could be Hot and wet, or Cold and wet. (chose cold and wet - Hard to sleep) Matresses are DONE. Springs make noise and aren't very comfortable.
Restaurants and Bars:
The buffets were very good. Some flies bug you while you eat. The Ala carte's were good for others, I just had bad luck - Cuban restaurant: I ordered Pork - Got dry, tough, old turkey instead. Had to drink water with each bite. Rice was dried out and borderline crunchy. Booked for seafood on Monday - Got to the resturant - But it was closed. Booking screwed up. Went again on Thursday - They ran out of lobster! Bummer! Was too drunk/hung over to go to italian when we booked it - Apparently pretty good.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Beach - AWESOME. The one in front of the resort isn't the greatest, but if you just like to lay on the chairs and soak up the sun its awesome. Not too much swimming space before you hit the grass/urchins. But clean sand! Pools were great - the one int he villa's is a really neat layout - Kind of a lazy river style. The one by the hotels has the best bar. The grounds were well kept. No bugs either. Didn't get bitten once!
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We went to Holguin. 30cuc. We were lied to, told to use the black market to get cigars (I ended up doing this) etc. Our tour guide, was very deceitful. Led us to closed cigar shops, then referred us to a person "he didn't know" but could go describe to us in perfect detail, saying he works for the cigar factory and has good English... but he says: I don't recommened buying from him - He has very good English and gets real cigars - No banana leaves - But I don't recommend it. He'll be wearing a red shirt and will wait for you near the bus if you need him"
Lunch was amazing - On an old farm on top of a mountain. AMAZING chicken (best I've ever had)
Other Comments:
Overall, I met the best people. J&J, SDB&C, RF, SS, and many others made the trip one to remember - The resort looks great, but needs to work on the behind the scenes stuff - A/C, Food, Organization, etc. 6/10
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The resort is almost like new again.
Brisas Guardalavaca
User Rating:
Betty and Mike >
1 contribution(s)
Mar, 2009
9 people found this review helpful
My husband and I just returned from a 3 week stay at Brisas Guardalavaca. Feb. 13th to Mar 6th.
We flew with sunwing for the first time . We were happy with the all around service. We had no issues at the airport in Holguin apon arrival. We were packed to the max and sailed right through. We have been through this airport 7 times.
We bought some crystal beer by the buses for the 1 hour journey to the hotel. I really enjoy this ride as it allows you see cuba everyday. Lots do not venture off the resorts so it is good to see. We ourselves are out and about to the country pretty often. Don't miss a trip off the resort either by horse and buggy, scooter, taxi.
Check in was fast . We have been there before so we new our way around. We stayed in the villa section .It is quieter than hotel which we have also stayed in. Although we are not in them for long but to sleep and shower it gives us more room for all the stuff we took.
The resort is almost like new again.
The cubans worked extremely hard to get ready for the tourists.A few missing trees but,not much else.
The beach is still crystal blue. Water is fantastic for swimming. Hubby went snokeling and fishing.
The buffets were good. Lots of selection . There are still 2 alacarts. Seafood and Italian. Both to be enjoyed.
The entertain is good. They have a fiddler twice aweek. His name is Joey and loves to get the people dancing. Water ballet as well . Modeling shows ( my favorite ) :) Did the disco a few nights. It was good.
The games room still has pool and darts, pingpong and they have now put a sand pit up for botchy ball as well as badminton. Tennis courts are really good. Hubby played a lot. They have raquettes but, we brought our own with balls. Horse back riding for 2 hours takes you to some caves . Cost 12 cuc. Pretty neat. My husband also took the boat plane up around the resort. He liked that although itis 30. cuc for 10 mins.
We also rented a car for approx. 80 cuc allyou can drive for 12 hrs. We went out towards the Banes area to see what the hurricane did. Still a few homes without roofs.
All in all we loved seeing a lot of people we met over the last few years. Had a couple of visits to some homes we were invited back to.
Some people we have also met in years past coming back to this great resort.
Was sad to leave but, working on saving for next years adventure in Cuba.
The Cuban people are why we return.
Thanks for making it so special
Can;t wait till next time
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I am requesting complete reimbursement
Brisas Guardalavaca
User Rating:
Lupo family >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Mar, 2009
7 people found this review helpful
This was the 6th visit to this resort Brisas Guardalavaca and the first time I ran into this manager.. The manager at the hotel has only been there for under 2 years. The employees who work under his supervision are not happy. If they miss there lunch doing other work for the hotel they do not eat. If they are asked to work late they do not get paid though many of the staff have no choice or they will loose there jobs. Many of the staff remembered my family they gave us a warm welcome. They could not believe what was happening to us by this manager. I guarantee that this resort under the current management will continue to collapse in ratings. Our first 4 vacations to this resort were great the hotel was rated at 5 star plus. The last time it was 4 star 2 years ago. This last visit 3 star I never called the hotel until this time because I was not aware of calling ahead until they brought it to my attention on my last visit.
What we received from the hotel is not what I had requested for in the vacation request
1: Hotel room >> Not a Villa
2: 2 Single Beds and one 5-foot long portable folding bed (Cot)
When dropped off in front of the resort Brisas Guardalavaca Villa Registration with the Sunquest information session letter provided by Sunquest Representative Ernesto on the Bus from the Airport. When we went to the Check-in reception at the resort, the admin could not confirm our reservations, as she explained we did not exist on the list. I then showed her the confirmation letter from Sunquest. She proceeded to call the Customer Relations Manager Angeline for the resort. The Customer Relations Manager requested that we go to the hotel reception, as I was disgusted in the treatment I was receiving at the Villa reception.
At the hotel reception, the Customer Relations Manager Angeline explained the resort was over booked and there was No Villa’s available. There would be one available on Tuesday or Wednesday. Angeline suggested taking the hotel room she had arranged for us until then. Having No choice but to except Angeline’s excuse for the over booking of the resort. She explained if we would accept the offer for the hotel room, she would request from the manager a letter recommending reimbursement from Sunquest for the vacation/hotel. Angeline also would include a bottle of RUM and VIP service (WHICH WAS NEVER RECEIVED) I immediately contacted Ernesto (Sunquest representative). Ernesto spoke to Angeline over the phone at the hotel.
Soon after, Ernesto came to the hotel lobby where he explained in English that he had confirmed our reservation with the hotel upon receipt. I explained to Angeline that I contacted Isabel Reservation Manager, as per the hotel manager’s instructions. The previous hotel manager suggested after booking your next vacation. Call ahead before traveling, as we were repeat customers this was our fifth visit to the same resort. I called Isabel and explained all above. Isabel asked if we have preference of Villa’s as they were all available. I explained to Isabel as I recall there were 2 Villas with partial ocean view either would be nice to have the only preference we had is to be placed on the top floor. I had Isabel repeat my request she repeated all accordingly. Isabel came to the lobby to assist Angeline; Isabel verified all the statements made above with Ernesto present. They then apologized for the inconvenience and explained this was an over booking error and will be corrected ASAP.
Angeline then requested to please take the room she has had prepared until Tuesday or Wednesday. I explained to Angeline that if we have to unpack, repack, and unpack that will take time out minimum 1 day out of our 7-day vacation. After talking to my family, we decided to remain in the hotel, as long as were going to be reimbursed for our inconvenience, and downgrade from Villa to Hotel room. After talking to a few families from the GTA staying in the hotel, each family paid a range of $1000 to $1200 per person Taxes & Surcharges included compared to our $1686 per person Taxes & Surcharges included. Last minute travelers paid $650 to $800 per person Taxes & Surcharges included.
Angeline and Ernesto both agreed this was a fare request. Angeline spoke on behalf of her manager and said he will provide a letter of confirmation and sign it for me on Monday 12:30 pm. A copy of the letter to be given to us; the original would be forwarded with Ernesto’s report to Sunquest. We went to the room designated to us room 510 in the Hotel. We were disgusted in the condition of the room example: two towels, not dusted or cleaned, water glasses were not changed, and two beds and one folding cot bed. Filled with anger and disgust I went down and asked to speak Angeline, I explained to Angeline the room situation she apologized and went into an office she shortly came out of the office. Angeline then assured us the room will be clean as it should have been before entering the room, and the bed replaced immediately. The time was approximately 3:30 pm I went back to the room and explained the situation to my family. Once more, we accepted the terms we went for lunch, afterwards stayed in the shade and watched others enjoy their vacation.
At 7:00 pm we returned to the room and again nothing was completed the room was not cleaned the bed was not replaced. I called Ernesto once more he called the reception desk and then called me back. Once again, I went down to the reception desk spoke to a hotel representative. The clerk had NO orders from Angeline or anyone else to prepare the room. This representative immediately contacted cleaning staff who then went up to the room while we were having dinner, cleaned the room, changed bed sheets, towels, water glasses. I thanked the clerk once we returned to our room 9:30pm, the clerk kindly explained they do not have a spare bed to place into the room. We had been up without unpacking, resting, shower, and tired from a long unforgettable experience. We unpacked our luggage and changed into attire that is more comfortable. We had a family argument at 11:30 pm lasted until 2:00 pm. I had packed all our clothing in anger. All I wanted to do at this time was get on the next plane out of this country.
The next day after a rough night woke up unpacked and we all took a walk. Monday 12:30 pm, I left my wife by the pool and went to the Customer Relations Office to retrieve the letter that was to be ready for me. Customer Relations Lady had NO idea what I was talking about, I explained to her what Angeline had said, her response “I have NO idea”. I then asked if the Hotel Manager was in, she replied, “he is always here”, I requested to speak to him and Angeline who as I found out that day was going to be in a 3:00 pm. The time is 3:00 pm excused my self from my wife and friends made at the resort. I proceeded to the Customer Relations Office Angeline has not yet arrived and the manager was in a meeting. I went up to the room to find the bed had not been replaced as of yet, I called Ernesto again to meet me at the Customer Relations Office.
The time now is 4:30 pm I then exited the room and went Customer Relations Office where I seen Angeline, I explained to her that after all we have been through I did not expect to be lied too. Angeline replied, “I did not lie to you, and I have been in this position for many years. I do not appreciate you calling me a liar”. Then the hotel manager came in and started talking in Cuban to the Angeline and the other woman in the office. The manger explained that we have to respect each other here or this meeting will end. I explained the situation to the hotel manager who then with Angeline placed the blame on Isabel, changing the issue to sound like Isabel misunderstood and request the hotel room in place of the Villa. Then Ernesto came into the office at this point I was so angry I could no longer focus. I explained to the manager if Isabel misunderstood me then why was the room in the condition we had found it in the manager turned to the two women spoke in Cuban again.
I also explained to the manager what Angeline had promised the room the beds would be corrected immediately, and a letter signed by the manger for us to receive compensation for this error. The manager spoke in Cuban to the women and said, “We do not give letters to the public the letter will be filed at the hotel”. The manager turned to Ernesto “there will be a Villa available shortly if the Lupo family would like pack and move to the Villa”. I replied, “I will be willing to move to the Villa if you can have my clothing and luggage packed and unpacked from the Hotel to the Villa while I enjoy my vacation. I refuse to loose another day of my vacation”. The manager replied, “So you are refusing the Villa” I replied, “No I am refusing to loose another day of my vacation to pack and unpack”. The manager then turned to Ernesto and spoke in Cuban he will file a letter to reimburse the Lupo family 100% for this vacation.
I told Ernesto I refuse to believe that Isabel was the cause of the error. Ernesto agreed. Sometime Tuesday morning after 11:00 am, the bed was replaced with a single bed. We then continued with what ever was left of our spoiled vacation. In closing this was the worst 7-day vacation I have ever had. I am requesting complete reimbursement
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We love this place
Brisas Guardalavaca
User Rating:
Jayneb from Ottawa >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Feb, 2009
8 people found this review helpful
Arrival - Feb 8 - 15
Our arrival was smooth, Villa staff had all keys ready and waiting. We were offered valet service but since we new our way around decided to head to our room ourselves
Rooms
Stayed in Villa 5 (room 5203) Great location looking over the pool area and backing on to the beach. Last year we were in Villa 6 and that was great too.
Upstairs rooms are bigger(not sure if these are the Minisuites). We dont usually book the mini suuites but have been in them both times. The room had a king size bed, couch and they added a single bed for our 6 year old daughter. Bathroom large also. Good shower. Mini fridger and coffee maker also. Rooms were kept very clean. If you like big pillows you may want to figure out a way to bring one with you. (or ask for extras)
Restaurants and Bars
Both the Villa buffet and Hotel Buffet were open. We found them both comparable although people in the past have said the hotel one is better quality. Honestly, we found the food not as good as last yearbut nothing to complain about. Pasta made to order was a hiot at noth places.
Went to the Italian and the seafood al a cartes, They were really enjoyable. Carlos is a waiter at the seafood one and will always take great care of you.
As usual the pizzas and bugers were a hit for lunches at the pool side.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Hotel pool has been completely renovated and look great. Villa pool is good to especially if you have little ones.It tends to be on the more quiet side and is more shallow.] Beach is good, they have lost a lot of trees from last year but have put up palapas to give more shade. We never had any trouble finding a spot to sit.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We participated in the tree planting ceremony for returning guests and found this lots of fun. Had a great lunch too. Our daughter felt really special.
Didnt partake in any tours really except to take a buggy up to the school to give out supplies that we had brought.
Other Comments
Overall what can I say. We love this place and my 6 year old daughter was already talking about when we go back next year what she will do. They have done such an incredible job since the hurricane. If you have never been here you would never know the devastation that took place there.
We will go back in an instant to meet up with new friens that we met and hope to take many friends with us next year.
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The food could have been much better
Brisas Guardalavaca
User Rating:
Biljana >
1 contribution(s)
Oct, 2008
40 people found this review helpful
We stayed at the Brisas Guardalavaca from October 4 - 11, 2008. We went there as a family of 9 people (with 2 kids). Most of our family members have been to Cuba many times before, but this was our first time in this resort. We originally booked our stay at the neighbouring Club Amigo, but it was so severely damaged due to the hurricanes, that we accepted the alternative option of staying in the Brisas villas.
FLIGHT: We flew with Sunwing and the flight was excellent. There were no delays or problems, everything went smoothly. We were given an excellent, filling meal, which I haven't got with Air Canada in a long time.
WEATHER: We had great weather, with only occasional and short periods of rain. It would last for only a few minutes, we did not even bother getting out of water or from the beach. Considering that we came there right after the bad hurricanes, we were extremely lucky with the weather.
ROOMS: We had 4 rooms in villas section. The rooms on the upper floors are marked as suites, because they have a small seating area. Out of four rooms that our group had, the three had a very bad odour. It could be due to the recent hurricanes and air-conditioning not working for some time, but whatever the reason is, it does not make you feel better when you have to breathe in that smell. The air-conditioning was old and very noisy, so I turned it off for the first two nights. I was then coughing the whole night and suffered from an itchy throat. For the rest of the week, I kept the A/C on and slept on and off due to all that noise.
As for the seating area in the suites, it consisted of one sofa and two armchairs. They were in poor shape, with suspicious and very visible stains on the fabric.
The rooms seem to be recently painted, but the paint stains were everywhere! What a waste of time and money, the rooms still looked shabby and dirty.
The maids were replacing the towels really quickly and we never had to look for them (it happened to us in other resorts). Cleanliness has a very high spot on my must-have list and, although I could not say that the rooms and bathrooms were spotless, they were fairly OK.
FOOD: I am usually not complaining about the food, because I think that we can always find something to eat. Therefore, the food there was not bad to the point that the guest were starving. But it was far from good either. Tasteless and very limited choices, day after day. It was taking forever to have the empty trays refilled. The dishes that should be served cold were served warm and vice versa. The result was lots of leftover food, what a waste. The choices were poor, but again, it could be due to the food shortage that area had after the hurricane. Overall, I think the food could have been much better with just a little bit of effort and a little bit of salt.
We went to the seafood restaurant once and the four of us were served one quarter of a lobster which was all the seafood we got. Again, I understand that the food choices were limited due to the problems with the supplies.
BEACH: That was the biggest disappointment of our vacation. The water (even the shallow one) was full of seaweed. Every morning the guys would look for the porcupines in the shallow water and would find a few. One of our kids stepped on the porcupine and got two quills in his foot. I have almost stepped on a water snake, missed it just by an inch. It all happened in the shallow waters, up to our waists. Due to all this, we did not have a chance to swim at all. Later, we heard from the locals that Brisas is famous for having a bad beach.
There was not a lot of shade on the beach, but since there were not that many guests, it was not a problem. Almost all the trees on the beach were knocked down by the storms.
If you do not like to be surrounded by the locals asking for clothes, food and money, do not go there. I felt so bad for those people, I was constantly giving them food and money, which just seemed to draw more and more of them. I understand that they live in a poor country, badly damaged by the hurricanes, but I also work really hard and want to have a little bit of peace while on a well-deserved vacation. They just made me feel bad for not being able to help all of them.
POOLS: I cannot give you much info, we did not use them. They seemed to be clean and well-kept.
BARS: None of us is a big drinker and we had only a few drinks. I drink only Pina Colada and I can honestly say that they served the worst Pina Coladas ever. They did not mix it on the spot; they would open a carton and pour it from there. Terrible. We also tried Strawberry Daiquiri. I don't know what it was, but it was awful. Rum and Coke was bad too. For the rest of the week, we sticked to the plain bottled water, the tap one had a strong metal taste.
ENTERTAINMENT: Another not so good part of the whole package. I love salsa, meringue and other Caribbean rhythms and whenever I go there, I do not miss the evening show programs. Most nights the entertainers were speaking mainly in Spanish, addressing only their friends and telling them jokes in Spanish. The rest of us were sitting there like we did not exist, waiting for them to stop having those lengthy private conversations we could not understand. One group of the musicians were really good, with great voices and great music. Unfortunately, they were performing for only two nights. One night we had a fashion show, which was interesting. The rest of the nights we had to listen to a lousy group who were singing some kind of rock & roll, their way. The music was far too loud, and the sound system was not good, so it was sometimes really painful to listen to them. Only one night we could enjoy some kind of funny and entertaining program, but even that was far below the usual program you can see in this type of resorts. This was the first time that I would rather spend the evenings in my smelly room then listen to that torture of a program; I have never thought I would experience that.
PEOPLE: That was the highlight of a not so good vacation. The people working there are so nice. Tip them or not, they were equally helpful. I have only great memories when I think of them.
OVERALL: I find it really hard to understand why this is labelled as a 4 star resort. I hope that those problems can be related to the hurricane damages, but the beach will always be bad. I am definitely not going back.
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Brisas Guardalavaca Villas is worth a visit
Brisas Guardalavaca
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Crawford >
1 contribution(s)
Oct, 2008
3 people found this review helpful
I stayed at the Brisas Guardalavaca from October 10 - 17, 2008. This was my 8th or 9th trip to Cuba and 3rd time at this resort, however, the 1st time solo. I flew Skyservice (despite comments from others, I had a good flight both ways) out of Toronto with Signature Vacations arriving at ~ 22:00. At the orientation meeting the next morning, our rep at the hotel told us that we were only the 2nd week of guests since Hurricane Ike and that they had worked very hard to get the Villas section in shape (the Hotel side was closed for planned renovations, and I would presume that now for some major repairs). The villas side, physically, was very similar to my 2 other stays. The room was clean and comfortable and I was fortunate to be in the 1st Villa on the 3rd floor. However, at the morning briefing 3 other guests reported that they had changed their rooms on arrival due mostly to the musty odour (which was more prominent as the rooms had been closed for a longer period than normal). All seemed to be satisfied with their new rooms.
The buffet services was no better then before, in that there was little service, unless you were a repeat guest with a history with the servers. The food in Cuba is never very gourmet, but there was lots of choice, a good assortment of fruit and salad, and of course ice cream. They have "stuck" a bar opposite the front desk that wasn't there 2 years ago, this is possibly to make up for the bars that are closed in the hotel. The only services available in the hotel were the Italian restaurant and Coffee bar, and the disco was supposed to open soon. Of the 2 la carte restaurants, I preferred the Italian over the Seafood, mostly due to the server, Enrico, the air conditioning, and the food is a bit better. However, the Seafood has a nice atmosphere with an ocean view (perhaps it would be more romantic with my wife?). As far as the resort goes it is mostly operations as before (good and bad), the main difference of the resort is the loss of the trees and the shade. Brisas Guardalavaca was always regarded by myself and others to have the best shade beach in Cuba. I go for the heat and the atmosphere, not to burn in the sun, but for now there is very little shade on the beach except for a few remaining trees and the new umbrellas they have put up (but we know that happens to an umbrella in the wind!). Our rep told us that they plan to replant some mature trees on the beach, but this will take time.
The surrounding area received some damage. The Club Amigo next door was damaged and they were busy repairing the roof of the Atlantico. The main public beach did not seem to have received as much damage as it is slightly sheltered, but then I did not make an investigation of it. The market was up and running, as were the shops in the market area. The "plaza" across the road from the resorts was not open, the stores were not stocked, and the bank was closed. There appeared to be some major damage at the end and back of the plaza (again, I did not inspect it too closely). The snack bar in the front portion of the plaza was open, as were the "Banos".
The atmosphere of the Villas is good, except of course if you get a loud, bunch of partiers. Unfortunately, several of the evening shows were rained out, it seemed to only rain just before the show was due to start, but those that went on were good (no lame audience participation shows), and I finally saw the water ballet one night (much to wife's envy). The walkway along the beach is open all the way down to the market area and I defy anyone to show me a better place to witness the sea and night sky then during a full moon in Cuba.
Overall, Brisas Guardalavaca Villas is worth a visit, despite the damage that Ike did to the local area. It may take a few months for the entire area to be up to pre-Ike conditions but it makes for a very relaxing and restful venue. Enjoy.
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