All You Need to Know About the Private Balconies
at Hotel Brisas Sierra Mar
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Private Balcony review highlights
... from on high with spectacular sunsets every night. The balcony was a generous size and I used it every morning to bring...
... and the bed comfortable. The view of the ocean from our balcony was beautiful as long as we looked past the broken roof...
... did run out of hot water on the last day. There was a nice balcony with a great view, but the rooms at the outer ends of the...
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It was a recurring theme with just about everyone we spoke with...most people staying at the Brisas Dec 4-11 had stayed at the Brisas, 6, 7, 8, even up to 20 times! And, these people were most welcoming of the newbies which I was, explaining about the hotel and area features, things to do, when to go and so on, very fruitful information for my first stay. It was kind of like a summer camp reunion for adults since just about everyone knew everyone, including the staff.
On the hotel staff note, they were probably the best, helpful and gracious staff I have met in the holiday resort business over the 30 years I have been travelling to Cuba. I've lost track of the number of resorts and areas I have stayed but can say that the Brisas staff excelled in all areas, from their hospitable manners to warm genuine welcoming hellos, unbelievable! The service was also top rate, never having to wait for service and having last night's waitress waving madly at us as she has reserved last night's table for us again. She even remembered what we wanted to drink and had it waiting for us.
The hotel is perched on a hillside overlooking the ocean, surrounded by the Sierra mountain range and for that reason has lots of stairs, although there are elevators to accommodate you if you feel lazy as well. It's in good shape although the rooms could use a bit of an update. One of the repeaters who had been going for 12 years said the hard beds are the same ones as the originals but I still slept well. I had room 618 which I would recommend since it was a combination of mountain and ocean view from on high with spectacular sunsets every night. The balcony was a generous size and I used it every morning to bring in the bright and sunny days, listening to the chirping birds and the crickets. There are lots of other rooms which are much closer to the beach but for the most part, it seems all rooms have wonderful views although some may have trees in front of them.
The pool was refreshing and clean and we loved the beach although I must admit, it's not the white sand of Santa Lucia or Varadero, but more volcanic in colour. We brought water shoes, an absolute must if you like the ocean as there are some rocks and seaweed when you first enter but that didn't bother us a bit. Even though it's a bay, there were lovely waves so the sound and the ambiance was true beach which I prefer to the still water anyday. There's a beach bar which is handy and a restaurant steps to the beach we frequented each day in the green shade where you actually were served drinks or cappucinos if you liked. The food choice was limited as to what was on the grill that day, always hamburgers but some days they had barbecue chicken and lots of days, there was fresh fish.
The buffet at the main restaurant by the pool for breakfast and dinner was plentiful although the variety for dinner was a bit limited. Having said that, the Brisas tried what they could and even had home grown lettuce! Also they had lots of fresh fruit in the morning as well as freshly squeezed orange juice and smoothies. You could order your eggs any way you liked as well for breakfast and tuck into the freshly baked bread. There are a couple of actual restaurants, including an ecological one that we we heard were very good but did not go.
One little bit of advice to help your holidays and that is to bring bug spray and antihistamines. I have had many experiences with sand fleas and noseeums to know that they can ruin your holiday. I learned not to take any chances and to take a 24 hour antihistamine every day starting the minute upon arrival at the resort and putting on Off skinsosoft before I went outside in the morning and early evening. Some people braved it and you should have seen their bites so don't be foolish! Also, the bugs are worse at the beach so if you are a beach person like me, taking precaution is a must.
For activities, you can be lazy or partake in the variety of usual resort events such as volleyball, water sports, water basketball, competitions, little paddle boats, sailing, etc. Some people swore by the snorkeling although the water wasn't the clearest and I didn't try it.
The highlight activity for me was the 8 am walks with the staff. They varied from walking to a farm, to waterfalls or through the village but were always interesting as you not only exercised but were informed about Cuba and the surrounding area as well. You'd meet in the lobby and go from there.
The lobby bar always had musical entertainment in the early evening and was as a result was bustling with activity at that time. There were evening shows as well and on Wednesday at lunchtime, the Brisas hosted a Cuban festival down by the beach complete with a roasted pig on a stick and costumed dancers dancing away to an excellent band. The party continued by spilling into the restaurant I mentioned by the beach where everyone partook of the bbq pork and listed to more of the excellent band. Sometimes the band even played around 4 pm at the pool bar and grill which by the way had great hamburgers and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches.
All in all, I would highly recommend this hotel as it is great value. We heard prices that ranged from $560 from Toronto (although I don't know if that included taxes) and up. We booked in July for the December trip and paid $730 through Sunwing each from Montreal including taxes. I should mention that it's quite a haul to the resort as there is a bus ride of 1.5 hours on somewhat of a bumpy road once you arrive at the airport but the scenery is quite interesting so I didn't care. The Sunwing rep who was extremely helpful and always in good humour said that they were repairing the road so that the trip would be reduced to an hour long ride once the repairs were completed. Our plane also stopped at Varadero on the way back which lengthened the return trip.
One more point to make is that the Santiago area is still an unspoiled Cuban region which to my way makes it far more realistic and interesting. It is not like the pristeen hotel ridden area of Varadero as the hotel is on its own in a very remote location, about an hour's drive from the city of Santiago de Cuba.
You can rent mopeds at the resort or hire a taxi, as well as take some excursions if you want more off site activities but since we were there only for a week, we hung out at the resort. We're going back to the Santiago region in February, this time to the Bucanero so it will be interesting to compare resorts and areas after that visit. As for the Brisas, we will definitely be back at some point! We met some wonderful people and will stay in touch with them, probably to become one of the multitude of "repeaters" to the Brisas Sierra Mar.
On the hotel staff note, they were probably the best, helpful and gracious staff I have met in the holiday resort business over the 30 years I have been travelling to Cuba. I've lost track of the number of resorts and areas I have stayed but can say that the Brisas staff excelled in all areas, from their hospitable manners to warm genuine welcoming hellos, unbelievable! The service was also top rate, never having to wait for service and having last night's waitress waving madly at us as she has reserved last night's table for us again. She even remembered what we wanted to drink and had it waiting for us.
The hotel is perched on a hillside overlooking the ocean, surrounded by the Sierra mountain range and for that reason has lots of stairs, although there are elevators to accommodate you if you feel lazy as well. It's in good shape although the rooms could use a bit of an update. One of the repeaters who had been going for 12 years said the hard beds are the same ones as the originals but I still slept well. I had room 618 which I would recommend since it was a combination of mountain and ocean view from on high with spectacular sunsets every night. The balcony was a generous size and I used it every morning to bring in the bright and sunny days, listening to the chirping birds and the crickets. There are lots of other rooms which are much closer to the beach but for the most part, it seems all rooms have wonderful views although some may have trees in front of them.
The pool was refreshing and clean and we loved the beach although I must admit, it's not the white sand of Santa Lucia or Varadero, but more volcanic in colour. We brought water shoes, an absolute must if you like the ocean as there are some rocks and seaweed when you first enter but that didn't bother us a bit. Even though it's a bay, there were lovely waves so the sound and the ambiance was true beach which I prefer to the still water anyday. There's a beach bar which is handy and a restaurant steps to the beach we frequented each day in the green shade where you actually were served drinks or cappucinos if you liked. The food choice was limited as to what was on the grill that day, always hamburgers but some days they had barbecue chicken and lots of days, there was fresh fish.
The buffet at the main restaurant by the pool for breakfast and dinner was plentiful although the variety for dinner was a bit limited. Having said that, the Brisas tried what they could and even had home grown lettuce! Also they had lots of fresh fruit in the morning as well as freshly squeezed orange juice and smoothies. You could order your eggs any way you liked as well for breakfast and tuck into the freshly baked bread. There are a couple of actual restaurants, including an ecological one that we we heard were very good but did not go.
One little bit of advice to help your holidays and that is to bring bug spray and antihistamines. I have had many experiences with sand fleas and noseeums to know that they can ruin your holiday. I learned not to take any chances and to take a 24 hour antihistamine every day starting the minute upon arrival at the resort and putting on Off skinsosoft before I went outside in the morning and early evening. Some people braved it and you should have seen their bites so don't be foolish! Also, the bugs are worse at the beach so if you are a beach person like me, taking precaution is a must.
For activities, you can be lazy or partake in the variety of usual resort events such as volleyball, water sports, water basketball, competitions, little paddle boats, sailing, etc. Some people swore by the snorkeling although the water wasn't the clearest and I didn't try it.
The highlight activity for me was the 8 am walks with the staff. They varied from walking to a farm, to waterfalls or through the village but were always interesting as you not only exercised but were informed about Cuba and the surrounding area as well. You'd meet in the lobby and go from there.
The lobby bar always had musical entertainment in the early evening and was as a result was bustling with activity at that time. There were evening shows as well and on Wednesday at lunchtime, the Brisas hosted a Cuban festival down by the beach complete with a roasted pig on a stick and costumed dancers dancing away to an excellent band. The party continued by spilling into the restaurant I mentioned by the beach where everyone partook of the bbq pork and listed to more of the excellent band. Sometimes the band even played around 4 pm at the pool bar and grill which by the way had great hamburgers and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches.
All in all, I would highly recommend this hotel as it is great value. We heard prices that ranged from $560 from Toronto (although I don't know if that included taxes) and up. We booked in July for the December trip and paid $730 through Sunwing each from Montreal including taxes. I should mention that it's quite a haul to the resort as there is a bus ride of 1.5 hours on somewhat of a bumpy road once you arrive at the airport but the scenery is quite interesting so I didn't care. The Sunwing rep who was extremely helpful and always in good humour said that they were repairing the road so that the trip would be reduced to an hour long ride once the repairs were completed. Our plane also stopped at Varadero on the way back which lengthened the return trip.
One more point to make is that the Santiago area is still an unspoiled Cuban region which to my way makes it far more realistic and interesting. It is not like the pristeen hotel ridden area of Varadero as the hotel is on its own in a very remote location, about an hour's drive from the city of Santiago de Cuba.
You can rent mopeds at the resort or hire a taxi, as well as take some excursions if you want more off site activities but since we were there only for a week, we hung out at the resort. We're going back to the Santiago region in February, this time to the Bucanero so it will be interesting to compare resorts and areas after that visit. As for the Brisas, we will definitely be back at some point! We met some wonderful people and will stay in touch with them, probably to become one of the multitude of "repeaters" to the Brisas Sierra Mar.
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Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Check-in / front desk
Service
Business service (e.g., internet access)
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
I always like to do a positive, negative, and positive. That being said this is the first time in 12 years that we have said we would not go back to a resort.
Positives:
This resort is set in the beautiful Sierra Madre mountains and sweeping views of the Caribbean sea, hence the name Sierra (Sea) Mar (mountains), In all my 12 years of travelling to Cuba, this is by far the most beautiful scenery. The staff are very friendly and helpful. Our maid for our room was lovely. The food is adequate, (You won't starve)
Negatives:
This resort needs some TLC. I think it must have been quite grand at one time. Our room was always clean and the bed comfortable.
The view of the ocean from our balcony was beautiful as long as we looked past the broken roof tiles and bits of garbage on the roof in front of us.
The buffet at night was open 7:00-9:30 but if you weren't there by at least 8:00 they ran low on food.
The beach restaurant was open 11:00-4:00 but again if you weren't there by 12:30 they ran low or out of food.
In some of the hallways there was moisture either oozing down the walls or dripping from old pot lights in the ceiling and dripping onto the floor
There is 2 elevators but only one is working. Sometimes there were no working elevators. Which going from ground level (the beach) to the fifth level (lobby area) made it difficult,
The pool has a black line at the water line which if you touch it can be wiped off.
The beach is small and the water was murky the whole time we were there whether it was wavy or not.
None of the bartenders knew how to make a pina colada. there Spanish coffees were cappuccinos with rum.
The beach bar ran out of rum. The only pop you could get for mix was cola.
Positive:
Again like I said earlier the area is absolutely stunning. Take a journey into the country side and visit the local towns. We hired a private taxi and asked him where we could eat off resort. He took us to a restaurant in a private home and the meal was amazing!
The next day we had lunch at a coffee farm after an hour long hike and a swim in an amazing waterfall. The food and coffee was incredible.
The people in this area are genuine and very friendly. They love to talk about their area and the history and culture.
There is hope for this resort as we did notice the whole first floor had new sliding doors,
Positives:
This resort is set in the beautiful Sierra Madre mountains and sweeping views of the Caribbean sea, hence the name Sierra (Sea) Mar (mountains), In all my 12 years of travelling to Cuba, this is by far the most beautiful scenery. The staff are very friendly and helpful. Our maid for our room was lovely. The food is adequate, (You won't starve)
Negatives:
This resort needs some TLC. I think it must have been quite grand at one time. Our room was always clean and the bed comfortable.
The view of the ocean from our balcony was beautiful as long as we looked past the broken roof tiles and bits of garbage on the roof in front of us.
The buffet at night was open 7:00-9:30 but if you weren't there by at least 8:00 they ran low on food.
The beach restaurant was open 11:00-4:00 but again if you weren't there by 12:30 they ran low or out of food.
In some of the hallways there was moisture either oozing down the walls or dripping from old pot lights in the ceiling and dripping onto the floor
There is 2 elevators but only one is working. Sometimes there were no working elevators. Which going from ground level (the beach) to the fifth level (lobby area) made it difficult,
The pool has a black line at the water line which if you touch it can be wiped off.
The beach is small and the water was murky the whole time we were there whether it was wavy or not.
None of the bartenders knew how to make a pina colada. there Spanish coffees were cappuccinos with rum.
The beach bar ran out of rum. The only pop you could get for mix was cola.
Positive:
Again like I said earlier the area is absolutely stunning. Take a journey into the country side and visit the local towns. We hired a private taxi and asked him where we could eat off resort. He took us to a restaurant in a private home and the meal was amazing!
The next day we had lunch at a coffee farm after an hour long hike and a swim in an amazing waterfall. The food and coffee was incredible.
The people in this area are genuine and very friendly. They love to talk about their area and the history and culture.
There is hope for this resort as we did notice the whole first floor had new sliding doors,
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Room Tip: The rooms on the second floor are a good choice so if the elevator breaks down you're in the...
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Brisas S, Director de Relaciones con Clientes at Hotel Brisas Sierra Mar
Responded Jan 31, 2018
Dear North-of-Barrie, Brisas Sierra Mar Management and Staff appreciate your comments regarding our resort. Our guests’ opinions are carefully read and every consideration is looked after. They are an opportunity to improve our services since our main purpose is customers’ satisfaction. It will be a pleasure to welcome you in the near future. Best Regards.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The flight to Santiago De Cuba was relatively uneventful except for the bumpiest landing I've ever experienced on a commercial airline. Sunwing was stingy with beverages on the flight in so we were dehydrated at the airport. Food on board was hit and miss, the sandwich was okay but the pizza offering was not much more than edible. On the flight back, they'd run out of sandwiches and all that was left was pizza, I declined the meal. At least they served more drinks and the pilot did a much better landing in Toronto.
The hotel is certainly situated in a beautiful location. There are great views of the ocean or the mountains from anywhere at the resort. Even though the last hurricane did a lot of damage at the resort, the trees around the property are still in great shape and there are a lot of very majestic Royal Palms everywhere you look.
We had an infant with us and had asked for a crib or playpen in the room and that we be on an easy to access level. The hotel put us on the top floor and we got a foldaway cot instead of a playpen or crib. After some persuading, a playpen did show up but it was so moldy we didn't feel comfortable letting the baby sleep there. We didn't use the cot or the playpen and the baby slept in a suitcases for our stay.
The hotel is divided into two blocks... "garden view" and "ocean view". There are three elevators that serve the ocean view rooms and one that serves the garden view rooms where we were staying. The elevator in our block worked every time we used it, but apparently other guests had issues with it during our stay. The ocean view block that provides access to the beach was another mater though. That section had two locations for elevators. There was a single shaft elevator that hasn't been working for quite a while. The main elevator location had two shafts but only one was in operation. There were many times when the elevator was non functional for periods of time and it was completely out of service for the last couple of days. It would have been beneficial if the staff had at least put up indicators to let you know the status of the elevator. It was a longish walk on a pathway to the elevator, only to find it wasn't working, and then a longish walk back to go to one of the staircases. To make matters worse, during one of the long elevator outages they were also painting one of the staircases so there were times when you'd have to turn back and go to the other stair case. Bottom line is that there was a lot of walking that could have been avoided with some signage.
The food at this resort was fairly average by Cuban standards. There were some meals that were quite nice but others that were lacking. Near the main lobby there is a snack bar near the pool, a buffet restaurant and two specialty restaurants that require reservations. There is also a small restaurant located just off the beach that doesn't require reservations but seating is very limited. If you plan to eat at the beach restaurant, make sure you arrive before the rush. If you have to wait for a table, odds are they'll be out of some selections. The restaurants have fairly odd hours and there are gaps when you really don't have any options. If you want to catch one of the evening shows, you'll miss some of it if you book one of the reservation restaurants as most of the sittings don't happen until fairly late in the evening. The food in the reservation restaurants is usually better than the buffet, but not by a lot. We had the same meal in the Mariposa restaurant on two different nights and they didn't taste the same, seasoning and sauce was quite different.
The entertainment and the entertainment staff were by far and away the best we'd encountered in Cuba. The evening entertainers were always good and there was good variety over our week-long stay. Many of the shows were rated as "adults only", which meant there were some costumes that were revealing but nothing that was R rated. They didn't seem to mind if parents brought their children. The daytime entertainment staff was really great. At other resorts we've been to, the staff seem to put the tourists on stage and make spectacles of them to entertain the tourists sitting in the chairs watching. At this resort they were clearly out to make it enjoyable. Lessons for dancing or Spanish etc were treated as real learning experiences. The staff took the time to help you learn and never made you feel awkward.The various games and activities were all well done. The aquafit sessions were hilarious and the people in the pool or sitting in the chairs had a great time. The staff would walk around and chat with people before activities to remind them of what was coming up next, but they treated it as an opportunity to just say hello. In addition, the hotel brought in a lot of outside entertainers that were top notch.
We did a number of dives on this trip and some snorkeling There is a reef not too far off shore that's enjoyable. As noted in other reviews, the beach area isn't great. The bottom is fairly muddy and if there are waves coming in the visibility close to shore is poor. Walking in the shallow water can be tricky of the visibility is poor, an adult could be in knee deep water then drop unexpectedly into a hole that's chest deep. There isn't as much life in the reefs as in other Cuban resorts we've been to, they seem in poor health. Even well away from shore the water clarity isn't that great. We had two dive masters on the different dives we did. Manuel was excellent, he was very safety conscious and respectful of the reef. The other dive master we had wasn't as conscious of safety and he did a few things on the reef for the benefit of the tourists that he shouldn't have in my opinion. The best location we had was to the "maze". Its a fairly deep dive for open water certification and the current is quite strong, but it was the most interesting location. One dive cost 30 pesos with gear included, but you don't get a break if you bring your own gear. Some of the gear has seen better days but they seem to have enough that you can ask for a better piece of equipment if something doesn't meet your standards.
The access to the water craft at the beach is fairly open. You need to book Hobbie Cat rides but paddle boats or kayaks are open access. That said, the beach activities are run out of the dive shop, not the hotel staff so its often hard to find anyone to help you take out anything until the dives are over, usually around 2 pm. There wasn't a problem with mosquitoes at the resort, but any time we went to the beach we'd come back with "noseeum" bites. The insects are so small you don't notice them but often result in major swelling and redness if you're at all allergic to the bites. Its a good idea to pack some Benedryl and some anti itch cream along with the sun screen.
At the resort there were a lot of older white men who were in the company of much younger Cuban women who were clearly there as hired escorts. There wasn't anything about the public behaviour that was troubling to watch, but if you wandered off the resort property on the beach there were hawkers who'd try to sell you anything or pander for gifts. Some of the locals were just genuinely friendly while others put on the air of being friendly in the hope of getting gifts.
We walked into the small town to arrange an outing on horse back with one of the locals. He wasn't at his house when we got into town and we had a hard time connecting with him as most of the locals didn't speak English. That said, we were treated to some wonderful hospitality at his house until he arrived after being beckoned. We set up an appointment for the next day and had an enjoyable outing. The brochures talk about taking a swim in the "river". It's more like a creek that spills into some pools cut into rocks. The creek had almost dried when we were there and swimming would not be an option. The trip didn't match the write ups we'd read ahead of time but it was still very enjoyable. The outing goes back past some very small farms. If you don't want to be bothered, tell the guide ahead of time that you don't like coffee, otherwise you'll be stopeed with by a local who'll give you a cup of overly sweet coffee, try to sell you some coffee or ask you for clothing or gifts. Booking this trip through the hotel cost almost double what it did by arranging it directly with the rancher. That said, we'd booked a second trip two days later and he never showed up at the meeting place. It is Cuba after all.
One thing that we found annoying was our last evening's meal. The staff had blocked off an area in the main walkway and set up tables with fancy place settings. At first I thought it was a special send-off meal like ones we'd experienced at other resorts. As it turned out the meal was specifically for returning guests. First time guests had to walk around the special feast and it did make you feel like a second class citizen. To add insult... most of the entertainment staff were engaged in the special event and it delayed the evening show by at least 45 min.
Getting money exchanged at this resort is often a problem. The first few days we tried to exchange money, the resort was out of pesos. It seems they take the last day's currency exchange and go to the bank to convert that back to pesos. They don't seem to have a "float" so the next day's availability will reflect only what was converted the day before and doesn't take into account the people who were turned away.
The staff seemed to be in one of two camps. There were some that were genuinely friendly, and there were others who were very friendly to returning guest but cool or indifferent to new arrivals. It took some time and conversation before there was any sense of a genuine friendly response. We did bring some gifts to hand out before we left. Some of the staff would clearly have been content with nothing more than a genuine thank you, but accepted a gift very graciously. A few of the staff that had seemed quite friendly during our stay seemed put out if they were offered a gift instead of pesos as we left the resort. In retrospect, it wasn't hard to sort out which staff were genuinely friendly and those who were putting on a facade in the hope of getting a bigger tip.
For most of our stay, the room we stayed in worked well but we did run out of hot water on the last day. There was a nice balcony with a great view, but the rooms at the outer ends of the block we stayed in would have had a better panorama. The TV reception wasn't very clear in the room and only one station (CNN) had consistent English programs. There was soap, shampoo, body lotions, tooth brushes, tooth paste and even two sewing kits provided by the resort in the bathroom. The mattress tended to be on the hard side. Air conditioning was more than adequate. There's a suggestion that there's internet at the hotel... but it would be better described as old fashioned dial up access. There is no wi-fi and the only public internet is one terminal in the lobby you can purchase some access time on. The pool area is quite nicely laid out and there are lots of lounge chairs but very few tables or straight back chairs. There seems to be a shortage of places to sit and enjoy a drink around the pool.
Unlike many of the other resorts we've been to, the facilities for recreation like the pool table, ping pong, fitness equipment etc was in fairly good condition. The tennis courts seemed to be in good shape and they were almost done fixing the basketball court damaged by the hurricane. While we were there, they were putting on finishing touches on some of the damaged roofs.
While there were some things that disappointed, the resort still managed to among the better we've stayed at in Cuba.
The hotel is certainly situated in a beautiful location. There are great views of the ocean or the mountains from anywhere at the resort. Even though the last hurricane did a lot of damage at the resort, the trees around the property are still in great shape and there are a lot of very majestic Royal Palms everywhere you look.
We had an infant with us and had asked for a crib or playpen in the room and that we be on an easy to access level. The hotel put us on the top floor and we got a foldaway cot instead of a playpen or crib. After some persuading, a playpen did show up but it was so moldy we didn't feel comfortable letting the baby sleep there. We didn't use the cot or the playpen and the baby slept in a suitcases for our stay.
The hotel is divided into two blocks... "garden view" and "ocean view". There are three elevators that serve the ocean view rooms and one that serves the garden view rooms where we were staying. The elevator in our block worked every time we used it, but apparently other guests had issues with it during our stay. The ocean view block that provides access to the beach was another mater though. That section had two locations for elevators. There was a single shaft elevator that hasn't been working for quite a while. The main elevator location had two shafts but only one was in operation. There were many times when the elevator was non functional for periods of time and it was completely out of service for the last couple of days. It would have been beneficial if the staff had at least put up indicators to let you know the status of the elevator. It was a longish walk on a pathway to the elevator, only to find it wasn't working, and then a longish walk back to go to one of the staircases. To make matters worse, during one of the long elevator outages they were also painting one of the staircases so there were times when you'd have to turn back and go to the other stair case. Bottom line is that there was a lot of walking that could have been avoided with some signage.
The food at this resort was fairly average by Cuban standards. There were some meals that were quite nice but others that were lacking. Near the main lobby there is a snack bar near the pool, a buffet restaurant and two specialty restaurants that require reservations. There is also a small restaurant located just off the beach that doesn't require reservations but seating is very limited. If you plan to eat at the beach restaurant, make sure you arrive before the rush. If you have to wait for a table, odds are they'll be out of some selections. The restaurants have fairly odd hours and there are gaps when you really don't have any options. If you want to catch one of the evening shows, you'll miss some of it if you book one of the reservation restaurants as most of the sittings don't happen until fairly late in the evening. The food in the reservation restaurants is usually better than the buffet, but not by a lot. We had the same meal in the Mariposa restaurant on two different nights and they didn't taste the same, seasoning and sauce was quite different.
The entertainment and the entertainment staff were by far and away the best we'd encountered in Cuba. The evening entertainers were always good and there was good variety over our week-long stay. Many of the shows were rated as "adults only", which meant there were some costumes that were revealing but nothing that was R rated. They didn't seem to mind if parents brought their children. The daytime entertainment staff was really great. At other resorts we've been to, the staff seem to put the tourists on stage and make spectacles of them to entertain the tourists sitting in the chairs watching. At this resort they were clearly out to make it enjoyable. Lessons for dancing or Spanish etc were treated as real learning experiences. The staff took the time to help you learn and never made you feel awkward.The various games and activities were all well done. The aquafit sessions were hilarious and the people in the pool or sitting in the chairs had a great time. The staff would walk around and chat with people before activities to remind them of what was coming up next, but they treated it as an opportunity to just say hello. In addition, the hotel brought in a lot of outside entertainers that were top notch.
We did a number of dives on this trip and some snorkeling There is a reef not too far off shore that's enjoyable. As noted in other reviews, the beach area isn't great. The bottom is fairly muddy and if there are waves coming in the visibility close to shore is poor. Walking in the shallow water can be tricky of the visibility is poor, an adult could be in knee deep water then drop unexpectedly into a hole that's chest deep. There isn't as much life in the reefs as in other Cuban resorts we've been to, they seem in poor health. Even well away from shore the water clarity isn't that great. We had two dive masters on the different dives we did. Manuel was excellent, he was very safety conscious and respectful of the reef. The other dive master we had wasn't as conscious of safety and he did a few things on the reef for the benefit of the tourists that he shouldn't have in my opinion. The best location we had was to the "maze". Its a fairly deep dive for open water certification and the current is quite strong, but it was the most interesting location. One dive cost 30 pesos with gear included, but you don't get a break if you bring your own gear. Some of the gear has seen better days but they seem to have enough that you can ask for a better piece of equipment if something doesn't meet your standards.
The access to the water craft at the beach is fairly open. You need to book Hobbie Cat rides but paddle boats or kayaks are open access. That said, the beach activities are run out of the dive shop, not the hotel staff so its often hard to find anyone to help you take out anything until the dives are over, usually around 2 pm. There wasn't a problem with mosquitoes at the resort, but any time we went to the beach we'd come back with "noseeum" bites. The insects are so small you don't notice them but often result in major swelling and redness if you're at all allergic to the bites. Its a good idea to pack some Benedryl and some anti itch cream along with the sun screen.
At the resort there were a lot of older white men who were in the company of much younger Cuban women who were clearly there as hired escorts. There wasn't anything about the public behaviour that was troubling to watch, but if you wandered off the resort property on the beach there were hawkers who'd try to sell you anything or pander for gifts. Some of the locals were just genuinely friendly while others put on the air of being friendly in the hope of getting gifts.
We walked into the small town to arrange an outing on horse back with one of the locals. He wasn't at his house when we got into town and we had a hard time connecting with him as most of the locals didn't speak English. That said, we were treated to some wonderful hospitality at his house until he arrived after being beckoned. We set up an appointment for the next day and had an enjoyable outing. The brochures talk about taking a swim in the "river". It's more like a creek that spills into some pools cut into rocks. The creek had almost dried when we were there and swimming would not be an option. The trip didn't match the write ups we'd read ahead of time but it was still very enjoyable. The outing goes back past some very small farms. If you don't want to be bothered, tell the guide ahead of time that you don't like coffee, otherwise you'll be stopeed with by a local who'll give you a cup of overly sweet coffee, try to sell you some coffee or ask you for clothing or gifts. Booking this trip through the hotel cost almost double what it did by arranging it directly with the rancher. That said, we'd booked a second trip two days later and he never showed up at the meeting place. It is Cuba after all.
One thing that we found annoying was our last evening's meal. The staff had blocked off an area in the main walkway and set up tables with fancy place settings. At first I thought it was a special send-off meal like ones we'd experienced at other resorts. As it turned out the meal was specifically for returning guests. First time guests had to walk around the special feast and it did make you feel like a second class citizen. To add insult... most of the entertainment staff were engaged in the special event and it delayed the evening show by at least 45 min.
Getting money exchanged at this resort is often a problem. The first few days we tried to exchange money, the resort was out of pesos. It seems they take the last day's currency exchange and go to the bank to convert that back to pesos. They don't seem to have a "float" so the next day's availability will reflect only what was converted the day before and doesn't take into account the people who were turned away.
The staff seemed to be in one of two camps. There were some that were genuinely friendly, and there were others who were very friendly to returning guest but cool or indifferent to new arrivals. It took some time and conversation before there was any sense of a genuine friendly response. We did bring some gifts to hand out before we left. Some of the staff would clearly have been content with nothing more than a genuine thank you, but accepted a gift very graciously. A few of the staff that had seemed quite friendly during our stay seemed put out if they were offered a gift instead of pesos as we left the resort. In retrospect, it wasn't hard to sort out which staff were genuinely friendly and those who were putting on a facade in the hope of getting a bigger tip.
For most of our stay, the room we stayed in worked well but we did run out of hot water on the last day. There was a nice balcony with a great view, but the rooms at the outer ends of the block we stayed in would have had a better panorama. The TV reception wasn't very clear in the room and only one station (CNN) had consistent English programs. There was soap, shampoo, body lotions, tooth brushes, tooth paste and even two sewing kits provided by the resort in the bathroom. The mattress tended to be on the hard side. Air conditioning was more than adequate. There's a suggestion that there's internet at the hotel... but it would be better described as old fashioned dial up access. There is no wi-fi and the only public internet is one terminal in the lobby you can purchase some access time on. The pool area is quite nicely laid out and there are lots of lounge chairs but very few tables or straight back chairs. There seems to be a shortage of places to sit and enjoy a drink around the pool.
Unlike many of the other resorts we've been to, the facilities for recreation like the pool table, ping pong, fitness equipment etc was in fairly good condition. The tennis courts seemed to be in good shape and they were almost done fixing the basketball court damaged by the hurricane. While we were there, they were putting on finishing touches on some of the damaged roofs.
While there were some things that disappointed, the resort still managed to among the better we've stayed at in Cuba.
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Room Tip: Garden view rooms on the east side have a better view of the ocean. Ask for a room closer to...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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I had a nice time at Brisas Sierra Mar. There are a tonne of repeat visitors which must say something about this place, although I think there are some wrinkles that might bother some guests. While I was there I met people who absolutely loved the place and people who were disappointed so I think you sort of go at your own risk. If you are willing to have an open mind and aren't picky then I'm sure you will have a great time overall. I certainly did.
ROOM: Was worn out but clean and sufficient. We did go one day without water which was only a mild inconvenience because we were out most of the day but met one family who said they didn't have water in their room for three days! Also, the air conditioning only worked for three of the seven days. If I could stay in any area of the hotel I would request level 2 in block B for the stunning ocean view this block has - level two so you can safely leave the balcony door open at night and listen to the waves. We left a tip every morning for our chambermaid and enjoyed very good cleaning service.
MEALS: I really enjoyed the great selection of veggies and fruit that they grow in their own gardens. I LOVED the freshly squeezed orange juice they served every morning. As a vegetarian there was great salad selection but the entrees are pretty much all meat.
GROUNDS: Are stunning. The spectacular mountain and ocean views are truly beautiful and there are flowers and tropical plants everywhere you turn. Tip the gardeners - they've earned it. If you have mobility issues please note that the elevator only works intermittently - not an issue if you want to hang out at the pool on the main/upper level - a big issue if you want to spend your time down on the beach.
STAFF: Are very friendly and helpful. They try their best to accomodate your needs.
BEACH: Water was warm and nice but its true there is a lot of grass and rocks and its not caribbean blue. I did not see any coral or fish but maybe I just snorkelled in the wrong place. Also a real disappointment was that I did not feel comfortable walking on the beach beyond the small portion within the resort. There are some young men who hang around there to sell fake cigars who I found to be rather aggressive. I'm sure its perfectly safe but as a woman having eight men suddenly jump out of the bushes and surround you is unsettling. I had to turn back to the resort to get rid of them and never ventured out again.
Overall I had a nice time and would go again if I was looking for a cheap all inclusive. But you do have to go with an open mind.
ROOM: Was worn out but clean and sufficient. We did go one day without water which was only a mild inconvenience because we were out most of the day but met one family who said they didn't have water in their room for three days! Also, the air conditioning only worked for three of the seven days. If I could stay in any area of the hotel I would request level 2 in block B for the stunning ocean view this block has - level two so you can safely leave the balcony door open at night and listen to the waves. We left a tip every morning for our chambermaid and enjoyed very good cleaning service.
MEALS: I really enjoyed the great selection of veggies and fruit that they grow in their own gardens. I LOVED the freshly squeezed orange juice they served every morning. As a vegetarian there was great salad selection but the entrees are pretty much all meat.
GROUNDS: Are stunning. The spectacular mountain and ocean views are truly beautiful and there are flowers and tropical plants everywhere you turn. Tip the gardeners - they've earned it. If you have mobility issues please note that the elevator only works intermittently - not an issue if you want to hang out at the pool on the main/upper level - a big issue if you want to spend your time down on the beach.
STAFF: Are very friendly and helpful. They try their best to accomodate your needs.
BEACH: Water was warm and nice but its true there is a lot of grass and rocks and its not caribbean blue. I did not see any coral or fish but maybe I just snorkelled in the wrong place. Also a real disappointment was that I did not feel comfortable walking on the beach beyond the small portion within the resort. There are some young men who hang around there to sell fake cigars who I found to be rather aggressive. I'm sure its perfectly safe but as a woman having eight men suddenly jump out of the bushes and surround you is unsettling. I had to turn back to the resort to get rid of them and never ventured out again.
Overall I had a nice time and would go again if I was looking for a cheap all inclusive. But you do have to go with an open mind.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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First I would like to point out that there is a facebook group for the hotel - if you need specific info, go there for quick answers.
I traveled with my daughter (14) on a very last minute vacation in the middle of March (booked wednesday afternoon and left thursday!). Our flight was 'only' 1.5 hrs delayed with cubana but the flight was fine and food on the plane was better than sunwing in my opinion. The hola sun representative was joking that where other airlines have flight statuses of 'on time', cubana has 'ogk' which stands for 'only god knows'. Airport/transfer where efficient. Originally we booked garden view, room 302 so on the third floor. Our room's balcony door did not open so we went up to complain - there was another lady not liking her room at all so we got lucky and got her's instead which was ocean view, room 334 - right at the stairs so this was the best 'stair experience' only 2 flights up to main level or down to the beach. Always hot water (last time we didn't really have any in the upper building).
The first 3 times we were at the upper building and it was a lot of stairs and walking but the views are more impressive on floors 6/7. Please keep in mind that if you travel with persons that have mobility problems, that it's possible, but not great as the elevators are not reliably working and there are many stairs.
Regarding refrigerators, some said you have to upgrade but from my experience (and i thought so as well in the beginning and forked out the extra money) you can just ask for a fridge if you need one.
As many mentioned, the hotel is old and there are many repairs to be made, but they are fixing things continuously, for example there once was a waterfall system on the far left of the hotel, it looks like it might be working again soon. Last time we went they were fixing up rooms in the lower building and i hear now they are fixing the upper rooms.
There were not that many guests as it's end of season - the hotel is open in the summer but since flights are not offered directly to santiago, there are mostly cubans there from may - october. Most guests were from toronto/montreal and germany, a couple of russians were there as well. it is possible to book this hotel with flights to holguin, but it's a 4 hr. ride to there.
The food choices were less than in january but enough to find something to eat for everyone, some people said that it was much better than many other resorts in cuba. There also wasn't daily life music at the pool bar/beach restaurant, only on the weekend.
The bugs were worse as well, i never had issues with bug bites, but this time i had many. Only cool bugs i never saw in january were huge fire flies, really bright!
The staff was great as always, it's nice returning and getting a hug from many with 'welcome home'. For us it really does feel like home and family there. We also have off resort friends that we visited. We invited 2 of my daughter's friends to stay for an evening ($25/each) - they however were not impressed with the food at all and understandably so having been at their places for dinner a lot - i like their mother's cooking better as well even with fewer food choices.
We went horseback riding with Alfredo (he's near the beach), I mentioned it before in my reviews, if you like to go riding, you can ask him as per your specific interests, normally he offers rides along the beach, into the mountain including coffee farm/swimming in a river up there, to playa blanco or rocho (where the bat cave is). If you are bringing gifts, he's building a house and can use plumbing stuff (anything really), or anything else for a house. His current house is a shack only - he's a really nice guy!
The swimming on the beach is much better walking a little away from the hotel, the ground is nice and sandy instead of rock/weeds at the hotel.
Snorkeling is nice there and not far off the shore although it was better before the last hurrican.
Bikes are available to use for free at the hotel, mopeds for rent. I haven't done any organized trips but only heard good things about them. Cars can be rented, but that's expansive i heard. The roads are good, but lots of hills.
Someone mentioned it's not kid friendly but i think it's fine for kids, there's a kid's club with small playground and kid's pool, the ocean does not fall off too quickly so they can swim at the beach as well.
if you have teens, watch them as it's possible for them to get alcoholic drinks without problems.
For gifts (other than what mentioned above) - people appreciate clothing and hygiene articles a lot (deodorant, toothpaste/brushes and such), backpacks, tools, toys, candy. I would say school stuff not so much...
So if you go, don't expect too much and don't waste your vacations taking pictures of cracks and broken things, enjoy the views which are amazing, the weather as it's more reliable than the north, and enjoy the cuban people! We will be back as soon as we can to visit our 'family'.
I traveled with my daughter (14) on a very last minute vacation in the middle of March (booked wednesday afternoon and left thursday!). Our flight was 'only' 1.5 hrs delayed with cubana but the flight was fine and food on the plane was better than sunwing in my opinion. The hola sun representative was joking that where other airlines have flight statuses of 'on time', cubana has 'ogk' which stands for 'only god knows'. Airport/transfer where efficient. Originally we booked garden view, room 302 so on the third floor. Our room's balcony door did not open so we went up to complain - there was another lady not liking her room at all so we got lucky and got her's instead which was ocean view, room 334 - right at the stairs so this was the best 'stair experience' only 2 flights up to main level or down to the beach. Always hot water (last time we didn't really have any in the upper building).
The first 3 times we were at the upper building and it was a lot of stairs and walking but the views are more impressive on floors 6/7. Please keep in mind that if you travel with persons that have mobility problems, that it's possible, but not great as the elevators are not reliably working and there are many stairs.
Regarding refrigerators, some said you have to upgrade but from my experience (and i thought so as well in the beginning and forked out the extra money) you can just ask for a fridge if you need one.
As many mentioned, the hotel is old and there are many repairs to be made, but they are fixing things continuously, for example there once was a waterfall system on the far left of the hotel, it looks like it might be working again soon. Last time we went they were fixing up rooms in the lower building and i hear now they are fixing the upper rooms.
There were not that many guests as it's end of season - the hotel is open in the summer but since flights are not offered directly to santiago, there are mostly cubans there from may - october. Most guests were from toronto/montreal and germany, a couple of russians were there as well. it is possible to book this hotel with flights to holguin, but it's a 4 hr. ride to there.
The food choices were less than in january but enough to find something to eat for everyone, some people said that it was much better than many other resorts in cuba. There also wasn't daily life music at the pool bar/beach restaurant, only on the weekend.
The bugs were worse as well, i never had issues with bug bites, but this time i had many. Only cool bugs i never saw in january were huge fire flies, really bright!
The staff was great as always, it's nice returning and getting a hug from many with 'welcome home'. For us it really does feel like home and family there. We also have off resort friends that we visited. We invited 2 of my daughter's friends to stay for an evening ($25/each) - they however were not impressed with the food at all and understandably so having been at their places for dinner a lot - i like their mother's cooking better as well even with fewer food choices.
We went horseback riding with Alfredo (he's near the beach), I mentioned it before in my reviews, if you like to go riding, you can ask him as per your specific interests, normally he offers rides along the beach, into the mountain including coffee farm/swimming in a river up there, to playa blanco or rocho (where the bat cave is). If you are bringing gifts, he's building a house and can use plumbing stuff (anything really), or anything else for a house. His current house is a shack only - he's a really nice guy!
The swimming on the beach is much better walking a little away from the hotel, the ground is nice and sandy instead of rock/weeds at the hotel.
Snorkeling is nice there and not far off the shore although it was better before the last hurrican.
Bikes are available to use for free at the hotel, mopeds for rent. I haven't done any organized trips but only heard good things about them. Cars can be rented, but that's expansive i heard. The roads are good, but lots of hills.
Someone mentioned it's not kid friendly but i think it's fine for kids, there's a kid's club with small playground and kid's pool, the ocean does not fall off too quickly so they can swim at the beach as well.
if you have teens, watch them as it's possible for them to get alcoholic drinks without problems.
For gifts (other than what mentioned above) - people appreciate clothing and hygiene articles a lot (deodorant, toothpaste/brushes and such), backpacks, tools, toys, candy. I would say school stuff not so much...
So if you go, don't expect too much and don't waste your vacations taking pictures of cracks and broken things, enjoy the views which are amazing, the weather as it's more reliable than the north, and enjoy the cuban people! We will be back as soon as we can to visit our 'family'.
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Room Tip: Great views/many stairs on the 6 or 7th floor, if you don't like stairs, lower building is...
Location
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Response from Brisas S, Director de Relaciones con Clientes at Hotel Brisas Sierra Mar
Responded Apr 26, 2018
Dear merlineaton, Brisas Sierra Mar Management and Staff appreciate your comments regarding our resort. Our guests’ opinions are carefully read and every consideration is looked after. They are an opportunity to improve our services since our main purpose is customers’ satisfaction. It will be a pleasure to welcome you in the near future. Best Regards.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.