All You Need to Know About the Bar or Lounge
at Hotel Brisas Sierra Mar
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Bar or Lounge review highlights
... I don't get service I don't tip. That goes for some of the bar tenders also,it's a bit hard to carry your drink up the...
... It is dark sand, some little rocks, nice and warm and a bar about 15 steps from it. Great! 2 Kayaks, 3 paddle boats and...
... Rodriguez, a local guitarist was the highlight of the lobby bar. An amazing talent that would be a headliner in Canada or...
Most popular question about the bar or lounge
hi there, is there an 24h open bar? thank you in advance,
Answer from Dan G
Jul 2018 |
Reviews that mention bar or lounge
Write a reviewJust got back from Brisas Sierra Mar may 17.
They really are working on the road, but it still takes the time it takes. I suggest drinking only one beer if you are female! No stopping for pee breaks.
As much as I love Brisas I will say that May is not the best month to go, unless you like peace and quiet. I think there was 25 guests in total, I didn't mind it but having said that they need to not advertise beach party and pig roast if they are not going to have it. Some people were a little choked about the lack of entertainment.
Yes they have brand new elevators, however they do not always work! I was on crutches so got my workout with 40 steps up to the restaurants,also going to the beach was a challenge, but I managed. May is not a good month for swimming in the ocean as there are little things that can sting, sorry forgot the name of it. Also May has more mosquitoes and very small flies that are nasty. Some people had to get treated for bites. Bring repellant and use lots of it.
Don't expect the great food we have been writing about if you go at this time. Less people means less choices. Some waiters are really great and some are just plain lazy, I tip well for great service, if I don't get service I don't tip. That goes for some of the bar tenders also,it's a bit hard to carry your drink up the stairs from the pool bar to your chair when you are slightly handicapped! Luckily my new best friends were great at bringing me drinks! Got to know most of the guests because there was so few of us!
All in all I had a great time,I always do. Read a lot, relaxed a lot.
They really are working on the road, but it still takes the time it takes. I suggest drinking only one beer if you are female! No stopping for pee breaks.
As much as I love Brisas I will say that May is not the best month to go, unless you like peace and quiet. I think there was 25 guests in total, I didn't mind it but having said that they need to not advertise beach party and pig roast if they are not going to have it. Some people were a little choked about the lack of entertainment.
Yes they have brand new elevators, however they do not always work! I was on crutches so got my workout with 40 steps up to the restaurants,also going to the beach was a challenge, but I managed. May is not a good month for swimming in the ocean as there are little things that can sting, sorry forgot the name of it. Also May has more mosquitoes and very small flies that are nasty. Some people had to get treated for bites. Bring repellant and use lots of it.
Don't expect the great food we have been writing about if you go at this time. Less people means less choices. Some waiters are really great and some are just plain lazy, I tip well for great service, if I don't get service I don't tip. That goes for some of the bar tenders also,it's a bit hard to carry your drink up the stairs from the pool bar to your chair when you are slightly handicapped! Luckily my new best friends were great at bringing me drinks! Got to know most of the guests because there was so few of us!
All in all I had a great time,I always do. Read a lot, relaxed a lot.
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Room Tip: 4th level is best I think
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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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+1
Spent the week from Feb 10th at Sierra Mar and loved it! Nice staff, food was good (we brought p'nut butter), room was clean, weather was perfect! When I say the food is good I really mean it! Lots of variety everyday.
There are alot of stairs but burning some calories from food and rum over the week was good for us. We were in room 230 so 3 flights (19 stairs per flight) to the buffett and main area, but only 1 flight to the beach. Great ocean and mountain views everywhere you look!
The beach is not a white sand crystal clear water kind of beach. It is dark sand, some little rocks, nice and warm and a bar about 15 steps from it. Great! 2 Kayaks, 3 paddle boats and a hobie cat. Snorkels available at the dive shop to use. Also a nice little restaurant near the beach for lunch surrounded by botanical gardens.
We took the 50 peso class with Edgar at the dive shop and learned to scuba dive! Wonderful experience! He is a terrific instructor and took very good care of us 40 feet down touring corral reefs and beautiful fish! Highly recommend to the first timers!!! Just do it!
We also rented scooters from the resort for 26 pesos for 24hrs and scooted all over the place. The roads all around are brutal but dont seem so bad on a scooter. The scooters are fairly new and in good shape. ( Had them going 75km hr on the paved parts!) We went to a Valentines party in Chivorico 12km west of the resort and had a blast. The locals are wonderful! Driving back to the resort at night on pot hole ridden roads (pigs, goats and cows too!) was a little freaky but a great adventure. We went back on Saturday night for another Fiesta in the street! Again lots of fun! Great, great people!
We found the Oceano restaurant near the end of the week and ate there for dinner the last 3 nights. The best lobster ever!!! For 12 pesos!!! The owner worked at Sierra Mar for over 20 yrs and opened the restaurant 2 seasons ago when the Cuban goverment allowed them to own their own businesses. Such a nice family! He (Adolfo) will come and pick you up and drop you off at your resort after dinner in his 54 Dodge too!
There were a couple of power outages while we were there but didnt last long. Our bed was not that comfortable ( I brought my own pillow ) Not alot of hot water but always seemed to be just warm enough.
We had a great time! Will go again!
There are alot of stairs but burning some calories from food and rum over the week was good for us. We were in room 230 so 3 flights (19 stairs per flight) to the buffett and main area, but only 1 flight to the beach. Great ocean and mountain views everywhere you look!
The beach is not a white sand crystal clear water kind of beach. It is dark sand, some little rocks, nice and warm and a bar about 15 steps from it. Great! 2 Kayaks, 3 paddle boats and a hobie cat. Snorkels available at the dive shop to use. Also a nice little restaurant near the beach for lunch surrounded by botanical gardens.
We took the 50 peso class with Edgar at the dive shop and learned to scuba dive! Wonderful experience! He is a terrific instructor and took very good care of us 40 feet down touring corral reefs and beautiful fish! Highly recommend to the first timers!!! Just do it!
We also rented scooters from the resort for 26 pesos for 24hrs and scooted all over the place. The roads all around are brutal but dont seem so bad on a scooter. The scooters are fairly new and in good shape. ( Had them going 75km hr on the paved parts!) We went to a Valentines party in Chivorico 12km west of the resort and had a blast. The locals are wonderful! Driving back to the resort at night on pot hole ridden roads (pigs, goats and cows too!) was a little freaky but a great adventure. We went back on Saturday night for another Fiesta in the street! Again lots of fun! Great, great people!
We found the Oceano restaurant near the end of the week and ate there for dinner the last 3 nights. The best lobster ever!!! For 12 pesos!!! The owner worked at Sierra Mar for over 20 yrs and opened the restaurant 2 seasons ago when the Cuban goverment allowed them to own their own businesses. Such a nice family! He (Adolfo) will come and pick you up and drop you off at your resort after dinner in his 54 Dodge too!
There were a couple of power outages while we were there but didnt last long. Our bed was not that comfortable ( I brought my own pillow ) Not alot of hot water but always seemed to be just warm enough.
We had a great time! Will go again!
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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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This resort suffered badly with Hurricane Sandy and has not recovered totally yet. It could stand some refinishing both outside and in. That being said, it is clean and the food is predictable. The location couldn't be better between the mountains and the sea. The staff here is very friendly and most helpful. They go out of their way to make you comfortable. We were fortunate to take a trip into Santiago de Cuba and a walk through the local area with one of the staff. A great way to learn the local living conditions and see some of the real Cuba. The evening entertainment was good and was quite varied. Luis Rodriguez, a local guitarist was the highlight of the lobby bar. An amazing talent that would be a headliner in Canada or the U.S.
All in all good value for the money.
All in all good value for the money.
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Room Tip: Third or fourth floor rooms either ocean view or garden view are best due stairs up and down
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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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My wife and I just returned from a week at Sierra Mar. Here is how we rated it on a scale of 1-10
Beach 7 - It is not a white sand beach typical of some other Cuban locations but it is peaceful, well kept and it goes on forever. You can walk a couple of miles and find your own secluded area. We really liked that there was a beach bar just a short walk from the water. No vendors.
Pool area 8 - Except the water in the pool feeling a little colder than we might have liked everything else was excellent. Lots of pool chairs. Very quiet (until 4 pm when the dance lessons start). Not an abundance of shade though so if you wnat a shady spot get there early. If you play pool volleyball (a must) tell George that "the hammer" says hi!
Rooms 7 - A bit musty when we arrived but a Glade plug in solved the problem. The rooms where clean but not fancy. Lost water pressure one day and the air went on the blink on our last day. No big deal. The best part of the room was the ocean view which most rooms have. Absolutely beautiful. Morning coffee watching the some come up (now that's a vacation!). We stayed on the lower section (1st to 4th floor) which is very close to the pool, restaurant etc.
Food 7.5 - The buffet food quality was good but a bit repetitive. Look for something new and you can often find it. If your a bit adventurious there always seemed to be some thing interesting. The omeletes in the morning are awesome! The al a cartes were excellent. A 9 in our books. One on the beach, one next to the al a carte. Be careful if you order rare or medium rare steak though. It is pretty pink. If you like medium rare order it medium well and you should be fine. The booking for the al a cartes is posted outside the buffet at breakfast. Take advantage of these as much as possible. If not the buffet can seem pretty repetitive. They are on a first come first served basis (snooze, you lose)
People 9 - We loved the staff. Friendly, but not pushy. Very courteous and respectful. If you meet Adonis, one of the waiters, say hi from Steve and Debbie. If you want the best Spanish coffee you ever had ask Adonis to make it. AMAZING!
Safety 9 - Never felt at risk at all. The resort is about 1 1/2 hours from Santiago in a small rural community so there is not much around, especially people.
Tours- no idea. We were there to relax and relax we did!
Scenery 10 - You will be blown away. The ocean on one side, the mountains on the other. Quiet, secluded, tranquil. WOW!
Overall a solid 8 out of 10. This is rated 4 star and it is exactly that. It is not a 5 star so if you are looking for perfection this might not be the place for you. Like most resorts in this price range there is always something that is just not quite right but just relax. After all you are on vacation (that's what we are supposed to do right?). The staff is very helpful and will do what they can to solve any problems you have.
Tips: Take scented candles or a Glade plug in (you can leave this on throughout your stay so it was a better choice for us) in case the room is a bit musty. You can convert your Canadian money to converitible Cuban pesos at the resort (fair exchange). US money is no longer excepted in Cuba. Take some insect repellent. There are apparently some sand flies at the beach but we put some repellent on our legs before we went so we didn't meet up with them. Also, if you visit the al a carte in the evening the mosquitos will be visiting you. Once again a little shot of repellent will do the trick and you will have a great meal.
If you play softball they take a busload of guests to play ball with some of the locals. What a blast. Take your glove (and another to leave behind if you can, they have no equipment). They play on Tuesdays. Finally, if you really want to have an unforgetable holiday, take some stuff to leave behind (clothes, caps, shoes, sandals, tools, baseball gear, toys or candy for kids). No problem finding someone to give it to. You will probably meet someone from the staff that you can help out (they make on average about $20 US per month so they will be very thankful) or if you are alittle adventurious wander off the resort and you will meet some folks as well.
If you are looking for a relaxing, tranquil vacation, you will love Sierra Mar.
Hola!
Beach 7 - It is not a white sand beach typical of some other Cuban locations but it is peaceful, well kept and it goes on forever. You can walk a couple of miles and find your own secluded area. We really liked that there was a beach bar just a short walk from the water. No vendors.
Pool area 8 - Except the water in the pool feeling a little colder than we might have liked everything else was excellent. Lots of pool chairs. Very quiet (until 4 pm when the dance lessons start). Not an abundance of shade though so if you wnat a shady spot get there early. If you play pool volleyball (a must) tell George that "the hammer" says hi!
Rooms 7 - A bit musty when we arrived but a Glade plug in solved the problem. The rooms where clean but not fancy. Lost water pressure one day and the air went on the blink on our last day. No big deal. The best part of the room was the ocean view which most rooms have. Absolutely beautiful. Morning coffee watching the some come up (now that's a vacation!). We stayed on the lower section (1st to 4th floor) which is very close to the pool, restaurant etc.
Food 7.5 - The buffet food quality was good but a bit repetitive. Look for something new and you can often find it. If your a bit adventurious there always seemed to be some thing interesting. The omeletes in the morning are awesome! The al a cartes were excellent. A 9 in our books. One on the beach, one next to the al a carte. Be careful if you order rare or medium rare steak though. It is pretty pink. If you like medium rare order it medium well and you should be fine. The booking for the al a cartes is posted outside the buffet at breakfast. Take advantage of these as much as possible. If not the buffet can seem pretty repetitive. They are on a first come first served basis (snooze, you lose)
People 9 - We loved the staff. Friendly, but not pushy. Very courteous and respectful. If you meet Adonis, one of the waiters, say hi from Steve and Debbie. If you want the best Spanish coffee you ever had ask Adonis to make it. AMAZING!
Safety 9 - Never felt at risk at all. The resort is about 1 1/2 hours from Santiago in a small rural community so there is not much around, especially people.
Tours- no idea. We were there to relax and relax we did!
Scenery 10 - You will be blown away. The ocean on one side, the mountains on the other. Quiet, secluded, tranquil. WOW!
Overall a solid 8 out of 10. This is rated 4 star and it is exactly that. It is not a 5 star so if you are looking for perfection this might not be the place for you. Like most resorts in this price range there is always something that is just not quite right but just relax. After all you are on vacation (that's what we are supposed to do right?). The staff is very helpful and will do what they can to solve any problems you have.
Tips: Take scented candles or a Glade plug in (you can leave this on throughout your stay so it was a better choice for us) in case the room is a bit musty. You can convert your Canadian money to converitible Cuban pesos at the resort (fair exchange). US money is no longer excepted in Cuba. Take some insect repellent. There are apparently some sand flies at the beach but we put some repellent on our legs before we went so we didn't meet up with them. Also, if you visit the al a carte in the evening the mosquitos will be visiting you. Once again a little shot of repellent will do the trick and you will have a great meal.
If you play softball they take a busload of guests to play ball with some of the locals. What a blast. Take your glove (and another to leave behind if you can, they have no equipment). They play on Tuesdays. Finally, if you really want to have an unforgetable holiday, take some stuff to leave behind (clothes, caps, shoes, sandals, tools, baseball gear, toys or candy for kids). No problem finding someone to give it to. You will probably meet someone from the staff that you can help out (they make on average about $20 US per month so they will be very thankful) or if you are alittle adventurious wander off the resort and you will meet some folks as well.
If you are looking for a relaxing, tranquil vacation, you will love Sierra Mar.
Hola!
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
+1
It's a small one-time five star resort that's a little faded around the edges. But you get used to that very quickly, and you come to love its quirkiness. You get the full resort experience in a remote setting, surrounded on all sides by ocean and mountains (pictured). Ignore those who complain about the rough ride from Santiago: it's an adventure, and if you care to get out into the countryside once you're settled in, you'll come to love that road. The remoteness of the resort is the key to its unexpected pleasures. It's in the middle of farm country, and the town of Chivirico is just 12 kms up the road (pictured). Do yourself a favour: hire a driver and go to town. There's an outdoor dance every Saturday night. That's every Saturday night, and it goes to all hours. Cubans are the friendliest people you'll meet anywhere. They're glad to provide hospitality. You won't be lonely long. About half way to Chivirico, there's a small outdoor bar where the locals drink (pictured). Any driver you hire will know where it is. Be sure to ask for the local beer, not the commercial stuff they give to the tourists.
A couple of tips: if you want to make connections beyond the resort, look for Carlos (pictured) -- you can't miss him, everybody knows him: he's flamboyantly gay and is known to and loved by everyone there, tourists and locals alike. Anyone who's been there more than once will know him and can tell you warm stories about him. He's a remarkable fixer. He'll find you the driver you want and provide you the connections you need. He makes the countryside available even to the most timid tourist. He'll make it possible to say that you didn't vacation in Cuba, you lived there.
Also, there's a wonderful restaurant one km down the road from the resort, Oceano (pictured). It's run by Adolfo and his lovely family. It's an outdoor restaurant with four tables seating four to six. That's it. But the food is remarkable.The vegetables are all fresh from the enormous garden out front. The seafood dinners will make you wish you could get them here: the two lobster tail dinner goes for 12 pesos. Adolfo, like Carlos, can connect you to the locals who'll get you out into the countryside. Don't miss this. Go.
A couple of tips: if you want to make connections beyond the resort, look for Carlos (pictured) -- you can't miss him, everybody knows him: he's flamboyantly gay and is known to and loved by everyone there, tourists and locals alike. Anyone who's been there more than once will know him and can tell you warm stories about him. He's a remarkable fixer. He'll find you the driver you want and provide you the connections you need. He makes the countryside available even to the most timid tourist. He'll make it possible to say that you didn't vacation in Cuba, you lived there.
Also, there's a wonderful restaurant one km down the road from the resort, Oceano (pictured). It's run by Adolfo and his lovely family. It's an outdoor restaurant with four tables seating four to six. That's it. But the food is remarkable.The vegetables are all fresh from the enormous garden out front. The seafood dinners will make you wish you could get them here: the two lobster tail dinner goes for 12 pesos. Adolfo, like Carlos, can connect you to the locals who'll get you out into the countryside. Don't miss this. Go.
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Room Tip: Get an ocean view room (pictured). There's a small fully organic restaurant down by the...
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Questions & answers about the bar or lounge
Answer from Dan G
Jul 2018 |
yes but you will likely be the only one there after midnight or so (including the bartender LOL)
Answer from Onelia P
Feb 2016 |
forgot to mention it opens again later after dinner when the buffet closes.
Answer from Jim G
Mar 2015 |
No, there's not much difference between regular and VIP, other than the rooms are in a newer building, but the walk from the beach is a lot farther to get to it, and there's plenty of stairs.
Don't waste your money.
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