Our fifth visit for fun at Brisas Guardalavaca
and we found no merit to complaints about food
Guests at Brisas Guardalavaca write their names on rocks in lobby!
At the John Lennon Garden at Brisas Guardalavaca, this band
performed Beatles numbers as well as CCR, Rolling Stones!
My wife Nancy summed up our fifth
visit to Brisas Guardalavaca, Cuba, with one statement.
“They never disappoint us,” she
said of this resort, which opened about 23 years ago on the northeast
shore of Holguin province.
We have been to Cuba eight times for
holidays and as we took a late-afternoon flight from Toronto to
Holguin we wondered whether we would still find Brisas Guardalavaca
as good on our fifth visit, as we had on our previous four.
We left minus-nine-Celcius
temperatures and snow in Collingwood and arrived to plus-25-degrees
C., and beckoning palm tree branches at Frank Pais Airport in Holguin
on the evening of March 10, 2018.
We breezed through Cuban customs and
picked up our luggage from an area at which a drug-sniffing Cocker
Spaniel scurried about between suitcases and people. Aboard our
flight, we were given a two-part Visitor's Card to complete with some
personal details (passport number, etc.). These cards are important
and you have to keep your card safe throughout your holiday and until
you return to Cuban customs when heading home.
A friendly Cuban staff member,
representing Air Transat, directed us to bus number 54 nearby and we
started a one-hour ride along an empty, dark highway. Luis, our host,
gave us insights into what to expect in Cuba and tips to make our
stay more interesting, or comfortable. Because we were facing a time
change on this night, Luis gave us the kind of welcoming orientation
which one would get at a first-day, morning meeting with airline, or
tour, representatives. That meant we could sleep in, or have a
leisurely breakfast on our first day there.
Our bus stopped at two resorts in
the Guardalavaca area and then brought us to the Villas' reception
desk at Brisas Guardalavaca.
Check-in, involving Norma, a
familiar face, went well and it all started to feel like old-home
week. I had saved Cuban money from a previous journey and was able to
“rent” the lock for our room-safe for 14 pesos for the week
ahead. We also picked up our towel cards.
A friendly porter helped us to get
our luggage to our Villas' room, number 6207.
Then, with bags in our room, we
walked the beachfront using the softly-illuminated concrete walkway
which parallels the sea to reach the 24-hour bar/snack bar in front
of the main hotel building at Brisas Guardalavaca.
Juan Carlos, at the snack bar,
provided us with burgers between slices of bread (they had run out of
buns) and with a beverage from the adjacent bar we recharged our
batteries.
We left the snack bar area as the
main stage nearby, just past the hotel's main swimming pool, blared
with a rock-and-roll band. They were singing “Can't get no
satisfaction”. It was the opposite for us. We had the satisfaction
of a warm evening, a full stomach, the sound of the waves rolling
ashore just 30 metres away and seeing the Big Dipper in a
star-studded sky.
We walked a circuitous route along
the walkway at the east end of the resort – where the nautical
centre is located – before turning to walk west the 300 metres, or
so, to The Villas.
Along the walkway, we meet Osmany
and then further along the walkway, Junior. These are two security
guards whom we have met previously. They recognized us and cheerfully
welcomed us.
The main hotel building at Brisas
Guardalavaca offers 231 rooms in a five-storey complex which includes
bars, reception, shops, restaurants, a coffee bar, a rum bar and a
disco. There have been renovations going on in the main hotel
building and, from what I am told, those renovations are not yet
complete. In some cases, I was told, those renovations are required
to repair leaks. However, we never experienced any such problem.
There have also been renovations at
The Villas area of the Brisas Guardalavaca resort. We like the Villas
area where they have 206 rooms in two and three-storey buildings. The
Villas complex also includes restaurants, a swimming pool, a small
shop, and bars, one of which is a swim-up bar.
We find it quieter at The Villas.
The main stage for entertainment,
which creates energetic-and-audible musical action, is in front of
the hotel building, east of the Villas. There's action there all day
and then on into the evening. At one point in a week, there is a
water ballet show in the main swimming pool which is located adjacent
to the 24-hour snack bar, main stage and very close to the beach and
the sea.
If you were to stop reading this
review at this point, I would want you to know that our experience at
Brisas Guardalavaca was positive. The beach is about 400 metres long
and spectacular. The food was fine and the service from staff
excellent.
From here on in, I shall make this
review longer and provide information which I think will benefit the
reader.
Brisas Guardalavaca is a happy
place, made so because of the excellent staff. True, there are
occasionally staff members who do not exude friendliness. But such
staff members are in the minority. One of the biggest reasons why we
return to Brisas Guardalavaca is because we are made to feel like
family and our needs for food, entertainment, drink, accommodation,
beach-time (including activities from the nautical centre) and
excursions are met. At this resort, we truly feel that we receive
value for money.
As far as the occasional staff
member who might not be happy with his, or her, job – and reflects
that in less-than-friendly service, or attitude --- I respectfully
suggest that Brisas Guardalavaca enlist the help of a “mystery
guest” (Pick me! Pick me!) to assess staff-visitor inter-action and
then provide appropriate training, or attitude adjustment. To be
clear, the majority of staff members shine with excellent service,
glowing with cheerfullness like some of those well-illuminated cruise
ships we saw on the night-time horizon.
The best proof of Brisas
Guardalavaca's popularity is the return rate of visitors. Some people
we met have been to this resort 10, 15, 20 times. Some consider it
their “Cuban cottage” and appreciate all of the positives that I
have mentioned.
For Canadians travelling from
Toronto airport, getting to Holguin airport is a 3 ½-hour flight.
Going for a one-week vacation is quite an easy trip and less
expensive if one travels outside the peak time of March Break in
Canada.
For people travelling from the
United Kingdom, getting to Holguin is a 10-hour flight and having
come that distance, most visitors from the U.K., book for two weeks.
To give you an appreciation of what
we did on our holiday at Brisas Guardalavaca and to be more helpful
through greater information, I shall continue with a day-by-day
detailing.
Day One: I'm an early riser.
On this day, I was up at 5.30 a.m., located our drinking mugs and set
out for the 24-hour bar which is in front of the main hotel building.
It's warm and dark as I walk the
boardwalk eastward. I met security guards Arly and a little further
along, Junior. They are finishing their overnight shifts. They take
their jobs seriously and in all the time we have visited Brisas
Guardalavaca we have never seen a problem.
I get to the 24-hour bar and find a
warm welcome from staff member, Diego, whom we met previously at this
resort's tea garden. Diego makes me two cappuccinos, in our mugs, as
dawn breaks. The sound of the surf breaking on the beach is audible
and in the distance a local fisherman's small, inboard-powered boat
putt-putts on the sea past the resort. From not far away, a rooster
crows as I walk back to our room passing joggers. Everybody is
friendly and here at day-break I hear at least four different species
of birds calling from the cover of nearby treetops.
Room 6207 has a balcony which faces
the ocean. The view is across manicured grassy areas, past palm
trees, and is fantastic. Once again a friendly feeling of calm
prevails. We're on holiday!
If you are at the Villas, the go-to
place for breakfast is a buffet served in a restaurant that, each
evening, is transformed into a dining room, El Zaguan. Frankie is
flipping omelettes, made to order for each guest. Nearby, at another
food station, a staff member is preparing French toast and also
cooking individual eggs to order. Surrounding tables offer a plethora
of fruit options for smoothies, fruit drinks at a self-serve station,
cereal choices, bread, butter and cheeses at yet another self-serve
station.
I don't understand how anybody could
complain about the food here. There are sufficient choices of healthy
foods. You can also get things done to your liking. Frankie's
omelette station is flanked by pans which offer bacon, sausages (more
than one kind of sausage), potatoes, beans and other things.
Bonus....Frankie teaches me Spanish words for whatever I order.
When in Cuba, you can't expect food
items exactly as you find them in Canada. Bacon in Cuba is different
and on some days it has more fat on it than on other days. French
toast is twice as thick as what I get at home. All that aside,
there's no trouble finding something to eat.
After breakfast, we walk to the
hotel's reception area where the money exchange wicket is located. A
Cuban “convertible” peso is work about 80 cents of a Canadian
dollar. The “convertible” (CUC, as some people call them) peso is
the tourist money. There is a two-tier structure for money in Cuba
and tourists use the top tier. The second tier involves about 25, or
so, “smaller” pesos, tied to the tourist CUC, which is the money
the locals use. Of course, if you give a tip using a “convertible”
peso, it is much appreciated. (Also appreciated would be any gifts
you can provide.)
Note: Don't give tips in Canadian
change. Cubans are put to trouble to change Canadian coins into bills
which they can convert at a bank. Better to give them pesos, or
Canadian paper money. Outside the resort, there is a bank next to a
small shopping area. Yes, it's within walking distance. However, the
staff at the Brisas Guardalavaca money-exchange wicket will do a good
job of looking after you.
After changing money, we visit the
Air Transat desk in the reception area. There are other
representatives from other companies in that area. However, we used
Air Transat to arrange our vacation package, through Travelworld
Collingwood, so we seek out the Air Transat representatives. At
Brisas, one of two ladies will help you....Marilyn, or Doris. Their
hours of being on-site are posted and they have a three-ring binder
which they leave as a 24-hour, self-serve information source. It's in
that three-ring binder that you can check your resort departure time
and flight details.
Through the Air Transat
representative, we book a day-trip, an “Island Paradise”
excursion to Cayo Saetia which involves a bus ride to Antilla and
then a catamaran ride to the beautiful beaches, lunch and
snorkelling. There are many trips one can take from the resort and
the airline representatives have all the details.
Our next must-do before heading for
the beach is to book our three a la carte restaurants. A helpful
staff member, located at an easy-to-find desk outside La Turquesa
restaurant's entrance, marks us down for dinners at the Italian
restaurant (Monday), the Cuban restaurant (Wednesday) and El Patio,
the seafood restaurant (Thursday). We like to book our a la cartes
early so as not to be disappointed and remind ourselves that there's
a dress code for the a la carte restaurants.
Life is excellent as we spend the
rest of the morning enjoying the beach and the salt water. Water
temperature is about 24 degrees, while the air temperature is
climbing toward 29 degrees. Yes, life is excellent!
We break for lunch at El Patio de
Los Artistas, which is a stone's throw from the ocean and has both
indoor and outdoor seating on a first-come, first-served basis. Our
server is Betty, whom we have met previously at the Villas buffet
restaurant. She recognizes us and welcomes us. They have a fixed menu
at lunch time at El Patio, if you want a greater selection you have
to walk back to La Turquesa the main lunchtime buffet at Brisas.
Once again, I find the food choices
meet our expectations and after lunch we return to the beach nearby.
El Patio not only offers lunches, dinner by a la carte reservation in
the evening, but also has a bar service which is open all day. I
noticed that some staff members, such as a trainee, Daniel, venture
out onto the nearby sandy stretches of the beach to offer drink
service to vacationers.
Our afternoon includes sunning,
swimming, talking to Dominic and Michelle, who raise ducks in the
Cornwall, Ontario area and skinning my left knee while playing soccer
with grandkids. Good thing I brought the Bactine and Band-Aids!
The day breezes by in the warmest of
senses.
For dinner, we go to the main (and
big!) buffet at La Turquesa restaurant in the hotel building. Leydis
is a familiar, smiling face and she remembers us from previous
visits. Leydis has been with Brisas Guardalavaca since this resort
opened, tied in (back then) with the Canadian company, Delta Hotels.
Our server is Luis who has worked here for 20 years.
There are scads of food choices from
a variety of food stations. Along one wall, there are stations
offering freshly-cooked food. From fish to chicken, from beef to
pasta, the choice is yours in this self-serve restaurant. A server
will bring you drinks, but getting appetizers, a main course, or
dessert(s) is up to you.
I like fish and there are two
different choices at the buffet trays and one more being offered
freshly-cooked by a chef. The cooking stations along one wall include
a large area from which pasta dishes are served. Chefs there cook
pasta, or the special of the night, in front of you. Once again, I
can't believe that anybody could complain about food at this resort.
There is lots of it. There are many choices. The line-ups attest to
the popularity of certain things and I never heard anybody
complaining about the food.
Once again, a reminder: Don't expect
beef in Cuba to be exactly like beef in Canada. Also, know that beef
can vary from restaurant to restaurant at a Cuban resort.
After dinner, we visit the nearby
lobby where every evening they have entertainers during the supper
hour. Sometimes, they have musicians, or singers, or both, who
entertain inside restaurants.
On this evening, a musical group of
young people is performing and thrilling visitors with a variety of
modern music. We returned later that evening to watch part of the
stage show on the resort's main stage in front of the 24-hour
bar/swimming pool area.
Then, we call it a night!
Day Two: A cappuccino run
first thing. Breakfast at the Villas. Then, in order to beat the heat
of the noon-day sun, we headed for the market where local vendors get
to ply their wares to tourists.
The market used to have
approximately 60, or 70 vendors, and was located on the west side of
Club Amigo, a resort which is immediately west of Brisas
Guardalavaca. You can walk quite comfortably from Brisas to the west
side of Club Amigo. Today, you will find a promenade with
cutesy-looking streetlamps where the market once operated and
flourished. Turns out that somebody complained and the market was
moved to a smaller area between Club Amigo and Brisas Guardalavaca.
Now located next to a car-rental station, just west of Brisas, there
seem to be half the number of vendors at this spot.
Anybody I talked to, including
Cubans, liked to have the market where it used to be located. The
previous location seemed more natural for a market area, was bigger,
had more pedestrian traffic and was close to small restaurants and
local bars.
The new location has fewer vendors,
is pretty much a “hidden” location and seemed not to have many
visitors whenevere we went there. In our books, the market is an
important, must-do item on any Cuban holiday we have taken. The
vendors are friendly, do not harrass you to make a purchase, and
offer a wide variety of souvenirs, clothing and hats at affordable
prices for Canadians. I think whoever made the decision to move the
market to where it is now, made a mistake.
Our market mission was followed by
more beach time. Then, lunch at the hotel's buffet. Once again,
delicious fish followed by coconut ice cream.
After lunch, I went to the main
reception area where “Tey” helped me to make a local telephone
call. I talked with a friend, with whom I would visit.
Afternoon adventures included
swimming, beachcombing and sailing. To go sailing, one has to make a
reservation at the nautical centre, operated by Marlin, on the east
side of the Brisas property. Staff there are helpful and if you want
to go sailing, one of them will take you out on a Hobie 15. The
sailing is free, included in the vacation package, but I suggest
showing your appreciation to your “skipper” with more than a
“thank you!”
Our first a la carte dinner was at
the Italian restaurant which is located in the main hotel building,
just down the hall from a coffee shop and one of the resort's stores.
Staff were very good at the Italian restaurant. They seated us, took
our drink and dinner orders and directed us to a nearby station which
featured appetizers. Some of our group of six opted for Filet Mignon.
Some opted for fish. Some opted for pasta. Something to remember at
the Italian is that between appetizers and the first course, we would
consider that dinner. Not so at the Italian where the menu takes you
to yet another main course. We gorged ourselves on our shrimp and
rice dinner, but could have stopped at the “alfredo” plate
previously served.
Between table settings and wall art,
the Italian restaurant is nicely decorated and the staff is
attentive. However, on this evening, a long table of about 24 people
was feasting and celebrating. You don't usually find a large crowd of
diners eating alongside a few couples, foursomes, or – in our case
– a table of six. The table of 24 put pressure on available servers
and changed the tenor of the dining atmosphere; not for the better.
But no complaint from us about the food!
Day Three: Up early for a
cappuccino run. Then, a quick breakfast at La Turquesa buffet before
we meet a bus in front of the main reception area for our “Island
Paradise” trip to Cayo Saetia. We have been on the “Island
Paradise” trip previously and were looking forward to it. We were
not disappointed.
It's an hour's bus ride, through the
countryside and quite a few curves between hills to get to Antilles,
a small town at the west end of Bahai de Nipe (Nipe Bay) where we
will board a catamaran to sail to Cayo Saetia. Riding the coach
through the countryside allows a glimpse of what Cuba is like away
from the resort.
Our “Island Paradise” guide is
Javier who lives in nearby Boca Sama. A professional diver, Javier
was the best Cuban guide we have ever had. He was accompanied by
Lenin. Both men work for Marlin, the company which looks after
nautical things in Cuba. Our captain, aboard the 15-metre-long
catamaran was Jose. He had an assistant aboard who, along with Javier
and Lenin, made us welcome.
We did not leave Antilla, where
there is a Cuban coast guard base, under sail. Instead, we motored
east the 14 kilometres, or so, to Cayo Saetia. At first, we anchored
near another catamaran and took the time – under Javier's
professional direction and emphasis on safety – to go snorkelling.
We saw lots of fish!
Aboard the catamaran, as it
travelled to Cayo Saetia, there were free drinks, snacks and a chance
to see the passing shoreline. High atop a seaside hill, we could see
a construction crane. There, we were told, a French company is
partnering with the Cuban government to build 17,000 rooms.
Tourism is the way forward for Cuba.
Tourism is this country's growing industry. Back at Guardalavaca, a
new hotel – The Albatros – is being built just west of Club
Amigo/Brisas Guardalavaca. Already, staff is being trained at local
hotels in preparation for new resorts which will open, providing more
jobs for Cubans in this rural region.
At Cayo Saetia, after our
snorkelling excursion, Captain Jose, moved our boat and dropped us at
a beach in front of an oceanview restaurant. The main seating area at
this restaurant is open-air. When lunch time arrived, they were ready
for us with food – buffet style – drinks and a group of
musicians to make the event even more enjoyable.
Some people took the “safari” –
a bumpy, cross-country ride in an old army truck – to see any local
wildlife that could be found. We didn't take that trip this time. But
last time, we saw antelope and an ostrich, not native to Cuba, but
brought to the area by rich people who once used Cayo Saetia as their
“cottage country”.
The beaches at Cayo Saetia and the
clear waters offshore are “to die for”, as some people say. We
passed on going horseback riding, but did have our photograph taken
with a large, red parrot. Then, we spent hours enjoying the beach and
the sea before boarding the catamaran and later the bus to get back
to Brisas Guardalavaca. The cost of the trip, at under 100 pesos, was
very worthwhile and having an excellent guide, such as Javier, made
it that much more enjoyable.
This evening, we had dinner at the
La Turquesa buffet – where Mirabel and Marbel were our servers –
and then caught a bit of violinist Joel Cruz's performance before
calling it a night. It had been a busy day!
That night we saw lightning across
the ocean and then a thunderstorm drenched our area during the night.
Day Four: First thing this
morning, I made a cappuccino run and then reserved loungers under
some shade trees at the beach, not 100 yards from our room. There are
signs at the resort's swimming pools that reserving loungers is not
allowed. A couple of years ago, the resort's management tried to stop
guests from reserving loungers on the beach. That attempt failed. I
remember one German guest screaming at a security card who tried to
dissuade the visitor from reserving loungers. Then, the guest
reserved his seats and left.
No matter, there seemed to be enough
loungers for everybody.
Today, we had sad news and good
news. CNN television, beaming from the U.S.A., told us that scientist
Stephen Hawking had died. The good news: we reserved for a “returning
guests” luncheon, thanks to Madelaine at the public relations
office.
This day involved walking, taking
photographs, going sailing with Ivan from the nautical centre and
more time at the sandy beach. The temperature soared to 31 degrees C.
The sea was soupy warm!
At lunchtime, we met Maricellus,
whom we had met during a previous stay. She recognized us and – as
did other staff who recognized us – welcomed us back to Brisas.
Then, more time at the beach and more sailing for members of our
group.
A relaxing day morphed into changing
for dinner, an a la carte, at the Cuban restaurant. This restaurant
backs onto the 24-hour bar and allows patrons a view of the ocean.
It's beautiful!
The menus at the Cuban restaurant,
which is roofed over, but open-air when it comes to seating, are made
from leather. There are choices galore. From seafood medley, to Cuban
or cream soup; from red snapper to shredded beef, to roast pork,
there was something for everybody. I'm not listing the vegetables, or
the appetizers, but they were there and well explained by what we all
considered to be the best dining room server of our stay, Yaritza
Claro. While many servers were very good and some excellent at Brisas
Guardalavaca, Yaritza Claro, went above and beyond the call of duty
to explain the content of menu items to us. Her professional and
friendly assistance was very much appreciated. (A tip of the hat to
Yisely Tejeda, another restaurant staffer who translated for me when
I dealt with some band members.)
As we ate at the Cuban a la carte, a
foursome of musicians – which we recognized as regular performers
at Brisas – came to serenade us at our table. Angelo, Mundo, Carlos
and singer Eddie, played and sang, adding much to the atmosphere.
This time, because of the service,
the music and the food, we put the Cuban restaurant at the top of our
“most-enjoyed” list in as much as a la cartes go at Brisas. Once
again, our thanks to all!
Later this evening, as entertainment
continued on the main stage, we returned to our room to find advance
notice that our rooms would be sprayed sometime during the next day
“to prevent vectors and insects spreading”. (The spraying did
take place the next day and we did not notice any difference in air
quality in our room. There were also no bugs.)
Day Five: After our
kick-start cappuccinos, more time at the beach.
At noon, we met Madelaine, from
Brisas' public relations office, along with other guests who had
registered for the optional “returning guests” lunch. First, we
all took part in a tree-planting ceremony, watched Annie perform a
dance routine and listened to Pedro, the master of ceremonies while
sipping drinks (alcoholic, or non-alcoholic) from Bertha. Pedro was
assisted by Amelia, another member of the resort's hard-working
animation team.
The tree-planting is tied to Brisas'
recognition of the environment and guests. It's there that I
discovered they also do a Terry Fox Run, which I supported
financially.
We moved indoors from the special
luncheon at El Patio and it was first-class. Appetizers of cheese and
sliced meats were offered first, then rice, chicken, beef, shrimp
(oh, delicious breaded shrimp!). Food flooded our tables, culminating
in dessert. Once again, food was fine.
After lunch, our afternoon was split
between beach-time and market-time. It looked like rain, clouding
over and still staying hot, but it did not rain.
Every Thursday, usually around 5
p.m., musicians present a concert at the John Lennon Garden at Brisas
Guardalavaca. Today was no exception. We got there, got a seat and
listened to a group of young men perform Beatles' numbers. A statue
of John Lennon, complete with granny glasses, stands at one side of
this stage-garden area. We enjoyed the band, one member of which
played an eight-string electric guitar. They also performed CCR and
Rolling Stones' numbers for an appreciative audience.
Our third a la carte restaurant, El
Patio, welcomed us this evening. I recognized Ramon, a server who
also performs as an opera singer for diners. Carlos was our server
and brought us a delicious dinner. My favourites ranged from fish
soup, to shrimp with honey, shrimp with fish and vegetables and
dessert of ice cream and cake. Others had other menu items which
included beef, or chicken. Once again, we all found the food to be
fine.
After dinner, we changed our clothes
and headed back to the main swimming pool area to watch the water
ballet. The entertainment team works diligently to earn the “thumbs
up” and “thanks!” we were giving this event. After the water
ballet, the band from the John Lennon Garden performance took to the
main stage and started rocking!
So ended our day at 10:30 p.m.!
Day Six: Cappuccinos as
usual, then beach time. Nancy and I went to see about a
horse-and-carriage ride. There are always drivers, with their horses
and carriages, waiting outside the entrances to Brisas Guardalavaca.
We have done such rides before and the cost was usually 10 pesos
(CUC) per hour.
We approached a parked horse and
carriage and then were approached by a driver. I asked him where he
could take us (nearby village of Guardalavaca), how long the ride
would be (half and hour) and what it would cost (50 pesos....50
CUC!).
Fifty pesos!
I thanked the driver, who could have
been our host, and declined politely. I should have asked him if he
was taking us for suckers. Here's why.....for 70, or 80, pesos (CUC)
I could hire a taxi driver to take us to the City of Holguin, show us
around all day and drive us back to Brisas. So, 50 pesos for
half-an-hour would be a rip-off.
There are lots of other off-resort
things to do in as much as excursions are concerned.
First on our list would be a trip to
the nearby dolphinarium. It's possible to go there directly, or pair
the dolphinarium visit with a snorkelling excursion aboard a
catamaran.
Other off-resort things to do
include taking the little “train” from the resort to Boca Sama.
It's an open-air ride that gives you a closeup look at Cuban life.
Boca Sama is a pretty place, but I hope they have improved their
public toilet facility!
Back to the beach we went, enjoying
the sea and the sand for hours on end. For more fun in the sea, we
take foam pool noodles which fit into net-chairs that one can buy in
Canada. Another thing I do is take a sturdy mesh bag and some rope. I
fill the mesh bag with rocks at the beach (which I later return to
the beach) and use it, along with the rope, to anchor a paddleboat
(free at the nautical centre) to give us a snorkelling platform close
to a nearby reef. It adds to our fun!
Today, we lunched at La Turquesa
buffet and then returned there for dinner. This evening, they have a
theme of Italian with staff wearing red-and-white, checkered aprons.
It was as colourful as it was cheerful. While pasta was appropriate,
given that it there was an Italian theme, there were lots of other
food choices.
After dinner, we found a seat in the
downstairs lobby area and listened to Joel Cruz. He's a professional
violinist and we have enjoyed his performances every time we have
been at Brisas.
Day Seven: While we spent
time on the beach today, we also said our goodbyes to Cuban friends
in various places.....Maylin in housekeeping, Frankie at the
breakfast station, Betty at the El Patio luncheon service, Diego at
the 24-hour bar.
Lisette, a breakfast server at El
Zaguan, took our family's photo with the Villas' swimming pool in the
background.
Check-out is noon, but we were able
to get a late-check-out arrangement which would take us to 4 p.m.,
the time for our pickup by bus to take us to Frank Pais Airport in
Holguin. As usual, the bus had a tour guide aboard checking us off a
list to ensure that all who were supposed to be heading home were on
the bus.
We checked through the
ticket-luggage counter using our Options Plus service. That went
smoothly. Then, off through customs where we turned in our Visitor's
Card and went to wait in the passenger area.
Frank Pais Airport has a gift shop,
a money exchange, a snack bar and toilets. If you think of it, keep
some toilet paper handy in your pocket (just in case) along with some
Cuban money with which to tip the woman who looks after toilets at
the airport.
While on holiday throughout the last
week, I was reading Canadian playwright Dan Needles' book “True
Confessions from the Ninth Concession”.
I have a confession of my own to
make. I'm positive we shall return to Brisas Guardalavaca!
