Brisas Covarrubias is a cozy and intimate beachfront resort located on a long, secluded beach of the same name on the north coast of the province of Las Tunas in Cuba. The soft powdery sand combined with shades of turquoise and blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean and surrounded by a coral reef makes Covarrubias beach one of the most impressive beaches in Cuba. Ideal place for diving, located in zone of impressive marine fauna. It has in all its areas of service internet connection wifi. Its rooms are characterized by a high standard of size, very comfortable that will make you feel at home.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
We arrived on a late flight from Toronto and then sat on a bus for 2 hours to get this small cozy resort. Took a while to get our rooms sorted out and several trip back to the front desk, when we got to our room we found a traditional key lock when we had been giving a key card. Not the easiest place to navigate in the dark in the middle of night but once we got into our room and settled a little we ventured back out to the lobby bar for sandwiches. They were very quick and helpful with any issues we had and after few days I really began to enjoy this small resort. It was a much better experience then my last time in Cuba at a large resort. In short the rooms are rustic and rough but liveable. No safes in the room regardless of what they tell you (they do have them but none of them work). They play loud horrible music all day by the pool bar well into the night but if your at the beach you can’t hear it thankfully. the food was better then I expected for Cuba, always go for what’s being cooked fresh, the beach bar does amazing fish and good burgers (no ketchup anywhere so bring if you need), drinks are ok, water in buffet is very salty so ask for sparkling or get from the pool bar, if you want coffee in the morning stop at the pool bar before going into the buffet. We found out half way through our stay that we could have upgraded and gotten a bottle of water in the room everyday, good to know. We only got 1 bottle for the week but we brought reusable bottles from home which we had filled several times a day at the pool bar. The evening entertainment is very bad, and the kids show rarely happens. Kids club (mini club) was ok, very nice lady running it but I wouldn’t leave my kid there alone for more than 30 mins, if that. The pool was gross and filled with garbage but if I wanted to swim in pool I would have stayed in Canada. The beach was amazing and beautiful. In the future if we were to return to Cuba I would probably consider returning here as the staff were very friendly and kind. They made us feel very welcome and we would know what to expect. However I don’t plan on returning to Cuba anytime soon. I hope this helps someone. I was very nervous about this trip and still unsure during our first few days but like I said we may return in the future. Better a place you know then a place you don’t.
Read more
Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I was at Brisas from Feb 11-18th. It was a mother daughter trip. My daughter is 16 and not much there for teenagers unless they have a friend. But we loved this resort. The people are so friendly and the food was ok. But if you are looking for a place with a beautiful beach, cold drinks and relax then this is def the place to go. The rooms are very rustic which was ok with us because it was very clean. The weather was beautiful no bugs at all which I read are horrible but we didn’t experience any. Met some wonderful life long friends. The Locals do go their on the weekends. Last Friday we had a bus of 200 show up. Yes they were rude, left garbage everywhere but we didn’t have anything to do with them. It didn’t ruin our vacation. Remember this is a 2.5-3 star. One day at the beach bar while waiting for lunch they were butting in line and I said to another Canadian “ I have been here for 25 mins waiting” he said “ you are on vacation and on island time. From then on, the waiting in line didn’t bother me at all. Just take in the sun and view while waiting for your food. The rooms are large, a store that sells large bottles of water for $1.80 CUC. The hotel had no money to change over but the Sunwing rep was exchanging money for us at the bank rate. For the price we paid and what we got. I will be back next year. Thank you Brisas for a wonderful vacation.
Read more
Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from BrisasCovarrubias, Director de Relaciones Públicas at Hotel Brisas Covarrubias
Responded Feb 23, 2020
Thank you very much for your comments our staff gives the best to provide a good service and that you can feel at home, We are waiting for you back. We are very happy that you enjoyed a beautiful holiday with us.Graciasss
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We traveled to Brisas Covarrubias Jan 11-17 2020. This was our first visit to this property. We enjoyed our stay very much and would return again. The beach is beautiful and goes on forever. We had a king room with a beautiful view. This property is listed as a 3 1/2 to 4 star property and I would say that is accurate for Cuba. The grounds are well maintained. The food was good, we always had enough to eat. The lobster was yummy and the A La Cart was very nice. The beach snack bar makes a good hamburger and fries. The resort is small which is very nice as there was never a line up for drinks or food. It is an older resort so you need to expect not everything to be 100% . You can book diving and snorkelling trips out of the dive shop —weather permitting. There is really no place to go once you are at this property and there are no tour selections as at other locations. It is 2-2 1/2 hours from the airport. We would recommend seeing Isla and upgrading to the VIP as it provides some great benefits and we thought it was worth the value . We would return because it’s quaint , hot and sunny, has beautiful beaches , always a refreshing drink ( see Yandi at the beach bar for the best pina colada’s ) and good enough food to eat and very helpful friendly staff like Isla.
Read more
Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from BrisasCovarrubias, Director de Relaciones Públicas at Hotel Brisas Covarrubias
Responded Feb 3, 2020
Thank you very much for your opinions and we will continue working to improve our services. We look forward to your visit again and you will enjoy the special treatment for repeat customers.Muchas gracias
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
My friend and I was there from Jan 22-29 (7 days).
This is the 1st time at this resort, got in around 3-4pm after 2hours taxi drive. I had a beautiful room with ocean front on the 2nd floor (6225-6228) Everything looks great, the food was good and the beach looks beautiful. But things started to change....when I ask to exchange money, they don’t have any from the resort however the front desk supervisor “Raymond “ has money to exchange. Higher % or you can wait until next day. It’s only a bit more but I thought just CAN$50 then I will wait. Well...I waited for 6 days and they still didn’t have any money to exchange but they are willing to take CUC$ if anyone is paying their bill. If you ask where to exchange your money, you can take a taxi to the bank which CUC$25 there and back or there is a Sunwing Rep that has money to exchange in a higher %rate. Yeah that has been my experience so far.
The beach is beautiful if you cover yourself with bug repellent before you swim and definitely after you swim. Both my legs and arms are covered with bits and when you go to the resort medical room to ask for cream they will charge you CUC$5. Oh only depends on who is working because the 2nd day I was there it was free. It’s not like they will give you some cream to put on but they will put it on for you. I am willing to pay for the tube but apparently they only have one, OH wait that is a lie because they open a tube of cream the next day.
They have 3 bars, the beach front, by the pool and by the front entrance. They have beer, pop and rum. Yup if that is what you like to drink that is it. No juice to mix your drinks and nothing fancy because they don’t have any. Oh there are juice to purchase at the store pears or mango. So you can buy it to do your own drinks. Yeah not really all inclusive.
But beside the great food and it is beautiful beach...I been to other resorts in Cuba, it is very unfortunate this resort will help you ONLY if you are willing to pay for it.
No need to tell you but I will never go back to this place. I hope this will help.
Read more
Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from BrisasCovarrubias, Director de Relaciones Públicas at Hotel Brisas Covarrubias
Responded Feb 3, 2020
Thank you very much for your opinions and we really regret that you have such an unfavorable opinion of the hotel. We hope to change your mind and decide to give us an opportunity to change your opinion and return to our hotel. Each of your comments will be analyzed.Muchas graciass
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Came back yesterday from my 4th visit to Covarrubias. We were just a week this time.Two hours from airport but since it was daytime what an interesting trip as usual. Check in time was very fast actually got our room early. We had oceanview, second floor block 6300. The resort was not overly busy. Had amazing weather , rained for maybe 10 minutes one day . The beach was beautiful as usual you can walk so far and it is still shallow. We had a couple days of wind which created waves in the water that were quite fun. The food was quite good as usual for Cuba. Always something tasty to eat. Very good staff overall . Our maid was (Made) she was always ready to help with any of our needs. Our room was spotless looked freshly painted. And thank you to Simpson (maintenance/electrician) for making sure our safe was operating properly. Lots of hot water for showers, air conditioning was working very good. A few changes from 2 year ago. No money exchange at the resort at this time. Had to get CUC from our travel agent. If we had known we could have exchange money at the airport. Chairs at the beach are in very bad shape but I guess not easy to replace equipment in Cuba. Hopefully we will see newer chairs next visit. Not a major issue for us. Mosquitoes as usual. They fumigate but not too effective sometimes. Overall had another great trip and will return in the near future. A new building going up, we were told it should hold gym, towels etc. when finished. Nice to see improvements.
Read more
Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Block 6300 near Ranchero Beach Restaurant
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from BrisasCovarrubias, Director de Relaciones Públicas at Hotel Brisas Covarrubias
Responded Feb 14, 2020
Thank you very much for your comments, we will continue working to improve our services and that our customers are satisfied. We look forward to your next visit thanks
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Great people and spectacular beach. Food kept the belly full. Bus trip to the resort was long but lots to see on the way. Perfect place to relax, unwind and get a great tan. I would definitely go again!
Read more
Date of stay: May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I won't write a big review about the hotel... since I've been there many times and have adopted this place as THE place for us to go. I cannot be too objective either ... mostly because ... being completely fluent in Spanish and having personal friends at Brisas (with whom we often have supper at their place at Puerto Padre), I see Brisas in another context.
This review is adressed to the "complainers" and the ones that criticise without knowledge / without data. Point by point ... here it goes.
1) NO WATER. Yes ... it happened to us many times ... sometimes for 24 hours ... stuck with suntan lotion and salted water on our skins. Brisas has a desalination system. The pump comes from Italy and they had mechanical problems. In order for the warranty on the pump to be valid ... an Italian employee was supposed to come and fix it and nobody else. HELLO ITALY. Cubans can't buy anything from their biggest neighbour ... there is 60 year old embargo from the good ol' Americans ... learn your history. So they have to deal with European countries or South American neighbours. In the meantime, they had to carry water with a cistern from Puerto Padre. Long drive especially when the road was still being repaired (it is now completely finished). You are VERY far away from everthing ... thus .. that's how you get the peace and quiet and VIRGIN beaches ... just walk east or west 1km and you're in deserted beaches ... something rare on our planet. You want a guarantee for water ... then go to one of the 65 hotels in Varadero. Or better yet ... go to the Sandals in Nassau, Bahamas ... almost $7,800 for one week. They always have water.
2) NO ELECTRICITY ... it happens and usually not for long. Remember ... to get an electrician to fix it he has to come from Puerto Padre or worse...Holguin. And they don't have cars. They use public transportation ... have you ever tried it? I did ... I've travelled with them taking the 16h00 or 16h30 staff bus into town with our friends. And the staff even stood up to let me sit ... ladies who've been cleaning your toilet bowls all day long. I don't remember ever having my car break down, towed within 5 minutes and repaired within 1 hour ... and I live in Montreal. You're in Cuba, be patient and understanding ... don't expect miracles.
3) FOOD ... I'll pass that one. I always found something to eat and never went hungry. You want good food ... then go to Capri in Italy ... the food is fantastic ... I should hope so ... at €175 ... dinner for two. The black female cook (I forgot her name ..sorry)... I didn't complain to her that the eggs tasted nothing. I showed her how to enhance her omellete (in Spanish of course). Told her to get some chopped onions, chopped sausages ...you know ... the Hygrade ones, some red & green bell peppers and ham if they had some ... and oh yes ... some grated cheese ...whatever they can get from the kitchen. Put some salt & pepper and parsley ... well the next day she had all those ingredients and people were lining up for breakfast. I showed her a few words in english ... over easy, sunnyside up, scrambled. STOP COMPLAINING PEOPLE ... help them ...they do WANT to serve you with a smile. And 1 peso for tip will not make you go broke. $1 doesn't even buy anything at our Dollar Stores anymore ... so be a little generous with them
4) MOSQUITOS ... it's like visiting Toronto in July and complaining about the smog. There is a season for mosquitos which starts at the raining season and lasts about 2 months ... but only during certain times of the day. It's part of going down to the tropics. I guess many of you don't go up north during May/June/July in Canada. DEET is the product. Thank God nobody complains about the sun or the heat.
5) SERVICE ... well ... you're in Cuba which is a socialist country. Cubans get paid in pesos ... not CUCS. They average out about 300-420 pesos a month (translated ... 12 to 16 CUCS) per month. Most food is rationed and scarce. What they see you eat, they barely get 1/10th for their food. When you leave lots of food on your plate and they have to throw it away ... that can be a little frustrating. They don't speak English or French ... why should they ... you're in Cuba, Spanish is the official language. They do make an effort to try and learn a little Englsih ... ALL of them. We are well loved by all of the staff. We interact with them as much as possible ... and that's what they love ... human contact. In return, we always get treated as royalty. Do you make an effort to speak Spanish? Did you bring along a little Spanish Phrase book with you? Don't expect when you're in Cuba ... appreciate. Change your attitude. Look at the price of your package ... see how fare you can go with that at other Caribbeans resort.
MISC ... when I hear complaints about VEGANS hating the food in Cuba, Parents with 3 month old babies complaining about lack of facilities, too many people lining up at the restaurant during March spring break, nights being cold during Xmas holidays ... I can only tell these people ... JUST STAY HOME and look at your own country.
Anybody else who would like to see the 4 powerpoints I did of THIS resort ... just let me know and I'll gladly email them to you.
Si el paraíso existe en este planeta, Covarrubais Brisas estaría en la lista de los diez mejores.
Read more
Date of stay: April 2012
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from CovaManagement, Director of Sales at Hotel Brisas Covarrubias
Responded Oct 29, 2012
Dear Guest, Thank so much for writing such positive comments on Trip Advisor about our resort which are really well appreciated. We are so happy to know about your loyalty to us. On behalf of your Cuban friends at Cova we thank you very much and wish you all the best. Hope to see you back again soon. Sincerely, Kenia Rosa Vence Alvarez Director of Sales
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We (2 single girls) were at Covarrubias from March 19th to the 26th and had an excellent time. We arrived about midnight (lots of sleeping during the 2 hour bus ride) and had no problems checking in. It is in the middle of no where, but it is a beautiful in the middle of no where and we were glad to be there! Our room was spacious and Oceanview - 3213! Loved our balcony, sat and enjoyed pina coladas and a couple of Romeo and Juliet cigars - very relaxing. Overall the place is very picturesque. The watersport activities were awesome (kayaking, snorkling, paddleboating, catamaran ride, etc.), dance lessons were great too. This is a quiet resort, but it doesn't have to be! Make the most of it. We frequented the Disco every night and had a blast most times. After a while the music became a tad bit monotonous, but just ask Janior or Salvadore to change it up and they will. Overall the staff were friendly and very sweet: Julian, Janior, Felipe, Johnny, Michael (all of whom are amazing dancers), Pollo (daily BINGO at 4pm - never missed it), Oscar (beautiful singing voice) - thanks boys for not letting us single ladies feel so out of place! The bartenders at the Snack Bar are very sweet (Quiero dos pina coladas con mucho ron y dos sandwiches con quieso por favor), our maid was so sweet and very accomodating. The food was well ... it was food. We weren't there to eat so it didn't matter. Lot's of pasta and pizza (loved those dishes). The grilled fish was amazing too. We really enjoyed our time there and were very sad to leave. We went on a couple of day trips arranged by Omar (Cubatur) and had an awesome time. We swam with Dolphins and went on a tour of Santiago (long bus ride). Both trips were amazing. Our tour guides for both trips were fabulous.
Overall we really enjoyed our stay here. Yes it is a quiet resort and yes the food is not what you're probably used to, but it is clean and absolutely beautiful. The staff are the best! Pina coladas are the best, the beach, sun, sand, activities - awesome. What more does one need?
Read more
Date of stay: March 2005
Value
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Covarrubias! We have been there now seven times. Yes, we will go back there many times more. The bad news first: On our last trip we got caught in the Jetsgo disaster. Leaving eight ours late due to break problems and after two take-off attempts, we arrived at Covarrubias around 10pm. Here is your room key, check in tomorrow morning! Great! Many of the staff are here to Welcome us. Npo worry about your luggage, just attach the sticker with your room number, Oleide- a Russian educated Mechanical Engineer, or Leonardo will bring it to your room. At the front desk, Julio, Oscar or Arais will take care of you. Once in the room, you will be surprised how big and clean it is. Most of them are Ocean-view. Yes, ther is a little bit of yellow water when flush the toilet, but go to a farm in Ontario and you may see the same thing. Covarrubias is using ocean water, desalted and cleaned properly. We never got sick from it, or any of the many tourists we met there. Tourists? Italian, German, Quebecois, Ontarians and some from the East Coast. You don't like to see topless women? Then go and hide in a cocoon. Food? Yeah, depends. Sometimes, ususally when they have an Italian or Jamaican Chef, it's great. Cuban chefs tend to be more on the bland side. Want something special? Just ask one of the cooks and a few convertible Pesos might provide you with a "once-in a lifetime" experience. In the restaurant yo will encounter the friendliest people: Luisa, Ricardo, William, Renee, Alexander, too many to mention. At the bars: Pablo, Julio, Raoul, Luisi, Tony, and many more. The same goes for the life guards, the room maids and so on. You just have to get to know them. All fine people. My recommendation: If you like a qiet place, go there.
Read more
Date of stay: March 2005
Value
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I just got back from Covarrubias last night and am still on beach time. I had a few hestitations about going to Cuba altogether, especially somewhere so far from the airport, and that had such mixed reviews on this site. Here's my perspective from an early thirties, female...
Overall I found the trip quite relaxing which is what I was looking for. Having done some research before leaving, I found my expectations were fulfilled and sometimes surpassed.
Yes there are lines from beginning to end...but then what's the rush?
It is easier to get convertible pesos at the airport upon arrival since the hotel doesn't always have enough, particularly in the smaller denominations. You'll need a few $1 pesos for tipping.
Though the bus ride can be up to 2 hours, if travelling during the day it's a great way to see the country. I didn't go on any of the day trips which I thought were too expensive for all the time you would actually spend seeing the destination as opposed to the bus rides.
It seems that Gran Caribe has been monitoring this site, as there was an abundance of beach chairs and more delivered the day I was leaving. However, not so with the beach umbrellas. You definitely have to be up early, around 7, to get an umbrella. The beach area to the left of the sports hut seemed more quiet.
The food was repetitive but not necessarily flavourless. I did take a bottle of hot sauce but never really needed it. Salad dressing is not available...just oil. Thursday night a whole pig was roasted on an open pit and served at the buffet around 9 pm. The beach restaurant is fun but serves mostly the same just in controlled portion sizes. "Havana Special" was my drink of choice during the day (rum with pineapple juice and liqueur) and red wine at night. The latter was served cold (refreshing) and is from Spain. The beer "Cristal" is made by Labatt and someone thought it tasted like "50."
The staff were quite friendly. They work 16 hour days, every other day. We left our housekeeper a tip and small gifts every day. Julio, a bartender at the lobby bar, was a teacher who earns more bartending. We left him school supplies. We tipped everyone with whom we had constant contact.
The souvenir shop at the resort is much cheaper than the airport so stock up there if you're bringing gifts back.
All in all I had a great time with no disappointments. It's not a party resort...never saw the disco...go on the catamarran ride, especially if it's windy...go snorkelling as there are many colourful fish to see...go to the theatre show at least once, it's entertaining...I definitely feel well rested!
Read more
Date of stay: March 2005
Value
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Excursions are offered by the tour reps. They have a full listing on site. We didn't take any this time because there were not enough people to participate. A couple that I do remember is a trip to Las Tunas as well as a Puerto Padre highlight tour. You can check out the other ones on your arrival.
when I was there the locals were fishing off the old reef about 300 ft. off shore. you can walk it. locals also fished the cliff side but it´s a bit of a hike. ask wilson at the boat house. he´s very helpful. carol e.
There are more places to choose from in the Playa Covarrubias area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
covarrubias hotel puerto padre, resort all inclusive covarrubias
LOCATION
CaribbeanCubaLas Tunas ProvincePlaya Covarrubias
NUMBER OF ROOMS
180
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.