Cuba is where we have now travelled to for a second time and that says a lot!! Last year we stayed out on the Peninsula and enjoyed our vacation 100%!! This time we stayed in town (literally in the heart of town) and travelled with two other couples!! Highly recommend group adventures!! This vacation was budget based and with that in mind (you get what you pay for) this resort is wonderful!! It's super small and you make friends real fast and your week really is one big party!! The entertainment makes you smile, you want to get up and dance and take as many pictures as you can!! The rooms are clean and basic, you fill your own bar fridge, really that's all you need in a room. We didn't have a view of ocean or pool, more of a side balcony, with a view of town. If you can, request the old/original building, it's beautiful, with a view of the ocean that is breathless!! The food....well the truth is and I will stand strong by my opinion, you don't go to Cuba for the world famous cuisine!! World famous bland mush......I will say that some seafood was tasty, with our 'brought from home' seasoning added of course!! Pack snacks period!!! The buffet is simple and breakfast is fabulous with 'made for you' omelettes and a super fun juice machine, filling your glass with oh so fresh juice!! The a la carte restaurant is temporarily a make shift section of the pool bar. The difference being this was the night we didn't have to 'work' for our meal!! We were served!! Gustavo is a charmer!! The lobby bar is 24 hours and bartender 'Blue Eyes' works the crowd!! I stuck to cerveza, Cristal and Bucanero but heard rave reviews about pina colada!! The time that the buffet and pool bar are open/closed is structured and we had to work around them but not a deal breaker. Exchange your money at one of two banks down the block early in the week to get the best rate. We walked the main street, shopping, sighseeing, people watching, photographing - we felt safe and enjoyed taking it all in!! We went out for dinner to El Toro, poor service and mislabled cuts of steak, but yum yum!! Cheap too!! We enjoyed the double decker bus and carriage ride!! Overall this was yet again a fabulous, relaxing, sun filled amazing vacation!!

Arriving to a cold front that lasted 2 days but turned out HOT!!! Hotel room not the greatest, keep away from room 135 the washroom ceiling leaked alot of water. The food is not good at all thank god for hamburgers,hotdogs and fries but bring your own salt,pepper,hot sauce, ketchup and any other spices you desire. Don't tip but leave necessarites (shampoo,conditioners,toothpaste,perfume....) the Cubans will be so greatful. The staff,entertainer, housekeeping and cooks are extremely friendly and would do anything for you. The beach was never crowded and always found a spot on the beach, the music was nice to hear and kept the tropical feeling of Cuba.Going out every night the taxi was alway there for us and if you wanted to walk the hotel/resort was right in town so walking was no problem.

Once again we chose to stay in the centre of Varadero, therefore booked into one of the older, smaller resorts. Los Delfines in situated exactly in the centre of the city, this allows for easy walking access to many restaurants, bars and markets, and you could catch the bus or take a cab and cover the entire area for around $5.00 (5cuc).

Prior to booking I searched reviews of the hotels and resorts in the town centre, all are in the 2-3.5 star range, the 5 star properties being newer are built on the edge of Varadero and on the penisular. last year I had stayed at Hotel Club Tropical (3 stars) and in spite of many reviewers rating it in the lower range of hotels I was pleased with my choice. Los Delfines is owned by the same group, Islazul, but they carry a 3.5 star and even more impressive they rate 22 out of the 58 resorts located here on review sites.

Location was excellent, the hotel is small which is perfect if you are a people person but you will get to know and be known by your fellow guests and the staff so if you seek annonimity then opt for one of the newer larger resorts. the staff are excellent with the exception of the beach staff, who for some reason are paid to sit in the shade talking and relaxing while everyone, male, female, young and old, drag their beach beds to their desired location. The only time I saw them move was to try and sell a catamaran trip to snorkel and feed the fish for $15 ($15cuc) other than that the only other time they appeared was to haul all the beds back to the storage area at sunset.

The entire resort is spotless, rooms are immaculate and the staff and friendly but never intrusive. It is quite normal for staff at the resorts, also in restaurants and bars to drop hints or ask outright for stuff you have, clothing, shoes, tips etc. but at this resort, not one staff member in any way solicited for anything. I always tip and I bring gifts with me which the staff are delighted and grateful to receive but this is truly the only place I have stayed at in Cuba where the staff never gave any impression of wishing for anything other than a thank you for their work.

Food here wasn't as good as the Tropical, but it was as expected for a hotel with this rating. breakfast is always a winner, omelette station, or eggs cooked as you like, fresh bread and pastries, yogurt, fruit, fresh juice etc. Lunch and Dinner carried similar foods, there is always , beef, pork or chicken, in the evening, there would be something at the carvery section a turkey of roast beef, and the omelette station served as short order pasta station both lunch and dinner.Wine is served at lunch and dinner if you wish and always soft drinks tea and coffee are available.

There are two bars, the pool bar is open daily and has a variety of drinks also they serve burgers or toasted sandwiches and fries. The other bar is open 24 hours and they do a great selection of mixer drinks and cocktails and also a fabulous espresso or cappuccino.

The exchange rate at this time is great for Canadians with the bank offering a rate of $1.08 per 1cuc and the hotel giving a rate of $1.11.

The Varadero bus is $5 (5cuc) for an all day ticket and kids under the age of 6 travel free. this is a perfect way to get around, try the different markets, visit a few sights. The bus runs from early morning till around 7pm and it is open topped, perfect for sightseeing.

If you are walking around and encounter someone with a snake, a hawk or other exotic animal, they will strike up a conversation, and ask if you want a picture taken, be prepared to part with a few dollars, this is a money earner for the individual who owns this animal they have to feed and care for it on limited resources so your donation is expected.

All in all Los Delfines is a good hotel in an excellent location, and given the price range it is in I believe it merits at least a 3 star rating, however given the choice of Los Delfines and Hotel Tropical, I would choose Tropical.

I spent a week at this resort and I would go again. I wasn't expecting much considering what I paid but was pleasantly surprised. It isn't exactly luxurious, but the rooms are clean and have everything you need. It's a smaller resort so it seems more personal and comfortable than other sprawling resorts you'd find elsewhere. The food was basic.. lots of pasta. Some nights not so great, a couple nights delicious. The a la carte restaurant is a bit of a joke though. It was nice to be able to walk around Varadero vs relying on taxi's or bus' if you stayed further down the peninsula. Only complaint I had was the irritatingly loud music they played around the pool during the day... But that's fairly typical. Nightly shows aren't that bad... some may be a bit odd but entertaining either way.