Hotel Delfín

I was sore after hiking and biking all day, and wanted more than a bare-minimum place to sleep. For a solo guy on the road, this might pass, but I could have stayed at the 200 peso posada around the corner for that. I’m heading out at dawn to continue back to San Cristobal, so I didn’t ask them for a toilet seat, even though the toilet had none. The floor was filthy, like it hadn’t been washed, and the room was a letdown. I avoided the noise other people mentioned by insisting on a quiet room away from the restaurant, so that part wasn’t too bad. Still, the harsh fluorescent light was blinding, like in a 200 peso posada. For this price, I can find a better room in CDMX, nevermind Comitan.

The location by the center park is great, but the room looks like it hasn’t been updated since 1970. There was loud music from the restaurant out front late at night and again at 7:00 am. Doors or something outside banged loudly all night too. Don’t be fooled by the photos.

The frosted window in my room had no curtain, so anyone outside in the tiny courtyard could see me sitting on my bed. That made the stay uncomfortable. The courtyard layout also carries voices, so I was awake until the last guest or employee stopped talking outside and woke when the first guest left in the morning. Not a good place to rest.

I was five when my father and I stayed at Hotel Delfin, from October 1978 to June 1979. He traveled all over, helping locals and collecting tropical birds, and would leave me with the hotel staff. The shop next door sold shoes, and I used to play in its warehouse. It’s nice to see Hotel Delfin still operating after all these years.