Oh I had a great time in Cuba. Probably my most favorite vacation there.
We stayed at an All Inclusive in the middle of Havana and Varadero. Free alcoholic drinks as well
Well anyways, getting to Havana we took a taxi and it's a pretty long drive ~30-40 minutes? So we asked him to show us around there, he took us to all the big sites, negotiated some deals on art for us... pretty much was our tour guide for the ENTIRE day. So at the end of the day he drives us back, we pay him his fare and give him like $40 extra for tips. He was blown away and gave back $30 and would not take more as he said it was way way way too much. Great guy, and I've heard others had great service like this as well.
Varadero was moreso beachy and the club scene and where the night life is. If I remember correctly... Havana, moreso the history and little shopping areas.
They also protect their tourists heavily, so the locals won't be harassing you for anything.
But weather, BEAUTIFUL, sand was pretty nice although I think Mexico's was a little nicer. For sure bring lots of sunscreen as it's HOT.
And lastly, for food - we ate at the hotel for about half the time and it got pretty bland after a while so we decided to go out to town and eat. Most Cuban places to me tasted pretty bland and the same but we were lazy and didn't feel like searching for crazy places with different food. It was dirt cheap though. Actually, the whole trip was very cheap. Great bang for your buck, and it's basically a pre-tourist crazy Mexico.
Have a great trip!!!