Valentin Imperial Maya

BEST vacation in several years! Gorgeous grounds. The buildings were well laid out. The grounds were easy to navigate with signage everywhere and nice to walk. Lovey touches everywhere such as speakers playing soft music every place you walked. Every single staff member we interacted with was amazing. It was at near capacity but we never felt we had to deal with a crowd. Any issue we had was addressed immediately. We did have 2 misses for dinners. Mar one night had amazing steak (T-bone and rib eye) two nights later the T-bone was inedible, And my fish was so over cooked I could not cut into it with a knife! Second miss was at Ginger: server was rude. The food I ordered was super tough and full of gristle. Italian and French restaurants were amazing for service, flavours and quality. The rooms are lovely and best of all: quiet. Pools are super clean. The beach is the best we have seen in the Riviera Maya. We stayed at the beach from 10am to 4pm every day. Evening entertainment, especially the Tenors, was very good. We enjoyed a nightcap at the Piano bar. All in all, this was a fantastic vacation. We will return (just hope we dont' have that rude cranky server at Ginger). Every staff member we interacted with spoke amazing English. I know I should make an effort to learn Spanish so respect the ease they had with English. There was zero pushiness and no request felt like it was too much. I learned on the very last day I could have my cup of tea with milk, just never saw it offered. One server, Albino, told me to just ask and they will do what they can for me. So lovely.

We traveled to the Valentin March 31 – April 8 Couple in our mid 50's Having traveled the Caribbean extensively, primarily through Sandals resorts, I’d like to give my review first based on our experience at the Valentin and then compare it to Sandals. We opted for the Prive package for our entire stay. Our private transfer through Local Tours was wonderful. The van was clean and the driver courteous and provided a quick but safe transfer. Upon arrival we were greeted with a cool towel and welcome beverage, then escorted to the Prive lounge to check in. We were then given options for our in room bar and I was pleasantly surprised to find that Chivas was on the bar menu. Our room was ready upon arrival, and we were quickly taken to it. Our first impression was great. We adored the hacienda feel of the resort and everyone we encountered were professional and friendly. We had a Golden Junior Suite and found the room well-appointed and clean. I know some have mentioned that the rooms are outdated but we rather like the old-world charm that it had. Having said that, the beds are very firm. I requested a topper the third night and housekeeping made the adjustment. Though it still wasn’t comfortable and I again inquired if something else could be done and they accommodated our request. After that we were able to sleep more comfortably. An added plus is that our room had a steamer not an iron. Had I known I wouldn't have dragged mine along. Our room attendant kept the room tidy and clean and turn down service was a nice touch. The person who restocked our beverages was hit or miss most days. We learned to get waters from the bar so that we would have them in our room. Bali beds were not available on our first or second day t the pool, so we opted for the beach. The water was a bit choppy and was red flagged each day. We didn’t mind as the water was a bit chilly. The views were lovely and they worked very hard to keep the Sargassum at bay. It was very convenient to have the beach bar so close and beach bar service was great. Food. Well, this is where things started to go south for us. We were able to eat at every restaurant. On our fourth day I got food poisoning which lasted for 3 full days. It became so bad that I went to the on site physician and left with 3 prescriptions including an antibiotic and a nearly $600.00 bill. (I wasn't the only one unfortunately) Management was made aware of the situation, and while showed concern, didn’t offer any type of compensation for the three days lost of our vacation due to poor food handling. As a guest you put your trust in those preparing your meals, that the very food they are feeding you doesn’t keep you writhing in pain, all while sequestered to your room as a bathroom has to be in very close proximity out of necessity. While I am not happy about being ill and losing 3 days vacation, to be honest, that could happen anywhere. Our real issue with the food was that it was never hot. Lukewarm at best. (Perhaps that has something to due with the food illness I experienced?). The only hot meal we had was room service, the tomato soup at the Italian restaurant and the corn soup at La Hacienda. I appreciated that we never waited long to receive our meals, but it almost felt like everything was already made and was just waiting for an order to come in. Sometimes it came out so quickly that it would have been impossible to have been cooked made to order. All of the bars were great and really enjoyed Don Miguels. We also went to the Cigar lounge and enjoyed Hooka and were pleasantly surprised that they had 18 year Macallans. Note this is all at an extra charge. The main pool was probably the best pool we have ever experienced at any all inclusive we have ever stayed at and where we spent most of our time. The mechanical bull was fun to watch and the foam party, as others have mentioned, is not to be missed. The go team is what makes the pool such a vibrant, fun place to be and each member deserves a raise, they are the best! The pool bar bartenders and wait staff are great as well. Shout out to Jose and his Electric Lemonades and Long Island Iced Teas! Missing those already. The evening shows are wonderful and you can tell they work very hard at giving everyone a memorable experience. The grounds keepers are top notch and it truly does feel like you are in a tropical paradise. The property is large but if you don’t feel like walking, a quick dial to “0” and a shuttle will be there before you know it. If you are a smoker, there are plenty of areas but note; no chairs or benches and none of them are covered. Now onto my comparison to a Sandals resort (and since there are no Sandals in Mexico, I don’t feel bad about the side by side, but want to give Sandals guests an idea of what to expect if they want to travel outside of the islands in the Caribbean) Sandals Butler vs. Prive: Sandals Prive does not provide the same personal touch as butlers do, but not getting up to get a shady spot at the pool and having dinner reservations is something you might want to consider (this alone made the extra cost worth it to me) Suites: Tie I would categorize the suite we were in as the same as a Sandals entry level butler suite or top level club suite. Keep in mind the vibe here isn't all stainless steel and marble modern but warm, cozy traditional vibe. I should mention that conditioner is not provided at the Valentin. Not sure why. Housekeeping is great at both resorts. Grounds: Tie Unsung heroes at any all inclusive Beach and Pool Loungers: Valentin Bali beds at the pool and beach with Prive, ‘nuff said, LOL Though you don’t get a cooler but the poolside or beach service is great so you don’t even miss that. Towels: Sandals You get 2 towels in your room each day that you have to remember to take with you. That’s a pain if you forget them and it didn’t seem like you could get extras. Note with Prive they do have 2 towels on your lounger each day Food: Sandals I went into detail about that above I'll also add that at the Sandals I have been to, at the buffet there are electronic thermometers on each item at the buffet and staff can often be found checking temps of food items and removing anything that isn't at the correct temperature (which I have only seen once) Smoking areas: Sandals As I mentioned, there are no chairs or covered areas at the Valentin Nighttime Ambiance: Valentin With all the garden lights and everyone semi formal due to the dress code, it just gives a more elevated feel overall Entertainment: Valentin Some of the most energetic, engaging and happy entertainment teams members we have ever experienced, truly top notch Triangle Hashbrowns: Sandals If you know, you know LOL Value: Sandals By the time I added the Prive package I was right at what I spend for Butler level at a Sandals, though the experience is bit above with a butler QR Code: Sandals While they utilize QR codes, you still have the option to get a paper menu. Trying to read on our phones and compare one menu item to another is a nightmare and the fact that we spend so much on these trips as a way to unplug and only to find out you have to lug your phone with you everywhere…. it undermined the whole point of being unplugged. If they offered a paper menu option I wouldn't have even mentioned it but they don't Now the big question, would I return to Valentin? Unless I could get a deal probably not. The cold food is a deal breaker for me and had it only happened here or there, I could have overlooked it, but it was e-v-e-r-y meal. Add in the QR code thing and our dining experiences were just mediocre I do think that for someone on a budget or who is ok with a dining experiences similar or a slight step above Olive Garden, any of the suites are a good choice and you get all the other things that were pluses in our book. For those looking for elevated dining experiences (the kind where years later you are still talking about the chef's special), then the Valentin probably isn't it

Excellent hotel room was very clean service was great all staff were very friendly great place would definitely come back loved it here

It was excellent great service and very clean! Everyone worked so hard participated in a wedding it was beautiful! Will be definitely be back soon!! Loved that they had a coffee shop!

What an incredible experience! The hospitality and customer service are incomparable. I almost don’t want to leave a glowing review because I don’t want the whole world to find out about the Valentin! Warm and friendly people, nature filled grounds filled with flowers, spacious rooms and wonderful options for dining and recreation. Could NOT be more pleased!!