TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We came to Valentín for our first time and to celebrate my beautiful wife birthday ?? Is amazing place and Dora is the best ! We love her because she made us feel welcome and happy ?? French restaurant is our favorite and the music at the plaza. Our room is nice and is clean. The atmosphere is wonderful and the main pool is so phenomenal. We are talking about coming back every year at list one time to see Dora again she was my favorite.

Trip number 10 in the books. We absolutely love the VIM and all it has to offer. Spent the week of March 29 to April 5 and had an amazing week. We want to send a special shoutout to some amazing people. First of all Dora(ni Cariña). She is an amazing person and everyone loves her. We have some great conversations and had lots of fun when she was on the Go Team Ignacio, Armando and Jose Ramon in the Italian Restaurant are all amazing servers. Very professional and super nice. Anahai our hostess in the Italian restaurant. We love her Omar in the French restaurant. Very nice and very professional Carlos in Mar y Tierra for breakfast. Angel Poot in Mar y Tierra. Mi hermano de otro madre. Veronica our bartender. The Mariachis in the Mexican. And also a shoutout to all the people in the background that make the resort so amazing. Cleaners, groundskeepers, front desk staff, bell boys and so many more. As a repeat guest and after speaking with other repeat guests, we have a few suggestions. The shows at night are great, however is it possible to change them up a bit. Most have been there since we started going in 2014. Even every second week. Now that a restaurant per night is closed, people are finding the waits longer to get in. Especially for the new guests who want to see the shows. Is it possible to open them back up or even have a food truck option to help with the longer wait times and the restaurants being full. For us it doesn’t matter because we seen the shows and don’t mind eating late. Is it possible to bring back the vendors in the plaza at night. We used to enjoy that so much and seeing all of the nice things they had. The food trucks at the pool were definitely a great idea. We love them and don’t really have to leave the pool anymore. Could there be more food options in the Sports Bar. Maybe fries and wings. Possibility of a drink menu at all the bars. I know they all have great experience making drinks but some new people want to see a drink menu to help decide. Café Sisal is amazing. That was definitely a great idea. These are only suggestions and nothing to lower the standards of the resort. It’s a beautiful place and we love every minute we are there. We are planning our trip in 2025 and our travel agent has 20 rooms booked with a group. So we can’t wait to get back there again. Ernesto(Papi Chulo) and Tanya Sampson

First time with my family Everything was excellent ?? food was awsome, service is great, drinks was good, the staff was awesome that's why we keep comming back. The atmosphere was good everybody was happy having a good time. Staff like Sonia is the best bartender, Dora is the best person we have around the pool to explain everything to us. We will be back soon. Thank you Valentin again.

We will definitely be back! Let’s just start with that… There are positives and negatives with every place, but the positives far outweigh any negatives. I'm only giving 4 starts because there are areas of improvement and I hope they actually read this. Weather & Beach: We were here in late March from the 21st to the 31st. It was windy a lot of days. That meant the surf was rough most days. There were only 3 days out of 10 when we wanted to play in the ocean. It’s very shallow all over the swimming area so you could go out any day if you like being beat up by the waves. I just like to float around. The pictures they show are of a calm beach with almost no waves, and it was never really like that. It was also a bit cool in the mornings a few days. This is just a FYI for those that might be considering those days. The pool is so huge you never felt crowded, so we spent a lot of our time there. I’ll start with my negatives (or could use improvement) because there will be a lot more positives. Booking directly with the resort: We paid too much by doing this even though they show a bunch of discounts. Book with Costco travel, or southwest travel, or delta travel, cheap Caribbean, or your favorite travel agent. I think anyone else you book with will get you a better deal than direct booking. But, for doing that our private transfers were included and we got one bottle of alcohol in our room. There’s also a couple of FB groups for VIM and one of them is run by a travel agent. I’ll be checking with her next time around. Chair Saving at the pool: They are supposed to remove everything by 7:00 AM if there is no one there with the chairs. They were not doing that at all. I was down most mornings before 6 AM and chairs had items on them and no one around. I wake up early and try to let my husband sleep, so I was there with my chairs. I heard people are coming down at night after they are done for the day and putting stuff on chairs for the next day. I was in bed by then, so it’s not something I was checking on. But, the policy needs to be posted officially and enforced without prejudice. You cannot get a chair at all unless you are there really early in the morning. And, people with stuff on the chairs aren’t showing up until 10 AM or 11 AM (or later) … It’s really out of control. Golf Cart Service: We were in the ocean front rooms and we were furthest from the restaurants. We had difficulty getting a cart some nights, even though we called before we stepped outside. The carts should be automatically swinging by these rooms close to dinner. They just need a bit more service to the farthest rooms. Very good overall and mostly easy to get carts. Ocean Front Room: Not really a complaint, but advice for others. I wouldn’t book this again. You need to be on the second floor to see anything nice, and we were put on the first floor. I didn’t ask for a room switch because we were just never in the room except to sleep. I would not spend the extra money for these rooms again. You are furthest away from the part of the beach where you can actually swim. There was a bar outside on the beach, but the beach isn’t swimmable by these rooms. If it was, I might have felt differently about the experience. I want something more central like building 4 or 5. It was very far from the main buildings and restaurants. Too far for us to walk (all dressed up) in the heat. I’ll pick the lower tier rooms next time. Wine: The house wine is not great, but the merlot was drinkable. I would have a couple of glasses with dinner. They are focused on selling you bottles of wine, just like most all-inclusive places. I’ve only ever been to one place where whole bottles were included. The champagne for mimosas was good at Mar. I didn’t try any of the white wines. A better house wine could be found. For the level this resort is trying to portray, it’s not good enough. Reviews: It seems there is a lot of pressure to get the employees names mentioned in reviews. I don’t think this is very cool. There were no activities for a whole afternoon at the pool because they have a meeting every 3 months to see who got the most mentions in reviews. And, there seemed to be a lot of “We don’t want to hear anything negative, only positive” going on. Suggestions: A coffee shop closer to the main pool (maybe like a food truck?) The coffee shop is always backed up in the mornings and it’s a bit of hike from the main pool and especially from the ocean front rooms. I think there could be another one added that’s closer to where everyone is spending their time. I would have had multiple coffees, but the trek and the wait were a bit much. The coffee is good, the pastries are hit and miss. QR codes for menus: The QR codes means you have to carry your phone around with you to every meal. I’m on vacation and I don’t want to carry my phone everywhere. My phone went for a swim in the pool because of this and I think there should be real menus. Even if they just posted one big one in the lobby to look at that would be good enough. Pool waiters and bar staff: We tipped for the staff walking around giving drinks and the bartenders too because we got drinks in and out of the pool. The servers walking around giving drinks would disappear for long periods of time. Not sure if they had a huge area or were taking a lot of breaks? They seemed a bit understaffed at the swim up bars, and it didn’t always seem to help to tip, to get drinks faster. It wasn’t terrible, but it could have been a lot better. The good Stuff and the restaurants: I’m going to repeat a lot of stuff others have said, but I’ll tell you some of my favorite, and not so favorite, moments. Dora is amazing… She can talk about anything and is totally delightful. Grounds: When people say they are beautiful and expansive, I don’t think you really get it until you get there. There are miles and miles of sidewalks. If you are person that likes to run or walk in the mornings, you are going to LOVE this place. There are trees and lots of lovely foliage and animals all around these sidewalks. Just stunning. I even saw the fitness people doing a planned run with a lot of people one morning. Not sure the distance, but they were out beside the sidewalk with water and bananas. Drinks: You have to try Don Miguel! This is a must visit place for everyone unless you don’t drink. And, you could still enjoy these fancy martinis without alcohol. We went here before and after dinner every day. The martini selection is outstanding and it looks so regal in there like a 50’s martini bar. Very great service by Oscar and smiley Marco. Anyone else that was on staff was amazing as well. They have these fancy martinis, many with dry ice (Imperial (Pomegranate) and Chocolate (It’s clear but tastes very much like chocolate)), Blackberry with a smoke bubble on top you get to pop. The espresso martini is outstanding. I ordered one at the French restaurant and couldn’t even finish it, but I had them at Don Miguel every night. The cotton candy martini they melt down a big piece of cotton candy in the drink, but it tastes like lime. There is a lot of showmanship to everything. My husband does not like all the fancy stuff and he had Belvedere Martinis slightly dirty, and well bruised (we had to explain what that meant, but they got it after that), and they were so perfect. There is a whole menu, but I found my favorites fast, the blackberry and espresso. They can also make you anything you ask for if you know what’s in it. We also saw them making a flaming coffee and it was quite a show. I didn’t have one, but wanted to just to see the show. There is a piano player in the evening. If you sit at the tables they bring you a tiered tray with savory and sweet snacks from 4-6. Food: I’ll just say overall that I’m a bit of a foodie. I cook a lot and create a lot of ethnic dishes. I’m very picky on the seasoning, temp and cook of items. And, talking with other people about the restaurants I l found many that completely disagreed with me when there was something I didn’t like. There is so much difference in how people feel about food. All the portions are pretty small at the dinner restaurants, which is fine because you are eating all the time. Beef is usually not all that good in Mexico so I avoid it, but many people were underwhelmed by the steaks. I can say that if you go hungry here it’s your own fault. Churros: Just have the churros… I was usually too full to eat them but, when I did have them it was amazing. Buffet: I’m not a buffet person, so take my review here with a grain of salt. We ate here 2 mornings and I was pretty underwhelmed and struggled to find food I could enjoy. They have eggs Benedict but the eggs on top are like hard boiled they are so overdone and they were old and the sauce was like a crust on top. These should be made to order at the omelet station. The omelets were all coming out brown and I really don’t like that. The service was really slow and they seemed really understaffed here. Good luck getting a 2nd mimosa, which I had no problem with in Mar. Mar: We ate here every morning and lunch after our unfortunate buffet experiences. They have wonderful eggs Benedict, huevos rancheros, muesli with yogurt, fruit plate, fish fingers, salads, Mexican pizza, quesadillas… The burger is pretty good, I had it twice, but I’ve had better. I didn’t have anything bad here. If Teresa is working ask for her. She’s more interactive than most of the staff and has a wonderful smile. The salsa picante is a must if you like things a little hotter. You have to ask for it separately. Ask early when you get there, because sometimes they have to get it from the back and it takes a while. Mexican (La Hacienda): We loved the food at this place, but they seemed understaffed and service was a bit slow. We went twice. If you ask for salsa picante they bring you out a large set of ramekins with all kinds of different salsas in them, with all levels of heat, and very different flavors. Delicious! Ask for it first because it took some time to get it. The Huitlacoche Crepe was so delicious, although it didn’t seem to arrive very hot. But, I ordered it both times we went. The Red Pozole was outstanding. The flavors were so delicious. My husband had the Cochinita Pibil on the first trip and it was delicious, but it needed sauce. We found that to be true of several dishes. Just ask for the salsa picante when you first arrive and you’ll be set. The Roasted Chicken is outstanding. It’s not what you would expect. They lollipop a leg and it’s so tender, and it’s served over a mole (that does not taste like chocolate) and mashed potatoes. You just need to try this. I got it both times. I wanted to also order the chefs special that was empanadas as an appetizer and that threw everyone off. If you want to change things up, they are not prepared for that. But, they figured it out. It just threw the waiter off. I did get it and it was more like tacos than empanada, and again needed some sauce. But, very good overall. I wanted to try everything they make here. When we go back we will be working on that effort. Ginger - Sushi: The sushi bar at Ginger was my favorite place to eat. I think we ate there 3 times in 10 days. There are only 12 seats so arrive right at 6 if you want a seat, or you will have to wait. Well worth it and the sushi is so delicious. Every time we left stuffed. You can also order a few things off the main menu. We always got fried rice (which has beef and shrimp in it and it’s delicious), but we saw someone else get an appetizer. I think I saw another person in a couple that ordered a meal off the main menu while their partner had sushi. Ginger - Main Menu: I really didn’t like the main menu so much we only had dinner there once. Probably what we ordered… We had tempura and it was pretty lackluster. I had the scallops and they were the tiniest scallops I’ve ever seen. My husband had the salmon and he’s had better. The sauce was just okay. It’s not that anything was bad, it just wasn’t great. There wasn’t any spice to anything. I wonder now as I’m writing this if they had garlic chili sauce I could have asked for, or something like that. We’ll try it again next time and just order entirely different things. Hibachi in Ginger: It was really hard to get an early reservation, and we eat at 6. She did manage to get us one for our last night at 7. You can go to the concierge on your very first day and ask for a reservation, and if they cannot get you the reservation time you want, they’ll keep trying. No need to go back every day at 10. I did not know this so wanted to pass it on. I have been to a lot of these places because I like this kind of food and show. The selection on their menu was pretty limited. Our chef did a pretty good job with the show at the beginning. I heard from another couple that they got no show at all. And, it was his wife’s birthday and he put down a tip as soon as the chef got there. It was pretty good. I probably will book it again when we go back just because I’m a sucker for this kind of thing. Italian (L’Olivo): This was okay for me, but nothing stellar. Sit on the patio if the weather is nice. The risotto balls were good, but if you get there early they are cold like they have been sitting out waiting to serve. The carbonara was good, but I’ve had much better elsewhere. I ordered the mushroom risotto one night and it talks about all the mushrooms in it, but it was a pile of brown goop when it came out with no distinguishable mushrooms at all. I sent it back. Just hit or miss I guess… Someone else said they ordered it and it had big pieces of mushroom all in it. Inconsistency is a problem here. I’ll try something entirely different next time. French (L’Alsace): We only ate here once because I wasn’t blown away by this place either. The niçoise salad was good. The escargot mushrooms were just okay. We had the French onion soup and I’ve had much better elsewhere. The puff pastry on top is showy, but I like the old-fashioned bread in the bowl better. The onions were not very caramelized they were translucent but not brown like French onion soup I’ve had elsewhere. There also was none of the beef stock type flavor in the soup. I think they make it vegetarian, so they have left that out, but it’s sorely missed. I had the sea bass and my husband had the salmon. The salmon was overcooked and fishy tasting. The sea bass was cooked perfectly, but it had a creamy sauce with pine nuts in it. No acid in the sauce at all, with fish. If you do get it ask for a lot of lemon, and you can thank me later. We had the crème Brule for desert and it was outstanding. I highly recommend that. I would go in just to get the crème Brule. Our waiter seemed to be running all over the place and posturing and not focusing on the guests at all. I saw other tables being crumbed by waiters, but not ours. We had to flag someone down for another drink. Just not great service and they had a TON of people working in this restaurant. No excuses for bad service and not checking back with people.

This is the 3rd time and not the last time I will visit the Valentin Imperial! I had an absolute blast there again! The food was great! Shout out to Jaun at the La Hacenda restaurant, Falix and Armondo at L'Olivo, Angel at Taman Sari. Also, the Go Tea is always entertaining, including Isabella and Israel. I also got a chance to speak with Dora! She is a great business woman, can make great connections with guest and works her tail off! Can't wait to come back!