Valentin Imperial Maya

We just got home from an amazing 10 night stay! We stayed 12/23-1/2 enjoying Christmas, a birthday, and NYE at the resort. The weather was beautiful, minus a couple rainy days after Christmas but it was still warm and pleasant. The grounds as always are beautiful as ever, and they’re currently working on building three new beachfront buildings on the north side of the main pool! I will say that our arrival in CUN was definitely the busiest I have seen the baggage claim and customs area in a long time. It took us almost two hours from the time we landed to get in our transfer to the resort. When we were heading home, the lines at TSA were insane. I wasn’t too upset though because I really don’t like the CUN airport- it’s so hectic and nothing to do except spend money so standing in line waiting was a decent way to kill time. The resort will try to make you leave FOUR hours before your flight time- this is totally unnecessary. Check on your phone the day before for the travel time from the resort to the airport (google maps) and then go to the concierge and request a waiver to change your departure time. Even standing in line at TSA for 30-50mins, we had plenty of time leaving 2.5 hours before our flight time. Upon arrival we were immediately escorted to the Prive Lounge for check in. We didn’t need the whole intro of the resort as we had been here just a few months ago in May, so we set up our dinner reservations for that night and were off to our room! We tried every restaurant during our stay, except for the extra charge experiences. Every meal was delicious and presented beautifully. For NYE, they had a special arrangement where they had guests book a specific time slot for dinner and they had a preset six course menu for everyone. I’m sure if you had allergies or diet restrictions, that had different options, but it was pretty good! We chose to dine at the French restaurant for NYE since it was the most formal. It was set up really well and the flow of the food was consistent and timely. It seemed a little hectic for the staff but they did a great job! For NY day, the had a beautiful lunch buffet spread of fresh, chilled seafood (whole lobsters, oysters, clams, shrimp, etc), giant carving stations, amazing salads and over the top desserts! It was so beautiful and everything was really good! We didn’t plan on going to the buffet that day, but stopped by after my massage and were pleasantly surprised!! Our favorite restaurant is Ginger- we LOVE all their options, for sushi, hibachi (Jose was our chef for my birthday and was great!!) and regular table menu. Gabriella was our server each time and she was always the best! I wanted to eat here on our last night but it was closed sadly! We ordered room service a few times and everything was brought quickly and hot- I wish they had more breakfast options for room service! We went to La Hacienda twice during our stay and I cannot get enough of their spicy salsa flight- you must request it!! All of their menu options are amazing and definitely try something new! The pozole was sooooo good and the grilled octopus is MASSIVE. The coffee shop is a great addition to the resort. If you need a little afternoon pick up, a quick bite or some delicious ice cream, they are open almost all day! The vanilla ice cream is the best I’ve ever had!! Don Miguel’s was our favorite for a before or after dinner drink. Suemy was our server multiple times and she was always fun and quick! The chocolate martini with dry ice is my favorite and it’s strong, so be careful! I had two massages during our stay to use our spa credit, and Raquel is by far the best masseuse they have on staff! I’ve had a massage from her on previous trips and she is amazing!! The beach is beautiful as ever- the swim area is a little rocky at the entrance due to the recent hurricanes but my husband enjoyed fishing each morning! The main pool is always a fun spot, but the other guests are really inconsiderate by leaving items on pool chairs and then disappearing for most of the day. We counted maybe 10 people in or at one end of the pool and all 60 chairs were “claimed” with towels or personal belongings. It was really disappointing since the only time we could sit by the pool was when we booked a pool cabana the day before. We did learn that the silver pool had a lot of open chairs and you could swim there or the main pool, so remember that as an option! This was our 8th or 9th trip to VIRM and it certainly won’t be our last!! I really cannot understand any negative reviews for this resort because everything is so wonderful, beautiful and it’s just a peaceful experience! Thank you for a great holiday vacation VIRM team!

We truly enjoyed our stay at the Valentin! From start to finish everything was easy, and exceeded our expectations. I can't say enough about how good the staff is, they are so friendly and extremely helpful. The food and drinks were great! The level of hospitality was definitely very high. We booked a Golden swim up room, and although it is not a private swim up like in other hotels we've stayed at, the golden pool area is lovely and quiet so it almost feels private. I really enjoyed never having to worry about getting a spot at the pool because we always had one with our own personal loungers. The service poolside (and at your swim up room) is also excellent, they'll bring you whatever food or drink you may want from the menu. The property is large, but it's well designed so that you feel immersed in the jungle instead of in a big hotel complex. We were in building 6 and it felt close enough to the beach, main pool, restaurants etc. The food at the restaurants was by far the best I've had at an all inclusive, and it had the service to match. You don't need to make reservations, but we rarely had to wait, even if we did it was less than 30 mins and we would go to the cocktail bar or cafe. Speaking of, the cafe is so good! I loved trying all the different coffees in the morning or a nice decaf latte after dinner. Definitely don't miss the churro cart! We had read a lot in the reviews about the beach not being great, but we loved it. Water shoes do make life easier to get in and out, but you can do just fine without. There were also so many shells and tidepools to explore! The water can be a bit rough, but definitely swimable and we went in the ocean most days during our stay (aside from a few red flag days). This resort has what you need for whatever type of day you want to have, tons of music and activity in the main pool, or a quiet book in the shade at the golden pool. The hotel website made it easy to find activities, menus, maps etc. We would 1000% reccomend and return to this resort!

I have traveled all over the world and this was the worst experience by far I have ever had. Everything is spread , and you have to take carts where ever you. Most of the food was awful barley edible. Drinks were watered down. Have some ridiculous rules and werent willing to accommodate We left 4 days early , and they would not issue a refund for those days. STAY AWAY

This is our second time to Valentin Imperial and again we were NOT disappointed!! The staff, the grounds, the food, everything is perfect and you want/need for nothing. The breakfast buffet at La Marche is an incredible spread with so many options you didn't even know you wanted. :) The Mexican restaurant - La Hacienda - is DELICIOUS!! We went three times and never had a bad experience. Attentive staff, a mariachi band, and great drinks. The grounds are incredible with easy to walk paths, clean beach, and lots of pool options. The gym is alright, it gets the job done but some more free weights and newer cardio equipment would go a long way. That said, they offer yoga and water spin almost daily! They have food trucks by the pool and very attentive wait staff. They are incredible at acknowledging birthdays, anniversaries, and return guests; really any special occasion. We wouldn't hesitate to book again, you can't go wrong in this adult only piece of perfection.

Let's start with their description of celebrating Christmas with them. "As the year draws to a close and the festive season approaches, Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya resort invites you to immerse yourself in a luxury Christmas celebration like no other. " The decorations were beautiful, the grounds well maintained and it certainly "looked" festive. That was literally the extent of our Luxury Christmas Celebration. Seriously... There was no special meal, no entertainment, except for the standard pool entertainment and I heard Merry Christmas maybe 6 times all day. To my understanding, entertainment is not really a thing there. That would have been good to know. The restaurants. The Indian food restaurant the one I had been avoiding the most was the best. From our server, her wonderful personality, the food, the portions, the service was all on point. We liked what food we did eat, at the other restaurants, it just was nothing special, often served cold, drinks not brought without several reminders. We left the Italian, Mexican, French and surf n turf without ever getting the desert we ordered. After waiting 40 mins and never seeing the server again you know you are not getting it so why keep waiting? Next let's talk about room numbers. They are tracked at every restaurant, if you did not make it clear you would be tipping you got less than the minimum. Buffet is a joke. Same 10 items every day, same with lunch. No substitutions, no exceptions, unless you want to go back to your room and order room service. Which I had never before done at a resort but became a norm here, not only was the food served hot the staff who would bring it were beyond polite and helpful. The next best employees were the cleaning staff. The entire staff in building 1 was so polite, kind and on point. The rest of the staff at this resort could use some training from them. Drinks. Anything mixed is super watered down or incredibly sugary. Stick with house wine or shots, that is the only time we ever even got a slight buzz. upon arrival our refrigerator was not working they came and replaced it quickly, but the replacement also did not work. The 3rd time was a charm and we had cold water to drink. Purchased photos and photo session at the resort, through dreamland photography, we purchased 250 worth of photo's and were given a flash drive of all of the rest of the photos with watermarks. Too bad the USB was empty when we got home and finally had time to look at them. We have stayed at Iberostar, Now, Secrets and Dreams.... all are much cheaper than this resort and frankly I have always came home having had a great Christmas in Mexico! Not this time. I am relaxed, but I will tell you this the staff plans their day to ensure they do as little as possible, if you are going thinking you will have options for meals if you do an excursion, think again... There are NO tennis courts or pickle ball courts that they claim to have and NONE of the rooms are ocean or pool facing. They all are jungle/garden view. We paid to upgrade to the Silver Preferred and I could not figure out what the difference was if any, I had a jungle view on ground level in building 1, a 10 min stroll to the beach. Do NOT waste your money upgrading or on photos, also although very pretty, rude, disinterested staff who will only speak to you if you speak to them is not the Mexico I know. We stayed from 12/20 - 12/27 in room 1111. Also... MEN, you MUST bring slacks, or you will be ordering room service for dinner. No shorts or denim pants allowed. They are very quick to take you to the hotel store where you can buy a pair of linen slacks and shoes for 175 US dollars. In my opinion, if you claim to provide a luxury Christmas experience and the experience is less than cheaper standard service, then trust me when I tell you I will steer others clear of this resort on a standard stay as well. If that was their definition of luxury, I shudder to think what their normal services are like. Home safe and sound, just feel jipped.