TRAVELHotNews.com Magazine

Home | Search

Click here to print

19 March 2008

Send to a friend

Valentin Imperial Maya : The newest resort in the Riviera Maya

Adults-only resort offers quality food in a relaxed, secluded luxury atmosphere
Gina Desjardins

Valentin Imperial Maya, a new adults-only resort, recently opened its doors in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Located on Playa del Secreto (‘The Secret Beach’ in Spanish) and built to resemble a traditional Mexican hacienda, the hotel complex is the latest addition to the all-inclusive luxury establishment located in the Riviera Maya.

Over the years, Riviera Maya has become a favourite destination for those looking for peace, quiet and a certain amount of luxury in their all-inclusive vacation.

In order to stand out from the rest of the pack, Valentin Imperial Maya aims for excellence in its food and service standards. As a matter of fact, the ratio employee/client is one to one. To maintain high service standards, employees are carefully chosen to ensure that they’ll be happy in their work.

The Codola family owns and operates hotels, something the family has been doing since 1966, when Francisca Bonet and Miguel Codola opened their first hotel.

The Valentin Imperial Maya is the first hotel outside of Spain for the Codola family, bringing the total of properties managed by the family to 11.

Pepe Codola

“We try to offer better working conditions than elsewhere,” said Pepe Codola (son of Francisca and Miguel); “that’s why many have left their former jobs to come and work for us.” General Manager Dirk Urban added: “We want to be in the top 50 best Mexican companies to work for. In order to achieve this, we offer our employees good food, training programs and attractive uniforms.”

The resort’s 408 rooms either face the artificial lagoon, the pool, the ocean or the garden. They are divided into 14 towers in four categories: Diamond, Golden, Ocean Front and Deluxe. Each section has its own concierge, ready to solve any guest’s queries or problems. They can inform guests about daily activities or advise them on how to rent a car. Your clients will also be able to enjoy a good night’s sleep, as a ‘pillow menu’ allows them to choose their ideal pillow type.

Lots of space to accommodate

With six swimming pools, 0.8 km beach and numerous restaurants, there’s plenty of space at the resort to accommodate everyone and never feel crowded. Even with a full house, it’s possible to wonder where all the guests are…except on the night of the Mexican fiesta. This activity is the most popular with visitors and involves a buffet serving typical Mexican dishes at the heart of the resort. Artisans’ stands and mariachis add to the festive atmosphere celebrating Mexican life.

The Valentin Imperial Maya is conveniently located halfway between Playa del Carmen and Cancun, which are 20 minutes away in either direction. Those looking for some nightlife or day tripping action can go by taxi for 200 pesos (app. $18.45 CD) or with the local bus for 20 pesos (app. $1.85 CD).

Lots of activities to participate in

Aluminum-can chairs - some of the crafts guests can partake in

The majority of clients are Canadian and American couples aged 40 years and over. They are free to relax as they wish. They can while their time away at the beach, at the pool, playing ping-pong or renting a bicycle.

“At the hotel, we favour soft activities such as lessons on how to make guacamole, how to differentiate various tequilas, how to fold towels the way our chambermaids do it or how to transform aluminum cans into chairs,” animation director, Carlos Alberto Ruiz Guerrero explained. “No one is ever pressured into joining; a newsletter listing daily activities is left in each room at night.”

“At night,” added Guerrero, “we hire musicians for our theme restaurants and dancers or musical groups to perform in our theatre.” Chances are that at least one of your client’s evenings will end at the Sports Bar, the only one of 13 bars open after 11 p.m. There, guests can play billiards, cards or darts.

Another popular activity takes place every Sunday and is a visit to the kitchen. Isn’t it reassuring to step into this immaculate behind-the-scene area and actually see how dishes are prepared and preserved?

Forget the diet!

Unsurprisingly, all-inclusive resorts are paying more and more attention to the food they serve. People are very concerned with what they eat, even on holidays, and good food is one of the main attractions of the Valentin Imperial Maya, with many clients choosing to stay there because of the quality of food available.

“I feel very proud when I hear this,” says executive chef Jorge A Hidalgo Gomez, a 20-year veteran who has presided over kitchens all the way from Switzerland, Ireland and Argentina.

The resort offers hungry clients seven themed restaurants plus a buffet restaurant available until late afternoon, opening again for evening snacks between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.

The restaurants are open from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., no reservations are required and you can go to anyone of them. If there is no room when you arrive at the one of your choice, you are given a pager that will beep when seats become available, while you enjoy a drink in a nearby bar. Whether you choose Italian, French, Japanese, Steak House, Mexican or fish and seafood restaurants, the food is excellent and you soon forget you’re in an all-inclusive.

Food and beverage director, Rafael Lopez Perez, offered this explanation. “We benefit from a higher budget per client allowing us to offer better products, he said. On average, hotels calculate $8-9 per head per day while here it’s $10 per day. It makes a big difference.”

The French restaurant on site

Regional produce is preferred, with an emphasis on organic sourcing. The resort also employs an on-site butcher, pastry chef and saucier. “Sauces, mayonnaise and bread are all made here,” Chef Gomez said. “Only ice cream is not made here but it’s only a matter of time, we’ve bought a machine to prepare house-made gelato.”

Exercise, if you must…

Concerned about your waistline? It’s possible to choose the spa menu, lighter in calories and offered in all the resort’s restaurants. It’s also possible to go burn calories in the gym doing stretching exercises, Pilates or simply working out on the machines.

After the food and exercise, another option is to relax and treat yourself at the spa. Currently, massages are given by the pool, but an indoor spa will soon open, giving guests more privacy. Massages on the lagoon and on the beach are also in the works.

Relax with an outdoor massage

The Valentin spa offers a wide array of treatments to detoxify and re-hydrate the entire body, as well as hot stone massages and four-handed massages. To get an overview of what the house has to offer, choose the Valentin Therapy, which is a blissful blend of Swedish, Shiatsu, reflexology and aromatherapy massage styles.

Tranquility, service and food all add up to excellent reasons to choose Valentin Imperial Maya, for your client’s next holiday. Recently opened, the resort has great plans for the future and will be adding more improvements over the coming months.

TRAVELHotNews’ journalist was invited to the Valentin Imperial Maya.