My girlfriend and I stayed here from July 12-19th and I must say we loved this place. I'm not one for long reviews, so I'll keep this short with a system of 5 stars. (1=worst, 5=best)

Hotel grounds: 4 (very nice/green, but most of the fountains were not working)
Cleanliness: 5 (housekeeping, groundkeepers did an excellent job)
Pool area: 4 (lots of shade, deck chairs, floaties. The water could have been a tad cooler)
Activities: 4 (fun activities, but some not actually going on due to low capacity)
Beach: 4 (nice sandy roped off area, not rocky)
Food: 5 (almost everything was pretty tasty. I recommend the chateaubriand at the French restaurant)
Bars/drinks: 5 (nice selection of drinks, enough premium brands, but be sure to ask for them. Not watered down. Be sure to tip the bartenders)
Evening shows: 4 (dancers choreographed well, tastefull)

I highly recommend this resort to anyone wanting to get away and relax. Not really a party atmosphere, but the resort wasn't at full capacity.(around 40%) I think once people find out about this place the energy might pick up. I'd definitely go back without a doubt.

We stayed at Valentin July 14th-18th. Met 2 other couples there. Had a great time. Resort beautiful. Much more beautiful than the pictures. Rooms very nice--we had the basic room and it was like the specialty suite at other hotels. The bed was very comfortable, nice linens (I'm a linen snob). Felt not need to ask for an upgrade. Once we got there, did not want to re-pack. We were in building 4 (#4307) with a view of the pool and could see the ocean. This is a great suite if anyone wants to know. Very spread out, but not bad. Able to walk off some of the calories. Food very good, not like most "hotel" food (though steaks not their specialty). Strict on dress code--even dress shorts for men not acceptable in most restaurants. Staff very nice and accomodating. They did accept tips even though it is all-inclusive. The meals and service were so good that we felt that we should. The guys in our group loved the breakfast buffet in Le Marche. Pool is magnificent and the largest I've ever seen. It is a salt water pool. The only bad part is the swim up pool bar closes at 6 or 6:30. Very good Mango Margaritas and Rum punch. Very generous w/alcohol. Drinks not watered down. I guess they have to do that or people will stay there all night. Shows good. They have entertainment and some dancing every night, but crowd pretty laid back and not many participated. People were even sitting down at Michael Jackson show---now come on!! this is definitely a place for relaxation. If you want excitement, go on some excursions and it's nice to come "home" to Valentin in the evenings. Concierge is the best part of the resort--excellent group (Ingmar). Go on the beach after about 11pm and you may see turtles laying eggs! But you must be quiet. Beach very nice, not really rocky like I expected from the reviews. Water beautiful. I'm not one who likes to go to the same place twice, but I would definitely go again!

My wife and I just returned home today. We were impressed but not overly with this property. I'll start with the likes and then the dislikes.

Likes:
- The room was awesome. Clean and new and we couldnt have been happier.
- The staff was nice and helpful with some minor flaws.
- The location was great and easy to get to anywhere you want. A few minutes from Puerto Morales and the same for Playa del Carmen. It's a $12 and $22 taxi ride respectively.
- There were plenty of beach Palapa's not taken even around 10-11am each morning. Towels are plenty both at the beach and the pool.
- We loved the piano bar and found the bartenders make the best drinks there.
- Wife was real happy with the spa and the massages.
- No theft but we also kept valuables in the safe which was really easy to use.
- No waiting for restaurants, immediately seated.
- 2 of the 3 shows, the Circus Show and Michael Jackson show, were awesome!
- Room service was excellent, both breakfast and lunch.
- Activities were varied, something for every hour of the day.
- The Sushi at the Japanese restaurant was awesome!
- They had no problem serving you name brand spirits such as Absolut, Bacardi, Beefeater, Don Julio, etc.
- The waiters at each restaurant were very eager to please.

Dislikes:
- Food was OK. After being tired of their mexican influenced cuisine, we ordered Lunch via room service. Wife ordered a Hamburger and I a Philly Cheesesteak. Her hamburger arrived with ham, cheese and hot peppers. My Philly Cheesesteak had guacamole and refried beans on it....Yuck. We werent expecting that.
- No Corona at any bar or restaurant.
- Its a huge property. They offer rides on a golf cart to get around but they didnt seem to friendly to stop for you. No one actually offered a ride, I always had to ask. They seemed hesitant with an Uhhh, Sure Where Are You Going.
- The pool bar drinks were not good at all. Especially the blended ones.
- Their beach is very rocky and mosly unswimmable. Theres a smaller roped off area for swimming. The water was to unclear to snorkel in the roped off area.
- Their OJ tasted sour to me whether I drank it for breakfast or in a mixed drink.
- Not once did we have a beach attendant come by our chairs to offer us a drink. Had to walk to the bar each time. Same for the large pool area. (However, the lady bartender at the smaller pool did visit us occasionally).
- More than once were all 3 computers down in the business center. We would hike there to send our kids an email and couldnt use them for technical reasons.

Now for some Do's and Dont's:

- Do ask for a name brand alcohol with every drink or else you get the rock gut alternatives for vodka,rum,tequila etc.
- Do take a taxi to Puerto Moralos. Have the driver drop you off at the light house. There are plenty of snorkel trips ranging from $25 to $37. We snorkeled twice, once this way and once with a tour operator that cost us $64. The better trip was the one where we went to Puerto Morelos ourselves.
- Do rent a car and drive to Tulum and/or Coba. There are no potholes on the road to Coba, even though that's what Fodor's says. Its a long drive to Coba but more than worth it. When entering Coba, by pass all the guides and you'll come by a small hut that has plenty of cheufered tricycles. It was the best $16 I think I've ever spent.
- Do go see the circus and the Michael Jackson shows on the property.
- Do order room service breakfast at least once and you'll be happy.
- If you ask for a Hamburger or Philly ChsStk, tell them exactly how you want it. Its imposible to scrape off refried beans from a Philly ChsStk.

And Finally, here were my favorite drinks:
- Martinis with Absolute, Margarita with Don Julio, Sangria, Cranberry with Absolute.

We stayed 7 days/7 nights at the Valentin in mid July to celebrate our anniversary and my husband's birthday. We are in our mid 30's and traveled with another couple. The Valentin is exactly what we were looking for...relaxing, all inclusive, good food and drinks, fun entertainment, not a party atmosphere. Overall it was a great vacation (our best yet!) and I would consider staying at the Valentin in the future, but they do have some work to do to earn a 5 star rating.

We arrived on a late Saturday afternoon and immediately thought wow...what a beautiful resort. We did not however receive the champagne/cool towel reception that others mentioned and that was disappointing. Check in was seated and personalized but our check in/out staff could use some improved service/personal skills...she just wasn't as welcoming and friendly as I expected...probably just a start up issue.

The bellman took us to our building (#7) and gave us a great tour on the way. Unfortunately our keys didn't work and he had to return twice for new sets. The third set worked. We were upgraded (as several other reviews mentioned) to a swim up suite...loved the room! Ask for a corner room on the 2nd floor if possible; the layout is more spacious and it seemed a bit bigger than the other rooms. Building 7 is good...access to the long swim up pool, quick walk to the big pool and beach, easy access to restaurants.

We spent our days at the beach -- although the surf was rough a few days the breeze at the beach was fantastic. We were at the beach by 10am and always able to get a covered area. This area was so much cooler than the pool. I recommend staying close to the beach bar rather than going down to the swimming area...we made many more trips to the bar than to the water! The big pool was beautiful and we liked the salt water pool but the water was tepid by midday...definitely needed to be cooled down a bit. Same with the swim up pool. Some women went topless but it wasn't the norm. Few thongs and speedos here and there too.

We ate breakfast every morning at La Marche. It's a fantastic buffet with made to order omelets, smoothies, etc. We ate lunch here occasionally too (buffet) as well as Tierra and Mar which are oceanside and made to order. Dinners are definitely the best meals. Small plates on every menu and you are encouraged to order all courses (apps, salad, soup, main course, dessert). We ate at the Indonesian (very good), French (best overall meal and best desserts), Italian (salads and Risi Bisi risotto was great), Steak (would skip next time), Mexican (good...get the shrimp!) and Japanese twice (excellent sushi). We were disappointed not to be able to eat at the hibachi grill at the Japanese restaurant...you had to prebook it at 6pm for 8 people. They have 24 hr room service but we did not try it. All the restaurants serve the same wine -- if you like cab, go for the Chilean wine over the Mexican wine! The restaurant staff is at their best at dinner but the could work on really catering to the guests...we've had better service at other resorts. Again, just a learning curve I think.

Nightly entertainment was fun...usually a 30-45min show after dinner. Enjoyed the fire show & Michael Jackson show; didn't see the Vegas or Grease show due to late dinners.

Lots of bars at this resort; pool bar served good tasting drinks...definitely go for fun, frozen and fruity. If you want name brand liquor you have to ask for it. Be sure to get there before closing...even if you are in line and it's closing time, you might not get served. Beach bar had more limited drinks than the pool bar, but you could still get frozen drinks. We went to the coffee house one night but got spoiled milk in our Baileys & coffee..ugh. Bartenders are hit or miss when it comes to mixed drinks...find a good one and stick with him...and tip him!

We tipped at all meals ($2-$4) and for housekeeping daily ($1-$2). We had towel art (swans) twice but the other couple we were traveling with never had any. Turndown service and housekeeping was good and consistent. Mini bar was stocked daily. Power went out practically every day but only for 5 min at a time.

My spa experience was good (body wrap) but be forewarned that a spa credit is only good for massages. I talked them into using it for a body wrap but at a reduced amount. Would definitely do the spa again and earlier in the week. Book at least a day or two in advance to make sure you get the time you want.

Checkout was good although it was at 4am in the morning so we could catch a 7:30 am flight. Watch out for the lines at the Cancun airport...they are long.

They are still working on the resort so a lot of the fountains weren't yet finished and working. Landscaping is nice just not mature yet...watch out for the iguanas!

It seemed like they took really good care of the honeymooners/wedding groups that we saw. Lots of age ranges...all adults; couples in their late 20s to couples in their 60s. Some in groups; most not.

Everyone at the resort was very friendly and said Ole at every passing. It felt like they had great pride in the resort and their jobs.