Restaurants at Valentin Imperial Maya Resort
Just to give you an idea where we come from you read this review. We were a group of 15 adults, ranging from 20s-60s. We have been to Cancun many times before and love it. We like all inclusive when traveling with a big group. Cancun Palace, Beach Palace, Omni, The Royal, RIU Cancun, Fiesta Americana Grand Coral, and Dreams are some of the places that we had stayed at prior to this trip. We were really looking forward to staying at Valentin, because we heard many great things about it. However, our own experience turned out to be rather disappointing. And that was a census for all 15 of us. Let me tell you why.
All restaurants on site didn’t require reservations. And all dinners had wine pairing. However, the food left a lot to be desired.
Le Marche – International cuisine for breakfast and lunch, buffet breakfast daily 7 – 11am. Breakfast buffet here had more selections and food look fresher than Mar & Tierra. And they have AC, so it helps if you’re going during the very hot months.
Mar & Tierra – we had breakfast and lunch here most days due to its proximity to the beach. But it wasn’t breezy when we were there. There was no AC in the restaurant, so it was HOT. Some items on the lunch menu were pretty good. However, the service was slow. On certain nights, half of the restaurant (the Tierra part) becomes a Steak house, and the other half (the Mar part) is Lobster Pot. However, we didn’t have a chance to try either.
The restaurants below were only open for dinner:
Taman Sari – typical dishes from the Indonesian region, and flavors from India, Thailand and Vietnam. Food was B, but 2 people in our party got food poison after eating in this restaurant.
La Hacienda – Mexican restaurant. We didn’t try it so can’t say how good/bad it is.
Il Olivo – Italian restaurant, we had the best food in this trip here. We loved their traditional Roman pizzas. B+
L’Alsace – traditional French cuisine. Everyone in our party ordered a different dish to try, all but one was below average. Grade: C-
Ginger – Japanese and Peruvian cuisine. The sushi and sashimi was very chewy and not fresh, almost not edible. The chicken and pork were tough and not tasty at all. Fried ice cream had too much batter. Grade: F. However, the Hibachi grill (inside private rooms) was fun to watch and the food was decent. Grade: B
Lobster Pot was located in the Mar part of Mar & Tierra restaurant. It specialized in Seafood. There was additional charge for lobsters. However, it was open only 1 night when we were there (on the day of our arrival). Even though we had $200 resort credit for this restaurant, we didn’t have a chance to use it.
We had $400 resort credit to use on various restaurants and services. During the check-in process, we specifically requested to use $200 of our resort credit for Lobster Pot. We told the concierge that we loved lobsters and most likely would visit the restaurant a couple times. They gave us the vouchers for Lobster Pot, but did not inform us that the restaurant was open only ONE night (on the day of our arrival) in our entire trip. Had we known about it, we would’ve gone that night. Toward the last day of our trip, we asked to see if we could exchange our $200 Lobster Pot credit for something else, since Lobster Pot was closed most days. They refused. We were upset and very disappointed.
Overall, even though Valentin Imperial Maya has an awesome beach, we would not return here. Having good food really makes a big difference for us. There are so many better choices in the area and vicinity, and they cost less than what we’d paid for Valentin too.
Valentin Imperial Maya Resort
We went to Riviera Maya (Mexico) with both families in August. We had sunshine every day the entire trip. It was hot and humid, but expected, we went in mid-August after all.
I arranged our own private ground transfer with Cancun Transfers. They were on-time both ways and very professional. The van was new and comfortable. Booking with them was easy, we had an option to pay in advance by credit card, or pay cash when we got there.
Valentin Imperial Maya is an adult-only all-inclusive resort in Riviera Maya. We were greeted with cold towels and champagne upon our arrival. The resort was spread out and required some walking, which was good for us, but some people may not like it. Regardless you like to walk or not, ladies may want to leave the stilettos at home. The resort ground was beautiful, with lots of trees and ponds. The pool was huge and not crowded at all. The rooms were OK, typical for a Cancun resort, though not as nice as Cancun Palace. The beach was fantastic. Actually, the beach was the best part about this resort. Wide expansive beach. White soft powdery sand. Clear warm turquoise water. The waves were perfect to swim and play with.
We brought some bread down to the beach to feed the fish and swim with them every day. Tons of them came, surrounded us and waited for food. There was a Kayak tour every day at 9:30am. Other non-motorized water sports were available free of charge. DH learned how to sail, and loved it. He took the Hobie cat out (and back!) without any help on the 2nd day. Too bad we were not allowed to walk on the beach after 8pm. It would’ve been awesome, because it was full moon when we were there.
For my review of the restaurants at Valentin, click here to read the next post.
Poncho’s
We had dinner at Poncho’s (at the Marina) the 2nd night we were there, I liked it so much that we came back there again later in the week. Marco, the owner, made his specialties right at the table. Ceasar salads and lobsters. The lobsters were caught daily, they were so fresh and sweet. They were cooked table-side in a sauce that had lots of garlic, butter, and cognac. He also made some alcohol drinks that looked like flowing lava and flaming fire, pretty interesting.
I found a list of good restaurants in Cabo (along with Google map) during my research prior to the trip. Let me know if you’re interested.
Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Holistic Resort & Spa and its sisters
Our vacation in Cabo San Lucas had a rough start (see our experience at the airport), but we didn’t let any of that bother us. We were there to relax and enjoy ourselves, and we did exactly that. We stayed at Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Holistic and Spa Resort and loved it.
The resort was very serene, all adults, quiet, with soft music playing in the background and aromatherapy mist in the air. All toiletries were special ordered from Bath & Body Works. Everything was almost perfect, except…We found the maid service very lacking for a resort in this caliber. They did not refill/provide new shampoo, lotion and soaps. We accidently dropped the almost-completely-gone body soap to the drainage. We intentionally did not pick it up, wanted to see what the maids would do. To our surprise when we return to the room, they picked up that dirty tiny piece of soap that we dropped, put it back to the soap dish, and did NOT give us any new soap. We had to go ask for new soaps, shampoo and lotion. Also, the AC/Heat unit didn’t really work in our room. Maintenance came once, but they pretty much said that they couldn’t do any thing. From what they explained to me, the temperature was centrally controlled, we couldn’t change to our preferences. The thermostat was there to control the fan speed, but not the temp. Really? Seriously? At a resort in this caliber? Luckily, the temperature was so comfortable that we didn’t really need AC during the day or Heat at night.
Pacifica was located on the Pacific Ocean side. It had miles of private beach that we could walk on without being bothered by vendors.
The waves were big and currents were strong, swimming was strictly prohibited. But they provided free convenient shuttles to the sister resorts (Rose & Blanco), where you could swim. Another sister resort right next to Pacifica is Sunset Beach. Each resort has its own personality and design.
Pacifica, as mentioned above, is a meditation oasis in the desert.
Sunset Beach is lush and family oriented.
Rose is of course pink and fun.
Blanco is all white and hip.
Services at Pacifica and Sunset Beach were better in our opinion. With a few exceptions, most people worked hard and did not expect tips in return. They always greeted us with a smile, and they remembered our preferences. Rose and Blanco were fun to visit for couple hours, but we didn’t like the vibe there. It was more crowded, more happening, but the service was not as attentive. We found the food at these 2 resorts very disappointing too. On the other hand, the tuna tartar and Ceasar salad at Siempre (Pacifica), calamari and chicken mole at Bistro, and orange juice (Sunset Beach) were probably one of the best that we’ve had. The orange juice was freshly squeezed, so sweet, all natural, no sugar or water added. I had at least 6 glasses a day every day. Loved it! But it is quite expensive ($3.5/small glass) if you don’t have all inclusive. Breakfast at La Nao (Sunset Beach) has better selection than Pacifica. Ask for a table outside, the view was unbeatable!
You could either choose the all-inclusive package or go a la carte. All-inclusive package at Pacifica allows you to use the facilities and eat at all restaurants at their sister resorts (Sunset Beach, Rose and Blanco). They have free shuttles running every half hour between the resorts. Rose and Blanco are close to town, it is a 15-minute walk to the marina and downtown from there. It was very easy and convenient for us. To explore town, we chose a la carte the first 5 days. Then switched to all-inclusive the last 3. It worked out really well for us.
Our 7-night hotel was complimentary, courtesy of American Express when we booked our European Cruise through them. They gave us a choice of four 4-5 star resorts in Mexico. We were glad that we chose Pacifica; it fit our personality the most. Like always, we took lots of pictures. Let me know if you’re interested in seeing them. Feel free to leave your comments/questions. I’ll try my best to answer any question you may have.
Where to eat in San Gimignano?
If you like gelato, check out the excellent gelateria in Piazza Della Cisterna (it’ll be on your right after you pass the main cathedral in town. It’s in the piazza with the well in the middle of it). Their orange cream, pistachio & white chocolate flavors are the best. 2 restaurants inside San G walls that I would highly recommend:
1. La Bettola del Grillo 2, Via Quercecchio, 33, San Gimignano, phone: +39 0577 907081. A cute place. They have very good Italian cold cuts (salame, prosciutto, etc.) & pizzas. Some of us (yes, you know who you are!) couldn’t get enough of their prosciutto. Their pizzas are brick-oven-baked thin crust, slightly burn, crunchy and perfect. I liked the one with mushrooms, peas and anchovies the most.
2. Le Vecchie Mura, Via Piandornella, 15 53037 San Gimignano, phone: +39 0577 940270 http://www.vecchiemura.it/ is a MUST visit. It’s a beautiful restaurant with outdoor seating area that offers amazing panoramic views. I suggest get a table outside on the terrace if you can, and you’ll get this view:
Their Insalata Caprese (Mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and basil - all fresh), eaten with balsamic & extra virgin olive oil was EXCELLENT! The local grown tomatoes were sweet. The buffalo mozzarella cheese was freshly made, soft and just melt in your mouth. The balsamic wasn’t sour like in the States at all, it was sweet and tangy. We normally don’t like eating raw tomatoes, and Thuan doesn’t even like cheese. But their Caprese salad converted us both! We also loved their Ravioli al tartufo (Raviolis with a truffle sauce), Agnello al forno (Baked lamb), Ossibuchi in umido (Braised marrowbone steak prepared in fresh cut tomatoes), Gnocchi tartufo e formaggio (Gnocchis - potato pasta- with a truffle and cheese sauce), tiramisu and panna cotta. The tiramisu was just a blob on the plate, but it was fantastic. Not too sweet, just right. The panna cotta with chocolate sauce was amazing. We had 5 different bottles of wine here, and all of them were very good. All less than 9 euros each! The same caliber of wines in such a fancy restaurant would easily cost more than $80/bottle in D.C. Thanks to our friends for taking us to this wonderful place, and for making sure we tried the Caprese Salad.
** Back home, I found a small gourmet market that sells 12-yr-old balsamic, a bit expensive, but worth it. Still looking for comparable fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese 
Updates: We found pretty good buffalo mozzarella cheese imported from Italy. Of course they are not freshly made like what we had, but it’ll have to do. I gave up on finding fresh tomatoes that are as sweet. Something has to do with the soil in the Mediterranean. Our recreated Caprese salad at home is a 7, compared to a 10 in San Gimignano.
2/3/12 - Found Roma tomatoes! Let me know if you’re in DC Metro area and would like to re-create this dish.
Vieques, Puerto Rico
Our vacation began with an early morning flight to San Juan in March. Once we arrived in San Juan airport, our first impression of Puerto Rican was that they did not like us…Were we being obnoxious Americans? No, I don’t think so. We tried to say “hi” and “thank you” in Spanish. We apologized for not being able to speak Spanish before speaking English to them. In the restaurants, we patiently waited for our food with a smile on our face, even when we were starving! I’m a very patient person in general, and I’m all for What’s-the-rush?-You’re-on-vacation! mentality, but come on, how could a fast food place take more than 25 minutes to make an order of fried chicken?? Anyways, besides the people working for the airlines, the rest were not very nice to us. Indeed, they were rather rude. And that impression stayed with us the whole time during our stay in Vieques & Old San Juan. What a shame.
Vieques is an island in northeastern Caribbean, about 8 miles from Puerto Rican mainland. It was voted as the most beautiful Caribbean island by Travel magazine for 2 years in a roll. I’m glad we got a chance to visit Vieques, but will not come back there.
Looking back at recent Vieques history, it’s easy to understand why most locals here don’t like Americans. United States Navy used this island as a bombing range and testing ground. There was a series of protests which eventually led to the Navy’s departure in 2003.
Our flight between SJU and Vieques airport was via Cape Air. Vieques airport was tiny, with only 1 SMALL carousel. The check-in agent was also the baggage transporter, AND plane controller! Due to the size of Vieques airport, the plane was extremely small, with only 9 passengers, 1 pilot and no flight attendant. Checked in luggage were stored in the front of the plane, carry-ons were kept in the wings, and passengers were required to inform the airline their weight, so that weight could be evenly distributed on the plane. And I got to be the co-pilot! Our plane, pilot and the baggage transporter:
We stayed at Villa Coral Guesthouse.
The house is about 10-15 minute walk from Le Malecon (picture below) in Esperanza, one of the main towns in Vieques.
The room was basic, not as nice as the exterior of the house. I got grossed out about the flies and stained towels. Even with all windows closed, the flies managed to get inside the room. They were attracted to the lights we left on in the bathroom.
Vieques was very much like Vietnam, with colorful houses and narrow streets. Free range horses and chickens could be seen every where you go.
The beaches were beautiful, the water was crystal clear, and the weather was perfect. But we found the food disappointing and expensive (stir-fried vegetables and rice from a street vendor cost $8). We tried Chicken King, Richard’s Café, Duffy’s, Bili & some street vendors. One of Puerto Rican authentic dish was chilled conch mixed with mashed yucca, which was so fishy that we couldn’t handle more than one bite. There were also fried chicken, rotisserie chicken, yucca, plantain, and rice & beans. Chicken King was like a very bad KFC. Richard’s Café was horrible. We had the best fish tacos at Duffy’s. Conch salad was ok. Our best meal on the island was at Bili. Tasty fish fritters (mahi mahi) arrived at the table piping hot. Brie and chicken turnovers were delicious.
We visited Sun Bay, Playa Caracas Red Beach, Pata Prieta Secret Beach & Bahia De La Chiva Blue Beach. You definitely need a car to visit the beautiful beaches in the National Refuge Area, for the roads are unpaved, and most public transportation do not go there. These beaches are commonly listed among the top beaches in the Caribbean for their azure-colored waters and white sands. But that alone wasn’t the main reason why we were going to Vieques. I wanted to go to Vieques for the famous bioluminescent bay. And it was an experience to have.
Vieques Bioluminescent Mosquito Bay is arguably the largest and brightest bioluminescent spot in the world. The luminescence is caused by micro-organisms (dinoflagellates) which glow whenever the water is disturbed, leaving a trail of neon blue. A combination of factors creates the necessary conditions for bioluminescence: red mangrove trees surround the water (the organisms feed off the dead leaves); a complete lack of modern development around the bay; the water is cool enough and deep enough; and a small channel to the ocean keeps the dinoflagellates in the bay.
We kayaked into the bay at night. The water lit up with each stroke of our paddles. As we moved through the bay, the whole bottom of our kayak glowed. Then we jumped in and swam, our whole bodies glowed in the dark. Each time we moved our arms up from the water, it looked like thousands of twinkling stars fell from our arms into the water. Then, it rained. As the raindrops hit the water, the whole bay lit up. It was magical.
Siena & Assisi - Italy
Siena is a medieval town, second only to Florence in beauty amongst the Tuscan cities. Its cobbled streets lead to the city square where the annual horse race still takes place. Sienna’s specialty is crostini – toasted sliced bread with different toppings, such as olive oil, cheese, anchovies, and grilled veggies.
Assisi is a picturesque hillside town. St. Mary of the Angels and St. Francis churches are very pretty. We stayed in a very old castle converted to a hotel, the rooms are very small. The authentic pasta dish from this region is absolutely delicious! It has a kick of spiciness in it, with white mushroom and meat sauce. We had a wonderful time at dinner here. A group of Italians were in the restaurant, we competed with each other by singing, by being rowdy, trying to prove that we can be just as loud as they are!
Venice - Italy
Venice is world-famous for its canals. It is built on 118 small islands formed by about 150 canals in a shallow lagoon. The islands on which the city is built are connected by about 400 bridges. In the old center, the canals serve the function of roads, and every form of transport is on water or on foot. There is absolutely no car in this city.
Average salary in Venice is 1,200 euros/month, average real estate cost 8,000 – 10,000 euros/m2. One specialty here is Tremezzi (a sandwich).
We visited Bridge of Sighs – bridge the department of justice and prison, prisoners see the very last beam of sunlight before transported to the prison. St Mark’s Basilica is absolutely beautiful with its stunning mosaics. Our gondola ride came with an opera singer and music. He was surprising good.
But overall, I was disappointed with Venice. It wasn’t like what I’d imagined. The water along the canals is very much polluted and has a foul smell. It was old, extremely crowded, and we weren’t even there at the peak season. Every thing is so expensive here. And their excuse? Well, you have only 1 Venice! Public restrooms cost $3 USD, toilet paper is extra, 15 cents a square. Unbelievable. With the exception of a very tiny park with 5 benches, you can’t find a place to sit down just to get off your feet without having to pay a ridiculous amount of money (well, unless you don’t mind just squatting right on the ground like me!) If you stand to eat, a sandwich and a bottle of water cost about $9 USD (not too bad). But if you sit down and use their toilet, it costs $30. It costs a lot more if you want to sit down to eat or drink. And that’s a deli in one of those tiny side streets. You’ll have to pay a whole lot more if you want to sit at the prime location. A hot chocolate and Lipton tea at Florians coffee bar in St. Mark’s Square will cost you a bit more than $50 USD!!
Even though Venice is a must see if you have a chance for its uniqueness, but I wouldn’t come back here again.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is known to be Venice of North Europe. This is one of the places where I want to see just to know what it’s like, but don’t want to come back again. So is the real Venice (see why http://iventurous.com/rottieto2001/2009/06/09/venice/).
To control the population living on water, there is no new license for boat-house. In order to build/move a new boat-house into the area, you’ll have to wait for the current residents move out. All houses along the canals have the hooks high at front, used to haul the furniture in and out of the houses.
Lots of bicycles in Amsterdam. Actually, bicycles are one of the main means of transportation here. Most people have 2 – 1 for riding to work, the other for weekends. Bicycles thefts are notorious here. Most would need 2 locks – 1 for front wheel, the other for the back, or else you’ll come out and see only 1 wheel left! The local joke is by the time you buy your third bicycle, most likely that bike was previously stolen from you at some point!
Oh, and let’s not forget about the famous Red Light District: curtain up – free, curtain down – having customer. Real sex shows in theaters, with all sort of variety. You have choices of either watching live sex shows or you yourself perform while others watch. Then you have conventional sex shows, three-some, homosexual, etc. All were advertised right on the sidewalk with pictures fully displayed. I was curious to see what it was like, but after seeing it, I felt a bit…insulted and angry. Women in all shapes and forms are bought and sold right on the streets like a commodity. The government taxes those women on the income generated from prostitution, they also enforce mandated checkups for STDs. Some think this is the way to go, to control and make the whole thing safer. But I don’t feel that way. I guess I’m old-fashioned after all.
The irony: the oldest church of Amsterdam is in the red light district! Talk about resisting temptations!
We had dinner at Sea Palace, the most famous floating restaurant in the area. And for those who are wondering, yes, it’s the sister of the original Sea Palace in Hong Kong. Its capacity was estimated to be for 900 people, but sinked on the opening day! This was because the designers forgot to factor in the height and weight of the Dutch! Dutch in general are taller and weigh more than Asians. It had to be closed for redesigning.
London - England
We departed Washington D.C. for London on an overnight flight Thursday 9/25/08. Dot-2-Dot arranged for our transportation to the hotel in a nice Mercedes 10-seat minivan. This is the only country in Europe where people drive on the left side of the road. First impression of
London – the streets are so tiny! The lanes are so small that cars are only inches from one another! To encourage people using public transportation, it costs a lot of money to drive in central London: $12/day for cars, $24 /day for 4-wheel-drive.
Everything is SO expensive, a light lunch for my mom and I - half a sandwich, a cup of chicken noodles (mostly broth!), a bowl of soup (again, mostly broth), a coke and a lemonade - cost a bit more than $70 bucks!!
A 4-bedroom condo at the most prestige area in London costs $375 million dollars.