Valentin Imperial Maya

Out of the myriad of hotels in the Riviera Maya area, we decided to stay at the Valentin Imperial Maya, which turned out to be a great choice for us. One of the reasons for this is because it was an adults only resort, which sounds dirty, but it just means no screaming, crying kids.

The Room

All the rooms at this hotel are suites. Our particular suite was gorgeous. The building we were in had a swim-up pool right in the back, which was very convenient. The resort was huge, so instead of trekking all the way to the pool area, you can just step right out of your suite.  The room was huge with two queen sized beds and a TV and another area with a couch and a TV. The bathroom is huge and we had a large balcony overlooking the pool. The pool was great but since it was only about 4 feet deep it would get really warm sometimes which feels gross to swim in. That’s what you get for going to Mexico in September.

The view from our balcony

The Grounds

The grounds of this place are amazing. The landscaping is beautiful and well maintained. There are always workers tending to it. Every place within the hotel is a walkable distance, but if you’re old or just feeling lazy, you can call a golf cart to pick you up at any time. There is a huge plaza near the lobby which contains stores, restaurants, bars, and a spa. At night you can always find musical entertainment in the courtyard.

One of the courtyards

Pretty walkway

The Food

Since this is an all-inclusive resort, you do not need to pay for any of the restaurants. Valentin Imperial Maya has restaurants specializing in steak, seafood, Mexican, French, Italian, Japanese, Thai, and Indonesian cuisine. There are also two restaurants that serve breakfast and lunch buffets throughout the day. The food at all of them varied from a B- to an A. The service was great in all of them. There is a dress code at most of the restaurants, which basically means no shorts or flip flops. There are a few things that stuck out to me. I remember that the Italian place made a sad excuse of a calzone; but what do you really expect from a resort in Mexico? The rest of the dishes at the Italian restaurant were good. The Mexican restaurant also stuck out to me because I am a huge Mexican fan. One night I decided to try chocolate covered enchiladas. This sounded pretty good to me at first, but after tasting them, I think there should be a rule against mixing cheese with chocolate.

Would I go here again?

Yes. Definitely. This place is made for couples, not families, so I would probably go with a male companion.

Costa Rica cont.

Just a walk down the road from Hotel La Mariposa will take you to Cafe Milagro. Cafe Milagro has two locations, one in downtown Quepos and the other in Manuel Antonio. The cafe is a great place to go for breakfast if you’re tired of rice and beans. Cafe Milagro sells espresso, organic, and decaffeinated coffee. A popular item on the menu is the mono loco, a chocolate-banana shake with double espresso. A little farther down the road lies the restaurant Kapi Kapi. Kapi Kapi is a great place to get dinner. The atmosphere is beautiful and open air like most of the other restaurants in Manuel Antonio. Be sure to check out the gallery on Kapi Kapi’s website to get an idea of how gorgeous this place is. Kapi Kapi is owned by a local and has an American chef from Southern California. The restaurant specializes in Asian inspired cuisine and uses fresh ingredients. Popular items on the menu are the lobster ravioli and shrimp on sugar cane skewers. The only complaint I have to make about Kapi Kapi is that it’s a little on the expensive side. There are plenty other cheaper places around. There are two other local restaurants that I would recommend. One of them is called Mar Luna. Mar Luna is also open-air, but I couldn’t make out much of the scenery because we went at night. Mar Luna is on the cheaper side and very laid back. They specialize in fresh fish. However, the best thing I had here was the tres leches cake, which is probably my favorite desert ever. Another great restaurant is Marlintini’s. Marlintini’s is actually owned by Americans and our waiter happened to be from Philadelphia. Dining here feels like you are up in a tree house. You will also notice bright blue wires going through the trees almost like telephone wire. This is actually for the monkeys to climb on. You will most likely see a bunch of monkeys and sloths climbing around on the trees.

It is important to note that at most restaurants in the area, taxes and service fees are included on all the bills. So expect an extra 25% to be tacked onto your bill no matter what. It is up to you whether to tip more than that.

In addition to the Hotel La Mariposa gift shop; there is a cute little gift shop down the road that belongs to the Hotel Como Si No. The shop has a great selection of Costa Rican art and woodwork. Wood crafts can be found in many souvenir and gift shops all around Costa Rica. Costa Rican artisans have a strong tradition of woodworking. Some of the many products made from wood include: bowls, boxes, jewelry, masks, and home accessories. Other popular Costa Rican souvenirs and crafts consist of ceramics, handmade banana and coffee paper, leather goods, and baskets.