H and I just returned home from our week long HM in Mexico. We stayed at the Valentin Imperial in the Mayan Riviera. This resort in an all-inclusive adult only resort with direct beach access and with a very tropical and relaxed feel. Overall, I would rate this resort an 8 out of 10.
Food
Bfast and lunch 8 out of 10
Dinner (including room service 7.5/8 out of 10)
For bfast the main buffet is open at 7 am. From our room and bldg (the resort is huge btw) it was a short distance but if we were in beach access bldg it would have been a PITA to walk to. There is another bfast restaurant closer to the beach access bldgs but that doesn't open til 9 am.
As for food, it was great. There were tons of hot options.... traditional bfast stuff, and non-traditional mexican specialities. There was also a chef making eggs to order and omelets. There was tons of fresh fruit and a speciality juice bar. The service was fine, at times a bit slow but that's probably to blame because there was only 1 main restaurant open (stupid decision).
For lunch- again main options were buffet. This time there are 2 restaurant options and food service by the pool. The food was good, lots of choices and it was tasty. Was it the best ever, no. Service was much better at lunch and drink service was great. There are bars everywhere.
For dinner- there are 7 specialty restaurant options, all from a different genre. The worst is italian, best was french and the sushi bar. Mexican and Indonesian are very good as well. If you try and go after 7:30 you'll have to wait up to 45 minutes for the more popular restaurants, which was annoying but not that big of a deal.
Atmosphere
This place is def a hm spot and not a party place. We weren't expecting such a subdued resort but thats what we got. Of course we were there over Thanksgiving week so that probably has something to do with it. The evening shows weren't amazing, but entertaining. There are some nice bars to relax in and gorgeous paths to explore for alone time.
The resort is beautiful. Its desgined in the spanish mission style and very well maintained. There are 8 bldgs with rooms of all different sizes. We booked the most basic room but was given a free upgrade to deluxe suite. This resort does not offer swim-up rooms but in certain bldgs there is a private pool, almost like a lagoon.
The beach was awesome. It's right behind the pool and it pretty much feels like a different resort. There are private pilapa's but no bungalows and drink service, but no food service. The closest bathrooms are also a short walk away- which got annoying after a while.
Service
We were treated very well and all the staff worked hard to give us what we wanted/needed. One night our room was not cleaned and we called several times and kept getting told it would be done but was never done. It was annoying to say the least.
Excursions
We went to Chitchen Itza and snorkeling. Both were great and booked at the hotel through our travel rep at American Express. We were VERY happy with both.
Safety
We felt perfectly safe the entire time. Along the main highway we saw police and military vechicles but thats common in countries where the military plays an active role. We were no where near the drug violence and even traveled to a near by state for our Chitchen Itza tour. After the tour we walked around a near by town, on our own and felt perfectly safe and saw no police or military.
I'm used to seeing a high military presence and guns because of my travels to Israel and around Europe so I was not scared at all to travel. Obviously that is different for everyone but if you chose to travel to Mexico and are nervous, just stay on the resort.
I've been to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and it was the same thing. And even at times felt more "sketchy" then Mexico. Let's face it, several (not all) nations in Latin America and the Caribbean have problems related to the drug trade. Just be smart when you travel and you will be fine.
If you have more specific questions on the resort or our excursions you can page me on the Boston or Jewish brides board.