Valentin Park

We had a wonderful stay at the Valentin Grand Park. We travelled as a family of three (4yo) and there was something for everyone, I wouldn't hesitate to go back. We were travelling outside of UK school holidays so maybe didn't experience the peak times others have, but we found the whole hotel to be relaxed and not over-busy. Several days we felt the pools were nice and quiet, other times were busier but perfectly fine. The only exception was breakfast and dinner at peak times ( half board - 09.30 breakfast, 19.15 ish dinner) but we always found a table and there was so much food to choose from. We really enjoyed the variety and it was genuinely really very good food (a bit too good!). They have a seperate kids buffet section but there was so much choice our picky eater always found plenty (the chocolate fountain was a clear winner!). The beach is a very short walk away and well worth it - it's blue flag, very safe, and has crystal clear shallow water. Although it was busy everyone was very friendly, with a mix of locals and tourists. Lots of shops to buy a much needed parasol and ice cream. The man with the wheelbarrow of fruit was a welcome addition, my son loved looking out for him. We stayed in the apartments just behind the main hotel (booked via easyjet) and although the rooms don't look as nice as the main hotel they were perfectly nice (just a little dated) and well serviced. It felt a lot quieter than the main hotel complex and had it's own pool. The aircon was amazing, and much needed (42⁰ when we were there). I was a bit worried that it was over a road from the hotel, but it was less than 200m and the road was one way with a crossing, so very small. If you're someone who likes a little bit more nature and greenery than parasols, then this is the perfect hotel. The grounds were perfectly well kept and the palm trees were brilliant at providing some shade around the pools. It made the space feel really relaxing. Top tip, the cocktails at the pool bar are well worth it! The splash park was excellent, really good fun for our 4yo but just FYI, it looked like the life guards are there more to keep the rules than to look out for the little ones, and the water is deep enough that you need to keep an eye out for them. The entertainment isn't something we would normally go for but it was easy to take or leave it. We actually really enjoyed a couple of evening shows, and the staff put so much effort into them that they were actually really good. Lots of small kids stayed up late to watch and the staff were very friendly, always interacting with them. There are adults only areas of the hotel though, so that's definitely available for a more relaxed atmosphere (and they split families/adults for meals). All in all, I couldn't fault the hotel or the staff, who were exceptionally friendly and accommodating, and we had such a nice memorable holiday.

Although I wouldn't return to this hotel, I would still definitely recommend it to others. All round it's a well run, nice resort, with a good location. The staff are very friendly and on point. Michelle, Gabor and Miriam were exceptionally nice and a credit to the hotel.The Australian manager also. One thing that we did find partially annoying was the lifts. One member of staff told me they were catering for 850 guests while we were there. Our side of the hotel only had 2 lifts and these were very small. It felt cramped with 3 adults in there. This meant you were waiting around to use the lift on many occasions. On top of this, both lifts broke down on different days meaning we frequently had to climb the 12 flights of stairs with our 4 year old ,to the the top floor, where we were staying. On one morning someone had thrown up in one also, this clearly isn't the hotels fault and it was later cleaned, but added to the inconvenience. One of the things that attracted us initially to the hotel was the food reviews. Overall I'd say it is good, but it gets better as the day goes on. Breakfast id say was 6.5/10 , mainly ok but beans etc were always cold. The lunch was better, a varied spread to choose from. 7.5/10. Dinner was very good, different cuisine every night and good range of well cooked meats etc. 9/10. While staying there we had issues with our rooms water. The sinks water and shower would lose pressure. Dangerously, it would then proceed to go to max temperature for over 5 or so seconds before returning to the initial set temp. This was a big hazard for our four year old but to be fair to the hotel, they fixed this issue soon after we reported it. We stayed in likely the one of most basic rooms on offer, although it ticked all the boxes, it was a little cramped and we wished we'd chosen a bigger room. Friends we made there showed us pics of their room and it was far more superior, so I'd suggest looking at better rooms if anyone is looking at staying here. The one negative point of the room was the air con. The lowest temp this can be set up at, is 19c, as opposed to the normal 16c. This simply wasn't low enough for us and didn't provide us with the refreshed, chilled feeling we were after once in our room. So much so, I rang reception to see if it could some how be lowered , but was told it wasnt possible. The pools are good, however from mid to late afternoon are extremely busy. Pool rules are pretty strict and I heard other tourists complaining of this. In the kids splash park, which doesn't open properly till 10 ( very late considering ) no adult can go down the slides with their children. I found this a bit bizarre, as did others . You are not allowed to throw your kids in the larger pools either and no diving. They play games in one pool in the afternoon which takes up 1/3 of the pools space , so it's extremely busy. We used the pools more in the morning, early afternoon to get more enjoyment. Mosquitoes from around tea time are brutal . I was eaten alive for the first two nights, before then wearing jeans every evening and long sleeve tops . They are tiger mosquitoes, very aggressive feeders and will happily land and feed on you in daylight hours. Trips on offer from the hotel were very good and convenient to attend . We liked the western water park so much we returned there. You simply wait on a nice double decker, air con, bus at the bottom of the hill and return on a choice of two different times . I found the prices for this also very reasonable. The staff were great at booking this for you and we enjoyed the visits very much. We also visited the public aquarium and the house of Katmandu. Finally, I liked the adult bar of an evening. Two nice sized fans rotating across you with live acts on, DJ, jazz player etc. The service was always great in here also, plus has a small pool you can use too. Overall we enjoyed our stay here and like previously stated, would recommend it, However would not return, more so, to visit other well run hotels on the island. I'd score it 8.5/10 overall .

Our third time staying here and it was fantastic as usual! Pros: - The waiting staff are brilliant! A particular thank you to Tomas, Roberto, Alvaro and Ali from the restaurant, who always came over to chat and were very attentive and helpful! - We come back to this hotel again and again, and a big part of this is the animation team. The entertainment programme is outstanding and we have stayed in hotels all over the world. A whole day of activities available for both adults and children, every day. They even had pony riding for the kids! Some of the things we did included: darts, archery, mini golf, cross fit, meditation, sjoelen, aqua zumba, volleyball, sangria making demonstration, beanbag throwing, french boules, bingo, quiz. Big shoutout to Thibaut for providing great activities for the second year in a row, and to Mathieu who went above and beyond making the activities fun! Reuben's water Zumba was a highlight too! - Evening entertainment: the external parties that come in are outstanding and the acrobats from Mongolia was an incredible show and the level of entertainment is very high for a hotel. - Food is very good. Lots of choice at both breakfast and dinner. The omelette station at breakfast is a personal favourite. Themed nights in the evenings, to mix it up too. We also enjoyed the a la carte Italian restaurant - the head waiter there from Argentina was incredible and their motto is to ensure that no guests leave hungry! - Since last year, a new picnic area with picnic benches, hammocks, swinging chairs and a food van has been added. This was a brilliant improvement and we were really impressed! Areas for improvement: - The shower leaked and we would end up with a pool of water by the bedside table. Other guests apparently had this issue too. - When we came last year, there was an external entertainer every night and it was the highlight of the holiday. This year, we found that they were much less frequent (maybe only 2-3 per week) and some shows had been replaced by a silent disco, which was a slight shame. Would prefer if the daily external entertainment was brought back. We recognise the effort the animators go to with lip-syncing the shows but they aren't on par with the professional entertainers. - The gym is small and basic (only one very tired treadmill, one bike, one elliptical and some basic weights) and there was no water dispenser for several days, which was very difficult to workout without. If the gym was made bigger and more equipment was added, this would significantly improve this hotel, as this is the only real thing that we feel this hotel lacks. Overall, we would not hesitate to recommend this hotel to couples, families or solo travellers. We met so many guests who had been to this hotel multiple times, which speaks for itself. My partner is a flight attendant and stays in hotels all over the world and is very impressed with the daytime entertainment programme. Do not hesitate to book if you are looking for a hotel with plenty to do! Thank you again for another super trip and we will be back!