We headed towards to exit of the airport where my friend George Bezzina, met us. Who is George? Well he is a friend who I have been writing to by e-mail, and he lives in Masascala in Malta. He had agreed to meet us at the airport to welcome us to Malta. After introductions we went for a cuppa! We talked for a while and he made us feel very relaxed and at home. We were all a little tired after our journey, and it was the early hours of the morning, so it was agreed that it was time for us to go, and George went to collect his car and he drove us almost 27 km to our hotel.
At the hotel "Santa Maria" in "St Paul's Bay" we were treated very well, and after we had checked in, we were given a cuppa! We were informed that we were on the first floor, which started alarm bells ringing in my head, especially when it was found that the lift was not wide enough for my wheelchair, but this was not a problem for the staff of the hotel, and the manager approached me and apologised, and we were immediately given a ground floor room in the hotel opposite, in the "San Anton," which was owned by the same company that owned the "Santa Maria Hotel, and worked in conjunction with each other. At this stage, George said his farewells and he stated that he would see us the following day after we had rested, and we agreed a time that he would arrived at the hotel, and after thanking him for all his help, he shook our hands and he left.
We were shown to our room, and I was impressed with the size of it, there were two double beds and still plenty of space to manoeuvre my wheelchair. The bathroom was a bit of a problem, as it wasn't adapted for a wheelchair user, but with Stephen's assistance I was able to get in and have a wash. It was discovered later that the hotel apparently didn't have an adapted bathroom, so I had to rely on my son for my bathroom needs.
Next morning I woke to the sun shining through a gap in the curtain, and I smiled as I thought how good it was to get away from the cold weather of Yorkshire for a while.
It was time for breakfast, and as we entered the hotel restaurant the staff came over and placed a small wooden ramp near the entrance to make it easier for me to enter. We were treated with utmost courtesy and shown to our table, where the staff ensured that we had sufficient room to manoeuvre my chair. The restaurant was large and catered for almost everyone, there was a full English breakfast or the continental, and there were no complaints from me with the food, as I found it appetising and well cooked, and this went for all the other meals that we had on our two-week stay at the hotel.
All the staff at the hotel were extremely friendly and nothing was too much for them. If there was anything that we needed, we only had to ask, and we even had access to the Internet if we wished. Permanent ramps had been placed in strategic places and I was virtually independent going round the grounds of the hotel save for one place where I needed assistance. I would definitely recommend this hotel for the assisted wheelchair user, but although the hotel has tried its best in considering the comforts of the disabled guests, an independent wheelchair user would find it a bit of a problem.
Time for a cuppa!
Mike Coatesworth
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Edited by
mikeco5
2007-09-06 22:31:51
