22 Reviews
Traveller Rating
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Excellent2
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Very Good3
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Good11
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Average4
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Poor2
Review Overview
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Cleanliness
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Entertainment
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Food
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Service
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Location
We were told we could move to a superior, refurbished room but we had to pay to upgrade! We decided to swallow the cost and the room we ended up in was in complete contrast, with modern decor and was very clean. The view of the bay was stunning. But I don't see why we should have had to pay for the privilege.
The hotel food wasn't great but it was acceptable, certainly not 4 star.
It operated in a buffet style with plenty of friendly staff on hand. The food on offer, at the main restaurant was hit and miss, and usually overcooked. The meat was quite often tough and there were some odd combinations of vegetables. Better then to fill up on the salad bar and dessert, of which there was a good selection.
There is also a 'bistro' (more like a snack bar) in an almost deserted wing of the hotel. They serve hot and cold snacks. The pizza is excellent as are the Maltese Ftira sandwiches and they are very good value for money - just over 5 euros for a big pizza.
The staff were also a bit hit and miss. Some of them were lovely and made us feel very special, but others, particularly some of the barmen, were surly and grumpy.
The hotel is located in a remote northern tip of the island right next to the ferry port which takes passengers and cars to Gozo. Although this and the adjoining bus station is right next to the hotel's small beach, there was never any noticeable noise. The location is very handy for buses and the ferry though.
The beach itself is tiny but clean, but beaches are a rarity in Malta generally. If you like diving there is a very good diving school which operates from the beach. You can also get a speed boat from the beach to the island of Comino, opposite.
The hotel is almost totally surrounded by water. It has great views of Gozo and Comino from the beach side of the hotel, while on the poolside of the hotel you get a great view of Paradise Bay.
The poolside area is very good and generally spotless with a number of saltwater pools to take a dip in as well as an indoor pool and a jetty which leads directly to the sea.
Unfortunately the pool area gets taken over at the weekend by local Maltese people and gets very busy and noisy with no pool attendants to keep an eye on things.
Yes, the views and the pool area are definitely the best part of the hotel - probably the only aspect which merited 4 stars.
While parts of the hotel have been modernised to a high standard - such as the reception area, restaurant and ballroom - other areas are very tired looking and don't seem to have been touched since the 1970s.
One more thing I want to mention is the entertainment, or rather lack of it. Admittedly we didn't visit during the peak season but there was a frustrating lack of activities and entertainment for children, the singers/cabaret didn't start until quite late and it was very difficult to find out what was going on, as the 'events' board near the restaurant didn't seem to correspond with anything that was going on. Having said that, the live acts were quite poor anyway so you wouldn't miss much.
Overall, we had a good holiday, but the hotel came a fair way short of its overall 4 star rating. It was only saved by the cracking views and nice poolside area.
Travel operator: Thomson
Travel operator: lastminuite.com
The hotel was very clean; the maid as requested by us, gave us fresh towels every day if we wanted them. The room was a sea view one. It was in good order, appearing to have recently redecorated. Curtains looked fresh and new, bed linen and towels were of a good standard.
The hotel food {we were on half board basis} was lovely.
Both breakfast and dinner were buffet style. We and those around us certainly enjoyed tucking in to the food.
There was a good, varied, choice of foods. Different choices were served. I particularly enjoyed the excellent
fish meals that were on the menu.
It was well worth putting on those extra holiday pounds at this hotel!
Travel operator: first choice
We paid a bit extra for the sea view suites- the room was really big- an extra single bed could easily be fitted in- great view of the harbour. Good for evening entertainment on your balcony. Watching the cars, vans and lorries hurtle up to the GOZO ferry- every half an hour- though it was never noisy in the room and with your patio door shut no noise can be heard at all. However this causes a few probs as the air con is not that good- so you have to have the fan on all the time- room lovely and clean , fresh towels every day.
The scenery surrounding the hotel is beautiful. Very natural,cliffs, sea, small beach opposite, but if you have a car go to Paradise Bay, just up the road, its breathtaking. Beautiful clean swimming and snorkelling.
some guests were very brave and walking from the hotel to the Bay- I would sugest you do this before 10 am- as the temperatures got up to 37 when we were there and climbing-
Back to the hotel- very clean reception- but often seemed a bit chaotic- with not enough staff- BUT they were helpful when they could be-
The main pool is lovely BUT NOT safe for children-in my opinion- it is too deep- all the way across- there is a childs area- which is gated - but I would be very worried about my small children being in this area- absolute vigilance is a must- so in my mind no relaxtion- ??
There is another pool around the back of the hotel with an indoor pol right next to it- this is a quieter area but very small.
We stayed at the main pool area when we were at the hotel - there were plenty of sunbeds - and the music was not annoying from a small ghetto blaster that the Animation Team used for background entertainment for their poolside games. The Animation Team were friendly and trying their best - usual hotel entertainment. Its what you make it.
The hotel seem to be upgrading facilities on the lower floor- but they would do well to upgrade their toilet provision especially in the pool area. Lower floors, they were very poor. There is a sign near the pool saying please shower before entry BUT there is no poolside shower? However, the pool is lovely to swim in, saltwater and in the main very clean and refreshing.
The real downside was the food at the hotel. Especially the breakfast. It was terrible, no proper sausages, beans, bacon etc- and no fruit unless you paid for it!
We did not expect this at a four star hotel- and if bacon was not on the main menu then you had to pay for that too? Very strange.
All in all a great place for a restful holiday- away from any built up more commercial areas. Just buy your own fruit from the supermarket!
Travel operator: independant
Each night we had to leave the fan on in the room as the air conditioning was not very effective.However the fan was terribly noisy and prevented us from getting a good sleep.The food was good some days and poor other days.One thing which really annoyed me was the fact that you had to pay extra for a drink at dinner.for example my daughter likes milk with her dinner and we had to buy a full bottle of milk from the waiter.The deserts were nice but usually the same each night.Overall i must say the main courses were tasty and each night you had a choice of red meat fish or chicken so there was something for everyone.
The hotels location is just breathtaking definitely the greatest asset to the hotel.From our balcony we had stunning views of comino and gozo. At night we loved sitting out on the balcony and watching the gozo ferry and some nights we could see spectacular fire works from the the island of gozo.
There are three fantastic well sized pools the largest in the shape of a fish.The entire pool is very deep with no shallow end but this suited my 15 year old daughter as she is a very good swimmer however it is not safe for young children.We didnt spend most days lying by the pool as it was full of people but the time we did spend there was very very enjoyable.It is certainly one of the best pools we have seen in a long time.
Some of the hotel staff are very friendly and others are not.The reception staff act as if they dont want to be bothered.The waiters and bar staff are much more helpful.Best of all were the animation team they were very nice and friendly and always had a smile.They would even sit down at night in the bar and talk to you.The entertainment shows at night were the highlight of each day the shows had something for everyone both young and old.Our daughter especially loved them also each night after the shows there was a disco we stayed up dancing some nights well into the night with the animation team.
During our holiday my daughter celebrated her 15 birthday the animation team couldn t do enough to make the night special.We had a ball.Overall all we really enjoyed our stay at paradise bay at the end we didnt want to leave.Our first impressions of the hotel had been completely wrong.I would highly recommend this hotel to everyone I promise you you wouldnt be disappointed.The hotel has by far more positives than negatives.We will definitly be returning to Paradise Bay again very soon.
Travel operator: Bellair Holidays
Travel operator: panarama
There is alot of building work going on and many parts of the hotel are just no go areas.
There is a distinct lack of facilities and the facilities they do have are poor and in a state of disrepair.
We paid for an upgraded room which promised views of the pool and sea. We were not happy to find we had a view of the flat roof of the restaurant and naturally, I demanded that we were moved. I was quite astonished when the receptionist explained the room grading system..even more so when she said that our upgraded room was the same as a normal one except it was painted yellow blue and green rather than the bog standard grey! If we wanted what we had been promised, we would have to pay another
Travel operator: Panorama
The hotel is located in the northern tip of the island, offering all rooms sea or bay view. Our room was over looking the sea view including the sister island of Gozo. Its a family run hotel where they make the guest feel part of the family too.
The hotel is very clean, hotel food is great, they have a snack menu available for lunch as well in the evening as well an a la carte menu if you want something different.
Regarding fresh fruit they had a different type of fruit every evening.
They offer quite a number of activities for families, couples and senior citizen all year round. They have even their own sandy beach, scuba diving and water sports.
The was a pleasure upgrading to a superior room as it made a change to our holiday. The rooms are welcoming, clean and new. They were building a new wing but it did not effect us at all and hope fully we shall return to the hotel so see the new rooms functioning.
Ps. If any queries or complaints arise do not hesitate to contact reception as they make their best to solve them and make your holiday more memorable as possible with a smile.
Travel operator: unknown
Swimming pools lovely (salt water) and you could always find free sunbeds and parasols - no getting up early and leaving your towel necessary here. Also plenty available on the beach, which is just across the way(through a tunnel under the road). Food very nice, a different meat on the carvery every night and a full cooked breakfast.
Hotel has its own shop which sells everything from souveniers and suncream to newspapers, inflatables and sweets.
Entertainment was your typical hotel type of thing, but if you didn't like it you could escape and enjoy a quiet drink in the bar. (I have been to other hotels where the entertainment takes over the whole bar area and you either go out the hotel or have to put up with it). Also they didn't have very loud thumping music from 9am until 6pm around the pool every day which was very refreshing!
We have booked to return to this hotel later this year and would recommend it as long as you want a quiet and relaxing holiday.
Travel operator: mercury
The rooms are a bit "tired", but was all clean and useable, and very big.Towels were fluffy and white. There was some construction work going on, but I can honestly say it didn't affect us at all. The weather was too cool to use the outdoor pools so the large indoor pool was a real bonus, and it never got too busy. The saltiness didn't bother us or our kids.
Staff were courteous and helpful.
Food was a bit canteeny, but fine for a week, maybe not for two.
We loved the location as nightlife isn't our thing. We used the buses for the whole week - they go past the hotel about every 5 minutes and are really cheap.
Didn't see any of the entertainment.
We would go again, but not for more than a week
Travel operator: First Choice
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