Would like to know why people are complaining. I got back from Malta this morning, and yesterday I BOOKED AND PAID for 11 nights DB&B in November.

We arrived at the hotel at about 7pm and our first impression was that it looked a bit down at heel. on entering the reception area we were given a key by a rather surly male member of staff. We proceeded to make our way through a rabbit warren of dirty smelly corridors to the lift which was so small that it would only accommodate 2 people with 2 cases at the most and the door was so quick to close it caught by husbands leg.

On eventually finding our room we were amazed that this hotel was offering itself as 3 star with (their quote) better facilities of most 4&5 star hotels. The room like the corridors was smelly poorly decorated. Dirty. The bathroom was disgusting with black mould everywhere and the bedding and the towels (1 each) gray and grubby. The balcony was a death trap with the glass about to fall out with large gaps a small child could have fallen out of.

We went down to the dining room and was met with something like a works canteen..one look at the food and the surly answers from the catering staff to our question as to what the food was sent us running.

We went out into the night to search for another hotel. Thankfully we found a 4 star nearby which was available. Next morning we confronted the reps with our complaint and they sat there poker faced saying that they had had no other complaints from other holiday makers but nevertheless quickly organised an upgrade to the hotel of our choice.

Be warned this hotel does not deserve even a 1 star it really is that bad.

Can I first of all say "DON'T TAKE ANY NOTICE OF NEGATIVE REPORTS" about this hotel. I don't believe the folk giving bad reports actually stayed at Palm Court.

My wife and I went here with maltabargains for the first time and didn't know what to expect but from the flight which was fine, although no movie, to the hotel itself we were pleasantly surprised.

Hotel reception on arrival was efficient in allocating rooms. Room was very clean with maid service every day.

Food in restaurant was very good with a very wide choice available and buffet style so eat as much as you like.

The staff were very pleasant and helpful. What more can you ask for the price you pay (

Having stayed at the Palm Court on several occasions, all Inclusive, we have always found it to be a friendly hotel.

Staff are always brilliant.

The food is fine plenty of choice, full breakfast is nice. The evening meals there's always plenty of choice.

The location is spot on, close to everything, shops, bus terminus etc.

Entertainment is ok, karaoke, bingo, duet singing.

Will definitely be returning later in year. A great time was had yet again.

People that say this hotel is cheap and cheerful need to get out more often. This hotel sucks! It's disgusting and dirty and the food is slop!!!

Nothing wrong with this hotel, so I don't know why people are complaining. Food is fine - for

This was our second visit at Palm Court Hotel. We stayed for Christmas and New Year. This time we took friends with us. As the last time we went we had very pleasant flight over. Food on plane excellent.

On arriving at hotel were allocated our room keys within 5 Min's. Our rooms was spotlessly clean. Towels changed everyday.

Food you couldn't complain good choice of everything although we choose to eat out to try Maltese food.

Entertainment 1st class and always a very friendly crowd in bar. Staff friendly and polite. People who complain to me expect five star treatment. How can you possibly expect this with the little they charge you to go. It was our friends 1st stay there and yes they thoroughly enjoyed it. Well I agree with frog wonderful hotel and the four of us have already booked to stay again next Christmas and New Year, but we staying 11 nights not 9.

You five star people stick to your posh hotels I've stayed in them and have had cockroaches in them what you expect being abroad.

On saying that I've never seen one in Palm Court Hotel. I will let you know if I spy one next year.

Palm Court thank you for great holiday see December 22nd 2007. If not before.

Hotel was basic but rooms cleaned every day. Excellent balcony right on the front and air conditioning was brilliant. A real bargain for the cost of the holiday.

Hotel great for a base for getting round Malta, if you want luxury dont go to the Palm court.

Food ok but could be improved on, always a choice.

It's been said before and I'll say it again. You get what you pay for!
Palm Court is not the luxury hotel that their website makes it out to be. Luckily, I knew this from first hand reports from friends who have stayed there several times before so I had some idea what to expect. Our British Jet flight was delayed by 4 1/2 hours which meant we arrived at the hotel about 11.30pm. The reception and check-in staff were very efficient and quickly got us all booked in, despite some delays by people coming back and requesting another room because they didn't like the ones they had been allocated.
The reception area is quite bright and airy but this soon changes when you venture into the depths of the hotel. The corridors are very dark and dingy and there is a distinct odour of disinfectant. Disabled or infirm people should be aware that there are short but very steep ramps between the different levels of the hotel - it's like they've smoothed out 2 or 3 steps by putting a board over them.

Anyway, onto our room (371).
The first thing that hit us was the smell! A foisty, damp sort of smell which I quckly traced to the 'bathroom'. More about that in a moment. The rest of the room was clean and tidy with surprisingly good quality furniture. Apart from the bed, that is. The bed consisted of a wooden base made from 2 x 2 timber with a plywood top and a king size double matress on top. Aparantly all the beds in the hotel are made like this, be they singles or doubles. There were a couple of upholstered chairs as well as two plastic chairs and a small plastic table for the balcony. Having seen and heard reports about Palm Court we decided to stick with what we had got rather than request a room change. So, the smelly bathroom... The problem is caused by a total lack of ventilation. The 'bathroom' is in the inside corner of the room and it doesn't have a window. To make matters worse the door opens OUTWARDS into the entrance passage of the room so it has to be closed all the time to allow acess to the main door. Anyway, we bought an air freshener from a shop across the road from the hotel and got into the habit of leaving the bathroom door wide open when we went out for the day. The cleaners seemed to twig into our idea after a couple of days and left the door open when they had finished. The foisty smell was almost gone after our one week holiday. That or we had got used to it...

The food.
We were on a half board basis. 'In my opinion' the breakfasts were apalling unless you'd be happy with toast, butter and a cup of tea/coffee. The buffet style cooked breakfast was clearly made from the cheapest available ingredients and wasn't very appetising. The evening meals were much, much better with a decent selection of basic veg and a choice of two carvery roast meats as well as something else such as fish or chicken. Still on hot food there was always soup and pasta availble, too. Various types of bread, butter and salads were in abundance. Sweets usually consisted of a choice of fruit salad, cake/pastry or semi-melted ice cream.
We never tried having a drink in the hotel bar because they have a crazy system of ordering and paying for your drinks at reception and then taking a chitty to the bar to get your drinks.

We never had any issues with the hotel staff and judging by the rest of the hotel they would be on the minimum possible wage yet they were always courteous, even when we saw them being hassled by drunk British tourists!

Having said all that, this was an excepionally good value for money holiday and to help put things into perspective Malta Bargains quoted us

We had already booked the Palm Court before we had found the less flattering reviews! Anyway, with trepidation we decided to go ahead.

In fairness,the reality was slightly better than the imagined. Our room (4th floor)was clean and kept that way for the week we were there. The aircon worked fairly well, althouth the ceiling fan didn't (and also looked as if it was reclaimed from a WW2 crashed aircraft so maybe we were lucky it was bust!). The furniture looked relatively new. The toilet/shower was cramped and dated, with a shower tray that overflowed after 2 people had used it! I tried to unblock it and was slightly successful, although a 6-7cm cockroach appeared about 2 hours later!

Corridors were very dark and dingy - a fact not helped by the poor lighting, drab paint and filthy carpet.

Breakfast was repetitive as was the lunch menu - same thing every day with no variety. Dinner was slightly better with the pasta usually being the best choice. Much has already been said of the drink ordering system - more than 2 in reception and you're in for a long wait.

We did not use the pool so can't comment - preferring to go out on a daily basis.

Speaking of going out, Freeways opposite the hotel are cheaper than the Reps (I was quoted 7Lm/day for jeep hire). Golden Bay has a great beach with a reasonably priced cafe on the beach - also look out for Charlie and his speedboat trips from here.

So if you're looking for a cheap base to sleep whilst you explore Malta then go to the Palm Court. If you're expecting a UK style 3* hotel then you'll be sorely disappointed!

Would I go back - No!