We were, like almost everyone else, given a free upgrade. Ours turned out to be because our pre booked and paid for rooms had been given to someone else.

The staff were mostly surly and unhelpful apart from those in the restaurants around the garden pool area. The Valetta Restaurant, for 4 star visitors, is indescribably poor, especially at breakfast when it is worse than any English greasy spoon establishment one might have the misfortune to eat at!

The garden pool is unheated and abysmally cold due to its siting in an area that receives zero sun.

We were beset with major building work going on throughout the hotel and its environs. Our top of the range, expensive suites were only haphazardly cleaned.

Staff are simply overwhelmed trying to respond to myriad complaints albeit many should be sent on customer services seminars to improve their attitudes towards paying guests.

This is simply not a five or indeed four star establishment albeit the food in the Indian, Thai and Japanese Restaurants was excellent.

Value for money? Give it a big miss!

This was our seventh visit to the hotel, but it will probably be our last.

The standard of the hotel has dropped over the last ten years, even though the new part of the hotel has 5 Star status.

We booked a deluxe Garden View room, but were "updated" to one of the new Tower Bedrooms. The accomodation was ok, clean , but not to UK 5 Star standard by any means. We were partly overlooking the building site next door, but this did not really bother us. The "4 Star" part of the hotel is badly in need of renovation, and is also not particulary clean,the lifts especially need some attention.

The overcrowded pool area at the front of the hotel needs some repairs, the sunbeds were dusty and there was quite a bit of litter around the pool.

The pool at the back of the hotel, overshadowed by the 17 storey Tower, is very cold and almost unusable.

The food is ok, providing you pay the 4.50 extra to dine Al a Carte. The Vallette restaurant breakfast was very poor, very greasy streaky bacon, undercooked fried eggs or overcooked omelettes.

Some of the staff who have worked there for a long time, seem stressed out and overworked, the owner does not appear to have provided extra staff to cope with the additional guests. Some of the newer staff were quite surly and appeared to be more interested in talking amongst themselves than serving the customer.

Although we did enjoy our holiday, in our opinion we paid a 5 star price, but did not get 5 star service.

The owner needs to update the old accomodation, provide more sunbathing areas (maybe demolish the Lido bar and use the Cocktail bar) and get the Garden pool heated.

He needs to start using the hotel dining rooms himself in order to gauge the quality of the food being served. He needs to provide his staff with training in customer service and maybe he should start holding meetings with the longer serving members of his staff as they seem to have some ideas on how the quality of the hotel could be improved.

Having previously enjoyed a holiday at this hotel 2 years a go, I returned looking forward to another excellent holiday. Not so!!

We booked a Deluxe Jacuzzi sea view suite, and were given a deluxe garden view suite, nice room, but not what I wanted! Tried to complain, but after being told by reception 3 times to come back as they were very busy with room complaints, I got to speak to the manager, who just shrugs a lot and kept saying "we overbook sea view rooms" (More expensive than sea view rooms) I was told I could have the room I booked in 2 days time, but I wouldn't like it as it was tiny (managers words) at

We booked through Mecury direct and got a free up grade to a Deluxe Garden View room as part of a special offer. Upon arrival we were given a sea view tower room in the newer 5* tower development. This afforded good views over the harbour to Valletta, and to the building site next to the hotel, although we found this to be completely unobtrusive. The room was quite large, as was the bathroom, and was furnished very nicely.

Our room was cleaned to a high standard every day, and the mini bar was always re-stocked. We found the rest of the hotel to be of a similar standard of cleanliness throughout, and there always seemed to be a number of cleaning staff busy tidying some part of the hotel.

This was the first time we had gone all inclusive, as we have always been cautious of repetitive hotel buffet restaurants. With the choice of seven, we ate in a different one every night, so this was not an issue. We made sure we always booked up where we wanted to eat 48hours in advance to ensure the booking, which is well worth doing. The food in all the restaurants is still a bit mass produced, but we didn't have one bad meal, and there was always something on the set menu we would eat (upgrading to the al a carte menu costs 4.50ML each, but we didn't feel the need to).

The hotel is situated in a good position for getting to the Sliema centre, and the cruise vessels, and the Valletta ferry are only 5 minutes walk away. However, there is some building work going on next to the hotel, which while not obtrusive, could block the views from some of the hotel rooms.

We found the staff to be helpful and polite, if not all of them very cheery. The service in the restaurants is ok, but not up to the standards of 4 and 5* hotel restaurants in this country.

As for entertainment, from what we encountered, its a bit like a local opportunity knocks. Just a bit of background noise.

If you are tempted by the free trips offered by the time share reps, be wary, as we went for the jeep safari, but this only operates Mon to Thurs. We arrived late Monday, and were approached by the rep Tuesday. We could only go to the meeting Wednesday, so by the time we got our voucher, Thursdays trip was booked. If you are staying longer, it might be worth listening to them for a couple of hours to get the free trip, as it is worth quite a bit of money.

Overall we were very impressed, but we did get the free upgrades, and some free sessions in the spa, which made it very good value for money. We would go again, but we doubt it would be as good next time.

Stayed in 8th floor deluxe room with sea view and balcony. Sea view across another block and building site. View not as good as more attractive harbour view across to Valletta. Twin double room size adequate with very large bathroom. Lifts inadequate and frequently out of action - don't go if you're not able to climb 8 flights of stairs. Our room was directly above the Indian restaurant and towards the end of the evening there could be a noticable smell of curry fumes on the balcony.

Food quality is mixed. The basic La Valette cafeteria has a wide variety of motorway services quality, rather bland presumably to satisfy the many elderly guests. The watered down fruit juice is inexcusable!

However, we also sampled six of the seven "themed" restaurants, mostly arranged around the pool complex. Without exception, they offered a far higher standard. We particularly enjoyed the Japanese restaurant. For a small supplement, this also served a freshly cooked breakfast as good as you could hope for.

The only criticism is that much of the hotel's procedures seem to revolve around information being issued by package tour reps. A hotel information pack would help independent travellers.

No hotel car park, and on-street parking is a lottery. Our car was blocked in for most of one day by a double-parked local.

The Fortina Hotel sells itself as a Spa Resort - it is not a resort. We were expecting a relaxing all inclusive resort, in a quiet location, with other like minded travellers, (we are in our 30's). This it is not, it is a hotel with a spa on a busy street next door to a building site! It is not on the seafront but on a river with a 'lido'& it is not all all-inclusive.

Only some guests are all inclusive, which means you have to carry a card with you at all times - which is quite tiresome. Children were also there - not what we expected.

Having said that, the food in the speciality restaurants was very good & the service reasonable.

I can't say much about the staff as there were not many to be found.

My husband and I stayed here for one week for our Wedding Anniversary.

We were upgraded to a Deluxe Suite in the new five star tower which was very nice with our own outdoor spa. Towels changed daily if requested but thet were not very good quality, bed made daily but I dont think the room was hoovered while we were there or at least it didnt look like it. The corriders were not hoovered either as there was a layer of dust and crumbs etc.

The hotel buffet restaurant was adequate, food ok but it was dirty and there was a cracked pane of glass which could have fallen in on someone. The queues were long especially at lunch.

However the other restaurants we could eat at were good, if you booked in advance you ate a good meal in comfort. The Indian and Chinese are worth mentioning!

Location of hotel is quite good not far from city centre, ferries etc. The lifts in the hotel diabolical, either not working , long queues or getting stuck! Reception staff (day) rude and unhelpful, night staff quite good.

Only saw one singer one night but that was through choice i believe there was something on every night but hotel not really for entertainment.I wouldnt stay there again. Not really five star status alot of building work still going on and time share hovering about!! Quite dirty and dusty with rubble outside and looking from balcony could see it on ledges of rooms.

Absolutely no entertainment whatsoever unless you count the waiter dressed as a woman.
Main hotel suffers for the build of the new kids running about everywhere we won

My wife and I spent our honeymoon at the hotel for two weeks. I have to say that we were a little concerned regarding the building work. However on arrival the work was almost completed so there was no inconvenience.

We were upgraded to a suite which was very spacious and clean. This overlooked the garden area and frankly we couldn

Stayed in the Fortina for two weeks full board all inclusive,we had a delux room overlooking the adult pool and I can say we had a great relaxing time. There was seven restaurants to eat in and the food was unfaultable. I can recomend this hotel as it is today. They have just built a new tower 5* on the side of the hotel and the extra rooms are alot so my only concern would be where will the extra people go as we found towels were being put down on the sunloungers early daily. At my time there is was great and I am glad we went there.