Kempinski San Lawrenz Resort and Spa

This was a long weekend celebration and under normal cicmustances with a longer period we would have stayed in a villa. We had holidayed in Gozo the previous two years and found the island idealic and tranquil. This short visit allowed us to experience an extremely well run establishment. The Kempinski is not far from the sea although views are purely of the pool and countryside. Our accomodation was a mixture of both, in a deluxe double with ample space in the bedroom / seating area and bathroom. The hotel is well kept and furnished to a high standard and the staff are well trained and all areas are run efficiently. We ate twice in the hotel apart from breakfast and both meals were excellent. We would certainly stay again but hopefully for a longer time.

Just got home after a great week in Kempinksi, San Lawrence. The whole week was a delight. I describe Kempinski as a very luxury hotel with a laid back charm. The rooms are of a good size and do have a bubble bath. The garden is lovely with 3 pools and the inside pool is of a good size too. Gozo is small and green. Great place to walk around. The hotel courtesy bus brought me every day to another small place on the island. Free of charge. Booked the hotel for a well deserved pampering week and specially for the wellness and Aryuveda treatments. Specially the Aryuveda is of high quality and the treatments are tailor made. If you enter the Aryuveda center, India is immediately all around you: the parfum of sented oil, the music and the warming Indian smile of welcome. It made my trip complete: thanks Dr. Vijay and Maya.

We have just returned from this jewel in the Med. Every thing about San Lawrenz Gozo is welcoming and nothing is too much trouble for the staff. We were met at the airport by a pre- reserved taxi and the 100% first rate service continued throughout our stay. The food in the L’Ortolan was remarkable, the vegetables are straight from the garden all the fresh fish is local, if you fancy an informal evening the Trattoria has a wonderful selection of food from pizza to local specialities from the island all are fantastic! These two restaurants offer outstanding dishes for such a small island, nothing is too much trouble if you woudl like a larger plate of fresh vegetables just say the word!... The Spa treatments I experienced were second to none, i had an Ayurvedic pacakage that made me feel like I was walking on air! the Yoga classes that start early three times a week are a good start to the day and get you limbered up for the wonderful walks in the beautiful countryside that surrounds San Lawrenz. A twenty five minute walk to the sea rounds off the day nicely,then a slow stroll back and a slice of the coffee shop cake and tea are the order of the day. This place is so special I very nearly did not share my experience with you as I would not want it to be spoilt in any way, but you must go and see for yourself, this very relaxed charming beauty set in a wonderful peaceful location. Makes it a must i will be back there as soon as I can

My daughter and I booked a 6 night stay here. We were looking for somewhere with good spa facilities in a nice location. I originally planned to stay in the UK (save the planet and all that!) but the prices in most "health spas" were exorbitant. We got a great deal for this 5 * hotel in Gozo and thought we would give it a go. We had been notified that there would be a large conference (of German dentists!) there when we arrived and they offered us alternative accommodation elsewhere if we were not happy with that, or even to cancel the booking. I thought that was very fair. However, we said we were more than happy to be there with the short overlap of the conference. The best thing about the hotel was the staff who couldn't have been more helpful, efficient or friendly. The managers were high profile, "hands on" and very charming. They treated us like royalty! We had pre-booked spa treatments by email directly with the spa manager. They were all carried out to schedule and very professionally. The facials were excellent. Unfortunately, my suitcase failed to arrive when we got to Malta airport (apparently this is quite common with Air Malta according to some of the other passengers). The hotel gave me some basic supplies and were proactive in trying to track the whereabouts of the case - which eventually showed up the next day! Each day before breakfast I did a walk on my own (and met some really helpful locals!). On my last day I did a guided walk with Robin, the guest activities' organiser. This was superb as he was extremely knowledgable about the geography, history, geology and vegetation of the area. The breakfast buffet had a fantastic choice. We loved it. The Cafe Lounge food for lunch was OK (nothing special) and we thought the evening Fish Buffet on one night was excellent (but not cheap). The cocktails, actually the Margaritas in particular, were superb (and I have sampled quite a few!) Our room was huge. It had a separate sitting area and a small patio as well as a large sleeping area. We didn't realise till we checked out that we had been upgraded to a Junior Suite on the ground floor. It was very close to the family pool area but luckily for us there were hardly any children and for those who were there it was far too cold to swim outside. It was very peaceful. However, I can imagine that this may not be the case in July/August! We found a great cafe in Victoria (Cafe del Corso) which provided excellent home made food - very inexpensive! We walked into Victoria and got a taxi back for 9 euros. Overall, I would recommend the hotel. In fact I would like to return next year but at a time when the weather is warmer!

Stayed over Christmas on an Ayurveda Holistic Week package. The Ayurvedic therapists are very well trained (they are all from Kerala) and the benefit of electing a full week package is that the treatments are organised in such a way that the body detox is progressive and efficient (it is actually also much less expensive than to pay for one treatment at a time). Also Ayurvedic hot beverages and 2 litres of water per day were sent to the room daily. I agree with the comment of one reviewer that Dr V. might have as much a mind for business as for practising Ayurveda. I also agree on the particularly un-inspiring Yoga sessions. The Ayurvedic menu is designed for each individual according to the principle of Ayurveda (doshas) and I have to salute the Ayurvedic Chef who cooked each meal with such inspiration & talent that we were always looking forward to every dish. The cuisine is prepared with fresh vegetables and fruits from the garden located in the compounds of the hotel. A treat! Also booked a 3 day-package of thalassotherapy. If you have had the chance to stay at a Thalasso Centre before you will be disappointed by the space allocated to the water treatments (the treatments are not exceptionally serviced but definitely good). The hotel is large & spacious. But be aware not to have your room next to a family if you want normal peace and a quiet night sleep! The walls are so thin (or is it that thick stone one reviewer mentioned) and the noise circulates through the rooms too easily. If the child next door is driven to over-excitement all throughout the day and way into the wee hours in the early morning by his parents' lack of restraint and education you are in for some mood swings. I put a complaint to the hotel reception as I had specifically asked for a quiet room when I booked (and yoga required an early start!). The staff was helpful and professional and after 3 complaints upgraded me to a bigger room (certainly to accommodate an incredibly irritated customer). So the staff was obliging but a 5* hotel should make sure that the customer's request at booking time is respected especially when the hotel is 10% full and almost all rooms empty (as another reviewer mentioned during this time of the year). The Christmas Eve and Day were low key but quite appreciative to the Ayurvedic customers who came for some 'time off' (from literally almost everything). Would I recommend this hotel? Yes for the Ayurvedic therapists and the cuisine. Yes for the location and the access to the raw eastern coastal beauty of Gozo. For the rest you will have to choose if you want piece and quiet or boisterous and loud...

Stayed for 2 nights, Christmas Eve and Day. The 'Gala' dinner on the first night was rather over-ambitious, but the ambience (music) was good. Christmas Day seemed to be ignored apart from some pre-dinner carol singing and mulled wine. The really disappointing thing was the number of people staying in the hotel, maybe 20 ? The staff were very friendly and helpful. The building is impressive, but we stayed in a Junior Suite which was on the ground floor, so our view was palm leaves and vegetation. The facilities - spa, indoor pool, bar were very good, but as mentioned elsewhere the noise of people walking around on the tiled floor above was annoying. We drove over to look at 'Ta-Cenc' which was our second choice, they looked like they were really putting on a proper Christmas dinner, but the buildings looked old and tired compared to the Kempinski, however there was a big crowd there for dinner. Would stay again, but would want a room on the 4th or above floors (note the hotel is built 'upside down' with reception on the 5th) and perhaps at a more popular time of year.

I stayed at the Kempinski for 4/5 days and booked a 3 day Ayurvedic Rejuvenation Package. I arrived on Friday night and the treatment started on Saturday morning with a consultation by Dr. V. First of all, it would have been better to adjust for 1 day instead of starting the treatment right away. Secondly, Dr. V. is not a doctor but a business man whose objective it is to sell additional treatments. Dr. V. does not listen and the consultation is just a show element. Furthermore, it would have been much cheaper to book the treatments seperately instead of buying the package. The wife of Dr. V. is the yoga teacher, she is not very sympathic and her yoga classes are boring. Most of the staff is very friendly and caring. The main reasons why the hotel does not qualify as a 5 star hotel is (i) the building (too much stone, no warmth), and (ii) the food (both the quality and the presentation).

We have just returned from a 2 week stay at the Kempinksi along with two other friends and had a lovely break there. The weather was very kind to us as were the staff. We initially wondered what had hit us when we arrived on the Island but given time to settle in we realised that it had something quite unique and very different. Everyone is so friendly and life is such a slower pace than here in the UK. We found a couple of great restaurants near by to break up our dining arrangements. We planned in advance to dine in the hotel for 7 of the 14. We did however, feel there were too many buffet evenings that we don't like. We dined in both the a la carte restaurant and the Italian,. both very nice but a little more choice in the a la carte would be beneficial. We were disappointed to see however, guests not abiding by the dress code for dinner. I don't see shorts and flips flops as appropriate dress in the a la carte restaurant, staff please address this one. We were very lucky with our rooms overlooking the pool. I had read comments re the children using the adult pool. This I'm afraid parents need to respect and ensure their children adhere to the rules outlined. However, when speaking to one of the pool staff to ask the children to be moved to their own pool they addressed the situation immediately (may be not to the parent's liking but that's why we adults without children appreciate segregation). Our party felt that the uniforms needs to be smartened up to portray 5* rating and we put this on our comment form. We would return to the Kempinski and applaud the Group for their training in customer service, it definitely pays off!

This was a last minute cheapy holiday of 5 nghts stay at the 5* Kempinski. I have to say upfront that it was not charged at 5* prices. The hoelis loely and the staff make you feel that your holiday is important to them. It is not a 5* hotel but a 4* but neither were the prople staying in the hotel they all looked as if they got a cheapy too! I know that sounds snobby but I have read some of the reviews for this hotel and I think that the guests have been too harsh. There were comments about the stone causing banging when doors close but I think the management must have remedied that it was not too bad. children running around on flooors above WAS annoying - parents please note. I don't find buffets 'fine dining' and that is what is available in the main restaurant 5 days out of 7 howver the food in the Italian trattoria was good. these people who complained that the hotel was not up to standard also complained that the hotel was expensive - what do they expect? If you want to eat out in the nearest village take walking shoes and a torch with you we did not and felt that we did not want to walk in the dark along difficult roads. I thought it was a really nice place but not 5* and we enjoyed it a lot.

We have just returned from a 7 nights stay at the Kempinski. Fantastic and relaxing, definately not the place to seek busy evenings and nightlife, but I guess visitors to Gozo already know that. The room we had was lovely, well furnished, very clean and a fantastic view. Bathroom had a lovely jacuzzi bath, very relaxing with nice hotel products provided. Comfy bath robe and slippers helped. Staff on the whole were very helpful and smiling as Gozitans are all over the island. The only disapointment with staff were the pool bar people. They certainly did need some further training and had no idea what so ever in how to make cocktails, we tried them a couple of times - and they didnt come cheap but they were terrible. The restaurants in the hotel were pricey, in fact everything was pricey in the hotel but I guess thats 5* for you. However I have visited Malta and Gozo many times and prices have definately increased so much, luckily we know some local venues from past experience. The restaurant in San Lawrenz Tatitas was good but very slow service, we went a couple of times and the meal took 3hrs but the ambiance was enjoyable, but some people did get annoyed Some restaurants in Xlendie were good value and lovely fresh local fish available at least 50% less than the hotel. The Spa worth a visit but again prices a lot higher than in the UK. but no shortage of customers. I dont mean to keep going on about the prices but it was an issue, it was just annoying. We rented a car for the week and would highly recommend it great to get to some of the quieter areas and bays. All in all we had a lovely time - yes would go to Gozo again. Gozo to me is like an old comfy pair of slippers, so comfortable and hard to beat, and we have travelled so much all over the world. I guess its a place you would embrace or never go again!