Karanne Aparthotel

If you plan on going to Malta the Hotel Karanne is only a couple of streets away from the seafront/buses to Mellieha Bay (water sports and sandy beach), and the harbour from which to go on the various boat trips. Can recommend Hornblower and OkiKoki Speed Boats of St Julian’s Bay.
The hotel itself is lovely with a rooftop pool giving views of the sea and St Paul’s Island and the hillside. It has very clean and spacious rooms with air conditioning ... a must have!
One fault with the Karanne is the food. If you have the opportunity of going Bed and Breakfast or Self Catering take it. The food is so terrible and eating out so cheap you might as well go out and get something edible in the many restaurants in Bugibba where the portions are huge and the food great.
All in all you will either love or hate Malta. Personally I liked the chilled out/laid back atmosphere of the place and in many ways felt that it was nice to go somewhere unchanged/unregulated by the EU.

After reading some of the reviews on here, I really didn't feel like going, i even checked that we could change hotels if things really were that bad, but had a very nice surprise.
We arrived at 5am and were greeted by a very friendly English guy at reception, which is furnished with some very welcoming sofa's. It is not well lit but considering the heat, the dimmed lighting made a great cool contrast to outside.
When we got to our room I was a little disappointed, it was small and was situated next to the lift, which was noisy, but at that point all we wanted to do was sleep. We spoke to a different guy on reception the following morning and asked if we could move and he immediately arranged for us to inspect another room, which we did, this was very spacious and had a nice balcony.
We had our linen changed 5 times in 7 days and clean towels every day, the maids were very meticulous. In fact all of the staff were friendly, some even gave us advice on different bus routes to get around the island.
The pool area was clean and very hot on the roof with some nice views
I would not say it was a 4 star hotel, but would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a peaceful holiday that won't cost the earth.

Whoever gave this place 4 stars must sleep rough. The management should not be allowed to rent out tents, never mind hotel rooms.
The room we were allocated was filthy in all aspects, especially the kitchen area and the bathroom, where fittings were falling to bits. The window to the front had brown sticky-tape holding it together. Perhaps they thought the Germans were going to return in their Stukas. It is a shame really, because the hotel is centrally located, with shops and bars nearby, as is the centre of Bugibba.

Any staff we encountered appeared rude and distracted, and fortunately we never tried the restaurant. Things were so bad that after one days residence, we used our holiday money to buy early flights home.

Just to try to balance the very negative comments on this hotel. We have just had a very good week staying there. Yes, it may be because the weather was good and the hotel quiet as it is "out of season", but we found it clean, the staff helpful (agreed 1 of the receptionists was not the best) and the food good. Well worth the price paid.
The reception/ ground floor area is very large and appears dark, but not unwelcoming. It is in a built up area, but very well-placed for buses to most of the island. Think of it like a "travel inn" with breakfast & dinner thrown in, and you won't be disappointed. If you expect an all singing-all dancing resort hotel, go somewhere else & pay a lot more!

The hotel was in darkness all the time, the receptionist (female)was rude, water came down the ceiling and we were told that this was the air-conditioning. The Jacuzzi could only be on if one would go downstairs to book, the sauna was not working.
The use of television, kettle and fridge were additional if one wanted to use these. The linen was dirty on arrival. The corridors are filthy. Outside the hotel timeshare people were pouncing on you when you came out. Whoever provided the hotel with a four star has never stayed in one. The receptionist argues with all with regards the deposits paid.
However the food was good, the waiters worked hard and were very pleasant and polite.
Overall rating- A very depressing hotel.

This hotel had so many problems and did nothing to rectify it. The rooms were simple and poorly decorated - lights didn’t work & the pool tables were out of order. There was a light and cable dangling from the indoor pool (massive safety hazard). The Food was disgusting - restaurant extremely short staffed- the wine was off - hair was found in the food - breakfast beverages were squash or tea (that was it!). The staff and reception were un-coordinated. Also remember to claim back your deposit for your remote control- they won’t tell you when you check out. All in all, an appalling experience and an expensive one! And that’s before we even went out for dinner to avoid the restaurant!

What a dreadful hotel - if I could give a worse rating than 1 I would! The pool area was never cleaned or corridors, sheets were not changed once in the week I stayed there.
The owner was rude and ignorant and constantly shouted abuse at his overworked staff and would belittle them in front of guests. Thank God, I did not have to eat in the hotel - one unfortunate night we did attend the BBQ which was overpriced with dreadful food and no music.
This hotel should not have a rating let alone a 4 star.

The staff at this hotel are underpaid and overworked most seem very miserable and tired. The hotel rooms were ok but not a of a 4* standard.
Overall after reading comments made about this hotel i was not very optimistic however I tried to keep an open mind. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone.
There are pigeons locked up in a small room next to the showers were the roof top pool is. They were in bad condition and to be honest they should not be in a hotel let alone locked up. The outdoor pool is very small and you need to get there early to get a sunbed.
The indoor pool was locked, and it seemed to be in a bad condition. In my view Malta is a great place to visit and the people are warm and very welcoming. The only bad thing about our holiday was the Karanne hotel.
I have travelled many places and seen many different hotels and the worst has been the Karanne hotel. By the way, the air conditioning has been installed wrongly, basically the heating was the air conditioning and the air conditioning was the heating.
This hotel is definitely not of a 4* standard the arcade games downstairs were out of order there was not control for the TV, there was holes in the shower and the food was very simple. This hotel should not be a 4* because it just does not have the facilities a 4* hotel should have.

After reading some of the previous comments regarding The Karrane I was less than optimistic when we arrived.
However, we found the Hotel a pleasant surprise. It was clean, our room was cleaned and linen changed everyday, the staff friendly, the food, ok, was adequate at best, but again acceptable, the Pub was nice, but again, each to their own, the pool area on the roof was clean and the pool very clean with great views over St Paul’s bay and the surrounding mountains.
OK, so if there were a few bad points, and I am being picky here, the location isn’t on the bay, there is a 5-10 min walk to the small attractive harbour, the road is a bit noisy with traffic, breakfast did finish a bit early 9.30, the indoor pool was in a bad condition, probably not used during summer, but should have been locked if it was due to be cleaned etc., our air conditioning in the room didn’t work, but the room fan is more than adequate and to be fair we didn’t complain, also, the maids should pay attention to the 'do not disturb' sign on the door as they do tend just to knock once and walk in!
Other than that, The Karrane is rated as 4 star (3 star in Maltese ratings) and if you get a good deal for a week then I can recommend it.

Beautifully built! But there it ends it is a crying shame.
Everywhere is dirty, they spent two days cleaning our room to my satisfaction.
The food is awful I think they are on a budget of34p a day and I am not joking, if it is not eaten today it is disguised for tomorrow and the next day, at least you lose weight whilst here.
Upstairs pool area neglected and falling apart, looking very forlorn
. Dust and dirt everywhere, cakes in the coffee shop can be there two weeks we saw them!
Public areas in darkness to save electricity.
Management when sober not interested in complaints.
Do yourselves a favour and do not go there.